Used Cars in Langley

3 Common mistakes people make when buying used cars in Langley

When you are looking to buy used cars in Langley, it is easy not to get the best car and deal possible because you make three common mistakes. Everyone is concerned about making sure the cars are certified or have an extended warranty, but they forget that there are three things that can change the deal you can get on a car, they can even change the types of car you can afford. By making sure you don’t make these common mistakes, you will wind up with the car you want at a price you can afford.

Mistake #1 – Not using online tools

The number one mistake people make when they are shopping for used cars in Langley is they don’t use the online tools available to them. Just about everyone starts looking for used cars in Langley online, using either a free ad car sale site or one of the local dealership sites. However, most people treat these online listings like they were reading them out of a newspaper and don’t use the tools that make the online shopping experience much better. You can use search filters to specify the type and options of used cars in Langley you want to look at. There are even online tools to help you figure out how much your payment will be at different terms and rates. Online ads are interactive, don’t just look at them – use online tools to get the information you want from the ads you are looking at.

Mistake #2 – Not planning time for a visit

The second most common mistake is not planning time for visiting dealerships when shopping for used cars in Langley. People tend to just come in when they have free time in their schedule. Free time doesn’t always mean that you have the brain power to focus on the task at hand. With a big ticket purchase like a car, you need to be able to focus on the task at hand. You may have your Saturday mornings free, but if you are exhausted from a long week at work and have to make sure to remember to be at your kid’s game at 3, you are going to be too stressed to pay attention. Plan ahead so that you can focus on your visit.

Mistake #3 – Not knowing how you’ll look to a lender

The third mistake is not taking a realistic look at how you appear on paper when it comes to financing. Even if you have a solid credit score, you may not be as attractive to a lender as you could be if the last item reported on your history was three years ago. Lenders want to see the last six months of your financial life to get a better idea of where you are now, and where you are going. If you haven’t had a positive bank balance that equals or exceeds the amount of one car payment for the past six months, you might want to hold off on applying until you have that history. You also want to make sure that everything is current on your credit report as well.