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Advice on buying and maintaining
a car from gocompare.com     

 

Introduction

Students, along with other young drivers, face a tough introduction to the world
of motoring. The launch of a more stringent driving test coupled with
notoriously high car insurance premiums and a limited range of finance options,
can all combine to take the gloss off buying a car for the first time.

Yet choosing the right car is, in many ways, one of the most important decisions
you can make as it has repercussions not only in terms of your financial
wellbeing, but also in terms of both practicality and safety. The key is to do
your research first and stick to a few car buying `rules`.

Set a budget – and keep to it!

When looking for a car remember to factor in all costs, including the initial
purchase price of the vehicle, depreciation, car insurance premiums, road tax,
regular servicing and maintenance plus running costs, such as fuel and parking.
Set yourself a budget and don`t be tempted to overspend, otherwise you could
find yourself facing financial difficulties.

New cars v used cars

There are many advantages to owning a new car as opposed to a used car. Not only
is a new car likely to be more reliable than a used car, it will also come
backed by a manufacturer`s warranty. There`s no risk of a hidden history and you
can relax in the knowledge that your new car has been subjected to rigorous
safety testing and as such is likely to be better equipped than an older
vehicle.

However, you will almost certainly need comprehensive car insurance on a new car
and values of cars depreciate rapidly during the first three years of ownership,
losing around 50 per cent of their value.

A used car will not suffer the same level of depreciation and you may be able to
pick up a bargain as the screen price tends to be more flexible, particularly if
you`re buying from the current owner rather than a garage. Third party or third
party, fire and theft insurance (TPFT) may be more appropriate for an older
vehicle, which will help to reduce your `on-the-road` costs, however do bear in
mind that finding a genuine used car can be a tricky task and as such it should
not be under-estimated.

What should you do before you buy?

Here are some tips and hints to help you find the car that`s right for
you:

Do your research.

• Read plenty of reviews (written both by owners and
  professional motoring correspondents), check insurance groups (typically, the
  lower the insurance group, the cheaper the car is to insure) and calculate
  running costs, such as fuel consumption.

• Shop around online. Once you decide on which make and model you want,
  use sites such as AutoTrader to gauge availability and pricing.

• Buy a vehicle history report. It`s well worth investing in one of these
  before you buy, that way you can be confident that the vehicle hasn`t got a
  hidden history.

• Consider car finance. Usually this will be a loan or hire purchase
  agreement but you may have problems getting approval on your own, unless the
  agreement is with your own bank. Perhaps a family member would be willing to
  co-sign with you? However, if you do this you must meet repayments on time or it
  will hurt your co-signer`s credit profile as well as your own.

Also consider car leasing. This can give you access to a car that would
otherwise be out of your price range, because you only pay the difference
between the retail price and the residual value for the length of the contract,
which is usually two to four years. Each company sets its own eligibility
criteria, although typically they expect leasers to be in employment or have
some form of income.

Once you own the car…

Take care of your car by washing it regularly, waxing it twice a year and
arranging for it to be serviced at least once a year, more if you exceed
10,000-15,000 miles a year. Remember to drive safely, stick to speed limits and
never drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Driving convictions, accidents and claims will cause insurance premiums to rise.
Young drivers insurance now averages £989 according to a comparison website –
that`s twice as much as the national average. It is estimated that one in five
people are involved in an accident within six months of passing their test so
stay safe and build up a no-claims discount to save cash in the long run.

To compare thousands of car insurance deals visit gocompare.com