COMM120 : W5: Using and Synthesizing Information| Peer response| Marlene Gonzalez

Learning Goal: I’m working on a communications discussion question and need an explanation and answer to help me learn.

Buying a Car.

We all know buying a car can be overwhelming, I personally always walk into the dealership praying that I don’t catch the attention of a pushy salesman that just wants to profit. This is why it is always important to have a plan before going into any dealership so you’re not caught off guard by their salesmen’s tactics.Based on an article I read by the author Philip Reed, “How to buy a car”, I noted the most important things to look at when buying a car and added my own personal experience. The first thing you are going to want to do is set a budget, know how much you are willing to spend. Set a max amount that you are absolutely not willing to go over. Look into getting a car loan from a bank or credit union. Also, make sure that your car loan doesn’t have a crazy amount of interest tied to it when doing your research on loans. Once you have a set budget make a list of cars you’re interested in. Find one that is suitable for your needs and is within your price budget. You can use Internet resources to check car values. A well known site is Kelly Blue book,”Pricing guides, such as Kelley Blue Book, allow you to cut to the chase and find out what other people in your area are paying for the car you want,” (Reed, Philip, 2020). Once you have set your heart on a specific car, look around at different dealerships to see who has the best prices on the car you want.Now a days it’s easy to find car prices from different dealerships online,however most don’t show you the extra fees that are being added. One of my mentors once told me he typically looks for cars $2,000 below his given car loan to make sure he doesn’t go over just in case there are any surprising car fees not provided in an initial quote. I have since applied this and found it to be very helpful. Once you have found a dealership with the car you intend to buy you can go into the dealership to check it out in person. If you’re buying a used car make sure you test drive it and check the tires to make sure they are not worn before you go to purchase a car. Make sure when you have decided on buying the car that you stand your ground and you don’t feel pressured into buying a car right away. Ask questions and take your time with this process and be diligent. Don’t be scared to be straightforward when it comes to asking about their added fees. “Some dealerships might include additional fees, of which some may be bogus. It’s tricky to know what’s legit and what’s included just to boost their profit. If the dealer’s finance manager can’t explain a fee in the contract to your satisfaction, ask to have it removed”,(Reed, Philip, 2020). Buying a car is a big decision and it is important to understand that you don’t have to buy the car right away, if you are uncomfortable buying it is perfectly acceptable to walk away.That being said, hopefully this simplifies the process for anyone trying to buy a car.

-Marlene

https://www.kbb.com/car-prices/

Reed, Philip. “How to Buy a New Car.” NerdWallet, 17 Dec. 2020, https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/loans/auto-loans/how-to-buy-a-new-car.