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5 Things Car Dealers Don’t Want You to Know

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Home  |  Car Transport   |   5 Things Car Dealers Don’t Want You to Know

Are you looking to make a smart car investment by being a knowledgeable shopper, or are you going to the dealership blind sighted? There are many things car dealers don’t want you to know: we’re spilling 5 of them in this article, and how you can outwit them to pick the perfect vehicle for you!

Do Your Research

The #1 rule to smart car shopping? Use your most valuable resource for the best deal: the internet. Over 90 percent of car buyers research automobiles before they buy, and it’s worth the payoff. Checking out Kelly Blue Book or Autotrader offers valuable information, including rebates, safety ratings, and return of investment.

Earn a Discount By Paying Cash

As they say, cash is king! If you can pay with cash, choose that route and skip financing your vehicle. Many dealers will negotiate with you if you can pay upfront – which can lead to bigtime savings for the shopper.

Shop on the Website

Do your homework on the different cars you’re interested in (even a few models you’re not) before you head to the dealership and feel compelled to make a deal on the spot. Find a couple cars that you like and get the dealerships quote. Then shop around at other dealers in your area. How does their price compare? Can one dealership beat another’s price?

Skip the Dealership’s Financing Options (and Do It Yourself)

Paying for a cash with cash isn’t always a viable option for everyone. If that’s the case for you, that’s ok. Financing through your dealership isn’t your only option. Do your homework ahead of time and shop around for the best car loan independent of the dealership. Take your time to find the best deal and the best rate for your budget.

The Add-On’s Will Cost You

One of the biggest things the car dealer doesn’t want you to know is all the extras tacked on after you’ve said ‘yes’ to the car of your dreams. Certain add-ons are very profitable for the dealer, such as:

  • An extended warranty;
  • Rust coating;
  • Security system; or:
  • Paint protection.

Interested in one of these add-ons? Don’t believe the hype and don’t feel pressured to add it to your price tag. Negotiate first. Dealers are always trying to strike a deal, and you’re in control!

 Have you bought a car that you need shipped across state lines, or across the country? Ship A Car Direct is the best broker in the shipping business. They aren’t worried about their bottom line – they’re most concerned with your satisfaction (because that’s truly a win/win!) Contact them today and learn all about their door-to-door service and damage-free guarantee AND just how they promise you’ll be 100% delighted with your car shipping experience.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Honest Answers to Your Car Shipping Questions

Yes, we always ask for your specific pickup and delivery addresses, if the carrier can get right to the addresses you provide, they will. If the addresses that you give us are not safely accessible for a Multi-car carrier, however, you will need to make arrangements with the driver to meet at a nearby location where the carrier can safely get in and out.

People do it all the time (rarely for free) but the official answer is no.

Not what you wanted to hear, we know, but that is the honest answer.

We are not licensed to broker the shipment of household goods and, likewise, no car carrier that operates in the USA is licensed to transport them from state to state either. Despite what you might be being told by other car shipping companies you may speak with.

Remember, at the end of the day we're all salespeople, and the true answer to this question is not a great selling point.

You will hear a lot of companies tell you that you can put up to 100 pounds of items in the trunk, but that is not entirely true. That fact is that items of that amount are fairly common and the department of transportation is probably not going to split hairs and fine the trucker over items of that amount, provided they are not over their weight limit. They could fine them, however, if they see a vehicle stuffed full of personal items so the car carrier will most likely try to negotiate something with you to cover themselves against any costs they could incur. It's not something we can build into your contract though.

We have a short and helpful video on this topic in our user videos.

Only in rare cases and car carriers will usually charge a premium to make it happen.

All dates given by car carriers are typically estimates and projections.

For this reason (and to keep your cost down) we ask that you build in some flexibility and give us the earliest possible date you would be WILLING to release the vehicle, even though it may not be your preferred date.

We'll put you in direct contact with your car carrier and the driver will also typically call you the afternoon or evening before your pick up and delivery (they won't just show up unannounced, and if they do we want to hear about it). However, car carriers are out on the road battling traffic, weather and any number of other factors that can and do throw them off of their pickup and delivery projections from time to time.

If the projected dates we give you come and you are unable to make contact with your carrier, please call our office immediately so that we may help resolve the situation.

The average transit time from pick up to delivery on any vehicle going coast to coast will average 7 to 10 days. From there you can figure your transit time based on how far your vehicle is traveling, i.e. from either coast to the Midwest might average 3-7 days.

Yes!

Even better, we do not even ask for payment until we have you confirmed for pickup by a safe, reliable, fully insured, direct car carrier. If for any reason you do not ship your car with the carrier that we arrange for you, there is no fee.

The fees paid directly to the carrier however, (in most cases, their fees are not paid until your vehicle is delivered) are not directly controlled by us, so any requests for a refund of the carrier's portion would need to be addressed with the carrier directly.

Of course! And you are always backed by our Damage Free Guarantee policy.

Part of what you pay us for is to verify that the car carrier that we put you on is covered by the proper amount of insurance and that everything is up to date.

There is never any additional cost to you for this coverage, and their insurance is always primary.

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