Buying Used Cars from Private Sellers: Do You Really Get a Good Price?

Ask your friends and family and you might hear that private sellers give you a good price on used cars in Greenville. But ask an expert and you might not get a similar answer. Yes, private sellers do not need to make as much profit as used car dealers. And yes, you get peace of mind knowing that you are buying from an individual who has probably taken care of his/her car. But you do not get a lot of deals that top used car dealers generally offer combined with the convenience you have with the latter. Strictly in monetary terms, you might get a good price with a private seller but when you look at the overall picture, what you pay may not be worth it.

Private sellers cannot give you warranties

Most manufacturer warranties are non-transferable to a new owner. So, even if you buy a fairly new vehicle from a private seller, you will end up with a vehicle that does not have any warranty. You can always buy extended warranties but that will shoot up the cost of buying the used car. And if you keep the used car without warranties, you will have to take care of the repairs in the next couple of years as the seller can refuse to take ownership of selling you a vehicle with an internal defect. In good used car dealerships near Greenville, you get flat warranties that come in the package. You do not have to pay extra, nor worry about anything later.

You do not get much choice

With a private seller, your options of used cars will be limited to just one at a time. To test drive another car, you will have to find another private seller with a different model. Keeping aside the hassle of switching sellers and finding the right price every time, making an investment as big as buying a car after just seeing one vehicle does not make a lot of sense. In a top buy here pay here dealership, you will access to a massive inventory. You can test drive sedans, hatches, and SUVs of Honda, Toyota, Ford, and Chevy one after the other. Dealers maintain a greater profit margin to provide you such conveniences. Maintaining a large inventory is costly.

Your financing options are limited to banks

No private seller will be willing to accept monthly payments for their used cars and you will have to pay the whole amount upfront. Unless you have cash, you will have to approach a bank to finance the used car and convert the price into monthly premiums. With a bad credit score, that is almost impossible. But in a car dealership with bad credit financing options, it is no problem at all. The dealership helps you with auto loans along with selling a used car. You can divide the net amount into monthly payments with the dealer and do not have to approach any other lender. Again, the convenience of financing places used car dealers over private sellers in Taylors, Greenville, SC. The entire package makes up for the few dollars you pay extra.