Buying a car is one of the most important financial decisions we make in our lives, whether you're purchasing a car for yourself or gifting it to a loved one. In fact, for most people a car is the second biggest investment they make after a home. It pretty much goes synonymous with the dream of having a home and a family.
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Unless you're hellbent on buying a particular car you've always dreamt of, buying a car whether it's a pre-owned car or a new car, comes with a lot of questions that need to be answered before you make this investment.
You can ask yourself a thousand questions but the only question that matters in the end is, what is your budget? Budget doesn't just mean your car purchase expense but also includes average car maintenance costs over time. Some cars are way more expensive to maintain than others and if that isn't considered into your budget, you may end up resenting the purchase.
If you have an answer to that question, you can ask yourself other questions before you are ready to buy your car:
- Do you want a used car or a new car? Good quality, less driven and a recently manufactured used cars would be your best option in a tight budget. You'd be surprised to know how many well-maintained used cars are available in the used car market. Check with used car dealerships near you.
- Do you have any particular car brand in mind? Remember, even the low end variants of some premium car brands like Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, etc can be more expensive to maintain than the high end variants (except sports variants with high performance engines) of consumer friendly car brands like Hyundai, Honda, Toyota, Ford, etc.
- Do you prefer speed or performance based cars? Or do you want the best of both worlds?
- How much mileage do you want out of your car? Depends on how far you travel to, say for example, your office. Or do you care about mileage?
- What kind of fuel do you want to use? For example, Diesel cars give more mileage but is often more polluting. If you're environmentally conscious, electric cars are the best option.
- Do you need a loan/finance option?
- What kind of car do you need, Hatchback, Sedan, SUV? For example, SUV or a car with off road capability would be more suitable on bumpy roads rather than a sedan. Small cars or hatchback cars are best suited for city traffic. Or maybe do you prefer a sedan over SUV?
- A four wheel or two wheel drive or perhaps all wheel drive? Four wheel drive provides more traction where as a two wheel drive is lighter and is more fuel efficient. All wheel drive, uses sensors to induce a four wheel drive when required for traction, but increases your costs.
- Do you prefer manual transmission cars or automatic transmission cars? Automatic transmission is best suited if you love a high traffic density area, so you don't have to worry about shifting gears in bumper to bumper traffic.
- What color do you prefer? Does a particular design appeal to you?
- What features and accessories do you want in your car? Select a variant based on that.
- What kind of car insurance is best suited for you and the car you buy? Make sure you look at multiple options and compare them to get a clear picture. Purchasing the best car insurance can help you drive your car peacefully.
If you're purchasing a new car, make sure you look at extended car warranty options from the car dealership. Used car dealers are known to sell atleast some of their cars which they know aren't in the best condition by getting temporary car repairs done on them. If you're purchasing a used car, its always prudent to get a used car inspection or a used car valuation before purchase to avoid any surprises in terms of quality of purchase and to avoid unnecessary expenses in car maintenance in the future.
If you liked this article, check out our other articles on cars like the advent of Self-driving cars, coolest car features, car maintenance tips, tips to improve clutch life, information on car warning lights, importance of regular car service and more!
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