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Deciding the Best Means and Place to Buy Your Next Vehicle

If you have ever gone to a very good diner, which offers breakfast, lunch or dinner at anytime of the day or night, as well as, a great selection of cuisines from different nationalities, you will experience difficulty in making decisions when you are given too many choices. It is more so difficult to make an informed decision about buying your next car, truck, SUV, hybrid, motorcycle, motor home or other vehicle when confronted with almost endless choices of makes, models, colors, equipment, standard or automatic transmissions, new or used vehicles, private sellers, public dealers, internet sales, e-Bay Motors, auctions, newspaper ads and nearly an endless selection to choose from. These Blogs are designed to help you make an informed, confident and good choice in locating and inquiring your next vehicle, as well as, to reduce the stress and complexity in the search and acquisition of a new or used car or other vehicle.

There are certain advances and disadvantages in inquiring your vehicle from certain types of sellers. If you need or prefer to lease your vehicle, then most likely you will not be dealing with a private individual, but rather a manufacturer’s authorized dealer or leasing company. There are rare instances of assuming another individual’s lease, however, there is little incentive to take over someone else’s payments for what has become a used car. Also, the car dealer can offer certification of used cars and extended warranties from the manufacturer if you purchase the same make of vehicle as that dealer sells new (i.e., buying a used Infinity from an Infinity dealer rather than from a Chevrolet dealer). You will most likely pay a premium price for the certified used car and of course, pay additional fees for an extended warranty and rarely find the true bargain that might be located from a private seller. However, unless the vehicle is still under the original manufacturer’s warranty or has a transferable extended warranty, you will not receive any warranty from the private seller and most likely the vehicle will be sold “as is” and “where is” without any warranties except for the implied warranty of having good title/ownership of the vehicle pursuant to Article 2 of the Uniform Commercial Code and the statutes of most states. The lemon laws will only apply to a manufacturer or a used car dealer and not an individual, which affords greater protection to the consumer. Therefore, unless you are getting a true bargain and you are very well satisfied as to the condition, reliability and history of the used car, or if you are purchasing a classic or collectable car, then you are most likely better off and certainly have greater protection if purchasing or leasing your vehicle from a manufacturer’s authorized dealership.

You can enjoy the experience of acquiring your new vehicle by first educating yourself by reading some of the many resources available on the internet, as well as, in books and magazines containing car reviews and reports, safety statistics, recalls and even manufacturer’s advertisements and brochures and narrowing your vehicle choices before making a purchase. The more people that you speak to, the more dealerships that you visit and the more that read, the better educated you will be become and the greater the likelihood that you will be satisfied with your purchase and avoid great disappointments, trouble and expense then making a spontaneous decision.

Keep in mind that next to your home, your automobile is most likely your next most expensive purchase, and unlike your home which should appreciate over time, your vehicle, unless a classic or collectable, will be a depreciating asset. Also, the cost of maintenance and repairs in terms of percentage can be much greater for a vehicle than a residence, and coupled with further considerations of fuel consumption and reliability, as well as, safety and comfort, the considerations seem endless. Hopefully, you will not suffer buyer’s remorse as many do after taking possession of the next vehicle and finding the true cost of use and operation after months go by.

Ligitation & General Practice

Anthony T. Ballato, Esq. on Auto Fraud and NY Lemon Law Part 1 and 2

Consumer Tips & Advice