6 Car Purchase Add-Ons You’ll Find at Many Dealerships

Buying a new or used car comes with a lot of decisions. First, you have to determine your budget and decide what type of vehicle you need. Are you searching an SUV that seats four or more passengers, is it time to buy that sports car you’ve always dreamed about or are you searching for something in-between? Either way, these are just two of the many decisions you’ll have to make.

Once you determine your price range and settle on a make and model, the car dealer will offer you a variety of add-ons. These are the extra things dealers offer to go along with your new car purchase.

Here are six car purchase add-ons you’ll find at many dealerships:

1. Extended warranty – Dealers offer an extended warranty for an extra fee in addition to the manufacturer or limited warranty that already comes on the car. Be sure to find out what the extended warranty covers before accepting it.
2. Prepaid maintenance plan – With this plan, you’re paying for servicing your vehicle in advance. The catch is that you have to take your vehicle to that specific dealership for maintenance.
3. Extra insurance coverage – Dealers will often offer disability or life insurance in addition to the coverage you have with your auto insurance.
4. Rust proofing and paint protection – If you choose these extras, your vehicle will be treated with an extra layer of protection designed to prevent the paint from chipping or peeling and the body from rusting due to environmental factors.
5. Upholstery protection – Adds an extra layer of protection to help keep your seats and upholstery looking like new, longer.
6. Cosmetic extras – These include things like window tint, splash guards, chrome rims and running boards. Most of these extras are optional if you want to add them now so you don’t have to worry with it later.

In some cases, dealers may offer to give you one or more of these add-ons for free to help make the sale but in many cases, they do cost extra. It’s important to know a little about all of your options so you can decide if need or want any of them.