Buying Used Car the Right Way

Crown Auto Sales and Finance is a good used car dealer. We treat our customers fairly and provide them all with terms that they can afford and a reliable pre-owned vehicle to suit their individual needs. But honestly there are other dealers that aren't as reputable as us. That means that you, the consumer, must protect yourself. So here are some basic tips to avoid future heartache.

Don’t Just Inspect The Car, Inspect The Dealer Too!

You may have found the car of your dreams at a price you can afford but before you put your hard earned money down on the table make sure that you research the dealer as well. Check what other people are saying about them. Customer Reviews are a well-known feature on websites such as Yelp and Yellowpages, so they are always a good place to start. But also check their Facebook page and Google as well. Some former customers will have negative things to say and some will have positive, but at any rate it will give you a better understanding of the company that you plan on doing business with. Also check with the Better Business Bureau. The Better Business Bureau is a nonprofit, non-partial organization that exists solely to build consumer trust and it allows consumers to report to any issues that they have had with a certain company, as well as that company to respond to those issues. So researching the dealership in which you pa to buy from on the Better Business Bureau will give you a definitive tract record of how they deal with issues concerning the quality, maintenance, warranty coverage, as well as any other issues with their vehicles. In short, while you may have covered the history of the vehicle itself using Carfax or any other vehicle history report will give you an understanding of the quality of vehicle that you are wishing to purchase, researching the company will give you an equal understanding of the kind of people that you are dealing with in the company itself.

Find a Mechanic

Here at Crown Auto Sales and Finance we have a fully-staffed and modern Service Department that repairs, reconditions, maintains, and details every single one of our vehicles before they every reach one of our four dealerships. Also, we will provide nearly any maintenance or repair need that your vehicle may have after you purchase it and drive it home. We also are very upfront in providing detailed vehicle history reports on all of our vehicles to every person who is looking to buy from us. These reports not only show any damage or wear that the vehicle has experienced but also the steps that we as a company have taken in order to assess and repair any problems on the vehicle before it comes out to the lot to be sold to you. But automotive mechanics are like family doctors. Oftentimes there is a level of trust and understanding that comes with years upon years of inter-personal relationships and trust built up by the quality service that they have provided you. So even if the dealership that you plan on buying from, like us, may have inspected, maintained, and repaired the vehicle make sure you have scheduled an appointment with your own personal mechanic and ask the dealership if you can take the vehicle for an extended test drive.  During the test drive go to your mechanic for your scheduled appointment and get the vehicle checked out yourself. This is not to say that the dealership itself hasn't provided a quality vehicle or has service people that do shoddy workmanship but is rather to give you, the customer, the peace of mind that comes with an impartial analysis of the vehicle from a second source. This is to give you peace of mind, after all this will be your vehicle for much longer than you will spend on the lot haggling.

Don’t Be Afraid to Walk Away

Although we here at Crown Auto Sales and Finance adhere to only the highest standard of customer service, we will readily admit that not all used car dealers are created equal. So don’t let the sales person make you feel pressured into a commitment today. Simply put, if you are not ready then you are not ready. Take your time and find the right vehicle for you. After all at the end of the day it is your money that you will be spending and it will be your car as soon as you drive it off the lot.

At the end of the day invest time, effort, intuition, and common sense into your next car-buying decision and it will take you a long way to getting the vehicle that you both need and want.

The Used Car Industry in 2014

Every industry is influenced by what is happening around it. No business is an island, and the used car business is like any other. In the United States, while we are far and away from the dark economic days of 2007 and 2008 and in a slow recovery, things are still far from certain. Increasing confidence in the economy has lead to increasing levels of spending among the average American consumer. In May 2014 OEM carmakers in Detroit showed record car sales since the end of the recession here in America.  IN May 2014 Ford Motor Company had their best sales month since 2005, General Motors and Toyota had their best sales month since 2008. German luxury auto makers faired even better in the US market with BMW having the highest May sales in their history, along with Porsche and Audi who had their best sales month ever.  All other sectors related to the automotive industry are seeing record profits as well, including gas prices and insurance companies. On top of this the actual transaction amount for new cars rose an unprecedented 2%.

But where does this leave the used car industry? Well the new car industry and the used car industry are like apples and oranges. To understand the current situation of the used car industry you must first understand the last few years of the used car industry. Even during the recession when Detroit was tanking used cars sold very well. People who needed a car, their money already strained, more often than not purchased a used vehicle since it was less expensive. So this was the time to be a used car dealer. However the used car market wasn't getting replenished either since people with newer cars weren’t trading them in as often. The average vehicle on the road in the US today is a staggering 11.5 years old. Obviously at that age it isn’t of any use to most used car dealers. The cost to repair and maintain a vehicle at that age is just too high to be cost effective. Another thing that adversely affected the used car industry was the government Cash For Clunkers program. Cash For Clunkers, started by the Bush Administration during the darkest days of the Recession, paid anyone in cash for any older vehicle that they turned in no matter the condition. Obviously this got rid of a lot of the piles of junk cars here in America, but it took a good number of quality pre-owned vehicles off of the market and into the proverbial recycling bin as well.

So now used cars, and especially quality used cars, are a premium commodity and many used car dealers are struggling to get their inventories up to peak levels while keeping them competitively priced. But there are other things to worry about as well. With the recent safety recalls on massive numbers of vehicles in the United States there is a very real concern that some of the inventory that they currently carry is actually safe to drive. Currently there are no Federal regulations preventing someone from selling a used vehicle that has been recalled, but the demand for that is building. While a few unscrupulous used car dealers simply may not care about selling a recalled vehicle, many more are up in arms about unknowingly purchasing inventory that was faulty and then passing it along to the customers that they care about.

All in all, the situation for used car dealers is not ideal at the moment, but you do have one on your side. Crown Auto Sales and Finance has always and continues to do our utmost to provide the greatest and most diverse number of the highest quality vehicles at the most reasonable price. We only select good quality used cars with clean service histories and no recall issues. Our service team abides by the highest safety standards, whether they are endorsed by the Federal government or not. Every vehicle is inspected, tested, repaired, and maintained by our expert team of service technicians. It is then covered under our comprehensive Auto Sure warranty for anywhere from 6 to 36 months depending on the terms of sale. So if you have a problem with your vehicle that was of no fault of your own it will be repaired by us at no cost to you. Moreover, we have become extremely aggressive in our vehicle procurement process so that we may continue to carry the wide selection of over 100 quality pre-owned vehicles that we always have. No matter how certain or uncertain times may become, you know you can count on us for your next used car.