Reasons You Should Buy a Car from a Dealership

When you purchase a car privately, your only option is to pay in cash. Not everyone has ten thousand dollars in cash to spend on a car. If you have decent credit, you can finance a car at a fair interest rate with only a small down payment. You may be able to secure financing before you even go to the dealership. Shop around for the best interest rate and get prequalified for a car loan prior to purchasing your next car. 

If you have a car to trade-in, you can have the value of your old car put toward your new car loan. You may be able to avoid a downpayment altogether if you utilize your trade-in value. Even if you haven't paid off the loan on your current car, many dealerships will pay off your loan balance when you trade your car in. 

Dealerships are held to safety standards that private sellers are not. If you buy a car that has issues that were not disclosed to you at the time of the sale, you are legally protected. The dealership must rectify any problems with your vehicle. If there is anything significantly wrong with the car that cannot be repaired in a timely manner, you'll be eligible for a complete refund. When you buy privately, the car is yours as soon as you drive off. If there are any repairs that need to be made, they fall only on your shoulders. 

In many states, when you purchase a car you have the right to cancel within 72 hours and receive a full refund. You may return the car even if there are no problems with the vehicle. If you simply don't like the car and believe you've made a mistake, you can go back to the dealer and return it. Of course, returning a car will be impossible with a private seller. No private seller is required to take back their car if you decide you do not like it. 

There are some cases where a car you buy from a private seller may still be under warranty. But if the car is no longer new and has surpassed the mileage for the dealership warranty, you'll be paying for any repair costs. Many dealerships now offer warranties even for used cars so you can breathe easy knowing you will be safe from any costly repairs in the near future.

When buying a car privately, you will need to do a lot more work to insure you're not being scammed by the seller. If you want to purchase a car easily and securely, buy from a dealership.