auto
Where can you go to research car prices?
Dear Driving for Dollars,
I have been shopping for a used car and have been using various car pricing websites to look up whether the prices I'm seeing are fair or not. It seems like every website has a different car price. I work hard for my money and don't want to get ripped off. How can I be sure I'm paying a fair price for a used car?
-- Rhonda
Dear Rhonda,
The discrepancies you see in car prices for the same automobile among pricing sites has to do a bit with their data and a lot about how they process it. Each vehicle-pricing site pulls sales data and then processes it using somewhat different methodologies. The result of this is that you see car prices vary between the sites.
As you do your research, consider the car pricing information you get to be a guideline for what you should pay and do your best to negotiate to the lower end of that guideline. Whether you are buying from a private party or a dealer, print out the full pages of the pricing estimates that you find online and bring them with you as ammunition for your negotiations.
Ask the adviser
If you have a car question, email it to us at Driving for Dollars. Read more Driving for Dollars columns and Bankrate auto stories.
Bankrate's content, including the guidance of its advice-and-expert columns and this website, is intended only to assist you with financial decisions. The content is broad in scope and does not consider your personal financial situation. Bankrate recommends that you seek the advice of advisers who are fully aware of your individual circumstances before making any final decisions or implementing any financial strategy. Please remember that your use of this website is governed by Bankrate's Terms of Use.