TrueCar.com Provides Car Buying Tips for Consumers

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Aug. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- TrueCar.com, the authority on new car pricing, trends and analysis, today released expert car-buying tips to help consumers save time and money at the dealership, resulting in unprecedented purchase confidence.

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"It's a fact that 40 percent of consumers pay way too much for a car," said TrueCar.com CEO Scott Painter. "By doing a little research before walking into the dealership, consumers can save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars." 

The following tips can be found in full in a two-part article on the TrueCar blog. To see how these tips can save consumers money, watch the recent CBS Early Show segment featuring TrueCar.com and Scott Painter. 

TrueCar Buying Tips: 

• Know the exact make, model, trim, accessories and features you want.  Otherwise you may walk out of the dealership spending thousands more on options you didn't want or need.
• Know your budget. How much are you willing to pay -- total and monthly -- for a vehicle? Be clear or you may end up with a car that you can't afford.
• Be aware of available incentives. Manufacturers often offer discounted finance rates, cash rebates, special leases, and other incentives to move vehicles off their lots. Knowing this before you walk in to the dealership could save you a significant amount of money.
• Find out what others paid and get an upfront price quote. Having a reference for what other people actually paid in your area and getting a TrueCar Price Report will give you the information you need to negotiate a good deal, and the peace of mind that you are paying a fair market price. If you don't want to negotiate, you can even accept a no haggle price online using TrueCar.com's Best Local Price feature.
• Find out if your membership organization offers an auto-buying program. Many organizations, such as USAA, Consumer Reports, AAA and American Express offer their members low, guaranteed upfront prices from a trusted dealer network.
• Be aware of additional fees. Sales tax, destination fees, advertising fees, documentation fees, title fees, licensing fees, registration fees and other fees can add up and should be itemized in your contract. Find out more about fees here.
• If you're financing, get pre-approved. Don't get locked into an unfavorable rate at the dealership. Check with your own credit union or direct lender to get the best possible rate.
• Know the best days of the week, month and year to buy. Going to the dealership a few days earlier or later in the month can actually save you money. TrueCar.com's monthly TrueTrends report publishes the best and worst days to buy a car by make/manufacturer and car type.
• Be prepared to walk away. A new car is a commodity, so if you're not happy with the service you're getting or the price you're being offered at the dealership, you can always leave. There will be another dealership close by offering the exact same product. Click here to find dealers in your area.

"With summer coming to an end, many dealers are looking to clean out some of their inventory, making this a great time to buy a new car," added Painter. "Doing a little research can help consumers maximize their savings and walk away feeling satisfied with the car they bought and the price they bought it for."

About TrueCar

TrueCar is the authority in new car prices.  We show car buyers and car dealers how much people actually paid for a particular car in a specific local area.  With TrueCar pricing, both new car buyers and new car dealers can know at any time what is considered a good or great price on a new car. Consumers no longer need to walk into a dealership partially informed and fully suspicious – using TrueCar they walk in knowing the price of a fair deal. Dealers benefit by TrueCar's real-time, unbiased information about marketplace pricing, helping them price cars for increased sales, and ultimately gaining market share over other dealers.  Our innovative new car pricing service is offered free of charge on our website at www.truecar.com, on our mobile site at mobile.truecar.com, and via syndication of our tools and pricing data to leading automotive research sites throughout the web.

About TrueCar Data

TrueCar obtains data directly from car dealers, respected dealer management system (DMS) providers, and well-known data aggregators within the automotive space. We also acquire vehicle configuration data, customer and dealer incentives data, financing and loan data, vehicle registration and insurance data, and much, much more.  TrueCar is insatiable about data with our goal to find 100% of all purchase transactions, even if that means finding the same transaction multiple times from multiple sources within the car-buying ecosystem.  Our data is among the most timely and comprehensive in the industry, as we are able to process most car sales within a week of the actual sales date, and have a substantial fraction on the site within 48 hours of the actual sale.  TrueCar believes the greater our informational accuracy, the greater benefit we provide to both dealers and consumers.

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link.

Scott Painter

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SOURCE TrueCar.com