So, you guys know I love a lazy girl’s guide to adulting (see my lazy girl guide to DIY here) and after recently helping my bestie buy a car I thought I’d document some tips for anyone wanting to make this process as pain-free as possible. Let me start by saying I’m incredibly inexperienced when it comes to anything to do with cars so I’m writing the post that I would have like to read. Picking out your dream car is fun. Negotiating the right deal, insuring it, taxing it and of course keeping a car clean? Not so much fun. Here’s pretty much everything you need to consider in order to drive away your dream car. Be prepared, stay alert and double-check EVERYTHING.
Know Before You Go: Walking into a car showroom with no clue what kind of car you want or what you want to pay is a recipe for disaster. You’re an easy target for salesmen trying to earn their commission. The best place to start your search for the dream car is online. So before you go, make a note of your budget and write down the maximum you are willing to spend, what make and model of car you want. Make two lists. The first one details all of the things you would love your car to have (think heated seats and leather interior) and the things you need your car to have (five doors and ISO Fix points). From here you can shortlist 3 models and this will save you time when visiting dealerships.
Research is boring but essential. Go online and see what kind of prices your ideal car is selling for, this way you have a ballpark figure in your head when you walk in which means you won’t be blindsided by sales jargon. It helps to have a clue about how much the car of you dreams will be and you can find this on True Car. This site will tell you the actual price you will pay at a dealership so you know you aren’t being taken for a ride when you get to the showroom.
Take it for a test drive. Time-consuming but essential. How else will you know if you like the features that your dream car has or if you like the way it feels to drive it? Take someone with you for this as they can act as a second set of eyes perhaps picking up on features or pros and cons that you have missed. Indeed, the excitement of test-driving a luxury car may cloud your judgement, explaining why you need someone with you. This step is particularly important for models like the Ford electric car. Those vehicles are super sensitive to hot weather and require care to function at their best. Ignoring this can drain battery power quicker than you imagined. Luxury cars are a significant investment, explaining why it’s critical to know all about them before making the final decision.
Polish your negotiating skills: Ah the part you might be dreading the most. This is where you will be glad you spent all that time researching. Be upfront with the salespeople at the dealership, it can be overwhelming visiting a car showroom, especially if you are going alone but be honest about what you can afford to spend and stick to your guns.
Don’t forget to insure it: If you haven’t shopped for insurance before, get ready to lose a few hours of your life and arm yourself with ALL the snacks. There are heaps of insurance pitfalls to avoid but having the right cover will ensure you are safeguarded should the unexpected happen. For example, when buying a luxury vehicle you may be interested in retaining its value especially if it is new (as we all know that an expensive car loses a big portion of its value the second you drive it away) and therefore Gap insurance may be of interest. This particular type of insurance means that if your car were to be written off, the difference between the price you paid for your motor and the price the insurance company would pay would be covered.
Be Realistic with your Budget: Is your dream car out of your price range? If you are buying a car on finance, make sure the monthly payments are realistic for your lifestyle. Buying a new luxury car can be exciting and it’s easy to get carried away with the thrill of it all and forget about the responsibility of covering monthly payments.
*This post was a collaboration with ALA but as always the opinions stated are my own.
