Should you buy your next car from a private party or from a dealership?
As anyone who has had a lot of experience buying used cars in Omaha will tell you, there is a significant difference with the used-car buying experience when you compare buying a used car from an Omaha dealership with buying Omaha used cars from private owners.
Many people living in the Omaha area in the market for a good used car are intimidated by the rather cutthroat tactics used by the many car salespeople who roam the lots of Omaha used car dealerships. Some potential buyers of Omaha used cars feel outclassed and outmatched by the professional negotiators who make their living by ensuring the Omaha used car dealerships have the financial upper hand at the end of each deal. This is why more people who are looking for local Omaha used cars are shopping for – and buying – used cars from private parties.
Still, there are many reasons why buyers in the market for Omaha used cars would still choose to stop by and at least take a look at what one of the larger Omaha car dealers like H+H Chevrolet or Performance Auto Group dealerships have to offer.
1) Dealers that specialize in Omaha used cars will have a wider selection to choose from than a private party.
When you’re still unsure of what you want, sometimes it can be nice to browse around the city and get a feel for what you’re looking for. Kick a few tires, take a few test-drives, eliminate some choices. By visiting an Omaha car dealership, you get that opportunity.
2) Dealers that specialize in Omaha used cars have a longer period of time when they’re available.
Someone in Omaha who is selling their used car privately probably has their own life, which includes a job, a spouse, kids and other activities that prevent them from meeting with you at the drop of a hat to go over the ins and outs of the particular used car that you’re interested in. Omaha used car dealerships are more likely to be open and ready to help you when you’re out looking.
3) Dealers that specialize in Omaha used cars have more resources that can help you with financing your used car purchase.
If you’re relying on financing to buy your next used car, dealerships specializing in Omaha used cars will usually have more resources to help you get the financing you need. A dealership can’t stay in business if it can’t offer potential buyers a way to get affordable payments. Private party sales of used cars in Omaha won’t usually offer this kind of resource. Cash is king, whether it’s actual cash or whether it’s cash you’re getting from your own loan that you’ve arranged through your bank or credit union.
4) Occasional bargains can be found through Omaha used car dealerships, especially if you buy during the right time.
Omaha used cars, when bought through dealerships, tend to be higher priced than used cars that are bought through private parties. The exception to that is when Omaha used car dealerships are under pressure to hit sales quotas. Good times to roam dealers selling Omaha used cars are at the end of each month and during the cold winter months when nobody wants to walk around an Omaha used car lot for hours. Private sellers also face this problem, however, and you can find some truly excellent deals when buying from a private used car seller at certain times of the year or month.
5) Omaha new and used car dealerships can offer dealer-certified used vehicles.
Several dealerships who sell Omaha used cars realize that they can make a mint selling certified used vehicles. By running each certified used vehicle through a checklist in their service department, Omaha used car dealerships can offer their customers a selection of vehicles with a basic warranty included at the time of purchase. With the higher-end brands, these certified used vehicles are almost as good as new.
Advantages for those buying through a private party
Just as there are advantages for people interested in buying Omaha used cars at a car dealership, there are advantages for people who go the other route as well – buying a used car from a private party.
1) Private parties usually offer a lower price.
Dealerships selling Omaha used cars need to make payroll. They need to pay the lighting and heating bill. They need to pay bonuses to their salesmen. They need to pay for advertising. They need to pay for financing all those vehicles that are sitting on their lot. That’s a lot of money going out each month that needs to be covered by money coming in. Guess where that money comes from? Private party used cars tend to have lower average prices because individual owners of those vehicles don’t have the budget headaches that the big Omaha used car dealerships have.
2) Private party sales usually experience less-stressful negotiations
When you walk onto the lot of a dealership that specializes in Omaha used cars, you’re instantly on the radar of any one of a number of salespeople who are anxious to make a buck off you. Those salespeople tend to be good at their job, if they’ve been doing it for a while. That means a longer negotiation process and less of a bargain for you. Private parties selling their used car to another private party usually don’t have those tense negotiations that buyers experience at a car dealership. Some people selling cars privately are downright likeable. In a small city like Omaha, you might even be related to them in some way.
3) Private party sellers are almost always more accountable for the vehicles that they sell.
Nobody likes to be taken. People who sell Omaha used cars privately will usually know the car that they’re selling intimately. They’ve usually been driving it for a while, after all, and know exactly what they’ve paid to have done to the car. Often, they can show you the receipts for the work that’s been done. And, since you’re dealing with the person who has been responsible for the maintenance of that particular car, it’s less likely that they’ll try to cover up mechanical problems. Sometimes, they’ll volunteer problems with the vehicle that would otherwise have remained hidden – especially at a slick car dealership.
While OmahaCarZone.com tries to make it easy for people interested in Omaha used cars to find what they’re looking for, people interested in buying a used car in the Omaha area should remember that there are a number of different ways to look for a car – print magazines, local newspapers, online classifieds – and that smart buyers will take advantage of every source available to find the right car for them.
