Benefits of Purchasing Through a Car Dealership

For some people a vehicle is a necessary evil. For others it's a chance to show your personality. For others still, it's the ultimate freedom of choice. No matter how you view purchasing a vehicle, you have several options on how to do so. Modern technology allows you to shop for vehicles from the comfort of your own living room, but when it comes time to make your ultimate purchase why is it better to buy from a dealership?

Buying from a dealership is just one way to get a new or used vehicle. You can also buy from a private party, get a car at an auction, or find a car online. Any of these alternate choices may give you a lower price than a dealership may offer, however you are not getting any of the benefits of purchasing from a dealership.

So what are these dealership benefits, and why are they important? If you are a trained mechanic you may not need the benefits a dealership offers, but for the rest of the car-buying public, dealerships offer the following peace-of-mind benefits:

Inspections/Certifications

Many dealerships offer "certified" pre-owned vehicles. This basically means that the dealership has inspected that particular vehicle and deemed it to be in excellent working condition, often meeting a higher standard of mechanical, appearance and detailing standards than non-certified vehicles. Some of these cars may even have the original manufacturer's warranty still available, or a warranty from the dealership itself.

Even if the vehicle is not "certified" you can guarantee the dealership has fully inspected the vehicle to make sure it is in proper mechanical condition. There should be no hidden problems that will pop up soon after purchase that will cause a buyer to incur unexpected repair expenses. Dealerships should also be able to provide a buyer with a vehicle history report (CARFAX® for example).

Wider Variety

Dealerships typically have on-hand dozens of cars to choose from. It's a great idea to shop ahead of time on a dealership's website to have an idea of what their inventory looks like. It's an even greater idea to have some sort of plan as to what type of vehicle you are looking for and a budget range you can afford. Once you get these concepts narrowed down you can be confident you're not wasting too much time looking at cars in-person and test driving the ones you are seriously considering.

Buying a vehicle from a private party often means they have only the one vehicle for sale instead of an entire lot of cars to choose from. You are probably wasting your time dealing with private owners unless you are fairly sure ahead of time that the car you're going to be seeing is "the one." And test driving with a private owner can be a risk since you're getting into a car with a complete stranger.

Financing Options and Paperwork

Dealerships offer buyers a variety of financing options. Many dealerships can offer in-house financing, or they oftentimes have relationships with local banks where they can work out a fairly good interest rate for you with the bank you already have.

Not only can a dealership offer you a variety of options, they can also take care of all your paperwork and get you instant credit approval. In addition to financing help, all the other paperwork that goes along with purchasing a vehicle is taken care of by the dealership so you won't have to hassle with the DMV by yourself.

For people who value mechanical peace-of-mind, personal time spent, ease of the deal, and the importance of a long-standing relationship, spending a little more money on a car from a dealership is definitely worth it. And you may get lucky and find a dealership that has great customer service, great vehicles and low prices.