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Thought I should do a thread on things to look out for when buying a car. I went through the process on my own and doing the necessary research helped me so much
Don& #39;t rush the process. A sales agents job is to make a sale. Very few will actually look out for your interests. So don& #39;t take what they tell you and run with it. Do thorough research.
The first thing to do is to determine what it is you& #39;re looking for in a car. What are your non-negotiables? Are you looking for an entry level vehicle? Fuel efficiency, safety features, comfort etc are things you can consider. That will narrow down your search significantly.
Once you& #39;ve done that, you can research cars in the market to see where they rank in terms of safety features and stuff. It& #39;s important to look at the South African models because they& #39;re different to theit international counterparts.
Once you& #39;ve determined what you want, you can start your search. Someone who helped me a lot when I started looking was my driving instructor. Told me the pros and cons of each brand. Get an unbiased party to help you so that you don& #39;t get what someone else wants you to get.
I was told not to get an automatic because it would mean I don& #39;t know how to drive. They wanted me to get what they thought was best for me and not what I actually wanted. Too many opinions will confuse you. So don& #39;t ask for input on something you know is a non-negotiable.
For each brand, compare the entry level specifications to the high end model. This will give you an idea on pricing. Then do a comparison across brands. I found that KIA RIO for example is expensive when compared to similar cars but the technology and finishings justify the price
If you& #39;re looking to get a demo or secondhand car you can ALWAYS negotiate to reduce the cost. They& #39;re looking to make a sale so take advantage of that. I& #39;m not sure how much wiggle room you& #39;d have with a brand new vehicle so I can& #39;t comment on that.
If you& #39;re buying a car that isn& #39;t brand new, DO NOT under any circumstances buy a car you haven& #39;t test driven 
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😭" title="Laut schreiendes Gesicht" aria-label="Emoji: Laut schreiendes Gesicht">. I cannot stress the importance of this. This is a step you can& #39;t afford to miss.
Ask for the service history, whether it has been in any accidents, if it was a rental. Rental cars have accelerated wear and tear because of how much they& #39;re used. Be extra careful here. Double check everything the agent tells you.
Check the year of manufacture. I had an incident with a dealership where the agent told me its a 2018 model. But when the car arrived for my test drive I saw that it& #39;s actually the 2017 model. Checked the year of manufacture and it was 2017. It was only sold in 2018.
I didn& #39;t want a car with high km& #39;s. I matched the km to the year of the model. Example: a 2018 model is sitting on 60000km and service is required after 20000km. This would mean that in 2 years, the car has clocked 2000km more than what it should have 1/2
Meaning that it has had 3 services instead of 2. So the car is basically one service plan ahead and you& #39;d probably have to extend your service plan. Again, this all depends on what you want. Some people don& #39;t mind buying a car with high km& #39;s and that& #39;s okay.
If you& #39;re not familiar with cars, test drive with someone who is. I wanted to buy the same car as my friends so I asked him to come with since he knows how the car should sound and how the drive should feel. Always take someone who will make your experience easier, not harder
The car sales industry is sexist. They& #39;ll assume you know nothing about cars if you& #39;re a woman and try take you for a ride. This includes them adding UNNECESSARY extras that just add onto the cost. Check your contract thoroughly to see what costs have been added
2 popular brands were ordered by the courts to pay their customers back for charging customers things they shouldn& #39;t be charging them for. The cost of getting the car cleaned if it was on the floor for example is NOT your responsibility.
I went through the process of buying my car alone so it took me more than 6 months to find my car. But that patience paid off because I didn& #39;t end up with something I don& #39;t want or being taken for a ride. I paid attention to every detail.
The issue of balloon payment: it& #39;s usually 35 to 40% of the cost of the vehicle. Yes, it decreases your instalments by a lot but the term remains the same. At the end of 5 or 6 years you will have to fork out that money in cash for the car to be yours. 1/2
The most popular "offer" from agents is that you can just trade in the car at the end of the term and you won& #39;t pay the balloon. What they DON& #39;T tell you is that amount is added to the value of the new car and interest calculated on it. It& #39;s the beginning of a never ending cycle.
Stay away from dodgy dealerships https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😭" title="Laut schreiendes Gesicht" aria-label="Emoji: Laut schreiendes Gesicht">. They will do anything to sell you a piece of trash at the highest amount. Buy from a reputable dealer so should things go wrong you have a number of options to sort it out. Look out for the Voetstoots clause https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😬" title="Grimasse schneidendes Gesicht" aria-label="Emoji: Grimasse schneidendes Gesicht">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😬" title="Grimasse schneidendes Gesicht" aria-label="Emoji: Grimasse schneidendes Gesicht">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😬" title="Grimasse schneidendes Gesicht" aria-label="Emoji: Grimasse schneidendes Gesicht">
The agent will apply for finance on your behalf and take the offer with the lowest amount of interest. Please INSIST on seeing proof of the applications yourself and check if they& #39;ve really applied to all banks and have actually chosen the offer with the lowest interest. NB!
Insurance: do your research. Check the short term insurance ombuds for insurance with the highest number of complaints and claims rejected. Some companies offer you a low premium with a high excess. I noticed that asking to decrease your excess doesn& #39;t add much to your premium.
Read the fine print. If they require you to have a tracker installed within a period of time (usually within 7 days) make sure you stick to it. Should something happen and you didn& #39;t stick to them, your claim will be rejected. Try to get your tracker installed on the same day.
