The moment you buy your first car provides you with one of the best feelings in the world. After all, your new car will provide you with an unrivalled sense of independence. That said, if you’ve never really thought about the process before, then the thought of purchasing a car from an online car auction or a dealership can seem daunting. Thankfully, we’re here to help make the process simple. Here, we’ve listed four absolute essentials you need to bear in mind before you buy your first car.
1. Budget
When buying your first car, it can be tempting to stretch your budget to the max so you can upgrade to a newer model or a premium manufacturer. However, when you set your budget, it’s worth making sure you’ve factored in all the associated costs that come with running a car, such as:
- Car Insurance
- Road Tax
- Fuel
- Maintenance
- MOT
These costs can quickly add up for new drivers (insurance alone is often more than £1,000, depending on the car and how many miles you’ll cover). So, it’s important that you factor these costs into your overall budget. This way, even an unexpected repair bill won’t force you and your new car off the road for too long.
2. Choosing a make and model
When it comes to buying your first car, you need to decide which make, model and body style is best for you. It’s also worth keeping in mind that all of these factors will directly impact the upfront cost as well as the amount you’ll pay for insurance.
Generally speaking, larger cars are more expensive to insure, while smaller cars are more budget friendly. Similarly, cars with larger engines are more expensive to insure and more expensive to run than those with eco engines.
3. Deciding where to buy
At this stage of the process, you should have a good idea of your budget and the make and model of car you’d ideally like to buy. Now, you need to decide where you’d like to buy the car from.
We may be slightly biased, but here at RAW2K, we’d say that online car auctions are your best option. We stock thousands of used vehicles for you to choose from and because our auctions refresh on a daily and weekly basis, a great selection of vehicles is always available.
However, if you’re unsure that buying in an auction is right for you, then you can also buy from a dealership or an online seller. But, keep in mind that you’ll pay a premium by buying directly from a dealership. Similarly, buying from private sellers can be complicated and you’ll need to vet the car in some capacity to ensure the seller’s claims are legitimate.
4. Run through a personal checklist
Now you’ve found the first car of your dreams, you need to run through a few final checks to make sure it’s perfect for you. At this stage of the process, you need to consider whether you’d like to:
- Test drive the vehicle so you know what it’s like to drive
- Buy an additional warranty
- Conduct a thorough check of the car’s history
- Purchase any additional safety features for the vehicle
These are four absolute essentials that you must consider before you buy your first vehicle. Here at RAW2K, we specialise in providing you with great bargains on used vehicles. Our online car auctions are refreshed on a daily and weekly basis, and we include makes and models available from some of the world’s leading manufacturers, such as Volkswagen, Ford and Renault. So, why not take a look around and see what you can find?
