The Car Bible: Guide to buying your first car

Do you remember the time when you bought your first smartphone? Can you recall the dilemma of choosing the right one among a pool of brands within the same price range? The factors that we, the consumers, like looking into while purchasing a desired product can often take a toll on us.

Even the simplest desired product carries particular features that we take into consideration and then make the purchase. And when the desired product turns out to be a bucket of bolts on four wheels, it would be wise to follow a step-by-step decision-making process before buying it. 

If you are planning to buy your first car, here is a list of factors that you should take into account before you come home with a new four-wheeler. 

Fix your budget

The first and most important thing to set straight before buying a car is budget. The decision of whether you will buy a new car or a second-hand one depends entirely on your budget. However, it would be prudent if you go for a brand new or re-conditioned car unless you find a second-hand car than is fit to serve you for the years to come. 

While allocating the budget, try to set it exactly according to the amount of money you can spare. You will also have to keep the cost of registration and taxes in mind; the higher the engine's capacity, the higher the tax rate. 

Moreover, you will have to pay tax to the government every year for using your car on roads and it is better to include the amount of tax for the first 5-10 years within your budget. Otherwise, this new, once-a-year expense, might affect your cash-flow.

Speaking of cash-flow, before buying your first car, you have to calculate the monthly expenses your car will eat up from your income. The amount will vary from vehicle to vehicle as the components of differ from one car to another. 

Know what you want

After you have set your budget, the next thing to figure out is - what type of car do you want? Unless you already have decided, reflecting on your reason behind buying the car can be the best way to pick the right one. 

If you want a car to commute from home to work every day, you can consider a sedan offering good mileage. If you want to buy a car for your family, a station wagon would be the ideal choice or a minivan, if there are more than five members in the family. 

And if you want to set off on your next adventure with your new car, a sports utility vehicle would be the perfect choice. There are many options to chose from. Once you are sure of the purpose of your future car, you can start browsing for your future beater. 

Compare options

Cars, nowadays, come with many features; brands keep introducing new tweaks with every new model and to think of selecting your first car from the wide range of options available, can be a bit confusing. 

When you know of the type of vehicle you want and visit a showroom, car dealers will throw all the options available on the table for you to drool over. However, it is imperative that you stick to your own list of needs. 

The dealers might claim that the car has "special features" and ask for a hefty selling price. Instead of making a final decision at that point, you might want to check out a few more dealerships and compare the prices. Doing so will give you many options and price tags to choose from and then, you can select the one with your desired features and at the right price. 

Get your car insured

As soon as your get your car registered, the first thing you should do is get it insured. According to the law, motor vehicles are not allowed to run on roads without insurance. And since accidents are inevitable, insurance will keep your investment secure. 

You might also want to include the insurance premiums within your budget as it will a recurring expense for as long as you own the vehicle. 

Now that you have gone through the above-mentioned details, make sure you go to the showroom and pick the car that best suits you. After all, the car says a lot about the person who drives it.