Used Car Buying Tips & Tricks

When buying a vehicle, the task can seem daunting — especially if you’re buying used! When you buy new, the main things to think about are which vehicle suits your everyday lifestyle, and what price range you can afford. With used, you have to add in the history of the vehicle, mileage (that’s a huge one), smell, etc. — you get the point. So we at Landers Chevrolet of Norman wanted to give you some tips and tricks on the pre-owned car buying process. Hopefully this will help put your mind at ease!

Best Practices for Buying a Pre-Owned Vehicle

1. How much can you afford? A good rule to live by when you are taking a loan out for a vehicle is that your car payment shouldn’t be more than 20 percent of your bi-weekly pay. You don’t want to go over your budget just for a car — you can find one that meets your needs and price range.
2. Do your research. Don’t go into the car-buying process blind. You will get overwhelmed quickly. Figure out which brand will work for you, what model meets your everyday needs. Look into Kelley Blue Book, prices, mileage — all the good stuff that will set you up for success.
3. Learn about the vehicle history. When buying a pre-owned vehicle, one of the downfalls is that you may not know its history. You can check things such as AutoCheck or Carfax to get vehicle’s history reports to give you additional information. Make sure you get the vehicle’s VIN in order to do these searches.
4. Take it for a test drive! Now this is the fun part. Driving should be fun, right? Ask yourself questions.
5. 1. How does it drive?
   2. Is it easy to get in and out of?
   3. Does it have the space you need?
   4. Cargo space?
   5. Mileage on vehicle?
   6. How old are the tires?
   7. How are the brakes?
   8. Air conditioning?
6. Get a car inspection. You might want to have a mechanic look at the car, or ask the dealership if this is something they can do. Keep in mind you may have to pay for this, but it might be worth the extra dough to spend. At Landers Chevrolet, all of our pre-owned vehicles pass through an extensive inspection before we even put them on our lot. Ask us for the results!

We hope these tips and tricks were helpful and insightful to buying a preowned vehicle. Here at Landers Chevrolet of Norman, we have a wide variety of pre-owned vehicles that are guaranteed to be perfect for you.

Click here to view our current pre-owned vehicle selection.