*This is a sponsored post
In life, there are a few major purchases that we need to make, and one of them is a car. Now, I was fortunate enough to have been given my mum's used car to use as my first car, to drive to and fro work. I have been using it for 3 years now and prior to that, my mum has used that car for about 7 years, so this car is about a decade old! 😱 I consistently bring the car for maintenance and servicing, and it was recently brought to my attention that my car requires a lot (and I mean A LOT) of parts change and it will cost about a month's salary to fix them..
I guess.. It's time to think about buying a new car? It seems like a more ideal solution, rather than spending much more on repairs for a used car...
I've been doing some research on the best car to get and have narrowed it down to a few tips which will hopefully help you in making a purchase too!
1. Assess your needs
First of all, it is very important to get a car according to your needs for now and the future. Some practical questions that you need to think about are:
- How many passengers would you need to carry - is it a car used for chaffeuring the whole family?
- Do you need the car to do long-haul drives - how important is fuel economy to you?
- Do you require the car to be eco-friendly - i.e a hybrid?
- How much garage or parking space do you have in your accomodation?
- Would a used car suffice or do you wish to own a brand new vehicle?
2. Set your budget!
This point is probably the most important one of all, especially to me! How much budget can you set aside per month to pay for the car installments and not forgetting, the downpayment? I read somewhere that the general rule is to ensure your car financing do not take up more than 20% of your monthly take-home pay - sounds reasonable enough. Before commiting to a car, one should also estimate the long-term ownership costs such as the depreciation, insurance, maintenance and fuel costs to properly calculate the budget needed.
3. Test-drive the car
After picking out the ideal car for you that suits your needs and budget, it is time to contact the car dealership to set up a test-drive. On paper, the car might seem to have all the features that you want, but it is vital to see and feel the car up close to determine if it really suits your needs. The true test lies in the test-drive - remember, this is the car that you might be driving everyday in the foreseeable future. Check the seats, boot space, other functions such as reverse camera and such, in order to REALLY evaluate the usefulness of the car.
After all is said and done, just where exactly can I find my dream car? Not many of us have the time to slowly visit showroom after showroom, used car dealers after used car dealers... This is where Cars.com comes in! With a vast range of new and used car listings, over 5 million expert and user reviews on-site, as well as a handy Price Comparison Tool, it is now easier than ever to research and purchase a car! All you have to do is key in the car brand, car model and price range, and Cars.com will list out a whole list of cars for you to choose from! How convenient is that?
I hope you've find this little sharing quite useful. It's about time I tried my hand at blogging about more mature lifestyle-related topics, don't you think so? :p Just remember to take your time in picking, because purchasing a car would be considered a new milestone in your life!
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