Buying a car is probably the second most expensive purchase there is after buying a home, so choosing the right one for is vital.
Last year my beloved Citroen C4 Picasso blew up and I have to admit that we bought my next car in a bit of a hurry and much as it is safe and reliable, I just don’t love it.
Although I am persevering with my car, it is looking like Hubby’s needs replacing as it has got to the stage where we are throwing money at it just to keep it on the road.
After my car issues last year I am a lot more savvy and am doing a lot of research into not only the safest cars on the market, but also the most reliable ones too.
The first choice we have to make is whether to buy new or second-hand.
The advantages of buying a new car is that they normally come with a lengthy warranty, has all the mod cons and costs less to maintain and run, however, they do lose money as soon as they are driven off the forecourt.
The advantage of buying a second-hand car is that it is cheaper and depending on the age of the car, may still come with some warranty.
Whichever you decide it is then time to do your research and make sure that the model you choose has good reviews and is reliable.
Then there is the finance decision. Do we lease a car, buy it outright with the help of a loan or take part in a hire-purchase scheme.
Leasing the car would see us pay the dealer a fixed monthly amount for the use of a car, with servicing and maintenance included, as long as the mileage doesn’t exceed a specified limit, but we would never own the car, whereas, hire-purchase is a loan is secured against the car. This means we don’t own the car until the last payment has been made.
My car is the family workhorse so Hubby doesn’t need a big car, but a five door is preferable in case he does have to take the kids out. It also needs to have a bit of oomph as he is on the road travelling long distances quite a lot for work.
So my task over the next few weeks is to research suitable cars and deals for not only him, but for Kian too as he turns 17 next month……..wish me luck!