For any buyers who may be slightly sketched out when buying a used vehicle, news from luxury and specialty vehicle maker Jaguar Land Rover North America has some positive ramifications for the future of the used car market. In a press release September 7, Jaguar Land Rover reported that they had sealed a deal with Experian Automotive, the auto sales arm of this major consumer credit company, to add what’s called an AutoCheck™ program to their certified pre-owned business.
AutoCheck™ is a customized kind of vehicle history report that will provide customers with more information on their particular vehicle, including a concrete score showing how that vehicle’s condition compares with others in the same age and mileage range. AutoCheck™ will also include buyback protection and other extras to help customers be sure they are picking out the best used car for their garage. This service also helps dealers who want to optimize their sales opportunities for used Jaguar or Land Rover vehicles on their lots by giving customers more reasons to trust their particular business, with detailed data that makes the buying process seem more secure. Lots of consumers are hoping that other car companies adopt the same kinds of programs, so that they can have more peace of mind when shelling out for an upgrade to their fleet.
Getting in-depth auto reports for certified pre-owned cars is one way to save when you go to the dealer’s lot for a used purchase: finding the vehicles that are in the best condition brings down your future costs of ownership by quite a bit. But another strategy to save money is sometimes overlooked by buyers, and that’s financing for a certified pre-owned deal. Some used car buyers don’t stress the financing details, because they are financing a smaller amount, or because they associate auto lending haggling with new car sales. But the reality is that even if you are financing as little as $1000 or so, if you don’t get the most competitive interest rates, those numbers could add up against you over the term of your loan. Along with car checks, use model pricing data, and shop around for lenders, to get the best overall deal.
