Anyone would tell you that buying a new car is a stressful affair, not only do you have to choose between hundreds or car but you are doing so knowing that you are going to be investing a large sum of money into something the begins depreciating the second that you drive it off the parking lot. However, if you have considered all of the factors involved and still want to buy a car then this post is perfect for you. The aim of this article is to suggest tips and give advice on things to do that would make the buying process easier for you.
The first bit of advice before you even consider viewing cars is to calculate exactly how much you have to spend on the car, you should also keep in mind the cost of the things that come along with the car like car insurance, road tax, repair costs, maintenance costs, petrol and more. After calculating how much you have to spend you then need to think about what you need from the car, it is important to establish an idea of what you are looking for before you visit the showrooms and get distracted by all of the shiny cars and “amazing” deals. You should consider how many sits you need, do you need a petrol car or a diesel, do you need air conditioning or an iPod dock? Figuring out questions like this make it easier for you to eliminate some cars as options and save your time.
You then need to decide on how long you plan on keeping the car for, do you want to buy the car outright or would you rather drive a new car every couple of years? There are advantages and disadvantages to both buying outright and leasing for example when you lease a car you never really own it and you need to keep up monthly payments and agreed up mileage limits, when you buy a car outright you have to worry about depreciation and maintenance costs because you are responsible for the car if there are any problems. It’s worth remembering that if you do plan on keeping the car long term then then buying in cash would work out to your advantage because the profit margins on most cars are tight car dealers try to attract you with ‘amazing deals’ where you take the car on finance and you have to pay monthly costs with interest and penalties.
Once you find a car that you are considering, it is important to take it out for a test drive. You should think about how you are going to be driving the car and what you plan on using the car for, test out all the little buttons and compartments, listen for any strange sounds and ask as much questions as you can about anything that you think would be worth knowing when you own the car. If you plan on having kids in your car or if you own pets and you plan on transporting them in your car it is a good idea to take them along on the test drive to see how they fit in with the car.
In this day and age it is not uncommon to look up items from different stores online and deciding on one, this should be the same when you are planning on buying a car. Obviously it is so much easier to go into one dealership to buy a car but if want to save money the oldest and most effective trick in the book is to pit play off dealers against each other so that they can compete to offer you the best price.
You should be certain that you like the car and you are happy with the price, make sure that there are no hidden charges and you are fully aware of how costs are broken down and you know exactly what everything means. When you have decided on a car that you are going to buy you then need to check that it is fitted with all the essential features that you require in a car. Be it air conditioning or SAT Nav capabilities or an automatic Car Tyre Pressure monitoring system. Also double check the warranty, specifications and any other extras as well as the V5C logbook and service history.