Horse Trailers For Sale
What You Need To Know When Shopping
Are you shopping the "horse trailers for sale" market? If you answered yes, the guide below may give you some helpful hints in the shopping and purchase process. If you're like most people, shopping for any large purchase can bring new anxiety into your daily routine. We hope to simplify this process for you a little and ease your purchase fears.
Below we will be discussing what you need to consider before heading out, where to look, what to avoid, and how to negotiate the best deal.
What To Know Before You Go
Before you put those shopping shoes on, you need to do a little homework. Yes we understand you are eager and ready to ooh and ahh over those shiny horse trailers for sale, but you must be an informed consumer before leaving home. A little research before can save you some money in the end.How Do You Plan To Use Your New Trailer?
Where you intend to haul your new trailer and how often you plan to haul should be considerations when looking at horse trailers for sale. If you plan on showing at many weekend or week-long shows through the year you may want to consider a trailer with living quarters or a "weekender package". If you only plan on showing at day shows or traveling a couple times a year, you may want to consider a smaller trailer.
What Size Trailer?
When considering the size of the trailer, first take into account what size truck or towing vehicle you have available to use. A half ton pickup is great for most bumper pull and small gooseneck trailers, but it likely can't handle a three horse with 12 feet of living space.
Check the maximum towing capacity before you shop and keep in mind you need to add in the weight of the horses and all the equipment you will be bringing with you.
Also keep in mind how many horses you have and how many you are planning to haul at a time. If you have four horses and intend to haul all of them at a time you are going to want a trailer that allows that amount of space. The most popular horse trailers for sale are those that haul 2-3 horses.
Refer back to your intended uses of the trailer. How you plan to use it will also play a role in the size you will need.
What Do Your Finances Look Like?
If not, are you willing to save some money for a down payment or are you planning to finance the entire purchase? Based on your needs and planned uses for this trailer, take some time to come up with a budget.
Figure out the maximum amount you are willing and able to spend on a new horse trailer. Then calculate in any money you are willing to put down.
It may be a good idea to get in touch with a local bank to discuss financing a trailer. You may be able to finance for a lower rate when you take on some of the financial legwork. It also makes things a little easier when you start shopping with a pre-approved bank loan, and gives you a little more control over the financing.
What Features Are You Looking For?
I saved this question for last because it refers more to the luxuries you may be looking for in a new trailer. Sleeping space, working bathroom, and shower are a few of the features you can get in a trailer with living quarters. These luxuries also increase the overall price.
Other horse-related features include tack areas (front, middle, or rear), mangers, and drop down windows. The features are also things you may easily be able to live without when looking at horse trailers. For sale ads usually make a point to throw a lot of these luxuries in your face to make the sale.
Consider the above questions first and foremost when shopping, and put these feature of lower priority. It is more important that you find the right trailer to fit the needs of you and your horse, not whether or not it has heated toilet seats.
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Where To Go
Your first and most convenient option is to search online. The internet can save you a little time and gas when searching horse trailers for sale.There are a few websites that offer classified ads to look through and include both new and used trailer options. You can also use the internet to do a little research on a particular trailer manufacturer to get information on certain trailer models you may be interested in.
You can then selectively follow up with some of those classified ads or use the manufacturer websites to find the nearest dealers.
Your other option is to shop around the various dealer lots you are aware of. They may add a little more pressure to get a sale, but can answer any questions you may have in a more efficient manner than the internet.
Keep your eyes open for horse trailers for sale every day. You may come upon a trailer for sale while driving to work or the store.
Protect Yourself When Shopping
When shopping for that perfect horse trailer there are some major pitfalls to watch out for. If you are considering a used trailer you can be putting yourself at more of a risk. If you are looking at a trailer by a private party, make sure you keep a level head and don't rush to the bank to get your money.When shopping horse trailers for sale, you want to make sure the trailer is appropriately priced for its year and condition. With private owner sales you are on your own to inspect that the trailer is in safe working condition.
A few things to check are the condition of the doors, latches, hinges, floor boards, and overall body. Look for signs of rust or previous repairs and ask the owner to provide any proof of service or maintenance that has been done on the trailer.
It is unfortunate, but there are some shady characters out to get your money. If you choose to shop at a dealer you have a little more protection as they are obligated to disclose any issues with the trailer. Most dealers are willing to put money into fixing a trailer, but it will be reflected in the price.
Ask if you can have the trailer inspected by a source you trust. You can also ask if there are any warranties after your purchase or you can ask the seller to sign a purchase agreement. That way if you find any major problems with the trailer that the seller should have disclosed to you, you have something in writing.
Negotiate The Right Deal
Buying a trailer, new or used, can be easily compared to buying a car. If you are looking at similar trailers from different sources make sure you shop to compare prices. If you are working with a dealership, make sure you get a business card of the person who helped you the first day.You have a contact at that dealership and likely developed a little bit of a rapport with that person. Plus that person knows what you are looking for in horse trailers for sale and in what price range. It saves you the hassle of repeating your story over and over.
There can be advantages to working with more than one sales associate. However we will not be discussing them at this time.
Find which trailer you are most interested in and approach the associate with the information you were able to attain from other dealers. They may or may not be receptive to discussing a new price with you, but it never hurts to ask. Most dealers are interested in moving the used inventory from their lots and are willing to at least talk to you about a new price.
Make sure you make your offers reasonable. A horse trailer dealer won't give you a second look if you offer $10,000 on a $50,000 trailer. Within reason, anything in the horse industry is negotiable.
