If you're looking to pick up a new vehicle, one of the best ways to save money is to look at pre-owned cars rather than brand-new vehicles. Well-maintained used cars will still have many years of life left in them, making them an excellent value that can potentially save thousands or more on your purchase.
That just leaves the question: what's the best way to buy pre-owned cars? Should you turn to private sellers and auctions, or go to a used car dealership? In most cases, it's going to be best to go to a dealer. You get more options, more protection, and a much higher likelihood of being satisfied with your investment.
In fact, there are a lot of reasons that it's best to buy through a used car dealer!
All The Reasons It's Best to Avoid Private Used Car Sales
1. More buyer protections
Let's start with the big one: When you buy a car through a private sale, you get no guarantees. Unless there was literal fraud involved, what you buy is what you get. There's no warranty, not even a guarantee the car will be able to make it back to your home intact. If it breaks down a week later, you're most likely paying for all the repairs yourself.
However, if you buy used cars through a dealership, you're a lot more likely to get warranty protections and other guarantees. Further, if something does go wrong, you'll know exactly how to get back in touch with the dealership to work problems out.
Of course, there's a reason dealerships are willing to offer warranties.
2. Certified pre-owned programs mean better used cars
The best used car dealerships don't simply sell old cars. They partner with a major manufacturer, like Toyota, to offer certified pre-owned cars along with CarProof reports for all used vehicles. This means they are certified to restore used cars to like-new status. In many cases, this means substantial rework and repairs, before the car is fit to sell again.
This does push the price up compared to private sales but think about the extra levels of guarantee you're getting. In some cases, you even get to enjoy the actual full manufacturer's warranty, which means your used car is certified to last at least as long as a new car would. If anything goes wrong, the warranty covers it, just like a new purchase.
3. More choices and test drive options
A great used car dealership is going to have dozens or even hundreds of pre-owned vehicles in stock, which gives you a lot of flexibility in choosing the perfect car for your needs. Better yet, you'll be free to test drive any vehicles you're interested in. That's a luxury you frequently don't get from private sales, especially when buying a car at auction.
If you're buying a vehicle for immediate personal use, you definitely want to try it out first. This lets you get a feel for the car and also allows you to personally inspect the interior and exterior. Private sales, especially auctions, are really only going to be a good option for people who are confident in their own automotive repair skills, or who are looking to flip the vehicle after restoring it.
4. Better financing
Here's another huge reason that it's better to go through a certified used car dealer: you'll get access to their financing system. Most dealerships can set up a payment plan even for used vehicles, which drastically reduces the amount of money you have to pay up front for the car.
With private sales or auctions, most of the time you have to pay cash upfront. So that requires you to have a lot more money in hand if you want to complete the sale. Especially these days, most people just don't have that much money to spend all at once.
5. Negotiations and trade-ins
When you buy from a dealership, you aren't necessarily going to pay the sticker price. Most used car dealers have some flexibility on the price, and you can often push the costs even lower through negotiating and haggling.
Plus, with a used car dealer, trading in your old vehicle is almost always an option. (As long as it's still running.) This can push the price of your new pre-owned car down even further, which is fantastic value if you aren't planning on keeping your previous car.
You won't get that kind of service from a private seller. If you wanted to unload your old car, you'd have to go to the trouble of selling it yourself.
In Short: Buying from A Used Car Dealer Brings Peace of Mind
What all this adds up to is that when you buy pre-owned cars from a certified dealer, you'll come away from the deal feeling good about your purchase. You won't have to worry about the car breaking down a month later. You'll have warranty protections and access to a dealership that's there to help if you do ever have problems.
That's why people across Brockville turn to 1000 Islands Toyota for the best in pre-owned cars. We have an extensive selection, and we are fully certified by Toyota to offer restored pre-owned vehicles with warranty protections. Buying a used car from us is just as safe and secure as buying new!
Our pre-owned stock constantly changes. Please come visit if you'd like to explore our selection or test-drive any of our vehicles.
