Every year millions of cars are being sold in Malaysia alone, therefore, it’s obvious that a lot of people are considering the purchase of a new car at this very moment. So if you are one of those people pondering the question of whether to buy a Proton or a Toyota, what should you really be thinking about? At the second most expensive purchase you will ever make, next to buying a home, you would hope you would be able to answer that question.. If you can’t, answer these three simple questions for yourself and you’ll be well on your way to becoming the savviest buyer before you even step foot in that car dealership.
How Much Car Can You Afford?
Take a good hard look at your budget and figure out how much money you have left after your basic needs. Regardless of whether you plan to pay cash or to finance your new wheels, everyone has financial boundaries that trust me, you are going to want to respect. If you push beyond that limit purely because you desperately want that beautiful car, you will end up in nothing but stress and debt. Remember that yes, cars cost a lot of money to buy, but they also cost a lot of money to run. Keep in mind petrol costs, insurance, road tax, services and basic maintenance, making the wrong decision in buying a car too expensive for your wallet can leave you with no money left for unexpected issues that may arise with the vehicle.
What’s The Reason for Buying This New Car?
You can cultivate the world’s longest list of excuses all you like to everyone else around you, but just make sure that at the end of the day you understand exactly why you are buying the car. If you want a new car because your current one is too small, you are having a midlife crisis or maybe it’s because you are simply just bored to death then that’s completely fine, just don’t lie to yourself and pretend that it’s because of its poor fuel consumption or service costs. Nail down the exact reason on as to why you are buying a new car before you even begin to look, because car dealers are experts at selling you what they want to sell you. If you give them illegitimate reasons for what you want you will drive away with a car you don’t even want because they made it sound like a fantastic deal you just can’t pass up.
What Do You Need Out of This Car?
Are you a family man or are you looking for a two seater to take out for a joy ride on the weekend? Going all out on a sports car is not going to be the wisest choice if you have 5 bags and 3 kids to lug in tow every weekend. I know this sounds painfully obvious to most but if you apply this logic to every aspect of your prospect car then the process is actually a lot smoother.
Do you drive a lot on the motorway? Or are your trips relatively small? Do you need large boot space or not? Low suspension might look fantastic but if the roads you usually drive are paved with bumps and potholes, you might not have the smoothest of all rides. Find a car that ticks all of your boxes, do not settle. If you buy a car purely for aesthetic reasons you will soon find yourself wanting to switch it out for a more practical option, so save yourself the time and the hassle and think it through!
So there you have it. Three simple questions to ask yourself before you even step foot in any sort of car dealership. Be honest with yourself, be realistic and be practical. You only have yourself to blame if you walk away unhappy with your purchase. So be an intelligent car buyer and make sure you know exactly what you’re doing any why before you start looking for that new set of wheels.