Advantages of buying a Used Car from a Dealership

[feet_]

well its time to buy a minivan...

but the wife said she wants to buy from a dealership.vs private owner of the vehicle

I m saying , we will pay extra for nothing. maybe a 30day warranty.
but to pay $2000.00+ for that. booooooooo

so... what are the pros(if there is any)/cons of buying from a dealership.

[sunnybono]

Unfortunately whether you buy from a private lot or dealership, most used car salesmen are snakes!!!!!! They will tell you everything you want to hear and promise you the world, just to make the sale. So it is buyer beware. Oh yes expect to pay a little more at a dealership as they usually have higher overhead cost to recover!!!!!

sk

[goleafsgo1]

You will save alot of time and hassle by buying it from dealership. Most likely the vehicle will not have a tampered odometer or any major accidents (though I would still check carproof).
Only disadvantage is that dealership rips you off bigtime!! plus you have to pay GST!

I would suggest a private sale but make sure you do whatever possible (carproof, mechanic checkup etc) to ensure that you are getting a good vehicle.

[Mcp]

Buying from a dealership does offer a higher quality I think...
But you will pay more...
You can also buy an extended warrantee which can be a good thing...

[Rehan]

Advantages: better selection, easier to test drive, easier to finance, vehicles tend to be cleaner.

Disadvantages: more expensive, can't get vehicle maintenance history, pushy extended warranty sales pitch, used car salesmen get their bad reputation for a reason.


When I was looking for a used Mazda MPV a couple years ago, I would've preferred to buy from a private seller but there were very few private listings for that van. So we ended up buying from a dealership (Autodome... search RFD and you'll find some comments). So far so good with it.

[Bullseye]

Only 2 of the 15 cars I've owned were bought at dealerships, and both times I was unhappy about the dealership buys. I've never had a problem with a privately bought vehicle (surprise-wise, I mean), I use common sense, intuition, and my decent knowledge of automobiles to increase my chances of success.

[feet_]

Only 2 of the 15 cars I've owned were bought at dealerships, and both times I was unhappy about the dealership buys. I've never had a problem with a privately bought vehicle (surprise-wise, I mean), I use common sense, intuition, and my decent knowledge of automobiles to increase my chances of success.

yes i ve only bought 1 car from a dealership.
got ripped off. car was a pos. a toyota too.

never again , the GST also kills the deal.
+ most cars from dealerships are auction cars, no history.

[Bullseye]

You still have to pay tax on private sales of used vehicles.

PST only. Dealers you pay GST and PST.

[hOrnizuka]

PST only. Dealers you pay GST and PST.

I c. I always thought that our gov. only charge 1 tax for used car wheather you buy it from the dealer or privately. Thanx for the info.

[Tomy]

I c. I always thought that our gov. only charge 1 tax for used car wheather you buy it from the dealer or privately. Thanx for the info.

dont buy at a dealership

theyre full of shxt, all the promises are lies, UNLESS written on paper.

the only advantage is: test drive + they clean it when u buy it, but u pay one extra taxes + some other fees on top of it

[brendonp]

For a few cars, buying at a dealership may be worthwhile... ie, BMW "certified series" cars have a 6year/160k kms basic warranty - worthwhile for a bit of peice of mind. I personally look for the "non-certified" cars on the BMW lot, then barter on price and just before agreeing ask them to throw in the "certified series" warranty! (I only do this at the end so that it isn't used during the negotiation). At the time I bought my last BMW, I figured it cost me roughly 2k more to do it at the dealership, but I also got them to "fix" a bunch of things (repair stone chips on the front, switch and re-touch all four rims with another vehicle, replace some dinged interior trim and replace a subwoofer) - plus I received the extended warranty for free!

I'm not sure if other dealerships offer the extended warranty on their used vehicles or not, but it may be worthwhile. If I wasn't going to get an extended warranty I would definitely only look at private sale vehicles... They are generally a few dollars cheaper, and the tax savings counts!

Brendon