Most people don’t realize that the most important thing you could have when purchasing a used car is a used car price guide. They make a big mistake when shopping without one. Consider the benefits.

A used car price guide gives you a big advantage when visiting someone selling a used car. This works with both private owners and used car dealerships. Knowing the value of a car can help you properly price a vehicle. It can also help you avoid getting an over excited salesmen from snookering you on the price. Especially with used car dealerships they will price vehicles above the real value.

Here is what to watch out for at a dealership. Even though you may have a price guide they may try to make you believe that because of some miraculous point system they have to certify the vehicle it all of the sudden is worth more than the value that the experts put on the vehicle. This works very well with customers who do not know better. The price guide should be the law in you book. Don’t allow a salesman to tell you differently.

Knowing how to use a price guide for used cars will also prove to benefit you greatly. Not all used cars are created or maintained equally. Each one has its own condition. Knowing how to appraise the condition will also assist you at evaluating the right value.

Some cars were kept in a garage and hardly ever used by the first owner. Now barring any mechanic issues this vehicle would be in excellent condition. You would have to use the best quality price from the guide. Now a vehicle that was kept outdoors and had to brave the elements will likely show ware on the paint job. Driven in cities with lots of people it likely has a lot of dings and scratches. A test drive may reveal some “mechanical slipping”. Now with a vehicle like this one the value would drop to a fair or below fair condition. The price is much lower with this condition.

Another factor to consider is mileage. A vehicle could have parts replaced, a new paint job and be in good condition. However the very fact that it may have a fairly large amount of miles will bring the value of the vehicle down. Don’t forget to check the odometer for this.

Learning to recognize the condition of a vehicle will help you to understand the true worth of a car or truck. This in turn will save you lots of cash.

You’ll also want to make sure you have an up-to-date price guide. Don’t use a price guide from a previous year. Values change drastically every year. Investing a few dollars on a new price guide could mean hundreds or thousands of dollars.

So as you can see a used car price guide is extremely important when shopping for a used car. Don’t leave home without this invaluable tool to finding the value of a used car.

Author Bio: Shopping for a car using a used car price guide. These are the best options for getting an out of this world deal on a car or truck: Car Auctions – These are car auctions run by banks, auctioneers, the governments, police and more. Free Car – Getting a free car is possible with these sponsor systems.

Category: Automotive
Keywords: car,cars,used car,used car price guide