Buying a new car in the summertime just makes sense. It’s warm, so walking around the car dealerships is pleasant, you are probably planning on doing some traveling and day trips, and maybe it’s just time for a new car.
Summer might not have the best deals, but there are still many benefits for buying a car in the summer and a few things to consider before driving off the lot.
Look for Holiday Specials and Events
If you are buying your new car through a dealership, wait for a holiday or special event. There are typically a few during the summer months like: Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Juneteenth, and Labor Day. There might be a few dealer specific events you’ll want to keep an eye out.
These events typically come with big deals and benefits like zero percent interest for one year or something else to get you to buy a car. It’s worth waiting a few weeks for the next holiday and event before making your purchase.
But, you can do your car research ahead of time, before the events. Visit the dealerships, do those test drives, ask your questions, and then be ready for when the event hits. That way, you’ll feel comfortable walking on, buying the car with the deal, then leaving rather than spending all day in a very busy dealership.
Buying a Car That’s Good for all Idaho Weather
With dry roads and warm weather, it might be tempting to buy a sports car, convertible, or just that car you’ve always wanted, but before deciding, take a minute to look over how it performs in the snow and ice. Across Idaho, winter can be cruel and hard, with heavy snowfalls and ice that can stick around for months.
Whether you live in Boise, Mountain Home or Twin Falls, you need to consider Idaho weather when buying a new car. Consider things like four wheel drive, how it performs in the snow, and what types of terrain you need the car for.
Is Your Credit Ready to Buy a Car
Unless you’re paying in cash, you’re going to need an auto loan to buy the car. That means using your credit to get the best loan possible. But how is your credit right now? A low credit score could mean being denied a loan, or getting a poor one with a high interest rate.
Before buying a car, you need to know exactly what your credit situation is. Pioneer offers everyone a free Credit Checkup, where you work with a Pioneer team member to analyze your credit score and reports and identify potential issues. Then, they make recommendations on how to increase your credit, both short and long term.
What’s the Purpose of the Car?
An honest question to ask before buying a car is what you’ll actually be using it for. You might dream of buying a large truck, but if it’s main purpose is solely for driving to work and you won’t use the truck’s benefits ever, you’ll be wasting your money on the more expensive truck and on gas when you could get a smaller car with better gas mileage for commuting.
Knowing what you’re using the car for, whether it’s a main car for getting around town, meant to haul trailers around, or something perfect for a full family who love road trips, can save you money and headaches down the road.
Driving Off the Lot with the Best Deal and Loan
There are two important tactics for getting a good deal when buying a car, whether it’s through the dealership or from another person. The first tactic is being educated about everything you can, and the second tactic is to negotiate.
Being educated means walking up to buy the car and know everything you can about it. The pros, the cons, and more. If you’re trading in a car, know how much the trade in is worth, versus what you can sell it for. By being well educated, you’ll be able to spot when a salesperson is trying to manipulate or push you in the wrong direction.
Negotiating is not a normal practice in America when it comes to buying and selling merchandise. We don’t go to Target and haggle the price of a shirt. The price is the price and you have to pay it or walk away. Not so when it comes to buying a car. Car salesmen have a lot of flexibility when it comes to selling a car and their goal is get every penny they can from you. Spend some time reading up on common negotiation tactics and what you can use to get what you want.
Finally, don’t just go with whatever loan options the dealer suggests. Before going into negotiations, get some pre-approvals on auto loans from other financial lenders to see which gives you the best rates. What you can find on your own and what the dealer can get you might be very different. Pioneer offers Auto Loans to our members with great rates that you can get pre-approved for before heading to the dealership.
Buying Your First Car
Summer is a big time for teens and young adults to purchase their first car. Maybe you need it to get to your summer job, or you’re getting ready to head off to college. If this is you, buying that first car is exciting and overwhelming.
Likely, a lot of the above advice might not work for you. Yes, still try to buy during a holiday sale, and pick a car that is good for Idaho weather, but you probably have no or low credit, might have little options for auto loans, and just need a car to get you around.
You aren’t without options though. If your parents are willing, they could co-sign on the car, helping you get a better loan than you normally would. This uses their credit, and if you can’t make your payments, it falls to them to pay for it.
Another option is trying to save up for as much as possible and buying your first car with cash. You might have to settle for a cheap and probably not very nice car, but it works and is common among young adults.
One final solution is using Pioneer’s First Time Auto Buyer loan. First, you get a Credit Checkup with a team member who can teach you about building your credit, a secured VISA credit card to get you started on your credit, and then a loan to help buy your car.
Learn more about the First Time Auto Buyer Loan