Things to Consider When Purchasing a Car
Many vehicle owners think they are ahead of the game when they trade in their car after 3-5 years of ownership. By doing so, the owner thinks they can avoid the high cost maintenance that comes with older cars. This thought process makes sense for a second, but that’s about it. Generally, there is only one winner in car trade-ins, and that is the car dealership. Because of the growing life expectancy of cars, dealerships can resell your car at a significant profit, based on the amount they gave you in trade-in plus the profit they are making on your purchase of a newer car. Also, people rarely trade-in their vehicle, rather, they trade-up - creating an endless cycle of car debt.
Most vehicles manufactured during the last 20 years, with proper maintenance, can realistically last over 200,000 miles. Consider keeping your car’s maintenance history with ausedcar.com, at no cost, this easy to use site allows you to enter in your cars maintenance record so you can remember what maintenance is do and when.
Remember, vehicles are one of the only guaranteed depreciating “investments” people will make, and borrow money to do so. So let’s stop paying car dealerships and banks – ride your car until it dies, literally.
Here are some things to consider when purchasing a car, preferably a used one!
1) Pick a vehicle you are truly happy driving. For the most part, people get new cars not because they need to, but because they want to. Try to pick a car you will be comfortable and confident driving for years to come.
2) Avoid buying trendy vehicles. Just like tattoos, what was once sweet may now be embarrassing. Bright colors, strange designs, or little passenger room may all be things that originally attracted you to a vehicle, but are the same reasons you get rid of them only a few years later.
3) Read the reviews. I’m a big fan of howstuffworks.com Auto Consumer Guide. Nearly all cars are listed with the pros and cons easily laid out, average gas mileage, expected maintenance and much more.
4) Check and compare the blue book value. Obviously, it’s impossible to know an exact amount a car is worth, but based of the cars mileage and features, the Kelly Blue Book value will help you realize bargains from rip-offs.
5) Look online. Often times people rely on car dealerships within their area or see commercials for what look like amazing must do offers. However, the true value may be sitting in a nearby used lot or a neighbor’s garage. Cars.com is a great tool for searching cars in your area. Break your searches down to only cars within your price range and with fewer than X amount of miles.
6) Research the cars history. This is actually simple to do and many used car dealerships will pay for the search for you. CARFAX is a great deal breaker when researching used cars. For a few dollars, you can find out if a car has been in multiple accidents, flooded or even vandalized. $
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