Tips for Car Buyers

Pit one finance company against another, you can easily get the car loan rates down by 2-2.5%. Starting with 11.5, I managed to get 9.5 without much effort. Other areas of bargain include the processing fee and amount of coverage.

Pit one insurance company against another - again, I got 15K off, plus a 100% cover (no depreciation for plastics/glass etc). The insurance company might be able to pass on some additional discounts to you.

Make sure you carry your NCB from the earlier car. Since you can have only one car with the NCB, the insurance company might not allow you the NCB on the new car unless you sell off the older one. If you intend to keep the old car, you can move it to a thirt party only cover, and carry the NCB to the new (more expensive) car. If you plan to sell the old one off, you can then get the NCB applied to the new car by endorsing the insurance policy appropriately.

Understand and plan for the dependencies:
Insurance company needs car chasis and engine number to issue cover letter - make sure the dealer gives it on time
Finance company needs cover letter to issue disbursement - make sure the insurance company sends it
Dealer needs insurance cover note, and disbursement order to send vehicle for registration - make sure the finance and insurance company do their bit :)
Dealer needs registration, disbursement amount AND your balance/down-payment amount in the account to release car to you

Special Tip: If everything is ready, but you don't have the money in bank to do the down payment, try the credit card option! I did :)