Tirekicking Used Car Buyer's Guide

by James M. Flammang

Overview

Buying a used car isn't what it used to be. Car-shopping doesn't have to be an ordeal anymore.

Transparency. Market-based pricing. Fair value. Surprise! These are terms that identify today's used-car dealers.

Not all of them, to be sure. Tricksters are still around, adapting old hard-sell tactics to the digital world; but this book helps you spot them - and avoid them. Modern, progressive dealers shun the ethics-challenged, hard-sell tactics of the past, taking their business seriously and intent on satisfying their customers. They're still in it to make money, ready to drive a hard bargain. But they know that today's shoppers are better-informed than ever, typically arriving at the dealership armed with facts and figures.

In this Buyer's Guide, consumers will find plenty of additional information, to help find the right car and get it for an acceptable price. They can also see how vehicle history reports and certified pre-owned (CPO) programs help reduce the risk when buying secondhand. Dealers and salespeople, too, can find useful advice on working with today's knowledgeable customers.

Part I - New vs. Used: Why buy used, where to buy, whether CPO is right for you.
Part II - Homework Comes First: How to narrow down your search, emphasizing vehicle condition, fuel economy, and safety.
Part III - Test Drive: Questions to ask, visual inspection, road test.
Part IV - Dollars and Sense: How much to pay and how to negotiate; plus details on service contracts, financing, and insurance.
Part V - Resources: How to read ads, information sources, buyer's worksheet.
Part VI - Popular Used Cars: Details, specifications, test-drive reports, and average retail prices of selected moderately-priced, mainstream models, arranged by vehicle category.
Addendum - Further details on today's used-car market.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780991126354
Publisher:	TK Press / Tirekicking Today
Publication date:	10/11/2014
Pages:	310
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.65(d)

About the Author

For three decades, James M. Flammang has covered the automobile business - including used cars - as a journalist. During that period, he was the foremost contributor to the annual Used Car Book (and its online equivalent) issued by Consumer Guide, including calculation of average retail values. The author of two dozen books, mostly on auto history but including six titles for children, Flammang has contributed to publications that range from autoMedia.com, Edmunds.com and KBB.com (Kelley Blue Book), to J.D. Power and the Chicago Tribune. For five years, he wrote most of the new-vehicle buying guide for cars.com, covering virtually every vehicle sold in the U.S. More recently, Flammang has turned to books, taking on a variety of subjects in addition to cars.