Looking to buy a car? Then the chances are pretty high that you’ll have to go to a car dealer. Car dealers can be amazing, of course. But let’s face it: there are some right weasels out there. (Not to offend any actual weasels who might be reading this.)
Here are the questions people should be asking themselves when trying to determine whether or not they should trust a dealer. Bear in mind that not all of them are as relevant as they may appear! We’ll be taking you through each of these and showing you how important each of these factors are.
Do they have a licence?
This should be the first check, really. All official car dealerships should be fully “licenced” to buy and sell cars. Note how I put quote marks around licenced, there? It’s because, technically, UK car dealers don’t actually need to be licenced in order to trade. When people talk about licences to trade cars here, they’re referring to the dealer having the correct insurance cover. In most other countries, a car dealer needs to have a licence. Keep your eyes open!
How qualified are they?
Qualifications are a good way to discriminate against those who, well, don’t have qualifications. The truth is that most car dealers aren’t “qualified” in the sense that many people would imagine they are. After all, the lack of academic demand for car dealership courses is pretty darn low!
If the dealer you’re speaking to has academic experience in sales, then that might be a good sign. But academic qualifications here, as in most industries, don’t mean as much as people make out.
Do they work with specialists?
Now this is a good criterium. Some car dealerships work directly with the car manufacturer. That, or with specialists representing the brand. This is a sign that the car manufacturer has a bigger stake in this car dealer than with many others. It also means that the dealer is more likely to know their stuff when it comes to the car you’re looking to buy. They’ll probably also be able to provide more assistance in the future, after you’ve purchased the car. Buying a new Audi from a place that works with Audi specialists, for example, is probably a smart choice.
What’s their reputation like?
This is another good question you should be asking. Of course, you may not get accurate answers directly from the dealership themselves. You’re going to want to look for an independent, third-party source for reviews. Seeing the opinions of those who have worked with the dealer before is really the best way of getting a feel for their reputation. You should bear in mind, however, that people tend to be more likely to leave reviews when they’ve had a bad experience.
How are their prices?
And we come, at least, to this very important factor. What are their prices like? This is why you need to compare dealerships with each other. This way, you can figure out if a dealer is trying to overcharge you for a given car. PROTIP: overcharging is bad. Don’t buy from an overcharger.
