New and used car dealers have been in business for over 100 years in this country. Some were shady, and laws to regulate the retail business of selling cars have been designed to protect the customer. It’s worked and nearly all dealerships practice their business to work within those laws. Sadly a few had spoiled the bunch but today, in large part, the game has changed. Social websites have also helped as people express their new and used vehicle buying experiences.
The dramatically improved vehicle designs and manufacturer quality has put a real boom on used vehicles. Cars and trucks that would barely last 100,000 miles and be considered worn are now, with proper maintenance, able to go nearly a half-million miles. Though used vehicles aren’t nearly as inexpensive as they used to be, they are a lot safer to buy than in the old days.
New vehicle buying has experienced some major changes, as well as today’s vehicles are much more sophisticated and functional. Added to the chore is the fact that are now 588 different model lines and 1400 different option packages to select from. It requires the customer to know a great more about the vehicle they’re considering — A LOT MORE. The dashboard and instrument panel in today’s vehicles is a hundred times more sophisticated than entire cars were just 20 years ago. Today’s onboard engine and vehicle management computers make a million decisions a second and outperform anything the consumer can buy in a store. In short, vehicles have changed, and so too have dealers.
With the new demand for used vehicles has come the notion that you can “buy online”. On the surface, this appears to be an attractive option. However, it puts huge limits on the customer getting all the information required to make a wise vehicle purchase today. Two of the biggest limits: No test test drive and no information walk around at the time of delivery. To buy a vehicle you have to have taken it for a test drive to check out how it fits you: Does it feel right? Can you reach all the controls and how is the view out? This is all critical information for owning or leasing a vehicle for two to five years. What makes new vehicle dealers so desirable is their selection, their knowledgeable product experts and a complete lesson on how to use every detail of the vehicle’s telematics and control devices.
Please, NEVER buy a vehicle you haven’t driven. Ford Country’s Product Experts can help you test drive a vehicle like a pro. They’ll ensure you are fully introduced the vehicle you're considering and then there’s always the option and color selection they have. As they say at Ford Country: “Everything we do is driven by you.” They mean it.
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