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Avoiding Extra Costs:
So many people get ripped off after they have already closed
the deal. They get you on the extras and the
warranties at that point.
The extras are things like rust proofing, scotch guarding
etc. It seems pretty straight forward but
you would be surprised at how many people
get taken on these.
The trickiest closing cost scam is the extended
warranty because the language used is so
confusing. This is not the warranty that the
factory gives you for the car.
It is a warranty that covers the
cost of fixing the car should it break down
on you. To get around this, you have to know
the dealer’s language.
Extended warranties often do
cover any repairs that you require during
your coverage period, but there is often
some information that you are not told
about.
For example, the extended
warranty is usually effective only up to a
certain amount of mileage or term period;
whichever happens first.
They might also only cover
certain types of problems. If your extended
warranty doesn’t cover every part of your
car, why bother?
Some extended warranties don’t
cover the larger problems, but just the
smaller ones. If your engine conks out, you
may be left in the lurch.
You shouldn’t even consider
buying an extended warranty if you are only
leasing the car for a small time period like
36 months. Perhaps it is better only for
longer periods of leasing like 60 months.
Many extended warranties don’t
cover everyday wear and tear policies, only
breakdown problems. If you do insist on
getting an extended warranty, get one that
covers both instances.
You will only really want to get
a warranty on a more dependable car like a
Lexus, Honda, or Toyota because extended
warranties rarely cover the costs incurred
in cars that are present at the time of
purchase.
You will also want to get a
warranty that is effective immediately. You
will also want to get a warranty with a well
established finance company and not one that
go belly up in a year.
Don’t purchase an extended
warranty directly from the dealer. Instead
look at sites on
http://www.LendingTree.com
for an online warranty because being online
gives you all the time to asses your
warranty properly.
Watch out for deductibles
because you don’t want to get stuck paying
for deductibles that you thought were
covered by the warranty.
Now let’s look at some of the
extras that dealers get you on at closing.
This can be very irritating how they try to
weasel even more money out of you in the end
on stuff that you really don’t need at all.
Of course, when you hear it,
they will all sound dire. It’s bad enough
that they will throw them up at you but look
at this table to show how much they are
really ripping you off by.
Most Common Extras at Closing
|
Description |
Your price |
Dealers costs |
|
Rust proofing |
$800 |
$40 |
|
Extended warranty |
$1200 |
$300 |
|
Scotch guard |
$300 |
$5 |
|
Car alarm |
$400 |
$100 |
|
Paint sealant |
$300 |
$10 |
|
Credit/insurance costs |
$200 |
$30 |
|
Detailing and pin striping |
$299 |
$30 |
|
Total of extras |
$3499 |
$515 |
|
Extra monthly payment total |
$97 |
$0 |
As you can see, these extras
will get you in the end. If you can, you
should avoid them all together. They are
worth far more to the dealer than they are
to you.
By now, you should know all of
the things that you need to know in order to
buy your new car with the least amount of
burden, and you have learned to avoid the
common scams pulled by dealerships. This is
the only guide that you will ever need when
you get ready to buy a car.
You’ve learned:
-
The various tricks
-
Advertising tricks and misleading
marketing
-
How to get the best price
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How to negotiate your opening offer
-
How to negotiate
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How to calculate your opening offer
-
What the difference is between the
factory invoice and MSRP sticker
If you have read this all the way through,
then you need not worry. All of the advice
listed here will save you a great deal of
time and money.
You are now fully prepared to get your new
car.
So what are you waiting for? Go shopping!
Are you
interested in finding used cars at
government auctions? Be sure to check
this resource out.
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