Before visiting a dealership, here are some pre-purchase tips for Ohioans looking to buy their next new vehicle:
- Research any vehicles you’re considering – to narrow down the models you’re most interested in, the features you want on the vehicle, optional features you would like, and the price you’re willing to spend. You may want to consult recommendations and new-car comparisons in consumer magazines and/or auto magazines.
- Allow enough time to make a well-informed buying decision. Compare prices at different dealerships and invest time with each salesperson.
- Know your credit score, which often dictates the financing terms available to you if you take out a car loan. You can check your credit reports free at www.AnnualCreditReport.com. Although the site won’t provide your exact credit score, it will give you a sense of what credit you have opened in your name. Also, keep an eye out for accounts you don’t recognize. Some credit card companies put a version of your credit score on monthly statements to lend insight into your credit-worthiness.
- If you have frozen your credit reports at the three major credit-reporting bureaus, you will need to temporarily unfreeze it at whichever bureau will be used to run your credit. Once your bank and/or dealership are finished, you can then re-freeze that credit report at that bureau.
- Compare the interest rate of local banks and credit unions along with financing options available through dealerships.
- Dealerships offer many consumers additional product and service options, including extended service contracts, undercoat protection and dealer-installed alarms. Such add-on purchases are not required to buy the new vehicle.
- If you plan to trade in a vehicle, know its general value based on guides such as Edmunds (www.edmunds.com) and Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com) before negotiating the trade-in value.
Every financed vehicle sale must include a Truth in Lending Act disclosure box. This box explains to the consumer the true cost of financing the vehicle, including the interest rate, down-payment amount, purchase price, cost of interest payments, and overall cost of the vehicle (with interest and principal payments). Consumers should carefully review this information before completing the sale.
New-car buyers should be aware that
Ohio’s Lemon Law generally covers new vehicles within the first 12 months or 18,000 miles, whichever comes first. A “lemon” is a new vehicle that has one or more problems, covered by the warranty, that substantially impair the use, value or safety of the vehicle. Under the Lemon Law, the auto manufacturer must be given a reasonable opportunity to fix the problem; if the problem is not corrected, the consumer might be eligible for a refund or a replacement.
For more information on Ohio’s Lemon Law, including the process to exercise your consumer rights under this law,
click here.
Consumers who suspect a scam or an unfair business practice should contact the Ohio Attorney General’s Office at
www.OhioProtects.org or 800-282-0515.