You’ve just been entrusted with the task of purchasing your company’s new fleet of vehicles. You know that you’re going to need a large number of cars and trucks, but you don’t have enough information about what types or brands are best for your situation. There’s no time to waste: you’ll be putting these vehicles through their paces, and they should last for years to come. Here are five hacks for buying your company’s new fleet of vehicles.
1. Use Networking to Find the Best Deals
One of the best ways to reduce your vehicle’s price is networking. Not just because old friends are usually helpful, but also because you’re using someone else’s resources. When you have a friend or family member who works at a dealership, they can set up an account for you at the dealership where they work. This allows you to purchase vehicles using other’s employee discounts, which can reduce your price by thousands of dollars per vehicle.
Most large companies understand that employees need vehicles to do their job and will provide some form of assistance when setting up an account for your new fleet.
2. Never Shop Just One Dealer
The easiest and least effective way of buying cars is to go to a single dealership and pick out the vehicles you like within their stock. This isn’t how it works, however.
While you can find certain vehicles at most dealerships, many models will only be available at specific dealerships, including online. That means that if you go to a single dealership and aren’t able to find exactly what you’re looking for, or find that the price is too high, then it’s back to square one. Instead of doing this yourself, send out an email requesting quotes from multiple dealerships within your area or online, especially if you see major discounts in other areas. Then compare their offers side-by-side. There are plenty of online quote comparison tools available to make this process much easier.
3. Make Use of the Internet
With so many great deals available online these days, there’s no reason not to take advantage of them. The internet has made it possible for consumers to buy cars directly from manufacturers without paying an intermediary. This is why you’re able to spend less money on a vehicle and still get the same warranty coverage as if you had purchased from a dealership instead. This strategy works well especially if you can find an affordable auto transport rate. In many cases, this also means that there’s no need to visit a local dealer, which is great news for those who hate making trips to dealerships.
4. Get a Carfax Vehicle History Report
If you want to make sure your new ride will last, you must know what its previous life was like. If it has been in an accident or has undergone some other type of damage, that can cause problems down the road. That’s where carfax reports come into play. They provide information about the car’s previous damage, accidents, recalls, theft reports, and more. With this information readily available to you online or in person, you can choose a vehicle with a clean history so that it doesn’t become an issue down the road. This is important if you intend on selling the van within one to two years.
5. Consider Leasing Rather Than Buying
If your company expects these vehicles to be used for several years, then leasing may not be right for them now. However, if they expect to have their fleet of cars last for less than three years, leasing is the way to go. There are many benefits associated with leasing instead of buying: lower down payments, tax advantages, lower monthly payments, and more. This makes leasing the perfect choice when you have a short fleet.
Leasing also allows your company to receive a new fleet every few years, which keeps the vehicles looking and working their best. The downside is that if you intend to sell the vans to a third party at the end of three years, it will typically be worth less than if they were bought new because lease vehicles tend to lose their value.
If you’re looking to purchase a large number of vehicles and want to save money simultaneously, you must use these five strategies. Not only will you be able to purchase vehicles for less, but they’ll also last much longer than if you had bought them yourself. This way, your fleet outlasts its useful life before you need to replace them. Otherwise, you’ll be paying more money within the long run for less reliable vehicles.
