If you’ve ever been out car shopping at a traditional stand-alone car dealer but have never experienced the selection and ease offered by an automall, then you’re seriously missing out. With tons of dealers and a wide selection of vehicles available in one easy location, an automall offers a level of customer-centered service that traditional dealers simply can’t compete with.
For those who have never been to King’s Automall in Mason, Ohio (easily the most impressive automall in the nation, in our opinion) or one of the other automalls dotting the country, you’ve seriously missed out on a great auto buying experience that will never make you look at buying a car the same way again. But don’t fret – there’s still plenty of time for you to get over there and see what all the fuss is about over automalls.
For the first time automall shopper, the choices and options can be a bit overwhelming. That’s why we’ve put together this quick list of tips for everyone to follow on their first trip to an automall like King’s. Keep these guidelines in mind as you make your way into the wonderful world of auto shopping and you’ll come through smarter, happier, more confident in your abilities as a car buyer and, best of all, the owner of a brand new car that you love.
Make A Day Of It
The first mistake many first-time automall visitors make is not allowing enough time to really browse the full selection offered at these fortresses of auto-shopping pleasure. Because an automall is made up of a collection of dealers working together to achieve a common goal of excellent service and a good reputation, you can avoid the underhanded tricks and gimmicks that might run rampant at some independent car dealers. These dealers want you to find the car that’s right for you, and they are more than willing to point you in the right direction to help yo do so.
That being said, it’s not a bad idea to give yourself a whole day to check out the selection. This may seem like a long time but purchasing a car is a major financial decision and requires a lot of time to make a careful, informed decision. At an automall, which features such a wide variety of choices, it’s important to look thoroughly through the inventory to find just the car you’ve been looking for; chances are, that model you’ve had your eye on for months is somewhere among the huge inventory – it just takes you having the time and patience to seek it out.
Don’t Be Afraid To Look Around
With so many dealers working together in one common area, consumers naturally find it much easier to shop around between dealers and consider different brands. Maybe you’ve always bought one brand of vehicle in the past but have been considering checking out a Chevy or Jeep, for example. An automall, with its tight cluster of dealers all easily accessible from one another, this is easier than ever – so don’t be afraid to take the time and browse a wider selection than you might have otherwise done with a string of independent dealers.
This ability to look around at multiple brands also offers drivers a better chance to find vehicles with specific special upgrades or features that might otherwise be hard to find at a smaller dealer. In many cases, automalls feature much larger inventories than small dealers and so are more likely to have exactly the vehicle you’re looking for already on the lot than those other guys. When you make your first visit to an automall, think of it as a great opportunity to step outside your comfort zone a bit – if not simply because it’s so easy to do so.
Test Drive, Test Drive, Test Drive
While the actual place in which you buy your vehicle might change, the process around settling on a vehicle does not. That said, it’s important to still go through all the usual steps when picking your vehicle from the lot, including looking closely at the vehicle’s driving history and, most importantly, taking the vehicle out for a test drive.
Many automalls, because of their size, have their own dedicated test drive route that consumers can use for basic testing on things like acceleration and braking, while others are simply placed on what are essentially private roads that consumers can also use for testing. This allows the average buyer the chance to really feel the vehicle in motion before deciding to take it off the lot as their own, and could save you from picking a vehicle you actually aren’t that happy with.
Check Out The Service Center
One of the most beloved features of an automall is its commitment to its customers, both during the car buying process and well afterward. This is evident in the automalls service department, which provides a wide selection of experts and mechanics from a variety of brands who are ready to solve just about any problems you encounter with your new vehicle.
With this kind of expertise concentrated in one easy-to-reach area, an automall’s service department offers some of te best available mechanic services for all your repairs, upgrades, and maintenance needs – so make sure to check out the service department at our automall and see what you can expect when your car needs a little tender love and care.
Get To Know Your Dealers
A unique feature of an automall is the cooperation you’ll find between the dealers located there. Each is trying to make their own sales and manage heir own customers, but all work together to drive sales and generate excitement among consumers, and everybody benefits from increased foot traffic. As you might imagine, this takes much of the pressure off of them to compete neck-and-neck with each other, and in return transfers less stress and pressure onto you as a consumer. This is highly irregular in the usually stressful and high-pressure world of car buying, and may offer a welcome change for those intimidated by or unsure of the process.
It’s a good idea to get to know your automall dealers just like you would get to know an independent dealer, as he or she is likely someone you’ll want to work with for the duration of the time you have your vehicle. Whether you’re looking for service or for another car in the future, having a reliable dealer you trust is always a good move – and at an automall, they might just be easier to find.
Enjoy Yourself
Probably one of the most important – if most often overlooked – things you can do when visiting an automall is to simply have fun. While car shopping is not usually the kind of activity one might associate with “having a good time,” shopping at an automall can actually be a fun and exciting experience for those who have never experienced it before. So when you go to your local automall for your next new vehicle, don’t get so bogged down in the details and just try to enjoy yourself – because a happy consumer is a smart consumer.
These are some of the best, and easiest, ways to go about your automall shopping. Keep these in mind next time you head over to your automall and you might just find out why so many consumers do their shopping at thei local automall.
