The holidays are over, but that doesn’t mean it’s too late to gift yourself your dream car. In fact, what better way to head into the new year — full speed ahead — then with a new set of wheels?
If you’re thinking about buying a car, you’re in good company. Research shows that almost 17.5 million cars were sold in the United States between the beginning of 2018 and early December 2018.
The question is, how do you know that you’re getting the right car? Here’s five tips to help you to find the perfect car in 2019.
Let’s get started!
1. Find the Perfect Car: Determine Your Needs First
What’s the right car for you? The answer to this question depends on your expectations for your car and your personality.
For instance, some people want their cars to show others that they are hip and rich. Meanwhile, other people want their cars to portray them as retro and Earth-loving. Still, others enjoy going for exciting drives on the weekends, so they prefer louder engines and more horsepower.
However, if you’re looking for a car that can help you to complete your daily duties, flash shouldn’t trump functionality. Here’s a rundown on some important practical considerations when you’re car shopping:
- How many people will you regularly be carrying?
- Do you have a long commute? In this case, consider the car’s fuel economy.
- What features do you want in your new car (leather seats, backup camera, etc.)?
- What is the cargo capacity you need?
- Will you do any towing?
- Do you mostly drive on highways, on surface streets or in off-road conditions?
- Is all-wheel drive important to you?
- Which safety features would you like (automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, etc.)?
Also, if you’re a parent with young children, you’ll need to buy a vehicle that can accommodate car seats for children.
2. Figure Out If You’d Like to Buy or Lease
After assessing your vehicle needs, you need to determine whether buying or leasing is the best option for you. Both of these options have benefits and drawbacks.
For instance, leases require no or little money down. They also offer lower payments each month, so you can drive more costly vehicles for less money. Also, your car’s factory warranty will cover most repairs, and you don’t have to worry about trading in your car when the lease ends.
On the flip side, when your lease ends, you’ll need to shop for a car again.
Buying a vehicle has a higher initial cost. You’ll also have higher monthly payments.
However, once you pay off your car loan, you’ll own the car and can drive it payment free. You can also sell your vehicle whenever you’d like and can make changes to your vehicle to suit your tastes.
Another major advantage of buying a car is that you can drive many miles without worrying about mileage penalties.
3. Set a Budget
Unless you plan to pay for your vehicle in cash, you will need to finance your lease or buy. In this case, you need to determine how much you can afford to pay every month.
Ideally, your car payment shouldn’t be higher than 15% of your income each month if you’re buying a car. Meanwhile, if you’re leasing a car, your payment shouldn’t exceed 10% of your monthly pay.
Be sure to also incorporate into your budget an extra 7% of your income for insurance and fuel costs. Knowing all this information can help you to make a wise decision when you’re negotiating your vehicle.
4. Consider All Your Car Options
You understandably may want a specific vehicle. However, in today’s marketplace, brand-new vehicles are constantly hitting showrooms. A car that you might have never considered may be the right fit for you.
For this reason, it’s a good idea to look at other vehicles to ensure that you have not overlooked ever better options. After all, not all cars, trucks or sport utility vehicles are alike.
For instance, you may have not considered purchasing a Kia car, but its convenient features may make this type of car appealing to you in the new year.
5. Test Drive Your Desired Car
Once you have settled on a vehicle that you like, you can email, call or text a dealership to schedule a time to test-drive it. If you make an appointment ahead of time, you won’t have to worry about waiting to do your test drive at the dealership.
We recommend that you test-drive at least three vehicles while you’re there so to keep several options open. Try to schedule your test drives back to back to save you time and make it easier for you to compare cars.
Then, if you’re ready to talk about pricing and buy your car, go for it. If not, you can give yourself some extra time to think about your options before making a purchase.
How We Can Help
Besides showing you how to find the perfect car, we offer tips and advice on how women can feel happy, stylish and beautiful.
For instance, we offer tips on how adult women can have fun and why having fun is an important part of having a good quality of life. We also offer guidance on how you can do what you love in business.
In addition, we offer advice on how you can eat and drink healthily in the new year.
Our website additionally provides a glimpse at bucket-list ideas ideal for women and how to ease nagging relationship concerns.
Our ultimate goal? To help you to embrace new experiences and enjoy life to the fullest.
Take a peek here to find out more about how you can make the most of your life — including your work, your health and even your purchases — in the months and years ahead.
