...

If you were to purchase a new vehicle, it would lose value as soon as you drive it off the car lot. Why would you want to make an investment that you know is going to lose money within a minute after you purchase it? That would not be wise.

There are a lot of financial advantages to buying a pre-used vehicle. For starters, it has already lost value from the time it was first new. This gives you the opportunity to purchase the vehicle at a much lower price. In fact, you can find some great deals on pre-used vehicles if you know how to look for the good ones.

The main worry that people have about pre-used vehicles is whether they’re in good condition or not. According to myFreeVIN.com used car salesmen are often stereotyped as being shady businesspeople who sell “lemons” to people. While there are car salesmen like that out there, you can protect yourself if you know how to search for pre-used vehicles properly.

Certified Pre-Used

The number one recommendation is to look for “certified pre-used” vehicles. A lot of reputable car dealerships will include a warranty on certain pre-used vehicles to guarantee their functionality. If the vehicle were to malfunction within the time period of the warranty, then the car dealership is supposed to cover the repair costs. This makes buyers feel safe about purchasing a pre-used vehicle.

Decode the VIN

Take your time when you purchase pre-used vehicles. There is no need to jump into a decision right on the spot. Modern consumers have access to a plethora of vehicle research technology. In fact, you could take out your smartphone and research the history of a vehicle by using VIN decoding software from carVertical website.

VIN decoding technology has been around for a while, but it was only made available to the police, government agencies, and car dealerships. Now, the advancements in the internet and computer technology have given this power to everyday consumers. You can utilize VIN decoding technology to conduct a complete background check on any vehicle that you want.

The vehicle background check will tell you its age, make, model, country of origin, theft history, warranties, engine size, and so much more. Since you have this technology at the palm of your hands, you don’t need to have the dealership give you a history report on each vehicle that you want to investigate. Instead, you can do the research yourself and save time and money.

Obtain Outside Financing

A lot of car buyers assume they have to obtain financing from the car dealership where they purchase their car. However, there is no rule or law which states that you have to do this. You are totally allowed to obtain outside financing from your own bank.

In fact, this is recommended because your bank will give you a pre-approval letter of up to a certain amount of amount in financing. Then you will only need to have one hard credit inquiry made on your credit profile, which will help preserve your credit score.

...