“They think they can make fuel from horse manure – Now, I don’t know if your car will be able to get 30 miles to the gallon, but it’s sure gonna put a stop to siphoning”–Billie Holiday
If how to find the best car dealership in your area is important to you, this article will help. But don’t forget to take advantage of some of your personal resources too. Your dad might have tips, or your uncle, if he’s into cars.
Nothing is more central to American culture than our relationships with our cars. Everyone remembers their first car fondly, thinking back to the feeling of freedom when gazing down the open road, helpfully forgetting all the times the stupid machine just wouldn’t start or made you late for work. We love our cars so much that sometimes we hold on to them far longer than we should.
Lately, if you’ve been spending more on duct tape and bailing wire to hold your vehicle together than you’ve been on gas to make it go, it’s probably time to get a new car. Whether you’re going to make an investment in a new car or just get a car that’s new to you, you’ll want to make sure you’re giving your business to a reputable car dealership.
Now this would be easy if only all car dealerships were reputable businesses. Unfortunately, this is an industry not exactly known for its honesty. Don’t be too worried. Just follow these useful suggestions and you’ll know how to find the best car dealership in your area, sending you down the road of car ownership.
1. Find the dealerships
The first thing you’ll want to do is actually find the car dealerships in your area. For this, the Internet will be most helpful. There are countless websites that you can use that specifically allow you to search for used car dealerships, such as Get Auto or Cars Direct. You can also search the online Yellow Pages.
Don’t just look for the larger dealerships. Sometimes, the smaller, “Mom-and-Pop” operations will offer better customer service than the larger, nationally run chains, as they depend more on your individual business. You may be able to work that to your advantage and get a better deal.
2. Check with the manufacturer
After you’ve gotten a general idea of where the car dealerships are, and how many there are in your area, start to think about the make and model of vehicle you with to purchase. If you already know the make of the car you want, it’s a good idea to check the manufacturer’s website for a list of dealerships.
How to Find the Best Car Dealership in Your Area
Car manufacturers will give support to all dealerships that sell their vehicles, but will more prominently highlight those with the best performance and customer service. So, if you’ve found that there are several dealerships in your area that offer the car you’re interested in purchasing, definitely check the manufacturer’s website to see which ones they think are best.
3. Get some word of mouth
It may seem obvious, but one of the easiest and most important ways to find the best car dealership in your area is to ask your friends and family who own the same car you’re in the market for. Most people are more than willing to regale you with stories about their positive or negative experiences (often, especially the negative) they’ve had with a dealership.
Word of mouth advertising is a powerful tool in any industry, so the best car dealerships will provide their customers with the best deals and service, knowing that experience will get related to everyone that customer knows. So, definitely take this valuable information into account.
4. Ask the Better Business Bureau
Finally, after you have decided on a dealership, you should definitely contact the Better Business Bureau to verify that dealership’s past record of resolving customer disputes. The Better Business Bureau keeps track of all reported disputes with businesses in your area. If you check with them and find that the dealership you’ve decided on either has no record with them, or has a record of resolving disputes to the customer’s satisfaction, then you’ve probably selected a good dealership.
You should also always, if you do wind up having a particularly negative experience in purchasing your car, report the dealership to the Better Business Bureau, thereby building this important database for future customers in your position. You’ll feel better knowing you’re sparing someone from having a poor experience in the future.
Now that you know how to find the best car dealership in your area, you can shop for a new vehicle with greater confidence. It will be that much easier to recapture that feeling of open-road freedom knowing that you took the time to ensure yourself the best customer service experience possible, and you’ll be starting out your relationship with your new vehicle on the right foot.
You can get more questions and answers about cars at Ask Deb.
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