10 things to consider when buying a car!

Do you own a car? Since the outbreak of the new corona pandemic, having your own transportation has become more attractive to most Jamaicans.  The challenge is ensuring that you can afford to buy and maintain a car during these difficult times.

So what should you consider when buying a car? Here are 10 tips!

1. Know your budget!

It is important that you know exactly how much you have to spend on the vehicle. Even if you are going to take out a loan, there are other costs involved such as deposits or fees associated with the loan.

2. Do your research

Some cars may initially be sold for a low price but the parts for that particular model car might be costly or simply hard to source.

Additionally some types of cars have very poor resale and as a result are poor investments. Eventually you might want to sell the car but find that no one wants to buy it and that can affect your ability to buy a new car.  So it pays to do your research and buy a car that has good resale.

3. Use a reputable broker or car dealership

Too often there are horror stories of cars being sold that are on their last legs but the damage was hidden from the buyer until it was too late for them to do anything about it. So try to stick to dealerships with good reputations that offer some kind of guarantee that the vehicle has been serviced recently.

4. Compare prices

Don’t buy the first car that you see instead ensure that you are getting a fair price by checking out other options.

5. Get a second opinion

Take along a friend for a second pair of eyes they might catch something that you missed.

6. Test Drive Potential Purchases

Sometimes a test drive will reveal hidden problems not seen when the car is on the lot.

7. Check out any mechanical issues the car might have- use a mechanic

8. Negotiate - often the initial price is not the final price.

9. Check the speedometer – sometimes overlooked but a car with lots of mileage can mean lots of issues.

10. Ensure that you budget for insurance costs

If you adhere to those suggestions you will have less stress as you get that dream car. What about you? What do you do to ensure that you do when buying a car? Drop me a line below!

Teri Ann Renee Paisley

Gleaner online writer

Tags: budget. insurance, car, tips