It is the middle of August, schools have started and students are coming back to Gainesville.  Many of these students and their parents are looking for an affordable yet reliable and clean used car.  Good news is that Gainesville has a decent number of dealerships with great reputations that are committed to their customers and their needs.  The questions is which ones fall under that category and what to do to make sure you end up purchasing a quality used car from one of the reputable dealerships in town.  Here are some answers to questions you might have and some recommendation we have for you if you are in market for a quality used car in Gainesville FL:

• Do your research on what kind of car you are looking for, decide how much you want to spend on your purchase and compare prices.
• Keep in mind that you have to pay sales tax (6% in Alachua county) on the total price of the car.  Also, lets not forget your registration.  If you already have a tag to transfer then it should only cost around $82 to transfer the tag and title. However if you need a new tag then prepare to spend close to $380 :/.  In Florida the dealership will collect these fees and charges from you at the time of purchase and will pay them to the tag agency.
• Aside from the Tag and Tax you'll soon find out that most but not all dealerships have a dealer fee.  Make sure you ask about that before you decide to commit to the deal. (Hint: Stay away from dealerships with really high dealer fees, we can't figure out why they should be more than a couple of hundred dollars but I guess you can ask them).
• Read customer reviews.  It is very easy to read about what every dealership's past customer say about their experience with them.  You can find these reviews on places like Google or Yelp (just type in the name of the dealership in Google and you'll find many other sources).  It is true that not all reviews are fair or reliable but regardless they will still be a great source of information so you can decide about whether this is a business that you would like to spend your hard earned money with.  Better Business Bureau is another great source of information about businesses like used car dealerships as well.
• Ask the dealership if they offer any warranty on their used cars.  Keep in mind that you can always have a mechanic check out the car for a second opinion if the dealer is not providing any warranty. Also, don't forget to get a history report on the car.  The last thing that you want is to buy a used car with a branded title (the dealer may or may not provide the report free of charge).
• last but not least, do not forget to test drive the car!  Believe it or not we've had a lot of customers that were ready to sign the paperwork without test driving the car first.  It is our policy to have the customers test drive the car before they make their purchase.   

These are some tips that we feel like will help customers purchase a quality used car from a reputable dealership in Gainesville. We would love to be that place but don't forget you can always contact us with any questions you may have about used cars and the purchase process (even if you are not buying from us).  Our advice is always free!

*Everything stated above is our opinion and recommendation to help customers buy a good used car. Customers should not limit their purchasing process to these recommendation nor should assume any of these recommendations are facts. They are only meant for consideration.