Buying a car is an important decision, which calls for careful planning. Many factors have to be taken into consideration before deciding on the right car. A few of these factors include details like the type of car, budget, available cars, features desired, and upcoming cars.
Here are a few tips that help you to choose the correct car for you and your family. While making the decision, one of the first questions to be answered is what are the uses that the car will be put to. Will it be used for daily commuting or only weekends and evenings out, are you looking for an off road adventure vehicle or a recreational car, or intend to take it only for long drives and trips and so on. Other important factors to be considered include the fuel efficiency of the vehicle, service network offered by the manufacturer, safety features included, size of your family (including future additions like birth of a child), seating capacity offered and the like.
A few questions that one should ask and find answers are:
- What is the maximum amount of money that you are willing to pay? Or what is the budget?
- What type of car suits your lifestyle and activities?
- If applying for a loan, what would be the EMI that you can part with every month, without stretching your finances?
- Should you buy a hatchback, sedan or an SUV?
- What are the available cars in the desired segment?
- What are the features you would like to have in the car?
- What is the perfect insurance option?
Once these questions are answered, you will have a better idea of the car, which suits your needs and lifestyle the best. Then you can proceed with the following steps:
- Finalize the car you want to buy.
- Locate the right dealer and confirm the prices.
- Choose the car with attractive incentives and rebates.
- Take an expert review.
- Opt for the lowest interest car loan as well as offers from manufacturers.
- Review insurance policies from various insurance companies and choose the right policy.
- Test Drive the car.
- Analyze and make sure that the vehicle suits your needs.
- Inspect the vehicle.
- Ensure ride comfort, power, acceleration, braking, handling, and other features.
- Check the car thoroughly before taking delivery and driving it home.
It is a good idea to take a second opinion from an expert or an existing user of the car before making the final decision. Always make sure that the car that you buy can serve you for a minimum of eight to ten years without any hassles.