It’s easy to fall in love with a car you’ve just seen on the street or in an advertisement. New cars are sexy. They can look fast, tough, cute, strong, practical, scary, silly or a mix of all of the above. But cars can also be expensive, impractical and flat-out wrong for your lifestyle, budget and needs.
The first but often the least exciting step in the car-buying process is deciding what you can afford. Be real about your income and you’ll be much happier driving whatever vehicle you choose.
Read: 5 Tips to Decide How Much Car You Can Afford
Once you know your budget, you’ll have a decent idea of whether or not you’re focusing on a new or used car. There are pros and cons with both kinds of vehicles so do a little homework.
Read: The Pros and Cons of Buying a New and Used Car
Now you need to decide what kind of car you need. We’re not talking about what kind of car you want (not yet, anyway). There is a difference – often a big one – and buying a car that doesn’t fit you, your budget, or the way you live can turn into a costly mistake. Here are 5 important decisions you should make before you shop for your next car.
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1. Make Sure Your Car Fits You and Your Passengers
When choosing a new or used car, be sure it fits, and by this we mean make sure you – and your passengers if you frequently travel with others – will be comfortable. Sometimes it’s hard to tell during a short test drive how well a seat will support you during a long road trip. But simple assessments of seat position, leg room, foot room, whether the interior is padded where you rest your arms or prop your legs, outward visibility, and even the shape of the steering wheel rim are easy to determine after just a few minutes inside a vehicle. Trust us on this: if you’re not able to find a comfortable position before you’ve even started the car, things will not get better the longer you sit there. They will get worse.
Think about how you’ll use the car today – and tomorrow as well. Sure, that two-door Nissan Altima Coupe (view photos) looks far sportier than the sedate Altima Sedan (view photos). But if children and car seats loom in your near future or you’re a real estate agent who spends much of your life ferrying prospective home buyers around town in the back seat of your car, you may quickly curse that coupe.
