Colorado Car Shopping Tips

Buying a car in Colorado used to be a harrowing experience that required lots of newspaper ads, recommendations from friends and family, and driving all over town to various dealerships to get a close up look at the cars you were interested in buying, then hoping you were dealing with a reputable dealership in order to buy a reliable car.

Today, however, buying a vehicle doesn't have anywhere near that kind of hassle - or rather, it doesn't need to. With the advent of the Internet, you can research your vehicles online, find pricing, get pre-approved for your loan right here on COCarLoans.com, then go out and pick your vehicle out in no time since you know exactly what you want and what price is fair. Here are a few tips to help smooth your car shopping and buying experience:

Know How to Research

Using the Internet is the fastest way to find not only the car you want, but the colors, the options available and the price. Visit the website of the manufacturers you are considering. Many of these sites are quite sophisticated and will let you see your car in multiple views while changing interior/exterior colors, styles, and features before your very eyes before presenting you with the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP). Take this number and subtract maybe 5%, and that should be the number that you start negotiating with at the dealership.

Know When to Buy

Car salespersons are notorious for their high-pressure sales tactics - they have a reputation, much like lawyers, which isn't usually deserved, but theirs to cherish nonetheless. The reason for their reputation is due to quotas that have to be fulfilled each day/week/month/year in order to keep their boss and the dealership happy. Understanding these quotas is the key to getting a great deal on your car.

If you are going to shop for a car, the absolute best time of the year to do it is the end of the year, when the dealerships are going nuts trying to make room for next year's models to come in. Buying a current year vehicle in December is kind of like buying a calendar in February - you're bound to get a good deal.

Barring the wait until Christmastime, the next best time for you to buy a car is at the end of a quarter - March, June, September, and of course December is the golden ticket. Quotas have to be filled by salespeople by the end of the quarter as well, which makes them a little anxious to cut deals right before the quarter ends.

Finally if you can't even wait another two and a half months for your vehicle for whatever reason, the next best tome to buy a car is simply at the end of the month. Start shopping around the 25th and watch the pressure build on the salesmen as the last five or six days of the month slip slowly by.

Know When to Walk

Is the salesperson trying to talk you into something that wasn't on your mind when you came in? Stand up, shake their hand, and turn to leave. If they are trying to make you pay a price for the car that you don't feel is fair based on your research, stand up, shake their hand and turn to leave. If, when signing the paperwork to finalize the sale you notice lots of little 'mistakes' that would have cost you plenty in fees or charges, stand up, shake their hand and threaten to leave. By this time they should know that you are not one to be trifled with, and treat you with more respect.

Another thing to consider is auto loan refinancing. We have also provided information about this for you to consider in your car loan experience.