This Is The Best Car Buying Advice From Jalopnik's Own Car Buying Expert

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The internet has changed the way cars are bought and sold. It’s now a lot easier to figure out who has the best deal on a new car, but used cars are more complex. A lot of buyers get frustrated when they run into walls asking for large discounts on used cars. Here’s why that happens.

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Image: Getty (Getty Images)

Now is a great time to buy a used car, but getting a quality pre-owned model can be a daunting process compared to shopping for a new one. There are a lot more factors to consider to get the right car at the right price. Here are some of the most common mistakes used car shoppers make.

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About once a week I come across an article that claims to give “car buying hacks,” or purports to tell “secrets the dealer doesn’t want you to know.” While some of this advice is helpful, other tips are just blanket statements that maybe won’t result in you getting the best deal.

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Every profession has their own jargon or slang and automotive sales is no different. Most of the vocabulary is meant to streamline communication, but knowing these terms could make the difference of you being ripped off or not.

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There are all kinds of websites, platforms and startups that are supposed be “disrupting” the whole car buying process, yet every day people end up with bad deals. But the most powerful tool is something buyers have had for a while, and they don’t even have to download it.

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The old saying that “cash is king” applies to almost all purchases, except if you want to buy a car from a dealership. A recent report from the Wall Street Journal revealed how dealers in this seller’s market are pressuring buyers to get loans because it’s another way for the dealers to make a buck.

Image: Honda

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As you already know this is an incredibly difficult market in which to buy a new or used car. The dealers know they are in a seller’s market and many of them plan on taking full advantage of that. Some stores are even misrepresenting cars to make their price seem better than it actually is.

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The car market is improving but things are still rough for most buyers and of course celebrity “finance experts” are happy to dole out their usual, mostly unhelpful, advice for folks struggling to find an affordable ride. To take one of the latest examples, Suze Orman has six car-buying tips, some of which are so contradictory you will probably just end up taking the bus.

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One of the most frustrating aspects of buying a car from a dealer is the back and forth about the price. Some dealers have responded to this by offering upfront, “no haggle” prices. And while this seemingly streamlines the process and makes (some) buyers happy, in practice, it’s a little bit more complicated.

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One of the most frustrating aspects of shopping for a car online can often be boiled down to three words: “call for price.” It seems simple enough; call the dealership and they’ll tell you how much it costs. But the subtext to this command will give you a pretty big clue as to whether or not you even want to bother picking up the phone.

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