It’s that time of year, the run out sales are on and you pop down to the car yard to nab yourself a bargain on a runout deal. And rightly so, it’s a great time of year to purchase, if you’re careful. But not every car is such a great bargain with these deals, below are some tips to keep an eye out for.
1. Has the car been pre-registered?
Has the selling dealer already registered the motor vehicle, if so you may be missing some of your new car warranty. If the car was registered back in September, for example, you could be missing 3-4 months warranty before you even left the driveway. It’s not a problem now, but in 3-5 years as your warranty expires and the warranty doesn’t match your annual service cycle, you could be in for a nasty shock, or bill.
2. Where has the car been stored?
So, that car you have been looking at purchasing, have you considered where it has been stored the whole time? It hasn’t been “sitting” on the showroom floor the whole time as the salesperson has said. It has either been sitting on the wharf next to the ocean for six months or sitting in a “holding pen” that could either be a grass paddock or a massive car park baking in the sun, day in day out, covered in dirt and dust and who knows what else!
3. FOMO
The oldest trick in the book, the fear of missing out. The salesman turns to you and warns, “this is the last one left, buy it now before it goes”. Is this car really the last one of these left at a huge discount? More than likely, no, it’s not. There’s probably another 10 at another dealer or even a few still left at the wharf, remember that informed decisions help make the best decisions. A rushed purchased without rational and logic will end up in possibly being a regret in 12- 24 months down the track.
4. The Build plate
When was the car actually built? The build plate is the date that the vehicle rolled off the production line, not when it was compiled and brought off the wharf “into” Australia. So, the important question to ask is, when did the vehicle leave the factory? Because a 3-month difference, for example, September to December, would be seen as acceptable, however, a 8-9 month gap isn’t. This difference can hurt or be detrimental to the resale of your vehicle and with good reason.
Cars that are popular and coming in from major manufacturing centres, such as Japan or Thailand, can often be built and compiled in a month. But take a minute and think about that car that is on special, it was built in March, compiled in December, and then left to sit around for 9 odd months which means that either the colour, engine transmission combination or specification level could now potentially be unpopular, leaving you in pickle in 4 years’ time wondering why nobody wants to buy your car.
The solution is easy, speak to an expert that deals with car dealers on a daily basis. They know every trick in the car salesmen book and know what to look out for so that you don’t get caught out 3, 4 or 5 years down the track. If five minutes on the phone saves you heartache, frustration, and headaches, it’s a simple option.
Speak to SPA to make the car buying process easier. We can put together a tailored quote customised to your situation. If you would like more information, our staff at SPA are available for you to ask a question on our chat service or simply give us a call on 1300 786 664.