Buying a car is one of the most expensive things that anyone can do. Along with buying house, the process of purchasing a car is honestly one of the most expensive items that most people are ever going to have to consider. Most people are not CEOs, after all, and never have to deal with such large sums of money. Because of this, it can be difficult to follow all of the ins and outs of what goes into the considerations of buying a new car. There are just so many questions you have to answer before you even visit the physical dealership. What sort of car do I need? Do I need to visit a Chrysler dealer, a jeep dealer, a used car dealer? How much money do I have and what sorts of car does that give me access to? Can I visit a new car dealer or should you go for used cars? These are all important things to consider and they can seem overwhelming if you take them all at once. What follows is a short list of things you might want to consider when choosing a car dealer.
- Starting with the basics
Before you can even head out to the lot or the dealership, you’ll need to think about a few fundamental things that will affect the ultimate financial decision you decide to make. Let’s start with a hypothetical man named Frank. Frank has an alright job as a copy editor and lives in an apartment in Vancouver. He likes cats, rare books and shows about medieval history. His tastes aren’t expensive so he has a little extra cash and can afford to splurge on a slightly nicer car. But what sort of car should he get? How should he go about choosing a car dealer? First, let’s consider where exactly it is that he lives. Frank lives in urban Vancouver, a place that’s both busy and colder than average. He doesn’t live in LA, for instance or in rural Montana. So he’s going to want to think about a dealership that deals in smaller or more efficient cars. Especially because he lives in a city, he’s going to spend a lot of time sitting in traffic which can put a lot of wear on his brakes and tires. He’ll also be dealing with possible snow and ice, so he’s going to want extra tough tires that can handle the punishing weather. Overall, his geography is going to require that he visit a dealership that specializes in tougher, more stout cars than normal.
Social needs
Once he knows what type of dealership he needs to visit, he needs to consider what sort of things he’s going to be using the car for. Many people need a car that specializes in safety because they are often carting their families to events and school functions. Others might need it to haul freight or help them out in their jobs. Some people can’t even do their jobs without a specific kind of car. But, for Frank to make the best decision in choosing a car dealer, he needs to be realistic about his own uses for the car. He lives in a city, after all, and can work from home so it’s not exactly for necessary bread winning. It’s more of a recreational vehicle for leisure uses so he needs to make it’s comfortable enough to work in that way. Because of this, when choosing a car dealer, it pays to be honest to yourself and the people who are doing the selling.
Last notes
The final thing Frank needs to take into consideration is, of course, how much money he has saved and how much money he makes. He needs to look into the future and think about whether he can make the payments and whether he should get a new or used car. Finances are naturally complicated and many people avoid proper planning but Frank is too smart for that and you should be too. Plan your finances accordingly and pick the dealership that best helps you in that endeavor.
