You are constantly bombarded by advertisements who offer great deals. O% APR, no down payments, and other exciting and thrilling offers are too good to be true. So how do you know whether or not can you trust what you are being told? What do you do if you get scammed by a car dealership? There are many ways to tell whether or not you are making the best choice.
If you happen to have bad credit or a low credit score, car dealers are just waiting to trick you into purchasing a car from them. They may claim that because of your credit score, you will have to pay a lot larger interest rate than is really necessary. They may also add on lots of extra fees that apply only to you just because of your credit score. Always make sure that before you even start looking for a car, that you are eduacated about your own credit score. You should never trust a stranger to tell you personal information about your credit history. It is your personal duty to find out all the details so that if they try to lie to you, you will be able to call their bluff.
One of the most frequent scams that are performed is when they claim that you have not been approved for a low APR later on. When you purchase the car, they will offer you a low APR, hand you the keys and wish you the best. About two weeks or so later, the finance manager from the car dealership calls you to inform you that you were not approved for the low APR and the rates just increased by a large percentage. What can you do if this happens? Specialists recommend you go get financing in another place like a bank, credit union or other financiers. Then you can take a check from the bank to cover the cost of the car without paying their sky high interest rates.
Another scam that frequently occurs is when you trade in your old car that you still are making payments for. Car dealerships will promise to pay off your old debt for you. But, most of the time they do not complete with their end of the bargain you have already given them your car. That leaves you with two car payments to pay off and only one car to show for it. How can you avoid this happening to you? Make sure that before signing any paperwork, you ask the dealer to put these terms in writing. If they are not willing to do that, than you know that it is a scam and they will not keep their word.
One other scam is when you are being forced to purchase a warranty that may not be necessary. A lot of times, car finance managers will tell you that if you do not purchase the warranty, your loan will be rejected. This is not true. They are usually just trying to add on extra fees. Once again, its recommended that you request that they put it all in writing. If they are not willing to do that for you, then you should not be willing to purchase the warranty.
