If you will soon head to the UK, whether to visit or take up permanence residence there, you might be considering purchasing a new car while in the country. If so, it’s worth reading up on particular dos and don’ts of making such a purchase if you don’t want to get financially caught out.
Think about what type of car you require
This bears strong emphasis given the significant degree to which cars can vary. However, there are quite a few different factors that should be considered and MoneySavingExpert.com details.
For example, how much room will you need in the car? If you are preparing to have children, then purchasing a two-seater convertible wouldn’t make sense. Little ones could also require pushchairs, the on-the-move storage of which could call for a boot of significant size.
If you are particularly eco-conscious, you might also want to consider an electric or hybrid car.
Plan ahead to assess the vehicle’s true cost
Your expenditure on the car certainly wouldn’t end with the upfront cost. Tax and insurance can prove especially problematic financial bugbears, while the car’s fuel efficiency could determine whether regularly using that vehicle drains your bank balance or barely dents it.
Garnering a good idea of your car’s overall financial footprint will depend on you planning significantly in advance. Otherwise, you could too easily seal a deal on a seemingly inexpensive car only to realise that you haven’t accounted for prohibitively hefty running costs, cautions the Express.
Choose a suitable time to make your purchase
In the UK, car dealers are routinely given targets which they are under pressure to meet if they want to grab bonuses. As these targets are usually sales-based, you could especially benefit from buying a car near the close of March, June, September or December – at the end of financial quarters.
At these times, dealers can be more open to compromising on price. However, don’t wait until the quarter’s final day, as targets may have been met – and, thus, deals gone – by then.
Test drive each car that you strongly consider
While the specific car you test won’t be the same that you would be buying, the test drive could still help you detect issues that would be in all cars from the same production run.
During the test, assess the comfort of your driving position and whether you can improve that comfort by adjusting the seat or steering wheel position. You should also try driving on various routes – including the motorway if you anticipate using this with a car that you do eventually buy.
Take out insurance for a car before you become its owner
In the UK, this is crucial because anything that occurs to this car would be your responsibility. Furthermore, you would be legally barred from driving on any of the UK’s public roads if you haven’t implemented car insurance. Therefore, source insurance before, not after, picking up the car. A UK-based broker like Call Wiser can help you find cost-effective insurance.