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When buying a new vehicle, the first thing you usually consider is if you want the car to be new or used. Buying a new car likely seems like the most logical thing to do, but buying used has plenty of benefits. Fred (Fayez) Farah has seen those benefits first hand while operating his own dealership and he wants you to be informed before you make a decision.
Variety of Vehicles Available
There’s only about 350 new car models introduced every year. In comparison, the used car market offers a significantly greater variety of purchasing options. Fayez Farah has people come to his dealership looking for different makes, models, colors, and features in the cars they’re looking for and that often leads them to the used lot. “With so many options it’s an easy decision for a lot of people to make,” he explained.
Pre-Owned Certification
Certification for any purchase can give you the confidence that what you’re getting will work well. With cars, used vehicles often come with pre-owned certification, letting you know that a vehicle has been inspected and that quality is assured. On his lot, Fred Farah makes sure customers know about these certifications on his used cars. You likely don’t have anything to worry about in this area with new cars either, but there is a risk for unknown recalls and defects to pop up with the purchase.
Vehicle Data
Companies like CarFax give you the ability to look at what a vehicle has been through before you take it off the lot. Fayez Farah provides this kind of information to anyone that purchases a vehicle with him and that has become the standard at most car dealerships. This data helps you know what you’re getting into with a car in a way that isn’t possible with a new purchase.
Online Info
In addition to reports, used cars tend to have more information available about them online. This gives people a variety of additional opinions to go off of that a new vehicle may not offer. A quick Google search of the year, make, and model of used car that you might buy will allow you to see the experiences other people have had with the vehicle. It also allows you to look up a dealership and see how they describe the vehicle, something that Fred Farah did for his customers. “You can have reviews for people who have looked at the car or just detail the features and the condition,” he explained.
Registration Fees
Any vehicle that you purchase will need to be registered, but the age of your car could determine how much those registration fees cost. Fayez Farah operates his car dealership out of Texas, where drivers are charged a flat rate plus local fees to register their vehicle. Other states, like New Jersey, factor in things like age and weight to determine the cost of registration.
Additional Fees
A variety of fees can be added on to the initial purchase of a car, including the cost of shipping. Fred Farah knows this firsthand from operating his own dealership. Used cars usually do not carry these hidden fees, which allows you to get a car at or near the price you expected to pay walking into the dealership.
Insurance
Fayez Farah also knows that used cars usually come with lower insurance rates. Those rates are determined by a car’s value and since used cars have already depreciated in value, those insurance rates will come at a lower cost. This can be especially beneficial for new or younger drivers, who already face higher insurance rates due to their level of experience on the road.
Customization Costs
People often want to make sure that the vehicle they purchase comes with the features and add-ons that suit what they like. Fred Farah often had customers who wanted to purchase those add-ons at his dealership. By buying used, drivers often save money, which can be used to purchase those additional features to make the car just right for you.
Fayez Farah hopes knowing about these advantages can help car buyers have a bit of advantage when looking for used vehicles. With all these benefits and many others, used car buying can help you get the exact car you want to drive for years to come.
Fred (Fayez) Farah is the owner of North Star Motors, an independent car dealer in Houston, Texas and Okley Construction.
