Been in the United States long enough to understand it’s tough getting to places without a car ? Or are you on the look to buy a car – but are scared of the time it’s going to take and number or things you have to do? You’re in luck as we’re going to break down the whole process and lay it out for you.
Do keep in mind buying a car – new or used is a time consuming process and if done right will ensure peace of mind and your money’s worth. But if done wrong, will result in trips to the repair shop and frustration.
Where do I start?
Whats the most important thing you think of before spending making a purchase? Your budget. This is the basis of your planning and the underlying principal around which you get your car.
It’s best to keep a range that you can meet.
There’s a low price, the best price and then the price you pay because it’s a good deal (albeit slightly over your ideal price).
So, .9X , X and 1.1X where X is your ideal price.
Pick a car class
You have to decide what type of vehicle you need or want. Do not confuse need with want as both are very different.
Need – what perfectly fits your ideal use scenario
Want – may not fit your ideal use scenario but man do you want that car.
Compact: light weight, low on storage space and most fuel efficient.
Sedan: what most people get as they are most ideal vehicle. Good fuel mileage and storage.
Crossover SUV: more storage space, fuel efficiency takes a hit.
SUV: big spacious vehicles with good storage but generally low fuel efficiency.
Fuel efficiency: miles to the gallon (for USA).
Rating is always split as Highway and City with the latter generally having a lower rating.
Car brand
Once you’ve decided the type of car you want, next comes a big factor in your purchase process. Which company do you want to opt for ?
Toyota, Nissan, Honda, GMC, Infinity – so many brands to choose from and you’re confused what do to.
Our recommendation – if you plan on keeping your car long term and take good care of it, any car will last long. But few cars last even more than others and hence they result in high rentention value (price you get when you decide to sell it).
Toyota, Honda and Mazda are some of the most reliable car makers that you can buy a car from – new or used. These will play a greater role when you’re buying a used car as you want to be spending as less as possible on the vehicle after making a purchase.
How do you see which cars have higher retention values ? We would recommend sources such as Kelly blue book, Edmunds, National Automotive Dealers Association (NADA) to check the value of the car types from the various manufactures to ascertain their value.
In subsequent articles, we will dive into more specifics of choosing the right car for you, the buying process and what to expect.
This article has not been helpful at all and ‘looking in internet for different platforms and blogs’ is the give away sentence.
We’ve made appropriate changes. Also, this is only the first part of the process. We’d recommend waiting for the other parts as conclusively it should help you through the entire process.