Tips for Purchasing a New Car

Sometimes you don’t want to lease, and you don’t want to delve into the used car market. Sometimes you just have to buy new. There are a lot of good reasons to buy a new car, but it’s also important you don’t rush the process. A lot of new buyers either just take the first thing they’re shown, or don’t put enough thought into what kind of car they really need. The market has never been richer — more brands, more models, more trims than ever before. So how can you navigate this complex marketplace? Let us give you a few tips to get you started.

1. Try to build up credit in advance

Your credit score will directly impact the terms of any financing deal you get to buy your new car, so it’s a really good idea to maximize your credit score in any way you can. You might have to plan ahead of time. Lease a car temporarily and then return it; take out a cellphone plan; spend some money on your credit card and then repay quickly in full. A higher score gets you better interest rates and in the long term you can save.

2. Research a range of vehicles, but narrow down to a shortlist

You need to do your homework and look at a wide range of vehicles initially. You might surprise yourself by finding a brand or style of car you never thought you’d like actually fits your situation quite well. After finding some you like, narrow your choices to a shortlist of three of four, maximum. You don’t want to have to wade through too many details before making a final decision.

3. Work with a dealership

For service, expertise and a one-stop-shop feel, you can’t beat a proper dealership. If you narrow your choices to some different models of a handful of brands, then you might be able to see everything in one trip to one dealership. That’s a real time saver. More importantly, the dealership provides after-sale services, like detailing, maintenance and repair and more. They can even help you secure a finance deal on the car.

4. Book a test drive

It doesn’t matter what the car looks like on your smartphone screen, or in the showroom. It doesn’t matter how many interior shots of all the features you’ve seen. You can’t possibly countenance signing paperwork until you’ve taken the thing out on the road for a good test run. Put the car through its paces — highway, bad weather (if possible), tight turns, reversing, parking up, tech features and the rest.

5. Ask questions and sleep on it

Prepare a list of “deal-breaker” questions to ask before you move to a decision. If they check out and the dealership can provide good, direct and detailed answers, then it’s a good sign. Examples include gas mileage, available warranty (and what it covers), insurance costs and what others have said who bought the same car.

At the end of it all, you’d still better sleep on it before pulling the trigger. A good dealership won’t push you too hard, and understands as well as you the importance of getting you the right car. Their reputation depends on it! Why not visit your local dealership today to see what great offers are available?

Samantha

Samantha hails from Virginia and is a proud wife to a retired Deputy Sheriff and mother to two amazing little boys named Jack & William. A veteran product reviewer; Samantha has been reviewing products for 8 years and offers high quality product reviews with original photography.