{"id":73,"date":"2025-05-08T06:26:56","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T06:26:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/badicar.com\/blog\/?p=73"},"modified":"2025-05-10T11:19:32","modified_gmt":"2025-05-10T11:19:32","slug":"mistakes-to-avoid-when-buying-a-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/badicar.com\/blog\/mistakes-to-avoid-when-buying-a-car\/","title":{"rendered":"Mistakes to Avoid When Buying a Car: A Must-Read Guide Before You Sign Anything"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Mistakes to Avoid When Buying a Car<\/strong> : Buying a car is fun, and it&#8217;s so easy to get caught up in all the excitement. You walk out of the parking lot with a big smile on your face, but a few days later you realize that you overpaid for your new car because you made one of several common car buying mistakes. That&#8217;s when reality hits and sadly, you find that it&#8217;s too late to do anything about it.<\/p>\n<p>Buying a car is not like buying a pair of jeans. You can&#8217;t return it if you don&#8217;t like it. Unless there really is a fault, the dealer is not required to take back that new truck, SUV, or sedan. (Even if it&#8217;s faulty, they must first be given a chance to fix it.)<br \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@type\": \"BlogPosting\",\n  \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n    \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n    \"@id\": \"https:\/\/badicar.com\/blog\/mistakes-to-avoid-when-buying-a-car\/\"\n  },\n  \"headline\": \"Mistakes to Avoid When Buying a Car: A Must-Read Guide Before You Sign Anything\",\n  \"description\": \"Car buying mistakes are common and happen more often than you want to believe. Most people don\u2019t want the embarrassment of admitting to making a mistake so they keep their mouth shut.\",\n  \"image\": \"https:\/\/badicar.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Common-Mistakes-768x403.jpg\",  \n  \"author\": {\n    \"@type\": \"Person\",\n    \"name\": \"Bipin Sharma\",\n    \"url\": \"https:\/\/badicar.com\/blog\/author\/bipinsharma\/\"\n  },  \n  \"publisher\": {\n    \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n    \"name\": \"\",\n    \"logo\": {\n      \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n      \"url\": \"\"\n    }\n  },\n  \"datePublished\": \"\"\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p>So if you find that your new vehicle doesn&#8217;t fit in your garage or isn&#8217;t as comfortable as it looked on the test drive, then too bad. Worse yet, if you find that you overpaid or can&#8217;t afford the payments, well, you&#8217;re still on the hook for that monthly sum.<\/p>\n<p>How do you avoid this problem? Simple: Read Badicar.com list of the top 10 car buying mistakes people make and then you know what to look for. Are here.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\" wp-image-75 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/badicar.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Common-Mistakes-300x158.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"690\" height=\"363\" srcset=\"https:\/\/badicar.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Common-Mistakes-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/badicar.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Common-Mistakes-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/badicar.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Common-Mistakes-768x403.jpg 768w, https:\/\/badicar.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Common-Mistakes.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 690px) 100vw, 690px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>1. Not taking time to research vehicles and prices<\/h2>\n<p>Rushing is one of the biggest car buying mistakes. As with jeans, there are lots of different cars to choose from so don\u2019t buy the first one you see. Take the time to work out\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/badicar.com\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">what type of vehicle will suit you best<\/a><\/strong>, then learn all you can about the cars in that category.<\/p>\n<p>For example, pickup trucks are always very popular but is that the best vehicle for you? Would you be better off with a compact SUV? How about a hatchback or wagon? Don\u2019t forget, there might be better deals on less fashionable vehicles.<\/p>\n<p>Then dive deeper by looking at models and trims. Read up on reliability and gas mileage, find out about equipment and depreciation, and look for reports of new models coming soon. (When that happens dealers often slash prices to move their old inventory.)<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s your job to find out what\u2019s available rather than being seduced by a dealer\u2019s advertising (that\u2019s what they want). Only when you can explain what kind of vehicle you\u2019re looking for, and why you want it, should you start shopping.<\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve read this article to the end\u2026read more about\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/badicar.com\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">researching new cars online here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"av-special-heading av-special-heading-h2 blockquote modern-quote avia-builder-el-17 el_before_av_textblock avia-builder-el-first \">\n<h2 class=\"av-special-heading-tag \">2. Falling in love with a specific model<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \">\n<div class=\"avia_textblock \">\n<p>This is a bad mistake to make, for two reasons. First, the salesman will probably catch on really quick that you\u2019ve set your heart on a GoGoWagon LTE or whatever and will become less flexible on the price. (If you\u2019re licking the paint off of it\u2026he knows you\u2019re going to buy it anyway.)<\/p>\n<p>Second, it causes you tunnel vision to other options that might be less expensive and better for you. Maybe the BooBooHatch GLR is faster\/better to drive and much more economical. But you\u2019ll never know if you\u2019ve set your heart on the GoGoWagon.<\/p>\n<p>Some dealers may give good deals to customers who really like a certain vehicle. However, it\u2019s best to keep an even keel and let the salesperson know you\u2019re interested in buying the vehicle if you can buy it at a good price. But if you can\u2019t buy it at the price you want, you\u2019re happy to look at other vehicles.<\/p>\n<p>Keep in mind, dealerships are not in the business to lose money on car deals, but keeping your feelings close to the vest and walking the fine line between \u201cinterested\u201d and \u201coverenthusiastic will generally help you get closer to ensuring the dealer breaks even or only makes a couple hundred dollars off your deal.<\/p>\n<div class=\"av-special-heading av-special-heading-h2 blockquote modern-quote avia-builder-el-23 el_before_av_textblock avia-builder-el-first \">\n<h2 class=\"av-special-heading-tag \">3. Not taking a thorough test drive<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \">\n<div class=\"avia_textblock \">\n<p>Turn right out the lot, make a right at the light\u2026two more rights and you\u2019re back. Surely that\u2019s enough to tell if you like a car? Not a chance.<\/p>\n<p>Most dealerships have a\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/badicar.com\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">planned test drive<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0route. This route normally only has right turns in it. It\u2019s proven, while test driving an unfamiliar vehicle. More accidents happen while turning left. Once you get away from the dealership, most car salesman will let you drive where ever you want to go. Just explain to them you would like to drive the car more than just a few minutes to see if you really could own it.<\/p>\n<p>The test drive isn\u2019t about looking for faults; it\u2019s when you decide if you can really live with a car. You\u2019re likely to turn left once in a while, shouldn\u2019t you do that on the test drive?<\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019re about to go on the test drive, familiarize yourself with all the button, knobs and controls. Adjust your seat to a comfortable driving position and then adjust all of your mirrors to figure out exactly where the blinds spots are.<\/p>\n<p>In the same vein, drive it on the highway to see if it gets noisy, and in town to check the visibility. Drive over different road surfaces and feel how it rides, and above all, check that you\u2019re comfortable. Buying a vehicle you can\u2019t get comfortable in is one of the biggest car buying mistakes people make.<\/p>\n<div class=\"av-special-heading av-special-heading-h2 blockquote modern-quote avia-builder-el-29 el_before_av_textblock avia-builder-el-first \">\n<h2 class=\"av-special-heading-tag \">4. Negotiating down from M.S.R.P. (Sticker price)<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \">\n<div class=\"avia_textblock \">\n<p>When you buy a pair of jeans the price on the label is what you\u2019ll pay. The same is not true for a car. The number on the window sticker is the Manufacturer\u2019s Suggested Retail Price, with the emphasis on \u201cSuggested\u201d. Use that as your starting point for negotiations and you\u2019ll almost certainly overpay. That\u2019s because there\u2019s a second, lower, price that the dealer concentrates on: what\u2019s called \u201cdealer invoice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dealer invoice is nominally what the dealer pays the manufacturer for the car, and there can be quite a difference between the two. (We say, \u201cnominally\u201d because the dealer usually makes money in other ways besides adding a margin to this price. For instance, they\u2019ll receive bonuses for hitting various sales targets, dealer holdback, incentives, rebates and some models and trims are eligible for additional discounts.)<\/p>\n<p>The best, and easiest, way of doing this is contacting dealer\u2019s for\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/badicar.com\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">free price quotes online<\/a>.<\/strong> This will let you know which dealer is more flexible on pricing and which ones will be more willing to discount their prices to sell a car.<\/p>\n<p>So before hitting the dealership and during your research phase find out their cost. My article on\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/badicar.com\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">New Car Dealer Cost vs. Factory Invoice<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0can help you with that. Once you find it, you\u2019ll want to start your negotiations from there.<\/p>\n<div class=\"av-special-heading av-special-heading-h2 blockquote modern-quote avia-builder-el-34 el_before_av_textblock avia-builder-el-first \">\n<h2 class=\"av-special-heading-tag \">5. Focusing on monthly payments alone<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \">\n<div class=\"avia_textblock \">\n<p>It\u2019s easy for a dealer to lower your monthly payment. All they need do is extend the term of the loan or lease. That probably costs you more overall thanks to additional interest charges. Another trick is to increase the size of the down payment. Again, your monthly cost goes down, but you likely pay more overall.<\/p>\n<p>All that matters is the price of the vehicle. Almost certainly, car salesman are trained to steer you away from talking about that number, but don\u2019t let him. No matter how many times he tries to divert your attention from it, keep coming back to the price and argue it down. Only think about payment terms once you\u2019ve agreed to a price.<\/p>\n<div class=\"av-special-heading av-special-heading-h2 blockquote modern-quote avia-builder-el-38 el_before_av_textblock avia-builder-el-first \">\n<h2 class=\"av-special-heading-tag \">6. Relying on the dealer for financing<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \">\n<div class=\"avia_textblock \">\n<p>The dealer isn\u2019t doing you any favors when he\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/badicar.com\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">arranges the financing<\/a>; he gets paid for doing it. So not only does he make a profit on the car he sells you, but he will attempt to make more profit on the loan he \u201coriginates\u201d. What\u2019s more, he probably doesn\u2019t get you the lowest interest rate you\u2019re eligible for either.<\/p>\n<p>Always\u00a0shop around for auto financing\u00a0before going car shopping. A pre-approved auto loan evens the playing field with a dealer\u2019s finance department, It also gives you something to fall back on in case they can\u2019t get you approved at a lower interest rate than you already have.<\/p>\n<p>Credit Unions are often a low-cost source. But for the lowest rates use an online source such as\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/badicar.com\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">myAutoLoan<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/badicar.com\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">LightStream<\/a>. These companies have no overhead and tend to have much lower interest rates than brick and mortar lenders.<\/p>\n<p>Find out what rate you can get, so when the dealership\u2019s \u201cF&amp;I\u201d guy, (that\u2019s \u201cFinance and Insurance\u201d) starts talking terms you\u2019ll know if he\u2019s really offering a good deal. Don\u2019t forget that a difference of 1% on a $25,000 loan spread over six years adds up to a lot of money.<\/p>\n<p>Read more about how to get a pre-approved auto loan online in my\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/badicar.com\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">auto finance section<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"av-special-heading av-special-heading-h2 blockquote modern-quote avia-builder-el-43 el_before_av_textblock avia-builder-el-first \">\n<h2 class=\"av-special-heading-tag \">7. Buying unnecessary extras<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \">\n<div class=\"avia_textblock \">\n<p>Just say no to rustproofing, windshield coatings, sports team mascots, (okay, we made that last one up.) You don\u2019t need them. Trouble is, it\u2019s easy to tell yourself, \u201cI\u2019m spending this much already, so why not drop a few bucks more to make it extra special?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s why not: extras are very profitable for car dealerships and many you don\u2019t need at all. If you later decide it is something you want, shop around. You\u2019ll almost certainly get it at a much better price.<\/p>\n<div class=\"av-special-heading av-special-heading-h2 blockquote modern-quote avia-builder-el-48 el_before_av_textblock avia-builder-el-first \">\n<h2 class=\"av-special-heading-tag \">8. Rolling negative equity into the car you\u2019re buying<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \">\n<div class=\"avia_textblock \">\n<p>This may be one of the worst car buying mistakes to make. You owe more than your current car is worth, (car salesman use the slang terms, \u201cbeing upside down,\u201d \u201cburied,\u201d or \u201cunder water\u201d) but they won\u2019t let that be a barrier. And they have many ways to convince you into just adding your negative equity to the vehicle you\u2019re buying.<\/p>\n<p>If a new car loses roughly 30% of its value after the first year of ownership. What happens when you add $3500.00 to the vehicle when you buy it? That money still has to be paid back eventually and you\u2019re the one left holding the bag. On a typical 5 year note, it takes about 3.5 years for you to start getting close to even.<\/p>\n<p>Your dealership will just add the difference to your new loan. That means you\u2019re borrowing money to repay money you\u2019ve already borrowed and when you really dive into the numbers, this can be very expensive.<\/p>\n<p>If you can\u2019t pay off your existing loan before changing your car, maybe you should get a few more months out of the current ride. And when you do buy a new car, try to do it with a sizable down payment (around 20% of the purchase price) so you don\u2019t find yourself owing more than the car is worth.<\/p>\n<div class=\"av-special-heading av-special-heading-h2 blockquote modern-quote avia-builder-el-52 el_before_av_textblock avia-builder-el-first \">\n<h2 class=\"av-special-heading-tag \">9. Not knowing the value of your trade-in<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \">\n<div class=\"avia_textblock \">\n<p>If you can sell your <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Used_car\">old car<\/a><\/strong> privately, do that rather than trade it in; you\u2019ll get a better price. That said, there are good reasons for trading-in. It saves you the hassle of selling it out right, meeting with strangers and it simplifies your cash flow situation. However, if you go this route start by finding out what your car is worth.<\/p>\n<p>There are several online car price guides that will estimate a trade-in value. Print out the results and take them with you to the dealership. That way, when they make you a lowball offer, (and they will,) you\u2019ll have something to support your demand for a better price.<\/p>\n<p>Remember, they will be offering you wholesale prices, you won\u2019t get the retail price. The dealership wants a margin between the buying and selling prices because they have to make a living. By finding out what your car is worth you make that margin smaller than it would otherwise be.<\/p>\n<p>For more information on this topic, read my section on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/badicar.com\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">trading in your car with a dealership<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"av-special-heading av-special-heading-h2 blockquote modern-quote avia-builder-el-58 el_before_av_textblock avia-builder-el-first \">\n<h2 class=\"av-special-heading-tag \">10. Not having a used car inspected<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \">\n<div class=\"avia_textblock \">\n<p>When you\u2019re buying a used car there\u2019s an important phrase to remember:\u00a0<em>caveat emptor<\/em>. No, that\u2019s not Julius Caesar\u2019s backstabbing sidekick, though there is a Roman connection. It\u2019s a Latin phrase meaning,\u00a0<em>\u201cbuyer beware.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Used cars are sold as seen. It\u2019s up to you to understand what you\u2019re getting for your money.<\/p>\n<p>Most of us aren\u2019t skilled mechanics and will probably not spot potentially expensive problems. That\u2019s why you should pay for a professional inspection and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/badicar.com\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">inspect the title history<\/a>\u00a0by purchasing a used car vehicle history report. Not doing so can be a very costly car buying mistake.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Car Buying Tips and Mistakes to avoid - (Good timing, Basic info, Interest rates and Insurance)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cBZ61j0Fw8s?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1&#038;origin=https:\/\/badicar.com\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2>Think before you buy a vehicle<\/h2>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \">\n<div class=\"avia_textblock \">\n<p>Living with a car is very different to taking it for a quick test drive. Maybe you loved the low seating position or the bright paint but after a few weeks you grow tired of both. Perhaps your problem is more financial: you realize those payments take a bigger chunk of your income than you\u2019d budgeted for or maybe the insurance premiums are higher than you expected. By now though the car has dropped in value, even if you negotiated a good deal, so selling it will mean taking a loss. It\u2019s not a good feeling.<\/p>\n<p>Car buying mistakes are common and happen more often than you want to believe. Most people don\u2019t want the embarrassment of admitting to making a mistake so they keep their mouth shut. Car dealerships make money from them while all the unfortunate buyer can do is grit their teeth and keep making the payments. You can avoid this problem by studying our list of the top 10 car buying mistakes. Once educated, you\u2019ll be a smarter, and happier, car owner.<\/p>\n<p>The number one tip for saving the most money when buying a new or used car is to always take your time and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/badicar.com\/\"><strong>\u201cDO YOUR RESEARCH FIRST AT BADICAR.COM !\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mistakes to Avoid When Buying a Car : Buying a car is fun, and it&#8217;s so easy to get caught up in all the excitement. You walk out of the parking lot with a big smile on your face, but&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/badicar.com\/blog\/mistakes-to-avoid-when-buying-a-car\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue Reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":75,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[381],"tags":[4,22,14],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/badicar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/badicar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/badicar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/badicar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/badicar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/badicar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":494,"href":"https:\/\/badicar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73\/revisions\/494"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/badicar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/badicar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/badicar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/badicar.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<!-- This website is optimized by Airlift. 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