When the time comes to buy a new car you may be feeling the pressure to get it right. You don’t want to be stuck with a car that you don’t like or one that doesn’t suit your needs. It is essential you take your time and do the right amount of research before buying your next car. Never buy your car on a whim, and certainly don’t buy one online without test-driving it first.
Check out the article below to find out which things you need to consider when it comes to buying a new car.
Your Budget
One of the first things you need to work out is how much of a budget you have to play with when it comes to your new car. Cars are not cheap at all, so you need to be confident you will like what you buy and be happy using it daily.
You may have been saving for your new vehicle for some time, so you have done all your research and know exactly which one you will be buying. There are plenty of other payment methods when you buy a car; you could get it on loan, which means you will pay monthly for it rather than buying it outright.
New Vs Old
Do you want a brand new car or an older model? This is something you need to think about as it is a huge money saving tactic.
However, things to be aware of is that with an older car you will need to get it regularly checked. A car with a lot of mileage can present a few issues, things can start to go wrong the closer to 100,000 miles you get.
If you want to save a few pounds then buying a used car is the best way to do this. Check out local dealerships, you can still take the cars out for a test drive.
Know Where To Look
There are so many places always advertising cars and you don’t want to get sucked into the wrong place. Some dealerships only care about your money and not how the car works or looks. If you get in trouble with one of these cars then they won’t help you out.
Make sure you check reviews before heading out to buy a car. You might want to save some time and buy a car online. While this is convenient for those with busy lifestyles, it isn’t recommended to buy a car without taking it for a test drive first.
What Size
Consider the size of vehicle you need, everyone will be different. You might be using it for work or to haul the family around to school and clubs. If this is the case then you will need a larger vehicle to accommodate everyone and everything.
A lot of family’s will choose SUVs purely because they are a great size and they look good. People carriers are out and luxury seven seater vehicles are in. If this is what you need then the good news is there are plenty of bigger cars to choose from.
Pick A Colour
Be careful with the colour you choose, it has been known to push insurance rates up. A red car can be seen as a boy racer car of sorts so you might find that you pay more each month compared to a black car.
Get your family involved in this, unless it’s going to cause arguments then you pick a colour and stick to it. You will have some colours that come as standard and others you may need to pay a little extra for. If you want something not a lot of people have then it is worth paying the extra on top.
Check Insurance Rates
Whenever the time comes to buy a new car, you will need to check out insurance rates and how much a new car will cost you. You might think your rates will go down, but what if they go up.
Do you have the money available for this and are you able to make the higher payments each month? There are certain things you can do to cut your insurance, park on a private road or driveway for instance.
Maintenance
Remember, any car you purchase will need upkeep and maintenance every so often. If you buy a new car then you won’t need an MOT for the first three years of its life.
This can save you some money, especially if the car took a huge chunk of your budget. You will still need to get it serviced to ensure there is nothing seriously wrong with it. You could get these every six months or every twelve months.
Fuel Type
There is always something cropping up in the media about which cars are good and which cars are bad for both humans and the environment. If you follow along with this then you may have switched your old petrol car for a diesel one, then back to petrol, and now you might be considering an electric vehicle.
If you do a lot of miles for work or leisure then an electric car might not suit your needs. They don’t have a high mileage before they need charging and unless you like sitting in service stations every 200 miles or so, it’s not ideal.
Make It Yours
Finally, if you plan on using private plates on your car then you may need to register these before you can use them. If you have already used them on a previous vehicle then you will need to update your details to include the new car.
There are so many things you can do to personalise your new car. If you want to give it a fresh style then you could change the headlights, but make sure these conform with the law. You don’t want to get pulled over for having illegal items on your car.
I hope this article helped you think through the important factors in choosing your next car. Keeping these things in mind will make it easier to find the right one for you!
Thanks for stopping by!
Magda
xoxo