Michiana Auto Mall's Tips For Success In Buying Your Next Car.
The Michiana area has many great places to buy a vehicle. Some times it can be a lot to handle. That is why Michiana Auto Mall has put together a few tips to assist you with your car selection.
Tip 1. Assess Your Needs
There are many thing to look at when picking out your next vehicle. Its always fun to look at your dream car. But it may not meet your needs right now or in the future. We have come up with a few things for you to consider;
- How many passengers do you need to carry?
- What type of driving do you do: highway, surface streets, off-road?
- Do you have a long commute and, because of that, is fuel economy important to you?
- What safety features are important to you?
- Will you be using children's car seats?
- How much garage or parking space do you have?
- Do you need all-wheel drive?
All of this and more needs to go into you planning for your next car. Also consider the seasons in the Michiana Area. The weather changes so much through the year its important to think about that as well.
Tip 2. Set your Budget
Unless you're paying cash for your car, you'll need to think about financing your purchase or lease. How much can you really afford to allocate toward a car payment each month? The general rule is no more than 20 percent of your monthly take-home pay.
Tip 3. Compare Leasing and Buying
Leasing and buying each have pros and cons, and how you feel about these may help guide your decision on whether to lease or buy.There are many things that go into buying or leasing your next vehicle. Here are a few of the factors you need to consider when looking at your options.
Leasing
- You can drive a more expensive car for less money.
- You can drive a new car, with the latest technology, every few years.
- There are no trade-in hassles at the end of the lease.
Buying
- You have more flexibility to sell the car whenever you want.
- You can modify the car to your tastes.
- There are no mileage penalties if you drive a lot.
- In the long run, your car expenses will be lower.
Tip 4. Consider Other Cars in The Class You Select
Every class of vehicle has several options in it. Like with the midsize sedan, you have the Chevy Impala, Ford Fusion, Toyota Camry, and the Honda Accord to name a few. You should do your research in to several of the option in the class you select. Every one bring with it, its own style and features. Look into as many as you like to find the one that best fits in to your life.
Tip 5. Consider the Cost of Ownership
This is part of planning for the future. One of the best things you can do for this is talk to people who own the car and your mechanic. They can give you a good insight into what goes into the owning this car.
Tip 6. Find Cars for Sale
In the past this consisted of driving from dealer to dealer. But That all change with the internet. Michiana Auto Mall Is out of the best resources for you in this market. Being able to look at many of the dealers in the local area will give you a birds eye view. Pulling in the type of car you are seeking and seeing what is in the market right now will make selecting a few of them to test drive a quick and painless process.
Tip 7. Time to Set Up A Test Drive
Now that you have found a few of the vehicles you would like to test drive its time to set them up. It is best to set up as many test drives as you can on the same day. Get a feel for all of them before you make you final selection.
Tip 8. Take it Through its Paces on the Test Drive
Drive it like you would in your day to day. Now if you drive race cars for a living maybe not that. But if you drive highway to work take it out on the highway. Drive it in town and on country roads. Test the brakes in a safe location as well as the steering. All of this is important when on a test drive.
Tip 9. Time to Pick Your Next Car
After all of your test drives The choice should be clear. But if you are going back and forth on a few cars, take a step back and sleep on it. In the morning you might have the answer. This is not the time to rush. If you have to there is no harm in jumping back a few steps and test driving a few more cars. Do not rush this step. This will be your new car for the next few years.
Tip 10. Time to Take it Home
If you have used all of our steps this step should be easy. You know what you want and have done your home work. You are an informed buyer. That being said if there is anything that is giving you pause, take the night and sleep on it. Everything you have done up to this point is to make your life easier.
This is just a tool for you to use. This is not all the steps for everyone. There are several thing that come in to play. Take your time and make the right choice. This is the second biggest purchase you will make in your life time. There is no rush take you time. Do you research. And have Fun. Enjoy this, it only happens every few years. And remember Michiana Auto Mall is here to help you along the way.
