Three Dos for Buying a New Car

Buying a new car from a VW dealership in Chicago can be really fun and exciting, that is if you feel in control of the buying process. If you go prepared, you can have a great experience with your sales rep and come away feeling good about the process. On the other hand, if you don’t know what you are doing or what your expectations are, you can walk away feeling dissatisfied with the whole exchange. Following are three dos to help you stay in control of buying a new car:

• Do establish your maximum monthly payment. 
• Do be prepared to walk away from the sale. 
• Do read the fine print in the sales agreement.  

Do Establish Maximum Monthly Payments Before you go to the dealership, figure out your maximum monthly payment. You can use an online loan calculator to help you get an idea of the price range that meets your monthly payment requirement. The loan calculators allow for variables such as taxes and interest rates. When you reach the dealership, stay firm with this amount during your negotiations. If it means that you can’t buy a particular car or purchase some of the extras offered, then so be it. In the long run, you will be happier by sticking to your pre-established amount.  
Do Walk Away if Necessary If you find yourself in the middle of a negotiation that cannot reach a resolution, walk away. Sometimes walking away will help the negotiation process move along. Not always. Sometimes walking away ends the deal, and that is okay. There will always be another deal at another dealership.

Do Read the Fine Print When you are signing the sales agreement at the VW dealership in Chicago, make sure to read the fine print first. Don’t feel rushed or pushed into signing an agreement that you haven’t read. Take all the time you want, and ask for clarification on any questions that you might have. Sometimes sales contracts will automatically include different add-ons or options that you do not want. If you come across any of these, draw a line through the option, and write your initials next to the change you have made. Then you will not be locked into that option.

“This is a guest post provided to Up Now and What's Next for its readers.”