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5 tips to ensure your pre-owned vehicle purchase is a winner

Galaxy Motors shares what you need to know before shopping for your next new-to-you vehicle
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For many people, buying a car is a stressful business.

Will you find a vehicle you like and that suits your needs? Is it a good deal? Will it last once you drive it off the lot?

Alleviating those fears starts with knowing – and trusting – the sales professionals you’re working with, says Galaxy Motors general manager David King, recognized for knowledge and expertise gained through his years in the industry.

Here is the essential information David says vehicle shoppers need to know:

Tip 1: Build a relationship, don’t just buy a car. “Finding the right car begins with building a relationship, hopefully with someone you’ll be working with for years to come,” David says. “Once you find that person you can trust, they can usually find what you’re looking for. If it’s not immediately available, they can keep an eye out and call you as soon as it comes in – the most sought-after vehicles go quickly, often before they’re even listed online.”

Tip 2: Be open to ideas. For vehicle shoppers, working with a business that strictly deals with pre-owned vehicles means they aren’t tied to one brand. “We can actually do the needs analysis and buyers can compare all the similar models at the same time,” David says, noting that Galaxy sales staff have access to all the Island inventory, not only that on their local lot.

Tip 3: Trade in to trade up. Will you be trading in your existing vehicle? Make sure your car is tidy inside and out and be prepared to share its maintenance history. It’s also a good idea to have a general idea about your trade-in’s value beforehand – autotrader.ca is a good resource, David says. Better yet, trading in also saves taxes, as the value of the trade-in is deducted from the price of the new purchase.

Tip 4: Find a full-service dealership. A full service department with trained technicians builds on that relationship founded through the sales process. At Galaxy, it also allows for a full 155-point safety inspection for all its pre-owned cars. Often, third-party inspections only provide visual safety inspections that can miss potential problems, David notes.

Tip 5: Know your history. Look for a comprehensive CarProof Vehicle History Report that reveals a vehicle’s accident history throughout Canada and the U.S. In reviewing a vehicle’s history, many dealers look only to ICBC reports, David explains. “However, the risk of only pulling an ICBC search and not a complete CarProof Report is you’re restricted to claims involving ICBC. If the vehicle was hit by someone with insurance from another province, an ICBC search may not reveal that information but a CarProof report will. That peace of mind is invaluable,” he says.

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With four Galaxy Motors locations on Vancouver Island, from Greater Victoria to the Comox Valley, find more than 700 pre-owned vehicles to choose from, most within their first five model years.