Buying a Used Car with Fred Farah
Fred (Fayaz) Farah operates North Star Motors and Okley Construction, helping him know what people go through when they purchase a car. Buying new and used both have their own unique challenges, but buying a used car also has many benefits. Some of these benefits are not known as much as others and Farah would like people to be informed as they make a purchase.
Vehicle Certification
Fayez Farah’s used car lot is covered in Certified Pre-Owned labels. “They just let you know that everything’s been checked out and everything’s ready to go,” he said. Those kinds of labels aren’t available for newer vehicles, though quality is still just about guaranteed. “The thing with newer vehicles is there might be recalls and defects that you just don’t know about until the car’s been out a bit longer,” Farah said.
Variety of Vehicles Available
You have a larger variety of cars to choose from with used car lots. Fred Farah’s lot at North Star Motors has new and used vehicles, but the selection on the used lot often draws people’s attention. “They like that increased feeling of choice,” he said. “They want to feel like they have so many options to choose from.”
Insurance Rates
Insurance for a car can cost a lot of money, especially if you’re a younger or less experienced driver. Used cars tend to have lower insurance rates thanks to depreciation, allowing you to save money on your purchase. “It’s savings on top of savings,” Fayez Farah explained. “You’re most likely saving on the initial purchase and then the insurance should be cheaper as well.”
Additional Fees
When people buy a new car, a variety of fees can be added on to the initial purchase, including the cost of shipping. Fred Farah knows this firsthand from operating North Star Motors. Used cars usually do not carry these hidden fees, which allows buyers to get their car at or near the price they expected to pay walking into the dealership.
Customization Costs
When a vehicle becomes yours, you often want to make sure that it comes with the features and add-ons that suit what you like. Fayez Farah often has customers who wanted to purchase those add-ons at North Star Motors. By buying used, drivers often save money, which can be used to purchase those additional features to make the car just right for you.
Vehicle Data
Used cars also come with vehicle history data. Fred Farah provides this data to anyone who purchased a vehicle with him. The information usually comes from companies like CarFax, allowing possible buyers to take a look at what the car they’re interested in has been through with other drivers. When driving a new car off the lot, you’re likely to have a car that doesn’t need any repairs, but you also do not have an idea of what may go wrong with the vehicle in the future.
Information Available Online
In addition to used car reports, used cars tend to have more information available about them online. Fayez Farah directs his customers to different platforms when they have questions that he can’t answer about the vehicles they were looking at. “With technology how it is now, it’s so simple,” he said. “Just a few clicks and you can know exactly what you’re gonna get into with a specific car.”
A quick Google search of the year, make, and model of used car that you might buy will allow you to see the experiences other people have had with the vehicle. It also allows you to look up a dealership and see how they describe the vehicle, something that Fred Farah did for his customers. This gives people a variety of additional opinions to go off of that a new vehicle may not offer.
Vehicle Registration Fees
Fayez Farah operates North Star Motors out of Texas, where drivers are charged a flat rate plus local fees to register their vehicle. Other states, like New Jersey, factor in things like age and weight to determine the cost of registration. By buying a used car, drivers can save money just because their car isn’t totally brand new.
With savings on top of savings, Fred Farah hopes people know that buying a used car has plenty of benefits. You can still get the car you want without breaking the bank or feeling like you had to compromise. With all of the options available, the used car market helps customers get the car they need.
Fred (Fayez) Farah is the owner of North Star Motors, an independent car dealer in Houston, Texas and Okley Construction.
