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Little
Rock
Used Trucks
How
to Find the Best Deals.

Basic Steps for Buying a Little Rock Used Truck.
Research
- Doing a little homework is the first step to finding the best Little
Rock used trucks. A great place to start is Consumer's Guide list of
best buy vehicles. If you pick a used truck from this list, your odds
of getting a good deal on a reliable used truck go way up.
Click here for the Consumer's Guide Best Buy
List.
The next step is to find out what a fair price for your used truck
would be. My favorite is the Edmund's Used Vehicle Appraiser.
You can search prices by zip code which will help you decide what
Little Rock used trucks are really worth. OK, that's enough homework
for now. Let's get to the fun part.
Shopping
- Once you've narrowed your choices down, it's time to go look at and
test drive your top picks. Before we start test driving used trucks,
let's back up a little.
Try to find as many Little Rock used trucks for
sale that you might be interested in as possible. Then start narrowing
the list down by contacting the sellers and asking a few questions:
- Verify that the advertised price and mileage
are correct.
- Has the truck ever been damaged?
- Does the truck have any existing problems?
- What is the condition of the truck?
- How long have they owned the truck?
- Why are they selling the truck?
If a dealer has the truck, try to get as many details as you can about
the vehicle such as:
- Was it a local trade-in?
- Where did it come from? Trucks from northern
states are prone to have more corrosion problems.
- Do
they have an up to date CARFAX record? You can get this yourself for a
fee, but many dealers will have these available for free.
Personally,
I wouldn't buy a vehicle today before checking the CARFAX records. The
subscription of $30 is good for a month, so you have time to check out
several trucks. It will save you many times the fee if it helps you
avoid dishonest sellers or buying a truck with undisclosed damage.
Click here for more info about CARFAX reports.
Listen
carefully to what the sellers have to say. Let them talk. You can learn
a lot about how a vehicle has been driven and maintained by what the
seller says. If you don't like what you hear, or you get a questionable
story about why the truck is for sale, mark it off your list.
I'll
warn you in advance not to take what sellers tell you too seriously.
Their idea of excellent condition or low mileage may be drastically
different from yours!
Test Drive
- No matter what used truck you decide on or who has it for sale, always test drive
it first. There is no substitute for driving it yourself.
Buying
- OK, you've found the perfect used truck. Now how do you get
the best deal on it? Here are a few tips:
- Know the true market value of the truck.
- Find out what comparable trucks are selling
for. If it's less than the one you're interested in, show the ads to
the seller.
- Most
private sellers price their vehicles $500 to $1,000 higher than they
expect to get. Allow for this with your opening offer. Dealers usually
pad their selling price even more.
- Be patient. You can
save hundreds or maybe thousands of dollars by playing the
offer-counter offer game a little while. Remember, if they accept your
first offer, you paid too much!
Best Sources of Little Rock Used Trucks.
Private
parties
- Usually are priced the lowest. May be a little more relaxed process
compared to buying from a dealer. Could be a more motivated seller for
a variety of reasons. Can be the biggest risk. I would never buy a
truck from a private party without a CARFAX report. Having it checked
by a mechanic would also be a good idea.
New truck
dealers
- If reliability is an important issue to you, a certified used vehicle
from a new truck dealer may be your best choice. I've found lately that
prices from dealers for trade-ins have been very close to private party
prices.
The advertised prices for used trucks may seem pretty
high, but the actual selling price may be as much as $2,000 or more
less than that advertised price.
Little Rock new truck dealers
may also have vehicles being returned form leases. These are usually
lower mileage and have had regular maintenance.
This can be a great source for Little Rock used trucks.
Used truck
dealers
- Tend to have older higher mileage trucks. Many these days seem to be
trying to make their profit from the financing plans they offer. Be
really careful if you decide to go this route.
A
recent trend has been for rental car agencies to have their own used
vehicle lots. These trucks are usually low mileage and may even still
have a factory warranty in effect. Prices tend to be very competitive
compared to new truck dealers.
Best Ways to Find Little Rock Used Trucks.
Newspaper and
local magazine classified ads - Local newspaper
classifieds are still the best source for finding private party Little
Rock used trucks
for sale.
Used
car dealers will also place classifieds disguised to look like private
sellers. That's why it's a good idea to call first and get as many
details as you can before you make a trip to see the truck.
There
are a few local publications available for free that offer ads of
vehicles for sale. You can usually find these at newsstands or
convenience stores around town.
Online ads
- The Internet is a great tool for helping you find trucks for sale.
Searches can be limited so that only trucks equipped with what you want
will be shown. The best sites for shopping are:
More
dealers are listing their inventories on their own websites so you may
want to check those sites also. It's always a good idea to call about
any truck you find online just to make sure the listing is up to date.
Word of mouth
- Ask everyone you know if they know anyone that has a truck for sale.
A lot of the time this will turn up a great lead. You might get a
better deal from someone who wants to make a quick sale without having
to advertise their vehicle.
Keep an eye out when you're driving
for sale signs on trucks parked in yards or on the street. Some
businesses allow vehicles for sale to be parked on their lots so check
those out too.
Bulletin
boards -
Be sure and look at notes on bulletin boards in local businesses,
schools, etc. Larger businesses and colleges are good places to find
Little Rock used
trucks for sale.
We hope our tips will make your used truck
buying a little easier. Just remember that a little homework now can
pay off big when it's time to write that check!
Related Links:
Little Rock Arkansas rental truck.
Little Rock Arkansas Towing.
Go
to Little Rock Living Home page from Little Rock Used Trucks.

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