Steps to Buying a New Car

I remember, when I was a little girl, I used to pull my dad out to take me for a long drive. We used to live in a small town belonging to the Himalayan Ranges of India and I loved the winding roads there, especially at night. The hills and mountains around me, looked like giant tents, decorated with glitters of gold and silver jewels, which were actually the lights coming out of the houses. I never fancied driving much and I still get panic attacks, whenever someone asks me to handle the steering wheel. I prefer to be the navigator more as I love to look out, feel the speed, feel the wind and just relax.

Since past one week, my friend has been pestering me to buy a car, just because all of my friends have one, also because I am at present lucky enough to have the funds (Thanks to God! ). I was hesitant initially, just because of my reluctance to driving the car, that too in the crowded jungle of Bangalore. But, he promised to drive the car for me. So, I decided to do some research over this.

I always thought that buying a car only needed one to look into its price, mileage and accessories included. But, when I actually started looking into this domain and compared the whole profile of various categories of cars available in the market, I was actually quite overwhelmed at first. Slowly, I began to understand the typical jargons used, and things apart from just mileage and cost that need to be considered before you go for any car.

Here, I will give a very straight forward and simple overview about what to check and what to avoid before you plan to decide on a particular car (apart from comparing the price and the mileage). Most of the car dealers will market their automobiles at their best, for the sake of commissions they get. As purchasers, we want to get the deal that suits us the best. And, to attain that we must first try to avoid certain mistakes, which some of my friends did and have now learnt their lessons well. Since, I have stayed in New York too for a year; I can give some inputs on certain points I know about purchasing a car in America. Here, I am giving a simple list of things to check before you go ahead in buying your ‘dream’ car:

1) Check the reviews on internet. Don’t just go with one site, because many of the ‘positive’ reviews can be paid ones, just to enhance the marketing. The best place to check the reviews apart from the review forums is to check blogs, and what personal opinion do people have to talk about the particular car. You may also get better choice there, which you might be unaware of.

2) Once you have decided your car, check the price of the car at various dealerships. It is always best to get prior information about the charges, fee and other add-on prices regarding a particular car and the related dealers. This will make you more insightful about the product details and its market, thereby facilitating you in negotiating the deal, according to what suits you.

3) Know the pattern in which the automobile prices of your state or country have been designed from the previous analysis, and learn the duration when you can get the best price and incentives for your car purchase. For example, in India the best time to buy a car is in the months of October, November and December, owing to the starting of festivals like Diwali, Dusshera and then Christmas, when you can get the best offers. Similarly, in USA, the best time to purchase a car is during the holiday season i.e. the month of November and December.

4) Learn your credit history. Take precautions while dealing with it. This is something, you should never ignore.

5) Never disclose your license number or social security number to your dealers.

6) Always look for the price invoice sticker or MSRP before you put your hands on a car and do the payment. Purchasing a car that comes without these important accessories is considered to be illegal.

7) You don’t need to give extra payment for sake of anything. Buy the cars at their factory price. You don’t need to be nervous about negotiating, but just have to be prepared about the correct price and the dealer’s details around your area.

According to a study, people are usually most vulnerable to get fooled away, when going for buying a car because of their ignorance about the details, deals and other necessary word related to the ownership of a car. They just look into the model’s details and ignore the other crucial things associated with the business of purchasing a car, unless being guided by an experienced well-wisher.

Also, once you have got the car, don’t just start roaming around with it, without getting proper insurance done. I remember, one of my friends who bought a brand new car, kept the insurance business for later part, and was crying on my shoulders when her car got stolen the third day of her purchase. So, always take precautionary step, check for the good car insurance company in your locality and get all the necessary paper work done as soon as possible.