back to articles | December 31, 2018 | Dale Peterson

Categories: Vehicle & Buying Research

Automobile Buying Research


Buying an Expensive Automobile Demands Research

An automobile is one of the most important and costly purchases you may make. By doing research and preparing yourself before you begin your search; you can make the buying process much easier. Before you hit the automobile dealerships, conduct your own research. With today's technology, most of the research phase can be done from your home of office.

Automobile Buying Questions

When you begin to research your next automobile, answer the following questions.

  • What are my needs?
  • What are my wants?
  • What do I not want?
  • What can I afford?
  • What automobiles meet all of my needs & most of my wants?
  • What are my payment and loan options?

Research Your Automobile Wants and Needs

Determine your buying needs before you go to the automobile dealership. Automobile salesmen have a reputation of being pushy; however, this is often confused with their short opportunity to discover your needs and wants. By answering the following questions, the research for your wants and needs will be clearly defined.

WANTS:

  • What is my new automobile going to be used for?
  • What type of automobile am I looking for?
  • What size?
  • What level of economy versus power?
  • What options do I need?

NEEDS:

  • Color
  • Interior
  • Power Equipment
  • Brand
  • Model
  • Extras

Research Your Automobile Budget

Next, you need to decide how much you can afford. Run a simple budget to determine:

  • What are you able to spend?
  • What would you like to spend?
  • What is insurance going to cost?

Research Automobile Quality

Now it's time to determine what automobiles meet all of your needs and most of your wants. When researching automobiles, you have many resources available to you without going to the dealership.

  • Do you have a brand loyalty?
  • Ask your family, friend and co-workers, what they do or do not like about their automobiles
  • Look at the other automobiles on the road and in the parking lots during your normal activities.
  • Conduct research on the Internet from the manufacturer sites, dealer sites and independent review sites.

Research Automobile Loan and Payment Options

  • The final portion of your research will be determining your payment options.
  • Are you planning on purchasing an automobile out right?
  • Are you trading down with an automobile that is paid for? (very rare)
  • Are there any rebates or financing offers available for the automobiles you are interested in?
  • Have you been preapproved for your loan through myAutoloan.com?

Research: The Next Step

Once you have conducted the research portion of your automobile purchase, you are ready to negotiate with the dealer.