• By Jenny Turnbull
• Published 10/4/2012

Buying the first car can be one of the most exciting experiences of one’s life. As exciting as the purchase going to be, it could even be nerve wracking especially if you do not know how to go about it. A lot of people dread the idea of going for car shopping.

It is going to be a huge investment and you would not want to waste your money on a “lemon”. However, buying your first car does not have to be that difficult. There are a few considerations that you need to make when looking for cars for sale in Southampton and when making the purchase. Here are a few tips to get you started:

While deciding to buy the car, you need to take a good look at the bottom line. You would need to determine different factors such as who is going to drive this car and where? The number of passengers is your car going to carry, how much can you afford to pay? Who is going to finance it and how? How much will insurance cost?  

Once you have answered the above questions, you would need to start gathering knowledge about which cars are the safest and well built. You would need to make your investment wisely. That is why it would be wise for you to invest in a car that is not only well built and safe, but is also within your budget.

A well built car will last longer and give you lesser troubles.       

While you are learning about the different cars, make sure you do your research thoroughly. Do not commit to a particular model right away just because you liked the look of the car. You would need to learn about the different features of the car.

How good are the car’s safety features? How much maintenance does it require? You would not want to buy a car that costs a small fortune on maintenance every year. You can also learn about the car’s reputation in the market through newspaper stories, auto magazines, reporting agencies and so on.

After you have done your research and decided on a particular model, you would need to obtain copies of your credit report. It is important to make sure you do not have any issues in your credit report that may hamper getting a better financing rate or sink the deal completely. 

You must investigate your financing options other than the dealer’s. Banks or credit unions often give you better rates than the dealers.

Get online and find a dealer with the car that you are looking to buy. Once you have found the dealer, fix a meeting. Don’t forget to bring all the research you have done on rebates and pricing.

Make sure you ask all the questions you have about before making the deal. The dealer needs to understand that you are not in a hurry and you won’t sign the papers unless you get a fair deal. 

These were some of the tips to get you started. You can use these tips when you are looking for cars for sale in Portsmouth. No matter which dealer you are buying your car from, shopping around always helps. See what other dealers are offering.