5 Things Not To Do When Buying a Car

Buying a car is both an exciting and confronting experience. When investing so much money on a car you need to make sure that what you are buying does what it says and meets your lifestyle needs. With that being said, many Car Buyers make simple, avoidable mistakes throughout the Car Buying Process that often increases costs and creates disappointment.

Here are 5 Things not to do when buying a car.

1. No Planning & Research

The biggest mistake you can make when buying a car is not doing enough research. Buying a car is a massive decision, you cannot rationalize and make a spur of the moment buying decision, or you could find yourself disappointed later.

Before you start looking for a car, it is important that you research what type of car you want to buy. What will you use the car for? Is it for Work or is it for leisure? Once you determine what type of car you want start researching what options are out there. As you are spending thousands of dollars, you want to mitigate your risks, researching and planning will put you in a good position when it comes time to buy.

2. Not Checking your Credit Score

An all too familiar mistake that many car buyers make is not checking their credit score beforehand. The problem with not checking your credit score is you won’t know if you are eligible for car finance or not.

Car finance is an extremely important part of the car buying process. For most people, you can’t buy a car without having access to finance. The reason why you want to check your credit score is it will tell you whether you are lendable or not. If you find that your credit score is not as good as it should be, you have the ability to start improving your score in order to gain finance and buy your dream vehicle. The last thing you want is to have your mind set on a vehicle only to find out you can’t get it because you are not credit worthy.

3. Base your buying decision on price alone

We get it, price is an important factor when it comes to buying a car. However, many people base their buying decision on price alone. The problem with doing this is just because a car is cheap, doesn’t mean that it will provide you with everything you need.

It is important that you look outside of the vehicle price, we know you have budget limits, but you should never base your buying decision on price alone. You need to ensure the vehicle is reliable, matches your lifestyle and what you are looking for. There are more things you need to consider than just the price when buying a car!

4. Not gaining a Car History & PPSR Report

If you are looking to buy a used car, you would be crazy not to gain a Car History & PPSR Report. Many buyers make the mistake of forgoing the relevant vehicle checks and on occasion can be burnt with purchasing lemon.

The reason why you should always gain a Car History & PPSR report is it shows you the vehicles history, if it is under any recalls, stolen status and if there is currently any finance owed on the vehicle.

If you are looking to buy from a dealership, many dealerships offer Car History & PPSR reports free of charge. If you are looking to purchase a car from a private seller, you will most likely need to purchase this on your own behalf.

To purchase a Car History Report please visit the official website here.

To purchase a PPSR Report, please visit the official website here.

5. Looking to Buy a Car Without Access to Finance

Another common mistake that many car buyers make is starting to look for a vehicle without having access to or pre-approved finance. The problem with doing this is you won’t know if you can afford the vehicle or not.

When buyers start looking for a car without having access to finance, it can be upsetting if you find out the vehicle you have set your sights on is out of your reach. If you are looking to buy a car and need finance to do so, it is important that you apply for pre-approval prior to you starting your search. Applying for pre-approval will let you know how much you can borrow. This is important as you can start your search within a set amount that meets your financial position.

Final Word,

To make the right buying choice, car buyers need to plan and prepare to mitigate the risks. The 5 mistakes mentioned above are common when buying a car and can be avoided through the solutions presented.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. To read more articles like this, please visit the Shop for Cars latest new page here.

About Shop for Cars,

Shop for Cars is Australia’s first car dealership-only online classified. Shop for Cars brings you the best quality new and used vehicles from trusted motor dealers Australia wide. Shop for Cars currently has over 12,500 cars listed for sale all from licensed Motor Vehicle Dealers ONLY.

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DISCLAIMER: This is all based on opinion please research and consult with all relevant parties to make the best-buying decision.