CarBuyingTips.com Blog - 2012
September 2012
Should I Refinance My Car?
The murky world of car finance is difficult for most people to navigate, and many get it wrong, often paying for their mistakes for years in the form of higher interest rates, sometimes triple what those of us with good credit would pay. Here at CarBuyingTips.com people often ask us "should I refinance my car?" It seems complicated to them, they also ask "can you refinance a car loan?" and even "How do I refinance my car?" Here we will clear the air on these common questions and make it simple to understand. Read more>>
August 2012
Chevy Total Confidence Pricing & Love It or Return It, What's the Catch?
I've seen ads recently from Chevrolet touting 2 sales programs, one of them is called the Chevy Total Confidence Pricing, and the other is called the Love It or Return It program. The Total Confidence Plan is supposed to give you confidence of some low purchase price, while Love It or Return It claims to give you 60 days to return your new car if you don't like it. Read more>>
July 2012
Advantages Women Have Over Men When Buying Cars
For years, buying cars was a man's game, mom and dad went to the car dealer, and dad did all the talking and dealing with the salespeople. It was a good old boys club where only the men played, because the women did not have enough experience in the lion's den. Women were secondary citizens, so the boyfriends and husbands would take charge to score the best deal on a new car, because the arrogant men "knew" how to play on a "level" playing field one on one against another man. Read more>>
June 2012
How to Buy a Used Car that has an Outstanding Loan Balance
Many people ask us here on CarBuyingTips.com, "How do you buy a used car from someone who still owes money to the bank for the car loan?" "How do you transfer the title to your name?" You just agreed to buy a used Honda Accord from a seller on eBay Motors or Craigslist for $6,000 then you learn the seller still owes $3,000 on the car loan. Read more>>
March 2012
Extended Car Warranty Competing Quotes Model Saves You Money
Traditionally the way we buy extended warranties for our cars has been typically purchased at the car dealer, or a trustworthy online warranty site, or maybe some of you foolishly bought via a junk mail postcard that was mailed to you. Hopefully you have never bought a warranty via postcards designed to trick you into thinking they are official from Ford, Toyota, or Honda! Our visitors here on CarBuyingTips.com know that I prefer dealing directly with established discount online warranty companies than car dealers, because the online companies have no middle man holding their hand out and adding cost to the final product. Read more>>
February 2012
How to Avoid Upside Down Car Loans
I'm sure you have heard thousands of car dealer radio ads that scream out "We'll pay off your car loan no matter how much you still owe!" This scam is aimed directly at people like you who might be under water on their car loans. Over the years I have seen car buyers make many mistakes, and probably the worst mistake you can make is allowing yourself to become upside down on your car loan. Read more>>
Never Leave the Car Dealer With Your New Car and No Paperwork
Every once in a while I get emails from visitors to us here at CarBuyingTips.com asking me "did I just get ripped off?" Well you know if they have to ask me that question, the answer is probably going to be yes they got ripped off. Sometimes people do very foolish things when shopping for new cars. One of the worst case scenario examples of this is buying your new car and leaving the dealership with no paperwork or anything in writing that confirms the deal you just signed. Read more>>
How to Avoid End of Auto Lease Penalties and Scams
Auto leasing is stacked against most consumers, who rush in uneducated, and don't consider all the fees and penalties they face, especially at lease end. I hear from our CarBuyingTips.com visitors all the time at the end of their lease, in a panic because they have $3,000 to $5,000 in mileage penalties, $2,000 excessive wear and tear and $1,000 in new tire fees. But how did this happen? Read more>>
January 2012
Never Cosign a Car Loan for Anyone
I get emails from time to time from people (victim) who cosigned a car loan for another person, who then defaulted on the loan, which then obligated the victim who cosigned to now be responsible for that loan. I field enough questions on this topic that I thought I would reiterate my strong warnings to anyone who is considering pursuing this toxic waste of financing gimmickry. Read more>>
Top 5 Extended Car Warranty Buying Mistakes
By far the most controversial topic here on CarBuyingTips.com and other online complaint sites is the subject of extended car warranties. There are people out there who are against all extended warranties (also known as vehicle service agreements or VSA). Some warranty claims are rejected, so consumers think that all warranties stink, when in fact they were rejected for legitimate contract reasons. Read more>>
Top 10 Reasons to Run a Used Car Vehicle History Report
People often ask me if they really need to run a vehicle history report on a used car they are about to buy. Many people overlook this important 11th hour tool of protection for the car buyer. We stress over and over here on CarBuyingTips.com that you must run a Vehicle History Report and also have a mechanic put the car up on a lift for inspection, otherwise do not buy that car. Read more>>
New Car Buying Guide
Used Car Buying Guide
Extended Warranties
Guide to Car Loans
