Advantages of Buying a Used Truck
When you want a truck but you’re on a tight budget, buying used can be a smart decision. You won’t lose out on the quality, but you’ll potentially save yourself thousands of dollars. However, the financial savings are only the start of the benefits. Below, we cover the many perks to buying used trucks. If you have any questions or want to explore some well-maintained pre-owned trucks for sale, get in touch with us at Tri-County Truck & Equipment in Pompano Beach, Florida.
More Affordable
Trucks are fairly expensive and if you’re on a strict budget, the most affordable option to get the heavy vehicle you want is to buy it used. Like many other products, pre-owned models are significantly less expensive than their newer counterparts. Thanks to depreciation, new vehicles begin losing value the moment they leave a dealership's lot. Even if a truck was used sparingly, it's still technically used and will be offered at a much lower price. This can put several models in your price range, while still offering all the great features you were probably looking for.
The lower cost also translates to lower registration and insurance costs. New vehicles are more valuable, which means it will cost more for the insurance company to repair or replace. This leads to more expensive insurance. Since you will likely be adding a monthly payment for purchasing your truck, it's a big benefit to save on the cost of insurance.
Lower Monthly Payments
Many fleet owners decide to finance their trucks. This can be a helpful strategy when you don't have the finances to pay for a vehicle outright. Because used trucks cost less, they will come with a lower down payment as well as lower monthly payments. You'll notice a smaller impact on your monthly expenses, which means you won't need to adjust your budget as much to accommodate the purchase.
Enjoy Better Features
While the brand-new models at a given dealership might be far out of your price range, a used truck that’s a few years old could be completely affordable. You can take advantage of this and choose a higher-end pre-owned model instead of a lower-end new model. This way, you can enjoy all the benefits of better quality and performance without paying more.
Make an Informed Decision
When you buy a used truck, you also have the opportunity to gain valuable insight on the particular unit you’re looking at. You’ll be able to do research and see what previous owners have to say about that model. If you’re shopping with a reputable dealer, like Tri-County Truck & Equipment, you’ll have access to vehicle history. This will alert you to any recurring issues or prior events that might affect performance. You can also check out the online forums and review websites to get a better idea of how a specific model performs. There are some models that present more problems than others, but a quick online search can help you avoid this.
How to Choose
Once you find a used truck that you are interested in, the next step is to ask the dealer for a copy of its history report. Look for red flags such as repeated maintenance issues or sustained damage from a bad crash. You will also want to get the truck's VIN so you can do some research on your own.
Some models may appear fine on the outside, but suffer problems and damage underneath the surface. That's why it's crucial to thoroughly inspect any used truck you are considering. You may even want to hire a professional since they can catch issues that an average buyer might miss. Look over everything that you can to ensure the used truck is in good working condition.
If the truck passes inspection, the final step is to take it for a test drive. Spend time accelerating, braking, and turning to ensure the truck works well. When you get back to the dealership, turn off the truck and let the engine cool. Then start it up a second time and make sure it doesn’t struggle to start. If the truck passes the test drive, then you found your match!
We hope this information has been helpful! If you have any questions or if you’d like to check out some high-quality used trucks for sale, give us a call or visit Tri-County Truck & Equipment in Pompano Beach, FL. We proudly serve the whole Tri-County area, as well as the city of Fort Lauderdale.