A Short Guide to Buying Your First Car |
Posted: April 27, 2017 |
Other than a house, buying a car is one of the greatest investments you can make in your lifetime. There are so many decisions available, and there are just as many things to be wary of so you are not taken advantage of as a new buyer. Some salespeople will take advantage of your lack of knowledge, too, and might steer you wrong in some ways. There are also other things to consider when purchasing a car, such as the added expenses that come along with it. Here are some things to look out for when deciding to buy your first car. Be Careful to Budget First and foremost, knowing your spending limits is the first thing to consider when purchasing any vehicle. It is also wise to keep in mind that the car's sales price will not be the only thing you will have to factor into the budget. There are also taxes, fees, and license plates that have to be paid for, too. So, when in doubt, try to figure in at least a few hundred dollars extra to give leeway for the right price with all other charges included. Know Your Monthly Expenditures Sometimes, cars cannot be paid for completely upfront. More often than not, you might just be able to make a down payment of some sort. Therefore, you should be aware of what your monthly spending limitations are like. If you cannot afford a monthly car payment that is over a certain amount, then be sure to tell the salesperson helping you out of what those limitations are so they are not tempted to lead you into test driving and falling in love with something you cannot realistically afford. There are other things to consider than just the car payment. Monthly car insurance has to be factored into your budget as well, or else you will not be able to drive your car legally. Know Where You Want to Go and What Goes with You Sometimes, a deciding factor in which car to buy is how much traveling you will do on a weekly or monthly basis. This knowledge can help with determining which car to go for as far as miles per gallon allotted by a vehicle. It will also determine if an older car with higher mileage on the odometer is a good choice or not, depending on how many more miles you expect to gain from the vehicle. Also, consider your daily baggage. Do you need a vehicle with a lot of room for you and other people or for carrying around tools and other things needed for work? Making a clear decision on this topic will ensure you buy a car that is the right size for you, too. Remember, size has an impact on that mile per gallon ratio, too, so these two factors do go hand-in-hand. Research Local Options Before you decide to travel out of town for a car sale that might complicate making monthly payments because of the distance between you and the dealer, take a look around as to what is closer by to your home. Doing this kind of research is easy as there are many sites online that can easily determine which dealers in your area have certain cars and at certain price ranges. Before going to take a test drive, it would be wise to do a little bit of this research beforehand, so you are more aware of what you want to test and potentially buy. Doing the Test Drive There are many things to be distracted by during the test drive. The feel of a car for the first time is exhilarating. However, do not be deterred by all of the great features a car has. Make sure these features work, first of all. Take a long test drive that lets you get a realistic feel of the vehicle on small roads, the highway, and even going up a steep hill. You need to pay attention to the feel and sound of a car. If able, take someone along with you who has experience of what to look for under the hood. Check all fluids to be sure they are rather clean looking. Things to Negotiate Negotiations have to deal with more than just haggling the right price – and haggle you should, within the means of your budget, that is. If you noticed something was amiss with the car when you test drove it, be sure to mention that to the salesperson. It is very likely that you can have several things taken care of before buying as part of the purchasing agreement. Do not be afraid to ask when the last inspection was, how it faired during the process if the oil was changed recently, if any fluids need to be flushed or cleaned, and so on. These things can be negotiated to take place before you sign anything. However, be warned: some of these services might increase the cost of the car in the long run. Therefore, you need to decide if the cost risk is worth the maintenance the car needs, thus determining in the long run if the car is worth buying. There are so many factors to think about when buying a car for the first time. However, you need to make sure these items are all included in your thought process before even beginning to look at a car in some cases. This information will make your experience less stressful, so be sure to take heed and plan ahead as much as possible.
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