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Buying a new car is something that my husband Fred and I didn’t think about right after our wedding. We knew back then that it’s a big decision, as big as buying a new house, which we couldn’t afford that time because we prioritized having a baby. This mindset continued for years until this year, when we realized that going out, like a simple trip to the mall was already too exhausting for us. Our situation finally convinced us that a new car is no longer just a luxury, it’s already a necessity for family and for work.
So last July, we finally brought home our new baby, a 2017 Mitsubishi Mirage G4 GLX. The decision and buying processes were not easy. Here are the five essential things we considered before finally saying YES to NEW car.
1. Know Your Budget
This is the most important thing – knowing how much money you can spend on a new car. You need to decide whether you’ll pay in cash (few people do this) or finance. This depends much on your income, current expenses and savings.
2. Determine the Type of Car That You Need
Some people, regardless of their budget, will go for their dream car, even if it’s quite big or too luxurious for their current status. As long as they can afford, there’s really nothing wrong with it. However, for a family of four like ours belonging to average income earners, we considered the type of car that can give just enough space for up to 4-5 persons. Nothing fancy, a subcompact car will do.
3. Research for Car Brand and Model
Once you determine the type of car (sedan, hatchback, subcompact, van, sports, etc.), next comes the research stage to help you find the perfect brand, model, and even the color. This is where you need to find helpful and trusted resources like www.cars.com. This website has a huge selection of information about latest car news, honest reviews and videos of a wide variety of different cars. It covers several factors like fuel efficiency, comfort, technology and so much more. For parents, this site is also helpful as it shares information about car seat checks that the company conducted to several car models.
4. Find out the Dealers Price and After Sales Services
From researching, you might end up having 2 or more car models in your list. This is where you need to continue your research, this time focusing on the exact price from dealers and their after-sales services. Choose the model that fits your budget and the brand that offers great after-sales customer satisfaction. Remember that buying a new car does not end when you can finally bring it home. It is actually just the beginning – the monthly payment (if you consider financing), repairs and the maintenance follow so you need to be with the car brand that can satisfy you for the years to come.
5. Insurance Policy and Financing
In our country, if you choose bank financing, most of them already have a chosen insurance company and the payment is included in the monthly payment. Some buyers, however, want to be sure of the car insurance companies they’ll be having so another research and computation is needed at this stage. As for financing, this is where you need to identify the percentage of down payment you can afford (10%-50%) and the term length (1-5 years). This isn’t easy but with right research and analysis of your financial status, you’ll surely get the perfect car for you.