We’re With You Every Mile—Even Before the Test Drive
Big financial decisions can feel overwhelming, but we’re here to make them easier. To support you on your car-buying journey, we’ve compiled helpful tips to guide you before you ever set foot on the lot. These insights will help you feel informed, prepared, and in control when it comes time to make your next vehicle purchase at a dealership.
Know Your Budget: Calculate what you can comfortably afford, considering gas, insurance, and maintenance in addition to a new monthly payment. Take into account other expenses including sales tax, additional protection and warranty, dealer fees, upgrades, and add-on costs.
Rebate or Lower Rate: Consider whether it benefits you more to take advantage of a lower rate loan or a cash-back rebate incentive. Most manufacturers don’t let you take both. We’d be happy to run the numbers with you before you start shopping. Make an appointment!
Trade-in Value: If you plan on trading in your current vehicle, be sure to know what it’s worth. Check a market value company like Kelley Blue Book or J.D. Power before you prepare to hand over the keys.
Get Preapproved: Start your application online to get the ball rolling. When a loan officer reaches out about your application, let them know you’d like to request a preapproval before going shopping and discuss the amount you’d like to borrow. Upon receiving a preapproval, you’ll have a solid idea of what you can afford up front.
Do Your Research: Use our robust vehicle search tool to make finding the perfect vehicle a breeze. Check listings, compare makes and models, get CARFAX and AutoCheck reports, and more! While you’re checking all the options out there, be sure to dig a little deeper into the key features that matter most to you including seating, cargo space, safety features, and reliability. Keep refining your searches until you find the best fit.
Take It for A Spin: Test drives help you ensure the vehicle fits your driving style, comfort needs, and performance expectations. It also allows you to compare features, handling, visibility, and overall driving experience firsthand—something you can’t fully grasp from online research or specs alone. But if you’d like to give it a try from home before heading to a dealership, take a few virtual test drives with our vehicle search tool.
Get the Lowdown: If you’re buying used, it’s important to get a professional vehicle inspection so you don’t get costly surprises after the sale. Although many dealerships conduct their own multi-point inspections before reselling, an independent mechanic could potentially reveal issues that a dealership’s inspection might miss. If the inspection reveals any issues, you may be able to use that information to negotiate the price or ensure repairs are made before the sale.
As always, remember your Fibre Family is here for you throughout your car-buying journey. And because we practice Rate Equality, you can count on our low-rate financing for conventional auto loans and our flexible Drive4Less lower payment alternative loan. We make it easy to apply online, in person, or even at the dealership, and you’ll get a rapid response from our lending team.
Happy shopping!
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