First car?

Buying your first car can be exciting, but it is no easy task. There a lot of factors one must put into consideration before making such a big purchase, such as buying new or used. I will try and cover all the bases in undertaking such a task.

New or used?


Everyone wants to buy a brand new car to show off to their friends and have the self satisfaction of knowing you're driving a vehicle no one else has operated before you, but for new drivers, this is highly discouraged. New drivers lack the experience and foresight necessary to prevent and avoid accidents. Nobody wants to get in a car accident, let alone in a new car. As such, a good recommendation would be to buy an older model for a new or teen aged driver, and later on, once with good driving experience, to let them operate more pricey cars.

Buying new.

Wouldn't it be great to roll off the car lot in one of these

When buying new, you have a little less to worry about compared to buying a used vehicle. Your three biggest concerns will be pricing, long term reliability and comfort.

Most modern vehicles should not give you any trouble before the warranty is up. Keep up with maintenance, and the car will treat you right. There is always exceptions; you may end up with a lemon, or a genuinely unreliable car.

Generally speaking, luxury vehicles will be a lot more expensive to maintain once the warranty is up compared to an economy car or a sports car. This is especially true for German vehicles with a poor maintenance history and a neglectful owner.

Tip: Want to get a great deal on your car? Call up a dealership with a particular model you have in mind. Note down the price, colour, etc. Don't give the impression you're ready to buy the car then and there, this will make the rep want to give you the incentive to come back. Call another dealership, preferably of same size or bigger, and ask if they can beat the price given from the previous dealership. Call the first dealership again, and tell them another dealership gave them a better price on the same model. They will give you an unbeatable price if you do business with them.

Buying used.

Buying used ain't all bad after all!

Buying used can get you an amazing deal, or you could end up with a financial tragedy.

 The most important thing when buying used is to check it's maintenance history. A properly maintained vehicle should not give you any trouble assuming you follow maintenance schedule.

Ask the owner of the vehicle to show receipts and if you can afford it, get a car report. A car with a salvage title isn't necessarily bad, but proper reparations must be undertaken.

Take the car for a test drive. listen for unusual noises, rattles, vibrations, etc. 

Take the car out to a mechanic you trust, and ask for a cylinder compression test. each cylinder should not vary more than 20psi from one another. Have him inspect it and look for problems. If all checks out well, feel free to negotiate the price with the owner.

Best of luck car shopping!