BAY CITY, Mich.- When you have
determined that it
may be time to
replace your current
vehicle or your household has the need to add a vehicle, the Information Gathering portion of The Car Buying Process begins. Tt is important to do
your research and there is a
wealth of information
online regarding vehicle specifications,
what the vehicle is
capable of doing,
colors, etc. However, there is much more to the Information Gathering Process than you may think.
You will be
able to gather vehicle information
very easy, however I am finding that it is difficult to find a “real life” guide
to negotiation and
purchase of such
a large ticket item. I believe
this is because there
are so many different variables involved when making a purchase of $10,000
or more.
It is my goal to
bring transparency and
clarification to The Car Buying Process, from the perspective of the owner of car dealership
and
someone who has
been purchasing her own
vehicles since the
age 18. I believe my experiences as both an owner and consumer help me to see both
sides of the equation.
First of all, you have so many
options when it
comes to a vehicle
purchase and your
background and history
of purchases will without
a doubt influence
your purchases going forward. I was taught that negotiation
can be a fun
process. However, I know
that a majority of
our population doesn't feel
that way and in some cases see confrontation as a negative
form of communication. So, for those who are not comfortable
with negotiation, my
recommendations are: Do
your homework and find the
vehicle that will
fit your needs and
give you the freedom
you need.
Freedom can either be
a simple means of
transportation, or it can
be a certain style
that you like and
desire. Freedom can
be what is needed
to tow your boat
or trailer, or it can
be what you need
for your work. Once you identify your true need for a vehicle, researching potential vehicles will become easier. As you start to do homework and discover a certain type of
vehicle you're interested in, don't limit
yourself to just
that one choice. I say
this because the information
gathering stage can
be much different
compared to the
purchase stage. Be flexible
with your choices. So really take the time to determine what needs does this new vehicle need to fulfill. From there you can decide if you are open to both new vehicles and pre-owned vehicles.
Even though
the web has quite
a bit of information,
you will find that
once you have a
relationship with a
salesperson you will learn
even more. The second part to this series will focus more on the purchase process of The Car Buying Process, but for starters if you
are open to both new and used vehicles let your salesperson
know that.
If you have
time to continue the information gathering process and are
not in an emergency
type of situation,
plan to visit and
communicate with your
salesperson for 1
to 7 days once
you give them your
criteria. As I mentioned in one of my past blog posts, be completely honest with your salesperson about your needs and your
desires. I see people
hold back on their
desired vehicle because
they are not sure
if they can fit
that into their budget. But, there are
times that if we are aware of this we can
come up with a
method to help it
fit within their budget. By holding back you may end
up with a vehicle that doesn't completely satisfy all
of your needs and
desires. Yes, there are times
that budget will dictate the purchase, but that is perfectly okay if the purchase is more need
based rather than desired
based.
In summary, it is critical to identify your underlying need for purchasing a vehicle. Once that need is identified, you can begin the
Information Gathering Process whether it be on the web or in store. There is an unbelievable amount of information available to car buyers online, but that's not to say that the Information Gathering Process doesn't continue inside the dealership. Stay tuned for the second part of this series that will bridge the Information Gathering Process into the Purchasing Process when Buying a Car. Until then, if you have any questions, feel free to stop by or give us a call! Graff Bay City is
located at 3636 Wilder Road, Bay City, MI 48706. For more information on Graff Bay City, or for any questions call us at (989) 684-4411 or visit our websites: www.GraffBayCity.com.
Follow us: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+
Lisa Rechsteiner
General Manager
Graff Chevrolet, Inc.
Any questions or comments please do not hesitate to contact me at lrechsteiner@graffsales.com.
