Have you just passed your driving test? Are you now the proud recipient of a shiny new driver’s license? If so, congratulations are in order! Having a driver’s license now means you have the freedom to own a car and drive it wherever you want, whenever you want!

After much celebrating, your thoughts will soon turn to getting your first car. Some folks are lucky enough to have a car bought for them by their parents or close family. Whereas others will have to save up some cash to buy a car themselves!

But whoever buys the car, the choice of what car you get should be yours. Buying a car is quite an individual thing, and it should be one that isn’t taken out of your hands. As you have never bought a car before, doing so might seem like a complex affair.

Lucky for you today’s featured article here will demystify the process. It will walk you through the steps to choosing your perfect car! So without any further ado, here is the car buying guide that first-time car buyers like you have been waiting for!

Who’s paying for the car?

Here’s the thing; the car you buy will often depend on who’s buying it! If your parents have said they will buy you a car, they might buy you a model that’s newer than what you could afford if you bought it yourself.

Of course, you might have to fund your first car yourself. Depending on what income you have, the choice you have might be somewhat limited. If you would rather not drive around in a lemon, perhaps you could come up with a compromise.

You could pay for the most of the car using your own cash, and borrow the rest from your parents. I say this, because I am working on the assumption that you are a young new driver. If you have got your driver’s license at a later stage of your life, you could always borrow the money from your bank or a finance company.

But if you are a teenager, for example, it’s not likely you will get offered a loan or finance at such a tender young age.

Be realistic with your choice of car

Unless you come from a wealthy family, there’s no chance you can get a Ferrari for your first car! That’s why you need to be realistic with your choice of car. It has to be a model that is affordable enough to buy, cheap to insure and offers good reliability.

The last thing you want to do is buy a car (or get bought a car) that costs you a fortune to maintain. That means there’s a high chance you won’t be able to get the car of your dreams as your first car.

I know that sucks. But you have to gain experience on the road and be a bit older before the “nice” car you want can be an affordable reality rather than a pipe dream!

SUV? Sports car? Coupe?

You will know by now that there are plenty of different makes and models on the road these days. It’s possible to buy most car types without spending a fortune buying them. But how do you know which is the best one for you?

Each person will have their own set of needs and tastes when it comes to cars. Most new drivers prefer to drive a small car like a compact so that they can get used to driving on the road by themselves.

Image credit: order_242

If you get a big old SUV for your first car, it can give you a false sense of security on the road. And it’s likely you might have an auto accident in it because you don’t know how to drive it well.

I’m sure that your driving skills are great on the road. But all new drivers lack one thing: experience. I recommend you start out with a small car and upgrade to bigger ones when you feel confident enough to do so.

Check out the Drive website for some examples of compact and small cars that you can buy today.

Insurance

To be a law-abiding motorist, you will need to get insurance for your car. The thing about auto insurance is that it can often be expensive for new drivers like yourself. That’s because insurance companies view new drivers as a “high risk.”

In other words, there is a greater chance of you making a claim against your insurance policy for accidental damage or theft. Smaller, less-expensive cars tend to be cheaper to insure than bigger ones. As you can see, there are many reasons why most new drivers start off driving smaller cars!

There are plenty of insurance companies out there. Before you buy an insurance-friendly car, I recommend you get quotes from a few insurers first. That way you can go with the one that offers the best deal and value for money.

Should you buy a new or used car?

It’s a well-known fact that most new drivers are quite young. Many don’t have jobs that pay well; most youngsters are still at school or college after all!

In those cases, it’s easier for new, younger drivers to save up some cash and buy a used car. And because of their young age, many will find it hard to obtain finance on new cars. I’m not saying that it’s impossible for a youngster to get a brand new car. I’m just saying it will be a challenge.

If you are an older driver and have a good credit record, you shouldn’t have a problem getting finance for a brand new car. The only thing you need to do is make sure that you can afford the repayments. Because if you can’t, you can expect the repo man taking your pride and joy away from you!

I hope today’s article has been useful to you. Thank you for reading it; see you soon!

Image credit: The National Roads and Motorists Association