Your How-To Guide on Buying a New Car
We here at Shore Motor Company know that sometimes buying a new car can be a little difficult! Our dealership in Clarinda, Iowa, has one of the largest inventories around and it can be easy to get overwhelmed with so many options. We've put together a simple guide on how to get started buying your new car and we hope, when you're ready, we'll see you down at our dealership.
Budget
Few people can afford a car out of pocket. Almost everyone will need to save up or finance their new vehicle. We advise that you budget your monthly finances and calculate what you can afford for monthly car payments. If you'd like to save up for your new car the same rule applies! Make sure to budget your finances so you're not skipping on necessities, but don't save too slowly and end up missing your sales window. Lastly, if you're going to finance your car we advise checking your credit score and ensuring it's above 700 before applying for loans.
Research
There are a lot of cars out there and, as we mentioned, the variety can be overwhelming! Make a list of features you deem necessary and try to focus on car brands that excel at these qualities. There are a number of different websites out there that rank cars overall as well as by various amenities that will be extremely helpful. Once you've got it down to a select few, feel free to browse your local dealership and ask questions. Sales representatives can be great sources of information as you consider your different options!
Inspection
Once you've chosen a vehicle or even two you can set up a test drive! Before this, we advise looking up a few easy vehicle inspection guides. It's important to make sure you don't walk off the lot with a costly maintenance problem. Be sure to keep an ear out for suspicious engine sounds as you start and drive the vehicle.
We hope this short checklist has been helpful to you. If you live in the nearby cities of Shenandoah IA, Red Oak IA, Atlantic IA, Maryville MO, Rock Port MO or Nebraska City NE we hope you'll stop by our dealership. We've been in business for almost 60 years and our experienced staff can help you with any of your car needs!
