Shop Like a Pro: Things to Look for When Buying a Pre-Owned Vehicle

Your Definitive Checklist for Used Car Shopping at Your Local Volkswagen Dealer

Navigating the world of used cars can be a real jungle if you’ve never done it before. There is a lot to keep in mind regarding price, condition, features, vehicle history, and other things that need to be covered before you decide to purchase.

However, with a little research and some best practices, even a relative newcomer can shop for used cars like a pro.

This brings us to our topic at hand: what’s the best way to find a used car near you?

If you’ve yet to stop by a VW dealership near you, they have a wide variety of used cars and certified pre-owned vehicles that have undergone a 100+ point inspection. Whether you’re looking for an SUV with huge storage capabilities or a small, speedy compact, your local Volkswagen dealer should have a used vehicle that fits the bill.

Before we get into the best practices of used car buying, let’s cover a few critical things you should have lined up before you shop.

1. Figure Out Your Car Budget and Allow for Some Cushion: One thing that you’ll definitely want to do before you hit the used car lots is figure out how much of a budget that you have. This will effectively narrow down what cars you can consider for purchase. Remember, you should always build in a little bit of cushion on your budget. Things like insurance, sales tax, and other fees and surcharges will come up during the used car buying process.
2. Get Your Financing in Order if You’re Not Paying Cash: If you’re not paying for your used car in cash, you’ll want to arrange financing. Fortunately, the VW dealership near you can totally take care of that for you. We have an in-house financing team that works with new and used car buyers alike. Simply visit the financing center on our site to get started.
3. Do Some Shopping Beforehand: It’s always a good idea to have the approximate vehicle you want to purchase in mind before visiting a used car dealership. The beauty of the Internet is that you can get familiar with the cars you want before you actually see them. Try to narrow your choices down to two or three options. This will make your used car shopping process much smoother.

Things to Look for in a Used Car

By the time you visit a VW dealership near you, hopefully, you have a pretty solid idea of what you want and what your budget is. Once you have those major details figured out, your used car shopping can officially begin.

Keep the following important factors in mind when shopping for used cars:

1. Accident report and vehicle history: A car that has been involved in an accident or that has had several owners in a short amount of time is a big red flag. In most cases, you should be able to see the accident report and vehicle history online. However, if for some reason it isn’t available, make sure that you speak with your sales representative about it.
2. The warranty: Even though you’re buying a used car, you’ll still want some sort of protection built in in the form of a warranty. Many late model used cars are still on the vehicle’s original manufacturer’s warranty. Additionally, certified pre-owned vehicles often have a warranty that will cover the vehicle for a certain amount of miles. Whatever the case may be, some warranty is better than no warranty at all.
3. Get the full service record: Before you step into a used vehicle, make sure that it is up to date on all of its services and routine maintenance. The last thing that you want is to inherit a bunch of service problems that you have to take care of out of pocket.
4. Always be thorough when test driving: The test drive is a critical step during a used car purchase. You’ll want to be sure that you test drive the vehicle at low speeds through neighborhoods as well as high speeds on the interstate. Make plenty of left-hand and right-hand turns, and make sure to drive the car in reverse some, too. Also make sure to check things like the windows, the locks, the blinkers, the wipers, and so forth.

If everything checks out, you should be able to confidently move forward with your used car purchase. Remember to get a new insurance policy for your used vehicle as well as getting it registered with your local DMV.

Ready to Check Out Used Cars at Your Local Volkswagen Dealer? Visit VW Clear Lake!

Now that you’re more familiar with the used car buying process and what you need to have prepared beforehand, the next step is to visit a VW dealership near you so that you can find the used car of your dreams.

VW Clear Lake has a wide variety of used cars and certified pre-owned vehicles. Additionally, you can always find more great deals on VW products and services in our specials section.

There Are Plenty of Benefits to Buying a New Car From VW Clear Lake

Looking for new cars for sale in Houston? As the leading new car dealership in the area, we have plenty of SUVs, sedans, and compact vehicles that are on the lot and ready to test drive. We have the sleek and economic VW Jetta and the game-changing all-electric VW ID.4.

Buying a new car is going to cost a little bit more than a used car, but you get so many great benefits, such as:

• All the latest in safety, convenience, and infotainment features
• The peace of mind knowing that you are officially the first owner of the car
• The ability to customize and select the trim package of the vehicle
• New cars are more durable than used cars
• Superior fuel efficiency
• New car loans generally have better interest rates
• An industry leading warranty with VW Carefree Coverage

Ready to shop for a new car? VW Clear Lake is conveniently located at 15100 Gulf Fwy. in Houston. Contact us by using the contact form on our website or by calling us at (832) 432-7969 to speak with a member of our team.

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