In 2017, there were about 2.8 million pickup trucks sold in the United States.
If you’re thinking about buying a new truck, there are some things you should know before you drop thousands of dollars on one.
Whether it’s a new or a used truck, buying a truck can seem overwhelming. However, we’ll give you some tips to ensure that you make a good decision.
1. Falling in Love With a Certain Type of Truck
When you go look for trucks without doing any research, it’s very easy to fall in love with a certain type of truck without knowing everything about it.
While you might love a car, you have to make a rational decision, not an emotional one. While you may love one model, broaden your search and look at others as well. You might find that there is a better one out there.
When you fall in love with one certain type of truck, you are also more apt to pay more for it in order to get it.
If you are overwhelmed by your desire to get your car, wait a month or two and see if that feeling fades. If it does, then you might’ve just been swept up in the emotions.
2. Choosing the Wrong Cabin Size
While you might be set on a big bed for your pickup truck, you have to think about the cabin as well. Are you going to have multiple people in your truck often? Then you might want to get a bigger bed.
There are normally three different sizes of cabins, so you’ll have to sit down and consider what size works best for you and what you’ll be using it for.
3. Ignoring Signs of Damage
If you’re buying a used truck, you might be tempted to look over some damages if it’s at a good price.
Just because it’s a good price now, doesn’t mean that you’ll save money. In the long run, you might have to pay more in order to compensate for maintenance due to these damages.
If you see problems on the outside of the car, it’s often a good indicator that there are even more damages somewhere where you can’t see them.
4. Focusing on Monthly Payments Rather than the Total Cost
One way that salespeople will try to get you to buy an expensive truck is by telling you how much it will cost you per month. Hearing that you only have to pay $400 a month is a lot easier to stomach than knowing you’ll have to pay $40,000 in total.
While the salespeople will keep trying to tell you this, make sure that you ask them what the total cost of the car is. Sit down with your budget before you go and search for cars, and figure out how much you can pay for a truck whether it’s monthly or over time.
5. Not Test Driving It
For some reason, many people also don’t test drive the truck before they buy it. However, you should test drive anything that you’re going to buy.
This is one of the most important processes, even if the car is brand new and hasn’t been driven a lot. The truck might seem like your perfect match on paper, but when you drive it, you may find that you don’t like the way it feels. Or maybe it’s too loud. Or too bumpy.
You won’t know any of these things until you test drive it. The salesperson may not offer to let you test drive it, but you should always make sure that you ask. And if for any reason they won’t let you drive it, don’t buy it.
When you do go on your test drive, take your time while driving it. Pay attention to every little thing with the car and see if you can picture yourself driving it for the next few years.
6. Buying a Truck With the Wrong Transmission
If you’re used to driving an automatic transmission, you may just automatically assume that the truck comes with automatic transmission. While most do, you could still end up going home with a manual transmission that you can’t even drive.
However, knowing how to drive a manual transmission truck could end up saving you some money because manual transmissions normally cost less money.
7. Not Doing Any Research
One of the first things you should do when going to find a new truck is doing your research. Yes, salespeople can give you all kinds of information, but their end goal is to sell you the truck no matter what.
It’s better if you do your own independent research before going to the dealership.
That way you can have some kind of idea on what brands and models are more reliable or safe and what the best pickup truck is. And about how much they cost so you know if you’re getting charged too much. This will also let you set a maximum amount of money that you’ll be willing to pay for any vehicle.
8. Not Having the Truck Inspected
Lastly, many people don’t have anyone inspect the truck before they buy it. This is especially true if you’re buying it used.
To avoid buying a lemon, you should have an independent mechanic who can inspect the truck. They know what they’re looking for, and they can give you their unbiased opinion on whether or not you should end up buying that truck.
Taking just a little bit of time to do this can save you money and time in the long run.
Learn More About Buying a New Truck
These are only a few things to know about buying a new truck, but there are many more mistakes to avoid as well.
It can be difficult to keep up with the changing technology and upgrades in the car industry, and sometimes it can feel overwhelming when trying to find a new vehicle.
Thankfully, we have you covered. If you enjoyed this article, make sure that you explore our website to find more just like this one!