What To Do When Buying Your First Car

When the day comes to buy your first car, it can be both an exciting and challenging time. You are desperate to get a set of wheels of your own so you can get out on the open road, but at the same time, you have to check the bank account to see what you can reasonably afford.

Finding the balance between a car that you love and one that you can afford is a tightrope for first time buyers. So how can you find which car is the right one for you?

We’ve compiled a guide to helping you choose your first car, with information on budgeting and insurance, as well as all the little things that may slip your mind when it comes to buying a vehicle:

Budget

Before you start looking at cars you need to price up your overall budget. Knowing how much you can reasonably spend will help you choose where to start looking. If you’re on a limited budget, it’ll be a waste of time starting your search at the Aston Martin garage.

Decide whether you can afford a new or used car; if you can’t buy it outright, you will want to consider leasing and loan options.

New or Used

If you can’t afford to buy a new car, or even a used car outright, don’t worry. There are a number of different options available to get you on the road:

Hire Purchase – A monthly payment method which is part loan, part lease. You pay a deposit between 10 and 50 percent, and the rest of the balance is paid off in monthly instalments. Once the loan is paid off, the car is yours.

Personal Contract Purchase – Similar to a hire purchase, but at the end of the contract you will have the option to keep the car or hand it back, depending on how much you liked it.

Car Leasing – this option allows you to drive your chosen car for an agreed period of time whilst paying monthly instalments. You never actually own the car, but the opportunity to upgrade your lease to a new car at the end of your current contract will be there.

Insurance

Insurance premiums are often high for first-time buyers, especially if you have recently passed your test. When you are buying a used car from a dealer, shop around to find the best insurance quote; comparison websites provide a quick way to compare a whole bunch of different lenders that will insure new and used cars.