3 Common Car-Buying Mistakes

April 21, 2016 · 3 min read

Buying a car is a huge financial commitment, so you want to make sure you know exactly what you are getting. Unfortunately, a lot of people make mistakes when they shop for new and pre-owned vehicles. The next time you visit a dealership, make sure you avoid these three common car-buying mistakes. Doing so will help you pick a car that really meets your needs.

Not Making the Most of Their Test Drives

The test drive is your chance to really experience a vehicle. All the research in the world can't compare to half an hour behind the wheel. Unfortunately, a lot of people don't seem to know how to test drive vehicles. When you take your next test drive, make sure you:

Drive the car in a variety of environments, including winding roads and Interstates like I-26
Focus on performance and comfort instead of worrying too much about fancy gadgets
Pay attention to how much road noise you can hear in the cabin
Take notes so you can compare vehicles objectively
Give yourself at least one day to make a decision

Focusing too Much on Monthly Payment Amounts

Buyers obviously need to choose vehicles that they can afford. In most cases, the dealership will try to make cars affordable for you by giving you several payment options. Just because you get an inexpensive monthly payment, however, doesn't mean that you are getting a better deal on the car. Long-term loans usually have higher interest rates than short-term options. Even if you get the same rate, spreading payments out over a longer period means that you will pay more interest. If you use a 36-month loan with a three percent interest rate to borrow $15,000, you will repay a total $15,703.92. If you get the same interest rate on a 60-month loan, then you will pay $467.88 more. Make sure you pay attention to the total amount so you can get the best overall deal.

Forgetting to Think About Cost of Ownership

Just because a car's price fits your budget doesn't mean that it is an affordable option for you. The cost of owning a car is much higher than the sticker price. Over the lifetime of the car, you will spend money on:

Repair parts
Maintenance services
Insurance
Fuel
Taxes

This makes it important for you to consider how these costs will affect the vehicle's affordability. You may find that you need to focus on cars that cost less. You can use a cost to own calculator to get a rough estimate of how much you will really spend on the vehicle. Of course, if the monthly payment barely fits your budget, you should already know that it isn't a good option for you. By the time you finish paying other expenses, it will become too expensive. Finding the right car requires some effort, but you need to take steps that will help you choose an option that truly matches your needs. By following these three tips, you are already ahead of most buyers.

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Jul 23, 2021 in Orangeburg Kia Dealer

4 Reasons to Get Your Kia Parts Through Your Friendly Orangeburg Kia Dealer

If you're looking for new Kia parts in the Orangeburg area, contact your local dealership to benefit from the best service. Not only will you be guaranteed original parts and a 12-month warranty, but you can also get expert advice on your repairs. Ordering from the dealership doesn't have to be a hassle, as you can simply fill in an online form. Read on to find out more about our parts department and how we can help you. 4 Reasons to Get Your Kia Parts Through Your Friendly Orangeburg Kia Dealer more 1. You Will Never Get Fakes Sometimes, buying parts over the internet or from a non-branded dealership can be cheaper, but there's no guarantee that you'll get genuine and original items when you do this. Unfortunately, some sellers will advertise their parts as authentic when they are actually copies. This can cause safety issues when you drive, damage your car, and void your warranty. By visiting your Kia dealership, you can make sure that you will always receive genuine parts. Our factory-trained technicians will be able to evaluate your car's needs and tell you exactly what parts will work best. As a result, you can benefit from a smooth driving experience and a more well-maintained vehicle. 2. You Can Order Easily Online Not everyone realizes just how easy it is to order your parts from us. If you're busy and don't have time to stop by the dealership, you can simply fill in our order form on our website. This should take you less than five minutes, so it is just as easy as buying from another supplier on the internet. Our customer service specialists can then check your request and get back to you. 3. You Get Expert Advice from Professionals While some Kia owners are experts in maintaining their vehicle, many are busy professionals and don't have time to spend hours researching and completing repairs. Whether you'd like to do your own parts replacement or you'd rather have one of our technicians do it, you will benefit from our expert advice. All of our mechanics have extensive experience working with Kia vehicles, so we will be able to guide you and help you find the best spare parts. 4. You Will Benefit from Our Warranty Genuine replacement parts have a Replacement Parts Limited Warranty for the first 12 months or 12,000 miles. Because we are an authorized dealership, we can offer you this perk, so you don't have to worry about having to pay for the parts again if they break. When you buy from another source, you may not be able to benefit from this warranty because it's only available at Authorized Kia Dealers. To find out more about it, speak to one of our talented team members. Getting your spare parts from your Kia dealership has many advantages because you can enjoy expert advice, genuine parts, and a 12-month warranty. What's more, the process is very easy because you can simply fill in an order form if you don't want to visit the dealership. To get started, contact us at Burns Kia today. We will be happy to help you find what you're looking for.

Jul 16, 2021 in Orangeburg Kia Dealer

4 Benefits of Buying a Car From Your Friendly Columbia Kia Dealer

If you're in the Columbia, SC area and getting ready to shop for a new vehicle, you might be debating between buying from a private seller or your local dealership. Here's why you should visit your Kia dealer. 4 Benefits of Buying a Car From Your Friendly Columbia Kia Dealer more 1. Better Quality Cars When you're buying a car, quality is an important thing to take into consideration. After all, a vehicle is an investment, and you want to make sure that you're getting the most that you can out of it. Sadly, not all private sellers offer quality cars, and not all of them are honest about what they're selling. But shopping at your local dealer is a different story. You'll know that the quality of every car on the lot is impeccable and that you're making a purchase that's going to last you a long time. 2. Better Service Third-party sellers aren't often worried about their reputation. That means that they don't have to be concerned about providing you with a good customer experience. You may find the process of shopping through private sellers to be stressful and unrewarding for this reason. But the staff at your local dealership are trained to be able to provide you with customer service that goes above and beyond. Since they work exclusively with Kia vehicles, they'll also be able to offer you great advice and guidance. Head to your dealer if you want the shopping experience itself to be of great quality. 3. More Convenience You might say that buying your car from a private seller is anything but convenient. When you shop for a car this way, you need to worry about managing different appointments with different sellers, and some of those sellers may be pretty far apart from each other. Expect much more convenience when you buy your car from your local dealership. Don't worry about balancing viewings with different sellers. Instead, you'll find everything in one location. If you feel like looking at multiple cars in one day, then all you'll need to do is take a few steps. 4. More Safety There are numerous safety advantages to buying your car from a dealership rather than a private seller. For example, you'll be given a warranty when you purchase your car, which will be a great way to keep some peace of mind. Private sellers, on the other hand, most likely won't provide you with a warranty which means that if something goes wrong, you're the one on the hook. Dealerships will also let you know if there's ever a massive recall for your vehicle. If a repair or upgrade needs to be performed, most dealerships will provide it for you either at a discount or for free. If you're shopping for a new car, it's clear that purchasing through your dealership is the best way to go. You'll get more convenience, better quality, great customer service, and the peace of mind you deserve. If you're ready to find your dream car, visit Burns Motors Kia today.

Apr 23, 2021 in Orangeburg Kia Dealer

4 Favorite Features of the 2021 Kia Stinger

You want a car that can give you an exhilarating drive, high-tech features, and of course, incredible safety. That's why at Burns Kia, we recommend the 2021 Kia Stinger. This incredible sports sedan comes with available features like a wireless phone charger, a whole host of intelligent safety assists, impeccable speakers, and so much more. Are you ready to learn more about the car of your dreams? 4 Favorite Features of the 2021 Kia Stinger more 1. Distinctive and Daring Design This bold sports sedan is designed to look just as exhilarating as it performs. You get available LED headlights and turn signals on your 2021 Stinger, which complement the tiger-nose front grille to form a daring face. The entire body of this car is designed to promote aerodynamics so that you aren't held back by anything on the road. You can even choose between a few different available alloy wheel options to customize your ride. 2. Stay Safe on the Road There are tons of available safety assistance features with Kia Drive Wise. Lane Keeping Assist makes sure you don't sway into the lane beside you without signaling first. Blind Spot Collision Warning with Blind View Monitor helps you change lanes only when it is safe to do so. Rear-Cross Traffic Avoidance Assist is there to help you back out onto busy streets. The Surround View Monitor gives you ultimate visibility with helpful camera angles to improve parking and reversing. Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist is there to help you avoid frontal collisions. If a pedestrian steps out into the street without looking both ways, you'll get an alert and even assistive braking. Low Beam Assist helps you see better by angling the headlights for turns. Finally, Smart Cruise Control with Stop and Go is there to make highway driving as smooth as possible. Your 2021 Stinger will take control of the braking and acceleration for you. 3. High-Quality Sound System If you're a lover of music, podcasts, or talking on the phone, you're going to want to opt for the available Harman Kardon Premium Audio System. It comes with Clari-Fi, so you know you're getting the best sound possible. There are fifteen speakers placed expertly throughout the cabin for that perfect sound distribution. These incredible speakers come with 720-watt sound amplifiers. Your passengers can sit back and relax while the music washes over them. 4. Incredible Wireless Phone Charging Now you can charge your phone with the utmost ease. If you opt for the available wireless phone charger to be installed in your 2021 Stinger, you can charge your phone cable-free. That means you don't have to untangle unruly chords, or constantly replace them when you slam them in the car door. Now, all you have to do is simply place your compatible device on the wireless charging platform, and your phone will juice up in no time. What are you waiting for? Come on down to Burns Kia today to learn more about what the incredible 2021 Stinger has to offer!