A Guide to Buying a Car for the Lowest Price

There it is, the car of your dreams! You know you want it, but the only question is, how do you afford it? Buying a car for the lowest price is an intimidating task. You don’t want to lose your opportunity to buy, but you’ve heard all the stories about being railroaded into buying a car that wasn’t a great fit. So how do you know when to pull the trigger and buy a car?

The real issue when it comes to pricing a used car, is that you need to collect all the evidence to support the price you want to pay. In the past, it was hard to know what had happened during a car’s lifetime, but now, with new tools like Kelley Blue Book and pricing calculators, buyers have tons of tools at their disposal to feel confident putting a price on a vehicle.

Whether you’re buying a car privately or at a car auction, like SCA online car auction, there are a ton of tools you can use to get the best deal.

How Much is it Worth?

Finding out the value of a particular vehicle can be hard without the data you need. However, with just the make, model, year, and a ballpark number for the miles on the odometer, you can get a good idea of what similar cars have sold for and what you should be offering to buy any particular vehicle.

Given that price, you can look at the car you’re considering buying in detail and compare it to a top-of-the-line example of the same vehicle.

Expenses

Some things you want to keep in mind, especially if you’re buying a used car, are the costs immediately associated with buying the vehicle. If you’re buying at a dealership, there are always dealer fees that you have to pay. There’s also the cost of insurance to consider; some vehicles are more expensive to insure than others (often the newer, the more expensive).

With those expenses in mind, are there any obvious issues with the car that need to be resolved before it can be driven or inspected? Cosmetic issues, such as body damage, interior issues, AC, and so on, all have a part to play as well. If you gather all this information, you have a better idea of what it would cost to buy the car, and you can use that number in your negotiations for your preferred price.

Personal Tips to Help Your Finances

You can do a lot ahead of time to help you find the lowest price for a used car. A lot of this is something you may have heard before, but it’s always worth saying, whether you’re buying a car at auction, from a used dealership, or privately.

Overall, it’s best to pay for the car at the time of purchase; that means paying cash, no loans. This will obviously reduce the interest you have to pay. That being said, working on your credit score and getting pre-approved with a dealership can get you a better deal if you plan on going that route.

Other considerations that might help you get a low price for your next used car are to stay flexible. Waiting for the right car can help you find the best deal. Sometimes cars like stick-shifts are cheaper than automatics, and if you’re considering trading in a car, maybe look at how much they are giving you for the vehicle and consider selling it yourself privately.

Auto Auctions are the Best Way

Sometimes you get lucky, and you get a good price right off the bat, but most people can’t bet on luck. The best way to find a car at a fantastic price is at an auto auction. Car auctions, such as SCA, provide a place where thousands of vehicles are up for grabs, so anyone can find a car they want to drive, and all you have to do is place a bid.

If you’ve done your research, you’ll have a good idea of what a car you’re looking at is worth. Popular auto auction websites, like SCA’s, have online auction tools that give you plenty of control over the auction process. For example, you can often program bids ahead of time to ensure you don’t miss out on a last-minute bid.

With your price in mind, you can ensure that you bid as much as you want, and no more. No matter how popular an auction gets, there are plenty of cars out there to choose from, so remember our earlier advice and stay patient. With 160 auctions every week, there are going to be plenty of more vehicles you’ll want to bid on.

Getting the Best Deal Possible

There’s no replacement for an in-person inspection of a used vehicle. If you’re the kind of person who wants to get out there and see the car for themselves, SCA has over 170 locations across the US, making it extremely convenient to see your dream car in person before bidding. With their website hosting live auctions every day, you’ll at least get some good ideas of what you could be buying at an auto auction.

When it comes to buying a car at the lowest price, you really want to make the right choice. If you overspend, there’s no going back, and you’ll remember that cost for as long as you have the vehicle.

Don’t let a bad experience ruin the fun of buying a new car. More and more people are getting online and trying out auto auctions, and you can too. There’s no way that’s more convenient, cheaper, or that offers more options than online auction sites.

Other sites for buying and selling used vehicles include Alliance Auto Auction, Mecum Auto Auctions, and McCormick’s Classic Car Auctions. With just a little over 10 years of being in business, Alliance Auto Auction was built upon 5 core values that keeps them connected with customers. Mecum Auctions leads the world rankings in number of collector cars offered in auctions. Founded in 1985, McCormick’s Classic Car Auctions hosts a couple auctions each year in Palm Springs, featuring a little over 500 cars.