Buying a new car is exciting. I remember the feeling of going with my father to the car dealership for the first time. I had this weird thing for a while where I didn’t want anything to do with a car that someone had already owned and had driven around in. Instead, I wanted a brand new car, something that hadn’t yet absorbed anyone else’s smells or bad driving habits such as smoking or owning a pet.
I am not the only person who has felt like this however. There are plenty of people who go out and purchase a brand new car for the very reasons that I already stated. However, does this mean that they’ve made the right decision? Probably not. In fact, you should never base your decision to purchase a new car or a used car on the fact that someone may or may not have owned it prior to you. The fact of the matter is that while someone may not have ‘owned’ your car outright, someone still had to drive it at some point. There is no way around that.
Instead, when you are looking to buy a new car, the sorts of things that you should be focused on initially is how much money you have set aside for a new car in your life. Often times, those of us who opt to purchase a new or used car do so based on our current income or financial situation. There are some new cars that you can purchase for relatively cheap. However, often, these cars do not come with quite as many features as a slightly older used car. For example, I recently came across a used 2007 Honda Accord that had leather interior, power seating, a sunroof and premium sound with only 30,000 miles on it. Compare this to 2010 Honda Civic Coupe at the lowest end which may be comparable in price but contain less features.
Purchasing a car can be (and often is) a relatively seamless process. However, you want to make sure that you have all of your cards in order before you head out to the dealership. The worst thing that you could do is go to the dealership alone and let the salesman or saleswoman convince you to buy a car that, in the end, you really cannot afford. Granted, while not all salespeople are like this, there are a large amount of salespeople out there who won’t think twice about trying to get you into a more expensive vehicle because doing so will mean an increase in the commission that they make.
If you have figured out that you are going to be purchasing a new car, then you will no doubt want to bring someone with you who has been through the process of purchasing a car from a dealership and who can act as a sort of buffer between you and the salesperson. Don’t walk out of a dealership with a car that you don’t feel comfortable with all because the salesperson managed to convince you that it was the ‘car for you’. Instead, use your discretion and make sure that you do your homework ahead of time before you walk out the door.