Car Dealerships: Top 5 Ways to Avoid Being Conned.

As the owner of a spanking new car, one of your biggest moments comes when you drive away the car from the showroom. And it's also a big moment because in that every instant, your brand new car loses a sizeable percentage of its value in depreciation. And this is one of the primary reasons why some people prefer to buy a used car and used car dealerships are a good place to start, if you have knowledge about how the used car market works.

But, buying a used car is really a complicated process. There is a potential risk of being conned by the car dealerships into buying a wrong car, a lemon or a piece of junk, call it what you will. Most of the used car dealers have a bad reputation, and it's important as a buyer to be aware of how to buy a used car, not get fooled by car dealerships into paying for scrap, and to develop the knack to pick up a real deal! Let's find out the top 5 ways to avoid being scammed or conned by used car dealerships:

• Used car dealerships have trained salespersons who don't stop at using anything tactic that can help them make a sale. They'll shower a range of adjective to sell a used car to you - fast, racy, sporty, powerful etc. Don't fall for this gimmick. Take a second opinion, talk to a friend, relative, co-worker, anyone you know who owns the same model car that you want to buy.

• You must always do a background check on the used car you are likely to pick up. It may happen that the used car dealerships sell you a used car that has had numerous owners and none of whom may have repaired it. In order to be sure that you don't get pushed into buying such a car, it's paramount for you to get hold of the history report, while also making sure that the vehicle's title is clear. And while you are checking the car's history, don't forget to check for past damages. The used car dealerships may try to sell you a car that been damaged badly.

• The bigger used car dealerships will not fail to push the fact, that have put their cars through a '100 point inspection', on you. Get your trusted mechanic to come and inspect the cars. Your mechanic will be able to tell you the exact shape of the car, and will even be able to tell you the number of times it's been serviced. Check the paint surface for irregularities as well. Sometimes, dealerships hide dings, dents, and rust spots with the help of shine and wax.

• There are two types of used cars that you must avoid at all costs - a 'recall' and a 'lemon'. A recall if a car that the manufacturers pull back from the market due to some technical or mechanical issues. A lemon, on the other hand, is a car that despite being under warranty has such problems that can't be fixed. Your best sources of information to make sure that the used car dealership doesn't peddle a lemon to you is by researching in Consumer Reports or auto magazines, that bring out yearly reviews of every make and model of car available in the market.

• After all the hard work, it's time for some fun. Test drive the car, and get a better feel of it.

By following these 5 simple steps, you can avoid being conned by the used car dealerships and take home a new used car saving thousands of dollars!