Why Buy Used From Valley Auburn GMC Buick?

The internet has brought new ways to buy almost anything, and that includes cars. Not only have private sellers been able to move out of the newspaper classifieds to full-screen ads of their car with color pictures, but there are whole new used car enterprises such as Vroom, Carvana, and others that promise an almost entirely online car-purchase experience. But is that the best way to purchase a used car? After all, a car is far more complex and involves many more considerations than a book, home decoration, or just about anything else you can buy online. Since private sellers can display their cars to the world, are they a more viable consideration? Valley Auburn GMC Buick explores the issue. 

Private Sellers

Private sellers can use Facebook Marketplace or websites like Autotrader to get you to see their car, but otherwise, the purchasing process is little changed. You likely go to their home or nearby public location to test drive the car and make a yes or no decision on the spot. There may or may not be a CarFax to view, there is no warranty, certainly no financing, and the seller is just interested in selling this one car for as much as they can. If it isn’t exactly what you want, they have no alternatives. They also have no reputation to build or protect, and may or may not be reachable after the sale. Valley Auburn GMC Buick, on the other hand, has been here for almost 60 years. We aren’t going anywhere, and we certainly have a reputation to protect. Like the private seller, we hope to sell you a car, but we also want you to be a repeat customer.

Online Used Car Companies

There is nothing necessarily shady about professional online used car companies. These are highly capitalized entities leveraging the internet’s abilities and people’s increasing propensity to purchase things online. But all these companies have to work around a fundamental weakness. You can’t see before you buy. It is not a way to determine what models you like and don’t like. To do that, you need to shop vehicles for sale around you, which makes these companies an additional step. Even if you have narrowed your consideration to a single model, there are limitations. The workarounds often include plenty of vehicle photos, with some even drawing attention to prominent blemishes. But photos can’t reveal an annoying rattle, soft-feeling brakes, or any number of non-visual reasons to reject a car. To accommodate that, they have arrangements where you can drive the car for a few days before completing your obligation to buy. If you don’t like it, they will pick up the car and end the deal. 

There is some reassurance from that. But they have to be assured you are serious before just giving you a car to drive, so you practically have to purchase the vehicle in advance. Plus, sometimes you can reject a car in a matter of minutes. It may have looked great in the pictures, but there may be the aforementioned annoying rattle, or maybe the touchscreen doesn’t respond as it should. It could be any number of things. If you are particular about your purchase, it can be very time-consuming to have multiple vehicles delivered and returned. At a dealer, you can notice these things in a matter of minutes and move on to another model immediately without having practically purchased the thing already. 

These companies often provide limited warranties with their vehicles, but If something goes wrong, everything is handled online, or by someone on the phone you’ve never met. By contrast, if you purchase from Valley Auburn GMC Buick, we are right here. You can bring the car in and show the issue to the very person you bought the car from, and we have a fully staffed service department on-site to take care of it. 

Valley Auburn GMC Buick

At Valley Auburn GMC Buick, we are professionals at this, and we can be your one-stop shop for vehicle browsing, shopping, financing, and even taking in your trade-in. We know about all the necessary documentation for all these activities and can easily guide you through them. Take a look at our pre-owned inventory, and you will see not only a wide selection but also the ability to view each vehicle’s CarFax history before you even contact us. In addition, like all dealers, Valley Auburn GMC Buick displays a Buyers Guide on every used car they offer for sale and is given to you after the sale. This includes light-duty vans and trucks, demonstrators, and program cars. The Buyers Guide informs you of the following:

• The major mechanical and electrical systems on the car, including some of the major problems to look out for.
• Whether the car is being sold “as is” or with a warranty.
• What percentage of the repair costs we, as a dealer, will pay under the warranty?
• To get all promises in writing.
• Ask to have the car inspected by an independent mechanic before you buy.
• To get a vehicle history report, visit ftc.gov/usedcars for information on how to get a report, how to check for safety recalls, and other topics.
• Ask for a Spanish Buyers Guide if the sale is conducted in Spanish.
• The dealer’s contact information, including the contact for complaints.
• Remember: spoken promises are difficult to enforce.

The world is changing in many ways, but there are times when the traditional ways of doing things are still the best. They persist for good reason. Perhaps Valley Auburn GMC Buick won’t be your only location for shopping a pre-owned car or truck, but we hope to be your last one, and we certainly want to be on your list.