USED-CARS
Car in Sandton

Understanding your budget and getting a good price from the dealer is crucial if you don't want the car buying experience to leave a bitter taste in your mouth. Look through our tips to get some pointers on making your investment work for you. Set a budget and stick to it, no matter what the dealer or finance company says you can afford. Besides any repayments on the car itself, you also need to consider other running costs such as fuel bills, insurance premiums and servicing-these will cost you thousands each year. Depreciation is the biggest cost in owning a car, with the biggest drop coming in the first year. If you buy used, even just a one-year-old model, you could save plenty and still have two years of warranty protection left. Try to meet potential buyers at your home in daylight hours to give them plenty of time to examine the car thoroughly. Ask to see a driving licence, and make a note of the licence number. Allow the buyer to drive on a variety of roads and for a decent amount of time. If you try to cut the test drive short, they might think you have something to hide. Setting the right price for a used car is almost an art-a blend of research and intuition. Set the right price and you will quickly get the full value of your car. This allows you room to negotiate and still wind up with a good chunk of change. So decide where you want to close the deal and work backward from there. There are plenty of tools and resources for finding the sweet spot for pricing your used car. Here are a few general rules to help you answer these questions. Family sedans, while boring to many car enthusiasts, are in constant demand by people who need basic, inexpensive transportation. Getting a good price for a convertible or sports car depends on the season in which you sell it. If you sell in the autumn and winter, prepare for the process to take longer. Trucks and vans, which people often use for work, sell quickly and command competitive prices. Collector cars take longer to sell and are tricky to price. However, these cars can bring good sale prices-if you find the right buyer. For example, if your car gets good fuel economy and petrol prices are high, you will be able to ask more for it than when gas is cheap. Similarly, selling a super-size SUV for top dollar is going to be tough if petrol prices are high. Most sites offer advanced searches to find close matches to your vehicle. Perhaps you have a hunch that your car is desirable, or that the time is right for you to ask a certain price. Take the time to do some research before you set a price for your used car. If you do your job correctly, the car will almost seem to sell itself.