What to look for when buying a car

For some a car is simply a means to an end, a convenience to get you from A to B, for others it is a status symbol and a metric of coolness amongst friends and strangers, and for a few it is their entire life to care for a car and all of it’s parts.

Whatever your need is there are some important things to consider when buying yourself a car and here are some that should be considered before doing so.

New or Used

Much of this option will be determined by your budget and affordability and there are pros and cons on both sides. For instance, with a new car you an get a good warranty which will look after the car for a set period of time, something you’ll rarely get with a second hand car, you also have the prestige of driving a new number plate and of course the car will be shiny, faultless and yours from birth. Second hand cars can have high mileage so make sure you check it out, many will have lost performance over the years and despite a test drive there may be little quirks that you won’t be able to spot. Remember if a second hand car will need repairs in the first year or two of ownership it may not prove to be as cheap as it seems.

What do you want in a car

Again an important consideration when determining your needs, what will the car be used for? How many people will be in spit at any time? How much stuff will you need to take in it? Do you want a fast car? Do you want a reliable car? Do you need a big car? A four wheel drive car? Where will you be driving and on what surfaces? These are all questions you need to ask yourself before you decide on your car of choice. What about when your tyres go? British tyre company Tyre-Shopper.co.uk has your back.

How much will it cost

To buy a car sometimes seems reasonably priced but something to consider is how much will owning the car cost you, here are some things to price up before you take the plunge.

-Car tax
-Insurance
-Cost of replacement parts
-Cost of tyres

I had a friend who bought a BMW Z4 his dream car, he got it for around 6k which was a very good price, however when in the first month the roof started to leak he was forced to hand over 1k just to fix the convertible roof which he could ill afford, an example of being able to afford to buy the car but not run it. Luckily National.co.uk were on hand to provide him cheaper tyres and other auto care.

I mention tyres as they are generally in need of replacement at least one a year so check out which tyres your future car needs.

Where to buy

Of course if you are buying new then there should be no issues but if you are buying second hand or privately then make sure you do your research there are some shady people out there trying to make quick cash with scams of all types. So get online and check out used car dealerships and any reviews you can find. If you are buying privately then switch on all of your senses to decide how trustworthy the person is before you hand over the cash.

Once you’ve factored all of this in you will be fit and ready to go get that car!