Personal transportation can feel like a ticking time bomb and before you know it, you’re deciding on a used or new car. If you’re in the market for a brand new car, a dealership is essentially the only place you can go. Comparison shopping makes sense of course but sooner or later you will be talking with a dealer about test driver a fresh new ride. If you’re instead looking for an older car, you have to make the choice between going to a dealership or striking out on your own in search of a private sale.
The pros of a dealership: Again, make sure you comparison shop across dealers in your area. One of the main benefits of a dealership is that you can trade your old vehicle in towards the purchase of a new one. It can be a hassle to sell your existing car if you want nothing more than to just get rid of it so you can get another one. At a dealership, they can also set up your financing right there to allow for one stop shopping. Cars purchased at a dealership most likely warranty your car for at least 30 days. While it’s not a very long time, it’s better than nothing.
The pros of a private sale- For many of us, the opportunity to bypass involvement with a car salesman is reason enough to look for a private sale. Typically with a private sale the car will be cheaper than it would at a dealership. That’s because a dealership has overhead and sales people earning commisions on the cars they sell.
Of course with a private sale there are no guarantees. You may be protected by lemon laws in your state, but cars that are sold as is may leave you with little recourse if you end up with a car catastrophe on your hands.
