What to know before buying your first car  

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Learning to drive is a huge milestone in your life as is buying your first car, however it is an incredibly thoughtful process and this is here to give you an honest opinion not the opinion of a salesperson who is looking for their next commission. So here it goes – a quick read on what to know when buying your first car and what questions to ask yourself and other when buying your first car.  

Financial Situation

First of all, you need to assess your situation, by this I mean you need to ask yourself the question when buying a car, what is your financial situation. This determines whether you are going to buy a brand-new car or a used car. If you are fortunate enough to be able to buy a brand-new car, great!

Don’t stop reading just yet though, I have some interesting considerations for you on buying your first car. The first consideration is what brand you are going to select. Of course, it is nice to have a high-profile brand of car but it may not always mean you get the most for your money. Sometimes looking at some not so high-profile brands can mean you get more gadgets and value for money! Who doesn’t like the sound of that! Nevertheless please, if you wish for a high-profile brand, go for it, life is too short to not get what you want.  

If you are not looking to buy a brand-new car, don’t worry, you can still get a lot of the benefits that a brand-new car brings you through buying approved used. This is where car dealerships have done checks on the used cars that come onto the forecourt and ultimately makes sure that you are getting what you paid for. Bear in mind that you will pay slightly more than what you may pay for a car bough from auto trader or other sites like that, however you do get peace of mind knowing that the car has been professionally checked. 

Auto Trader

There is always the option of buying your first car from sites such as auto trader which is where people all over the country have listed their cars for sale. A few pointers on how to buy your first car if you do choose to buy from sites like auto trader. Look for listings that have buyer protection attached or have all the relevant papers attached to the car.

Just be careful and do all your checks on the car yourself, more than often these things that sellers provide without fail. Some things that you may not think about is to possibly ask the seller if you can test drive the car or ask them if they can take you out in the car. Most importantly though do you research on the car first, that way you can check the car out and make an informed opinion of it yourself when you go to see it.  

Insurance costs

The next round of questions to ask yourself when buying your first car, is to question the insurance costs associated with each car. There are certain factors that alter the insurance on each car. Unfortunately, if you are a newly qualified driver, it usually isn’t cheap to insure your car.

So, what to know when buying your first car on the insurance front, the engine size, usually the larger the engine the more expensive your insurance will be, so maybe stay away from the Ferraris! The brand of the car often affects your insurance too, the higher profile of the brand, the more you pay. Again, stay away from the Ferraris! Finally, the age of the car, lots of people think getting an older car will reduce the insurance, not necessarily. Often the money you save from buying an older car isn’t money you will save when getting your insurance. If you are looking for best of both worlds it’s better to look for a car that is no more than 5 years old.  

Mileage

Mileage, the old saying “older engines were built to manage many miles” does ring a little bit of truth, but truly ask yourself, would you prefer an old car with lots of miles or a younger car with fewer miles? Yeah that’s what I thought. When buying your first car I always think the lower miles the better, plus you are in luck because you can get some fantastic approved used cars with only demo miles on! Sounds good right? Fear not though, if you are not buying an approved used car, there are some great cars out there that are near enough 10 years old and they still have a whole life left in them. Additionally, the more miles on the clock usually means the more hidden costs you will encounter later on. 

Automatic or Manual

Another question to ask yourself when you are buying your first car is do you want manual or stick if you are American, or do you want automatic. If you are learning to drive and you learn and pass your test in an automatic, unfortunately you are not able to drive a manual. To drive a manual, you need to have learnt and passed in a manual. When you are buying your first car this is something to consider because usually an automatic is more expensive however they are thought to be easier to drive, nevertheless don’t let this alter your decision of buying a manual, it really does not take long to get used to! 

Government rules

Now I don’t want to mention them too much but the government have told us that by 2030 the production of petrol and diesel cars will come to an end. This maybe alter your decision when buying your first car. However, there is still a very long time until 2030, so if you have been eying up a petrol or diesel car, you go get what you want! Nevertheless, it may be wise to ask yourself the question when buying your first car of – do you want a hybrid? Hybrid are great, they are designed to let you do your smaller journeys with only using electric. However, look into this because they are reasonably new on the market and are usually more expensive. 

About the Author

Author: Tom Beech

Tom Beech is currently a Marketing Executive with a passion for writing. He is one of our authors who contributes regularly to our site.