We tend to make decisions about buying things on a day to day basis. We choose which ingredients we’re going to pick up in our weekly food shop. We decide which sandwich we’ll pick up for our lunch on our break at work. We’ll decide what new clothes to buy when our old ones wear down or we have an event to attend. These can all feel like tough decisions, but when you face decisions where you’re spending much larger amounts of money, they pale in comparison. Take a car for example. Cars tend to be the second biggest asset any of us invest in – only following our actual homes. Cars don’t come cheap. They tend to be pricey and, on top of this, they cost money to use and maintain, so will become an ongoing outgoing in your life. You’re going to want to make sure that you choose the right one the first time around. This can save the difficulties of realising you’ve made the wrong decision and then trying to sell a vehicle during a cost of living crisis. Here are some steps you can take to make sure you get the right set of wheels for your needs and preferences.
Price
First, you need to make sure that you’re setting yourself a budget for your car. When you get to a dealership, or when you buy a car from another location, you can guarantee that the sales rep is going to try to upsell you and – at the end of the day – they’re professional salespeople who are going to prove pretty convincing. But avoid this. Make sure you know what you can afford to spend and don’t agree to spend a penny over this amount. You can figure out your budget by considering your income, your take home pay, your current commitments and outgoings and how much you will have left over. Consider how much of your disposable income you’re willing to commit to a car and how much you want left over for other elemetns of your life. You need to strike the right balance to land on your budget figure.
Maintenance
Of course, every car is going to require maintenance. How much is it going to cost you to upkeep the car? To keep it in good condition? Consider things like insurance costs, as these vary from one vehicle to another depending on their worth and their likelihood to experience problems. Read a manual, like a Toyota Owners Manual, to see what repairs can be common and how much they tend to cost to carry out. Find out how much it will cost to service, MOT and tax the vehicle. You should also consider ongoing fuel costs, cleaning costs and other general maintenance costs that you’re going to face in order to have a vehicle that is in truly good condition over the years. The sum attached to this will be hugely different from one vehicle to another.
Practicalities
Once you know how much you have to spend and how much you can commit to, you can start browsing different makes and models of vehicle. Make sure to do plenty of research before investing in anything. You need to consider a range of practicalities to suit you as an individual too. A car will form part of your lifestyle, so you need to make sure that it’s practical. Consider size. A sports car with two seats may be appealing, but if you have a family of five, there’s no use even considering it as your main vehicle. How much luggage space do you need? Do you need a large boot space for transporting prams or a lot of luggage on a regular basis? How many doors do you want? Three can be fine for anyone driving alone most of the time, but if you have kids and pets to load in and out of the vehicle, five doors will prove much more practical. Think about more practical elements before focusing on style and aesthetic. This can be frustrating, but it will ensure that you land a car that is well suited to your needs.
These are just a few of the different areas you need to focus on when it comes to choosing the right car to suit your needs. This is a major investment, so take your time and don’t rush into anything. Hopefully, some of the information above will help to guide you in the right direction and will see you land a vehicle that ticks all of your boxes!
