Two Honda Civics: both silver with identical body styles. At first blush: two of the same car. Then why is Civic A $6,999 and Civic B $13,900?
Car shopping can be a bit overwhelming. Deciding how much to spend, what type of car and more importantly finding a dealer you can trust. When you add large price discrepancies for what appears to be the same car you might start feeling like you're swimming through motor oil!
Remember, like all things in life, if a price seems to good to be true - it is.
Dealers need to sell cars but they also need to make money. If someone is selling you a car for half of the average price you can bet it is pretty on the outside but impossible to eat.
Let's return to those two civics. Without even speaking to a salesperson here is what you can and should find out on your own. Check the mileage: as it turns out Civic A has 215,000 km and Civic B has 50,000 km. Look inside, how has the vehicle been maintained, what does it smell like, in what condition is the paint? Look closely for paint variations (this could just indicate a scratch but it could also indicate an accident). Check out the lines of the car: do the bumpers match the overall look, does the trunk line up when it's closed? These could be other signs of past accidents.
Even though none of this preliminary work can tell you definitively whether or not the car has been well cared for or in an accident it will prepare you for when you do speak to a sales representative.
The mileage alone could account for most of the price difference but there are some important details you still need to find out.
Next post: Questions to Ask the Salesperson
Drive Safely!
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