How to Compare Cars When Buying?

These days there is a lot of talk regarding how to compare cars, and many suggested ways to do. There are websites that will apparently compare cars for you. What you need to remember is that you should be comparing a variety of factors, and not forgetting to add on the cost of car insurance, and other bills that will come your way to give you the total ongoing cost of owning the car. Here are some tips to help you make the right decision and make a real comparison, and a real car purchasing.

Limitations of Websites. Some websites offer some form of car comparison, and you should use these, but understand this is only limited to the factors that they have included. They do not include many of the intangible reasons why we buy a car. They definitely don’t include factors like; ‘how good will I feel going on a date in this car?’; ‘how great will I feel owning this car’; ‘I will go on surfing trips now that I have this car’. University studies have proven that it is in the human nature, yes true animal instinct, for a woman to be more attracted to a man that looks stable and wealthy (unlike men who are generally attracted on appearance). This does mean that your love life may improve with a better car. It sounds like a cliché, but the fact is, it is true, and has been scientifically proven.

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Getting Quotes. Getting real life quotes for you is important. Car insurance quotes are easy to get online, and mobile service companies or the local dealership, or workshop, can give you a good idea of the costs for regular repair and running of your vehicle.

Understand Your Kilometres and Fuel Cost. It is a good idea to do some simple calculations of how many kilometres you will travel in an average week. Then add 20%. If you are buying a second hand car, you can ask the owner what they think the real fuel consumption is (they will know what they drive each week, and how much it costs). Again, when you get the total, work out the cost in fuel, and add some more to this cost. Work this cost out over a year, and it would be a good idea to increase this by 10-15%.

Life Changes.  A car may bring about great changes in your life as we mentioned above, and it is important to understand what changes that will bring about for you. You may be spending more in other areas of your life because you have a changed lifestyle. You will probably be spending more than just more money each week on your car running costs; you will also be spending more in other activities – because you have greater access.

Be Realistic With Yourself. The best way to be realistic is to write down your intentions. You might feel embarrassed to say these aloud to others, but you can write them down and see them yourself. By being honest with yourself, in terms of your needs, and your desires, you are more likely to get what you really need or want – that will be your real decision.

The reality is that we are all human, and there are many more factors that will influence our purchase, that was is purely practical, reasonable and sensible. More often not that will be the case. If it wasn’t, we would all be robots. Life is also about living and enjoyment. The earlier we are more honest with ourselves, the sooner we will make a decision that we understand why, and will be able to deal with later. It is possible that if you don’t get what you really want, you will also wish you never bought it, or vice versa. At least you will know.

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