asemisnarkyguidetolife

[asemisnarkyguidetolife]

Five things to keep in mind when buying a car: 

Before you have your heart set on a car you should research the common issues that occur with the make, model, and year of the car you’re interested in buying. I would do research online but also by going into auto-mechanic shops and asking mechanics. Another good place to go to and ask is an auto parts shop. 

Look into the car insurance. You are not just paying for a car - you are going to pay for car insurance. Before purchasing a vehicle you should research the average insurance cost of the make, model, and year of that car. (If you have the VIN number of the vehicle you’re interested in you will have a more accurate idea of what you will be paying.) If you are ordering a car online you may need to show proof of insurance when they’re delivering the car. If you’re aware of this earlier rather than later you have more time to find the best deal for car insurance instead of running around like a headless chicken and just going with any car insurance. And last but not least some auto insurance companies offer a discount if you have a plan with them a certain amount of days before you need the insurance. 

A general rule of buying a used car is don’t pick a car that has a hundred thousand in  mileage or near that mileage. A smart way to get an idea of how long your car is going to last before you reach that mileage is to find out how many miles a single trip to your job or college is, multiply it by two, and then think on how many days you will be driving to school or work. If your job is sixteen miles away then driving there and back home would be thirty-two miles a day. If you work five days a week that is a hundred and sixty miles per week just to commute to your job - that is not including going grocery shopping regularly, driving to meet friends, or anything else. Now let’s say there's thirty-two weeks left in the year you buy your car. That is five thousand one hundred and twenty miles you will be driving that year just from work alone. Use this example to find how many years it will take your car to reach that hundred thousand mileage. 

Your credit score affects your loan but can also affect your car insurance. If you know you will be car shopping in the future you should try and raise your credit score. Your credit score is affected by payment history, the length of your credit history, how much you owe, the types of credit accounts you have open, and last but not least credit inquiries. Understanding how credit score works and how to improve it can save you money.

If this is your first car you should research the auto mechanic shops near you. Go ahead and figure out which auto mechanic has good reviews - please keep in mind the cheapest option may save you money upfront but could bite you in the ass if the mechanic isn’t good - so you’re not abruptly scrambling to pick an option when you abruptly need it. Even if a sudden emergency doesn’t occur you still need to look into a good place to get your oil changed. I mention oil change because that will be the most common work you will need done to your car.