Every vehicle is a gateway to freedom on the road, a time-saving machine that enables you to commit to complete errands and visit multiple places in one day. Which is why the point of this post isn’t regarding if you should get a car, the answer to that is obvious. It’s about choosing a vehicle that’s right for you. With a whole range of autos owning different styles, costs, speeds and so on you may be wondering how to arrive at a conclusion. Well fear not, the three points below will enable you to maintain a positive mindset when choosing a car that’s right for you.
Affordability
Depending on the amount of money you have will determine and limit the cars you can afford to buy. This is a positive to help you in your search and drill down to the vehicles within your price range. Alternatively, if you have a steady income, you may consider financing a car. However, this is a long-term commitment and will incur interest charges too, meaning at the end of the finance term you will have paid more than the car is worth. And don’t forget, that alongside the payment of the vehicle is also the ongoing costs that are unavoidable. Such as;
Repairs and maintenance
Sevice
MOT
Insurance
Tax
Petrol
Take these into consideration when you are pricing up a car to buy, as you may be able to afford the monthly instalments of a New Mercedes-Benz GLE, but if you can’t afford the ongoing costs, you can not reasonably afford this car over the long term.
Practicality
By following a rough budget of what you can afford to spend, you can begin to search for cars within this price range. To funnel down your car choices further, consider what functions your car needs to have to suit your driving needs. Here are a few examples of different practical requirements;
Families - Generally require 5 door car for easy access to the back seats, and seat shapes that are able to fix car seats to safely (for instance bucket seats are a no-go for car seats), ISOFIX points may also be a priority.
Pets - If you have a large dog, you may want a boot size big enough to cater for them, to keep them safe and prevent them disrupting you while you drive.
Work - If you are driving 30 miles to and from work every day on the motorway, your priorities would most likely be a cost-effective car, such as a diesel (better for long car journeys) and one that you feel comfortable inside as you will be spending a lot of time in your car each day.
Image
Choosing a car is a tricky business, past the mot, insurance costs, and essential safety bits, you probably also want to feel like the car is a ‘bit of you’. There are a few stereotypes you are probably aware of, linking different demographics to certain vehicles, such as;
London Taxi - to this day, and probs forever, my white black cab (aka a London Taxi) will be the greatest family car I ever own. It ticked every box, and went in bus lanes.
Campervan - an adored vintage vehicle, stereotypically connected to hippies, surfers and hipsters.
Subaru - connected to boy racers for it’s ‘cool image’ and speed, commonly sporting tips to make the exhaust extra noisy, tinted windows and a loud sound system.
SUVs and MPVS - Family cars with sheer volume for the busy parent escorting children to playdates, pets to the park, and taking occasional UK holidays with the capacity to tug along a caravan.
However, you shouldn't limit yourself to follow the status quo, so long as your affordability, and practically boxes are ticked you are free to choose any car you like in terms of image, so go wild!
Whether it’s your first, third or fifth car, finding a car that aligns with your budget and lifestyle is important, and will also help you to choose a car that’s right for you.