Things you should tell your Car Salesman

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We're in this together.
When buying a car, we all want to have the best experience possible. You can find any number of articles online that tell you what not to tell your car dealer or salesman, but at Lithia Motors we want you to know that we are in this process together and we want to break the stereotypes of buying, trading or selling a car.
 
With that in mind, we present here our list of things you should tell your car salesman. It's important to be clear about what you want when browsing for a quality vehicle and discussing your finance options.

What are your Car Needs?

Before deciding on "the car," tell us what you are looking for and what you really want and need. Let's discuss you and your family's needs in a vehicle. Let's talk about the size of your family, how you plan to use the car on a daily basis, how much cargo room you are looking for. Tell us about the kinds of safety, driver assist and infotainment technology you'd like in the perfect vehicle. How important is fuel economy to you? Are you open to a hybrid or all-electric car? Make a list of "must haves" so that we can do a better job at finding the right car for you.
 
Once you find a vehicle that is the right fit for you and your family, let's discuss the trim level and color you're looking for so we can hone down the exact car. If you really fall in love with a particular car, tell us. Let's discuss how you intend to pay for the vehicle. Lithia Motors has finance experts that can help you get into the car you want at a price you can afford to pay.

If you're ready to buy, tell us.

If you are feeling indecisive about the vehicle, tell us. If you're ready to buy, tell us that too. It is better for us to know what you're thinking. At Lithia Motors, we want to earn your trust and keep you as a valued customer for life. The more we understand about where you're at on your car buying journey, the better we can help you.
 
For instance, telling your sales associate that you plan on "buying a car this weekend" will tell us that we need to get on the fast track to nailing down the right car for you. We'll pull out all the stops to make you happy and find the perfect vehicle from our amazing inventory.
 
If you are planning on purchasing a new vehicle over the course of a few months, that's good for us to know as well. You may not want a lot of follow-up from the dealership about prospective cars if you are just in the looking stage. Again, the more we know about where you are at and what you are looking for, the better we can serve you.

Having Second Thoughts?

Think of car buying with Lithia Motors like this. Imagine if you have a trusted friend in the car business who can take you by the hand, get you comfortable with the car buying experience and every step of the process. Imagine it is someone in whom you can place your trust, knowing that they want what is best for you. At Lithia Motors, that's who we are and that's what we do.
 
Don't be afraid to say "no" at any step in the process. This starts with finding the specific car, SUV or truck on the lot or online, all the way through to the delivery paperwork. If you have second thoughts, or if something doesn't feel right, don't hesitate to tell us. How else can we know how to serve you best?
 
Once you purchase a car and it's in your driveway, it is a lot harder to return it should you change your mind. It is far better for us to know how you are feeling at each step in the process because we want to make sure you have the best car buying experience ever!

Stress-Free Car-Shopping

Much has been written about "when" to discuss your trade-in vehicle with a salesman. Conventional wisdom is to treat the purchase of your car and the trade-in negotiations as separate transactions. The prevailing feeling has been that by doing this, you've already negotiated the price of your new car and that the trade-in value will then only help you lower the price you have already negotiated. However, today, there is often more to think about in car deals when trading in your car. 

For many car buyers, the world is not such a simple place. For instance, what if your credit is less than perfect and you plan on financing the new vehicle. Most subprime lenders that work with car buyers who have bad credit require at least $1,000 or 10 percent of the vehicle's selling price. Such buyers often need to use a trade-in's equity to meet the down payment requirement. 

The subprime financing process begins when a customer meets all the requirements for financing before he or she chooses a car. For these reasons and more, it can be best for you to tell your dealer about your trade-in before you choose the vehicle of your dreams so that all the cards are on the table and we can get your trade-in appraised. That leads us to the next section. 

Tell us about your credit history

Don't be afraid to tell us if you have less than perfect credit. Lithia Motors has been in the personal transportation business of putting people together with the right vehicle and getting them the financing they need, for over 75 years. We've seen it all. If you have bad credit right now, it won't scare us. And how can we help to serve you best if we don't know what we have to work with together? 
At Lithia Motors, we're not concerned about your credit rating. Your credit score has nothing to do with us negotiating the best deal for you and getting the best price on your new car. We are equipped to assist borrowers with bad credit, no credit, or unique credit challenges. By telling us up front about poor credit, we can lead you to the right resources and a solution that will work to get you approved and down the road in your new car.
 
Find the Lithia Auto dealer near you here and let's start building a relationship together.