Buying a Car? Should You Schedule an Appointment First?

It is no secret that most of us will do a ton of research and recon when it comes to buying a new car. You might peruse local dealership sites to see what types of used cars they have on the lot, or spend a lot of time on manufacturer websites deciding on what make, model, and trim will work best for you and/or your family. After doing all of that preliminary research, you will likely want to test-drive some cars and talk to someone in-person about the specs of each. 

When you are ready to visit the dealership to continue your car research, we recommend calling ahead and making an appointment with the internet manager. Regardless of whether you are ready to drive off the lot in a new car, or if you are still in the initial research phase, making an appointment ahead of time will ensure that your salesperson is prepared for you. 

Even more important is the fact that making an appointment with the dealer before showing up will save YOU time. Here are some reasons why that advanced warning will benefit you as a buyer.

1. Your salesperson should already have information about you, your budget, and which car you are interested in. This saves you ten minutes of having to explain again in person. 
2. Your salesperson may have the vehicles you are interested in parked near each other, and the keys in hand so that your test drives happen seamlessly and without a lot of standing around and waiting for someone to locate the cars on the lot. This back to back comparison will also help you take real-time stock of the differences between the vehicles you are testing. 
3. You can provide the internet manager with information on your current car so that they can be prepared to provide you with the value of your trade-in.
4. If you are interested in specific features – black leather, Bose speakers, rear entertainment system, etc. – then your salesperson can be prepared to know where on the lot he/she will be able to give you access to cars with these specs. 

Especially if you are visiting on a busy Saturday, making an appointment can help shorten the time of your initial visit to the dealership, and you can better plan ahead to make a follow-up appointment to complete paperwork.