Buying a car – The Principles of Purchase in a Smooth Dealer’s World
The mid 1990s – A woman needed a car, and the man in her life said, “Go buy yourself a Cielo or an Escrt.” She trotted off obediently to a Ford showroom and choose a shiny red Esc*rt because she thought it looked better than the Cielo, and she liked the colour.
This is a true story; I kid you not!
Though many buyers are quite clueless when it comes to buying cars - I myself am no expert, thankfully not everybody is this hopeless. This review, shorn of all jargon(I don’t know any anyway), is targeted towards that unhappy segment – The Confused Buyer.
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I start with a confession – My only qualification to writing this guide is that I have picked 4 cars over 9 years, and none of the men(who think they know a lot about cars) in my family have complained so far.
Also, this article is not meant to be a comprehensive guide on the quality, safety and performance features that one should look for when buying cars. It is merely a shopping guide, or a to-do list, if you will, for every newbie car buyer. Old-timers and automobile experts probably will not find this useful at all.
Here are the tips that work for me:
Money Talk 1 –
How much can you(really, really) afford?*
Don’t do anything before you sit and work this out. Be clear about the difference between wants and needs, and don’t let your wants, a shiny paint job in a must have colour, or the sales-person’s smooth spiel drive you to picking up a vehicle you can’t afford – after all, it’s only a car!
Wants vs. Needs –
This is a tough call, but an absolutely necessary one. Make a list of everything you need in your vehicle and another of your wants - looks and accessories.*
You decide in which category quality, performance, safety, looks etc fall under, but do not confuse your dream car with the one that suits your needs most! If you’re not clear about the difference, the vehicle you drooled over could be one you, as an owner, end up hating!
If three seat-belts in the rear seat or side impact bars are a need for you, eliminate the sexy ‘0 to 100 in no time’ model that doesn’t cater to that requirement.
Consider who is going to use the vehicle, and for what purpose. Will you be mostly driving it to work and back, or will you be doing car-pool duty in it? Are you looking for style or a workhorse, or that rare combination of the two? Is it enough to have just enough boot space for a suitcase, or are you going to be hauling half a dozen school bags, marble samples, and whatnot in it?
Do make sure that the vehicles you look at match your needs first, and then throw in as many wants as your budget permits! (Does anybody really need a sunroof or ‘mag’ alloy wheels?)
Background info –
After you have narrowed down your choice to less than a handful of makes, it’s time for more detailed research.** There are different ways in which you can get your info.
1-Magazines – read up everything you can find about your preferred brands. Most auto magazines carry absolutely essential information on the quality of and safety features available in today’s cars. Look out for the J.D.Power survey results.
2- Ask those you know, who own the car, about their experiences. The person need not be an expert(talk about torque might just confuse you more anyway). Often the layman will come up with a gem an expert overlooks. Some questions you should ask are about mileage(don’t ever believe what a dealer says), cost of maintenance, after sales service etc.
3- Manufacturers/dealers – I agree these people have a vested interest in giving you the best picture about their vehicle, but do talk to them anyway. If you have done enough homework, which you should have done by now, you will know enough to ask ‘but how is this better than’ questions.
4- The Internet – User’s forums(like mouthshut.com) are a gold-mine of information. Take extreme views with a pinch of salt however – the writer may have a vested interest or an axe to grind!
Car feel –
No matter who(friends, family, experts) says what about the way a car handles, don’t make up your mind before driving it yourself.*
Do you like the way the car steers, do the gears feel smooth to change, how slow can u go without changing gears, is the acceleration quick enough for you, does it brake without swinging at the rear, does it feel sturdy to you, do you enjoy driving it?
The right dealer –
Look for the dealer who offers you great after sales service.*
Some dealers offer you great bargains on your vehicle, and others have impressive showrooms and pamper you right from the minute you walk in. Anybody with money can walk into a showroom and buy a car, but you have to live with your purchase for several years, and if you’re not careful, shabby after sales service can make those years hell. Make sure you talk to car owners about after sales service.
Money talk 2 -
Are you going to take a loan?*
(How on earth did people buy cars before cars loans came along!) Don’t quickly settle for the rate your dealer offers you; I’m sure dealers get a cut from the loan provider. Talk to different banks and see who’s offering the best deal.
Some random thoughts -
How many years are you going to take to pay off your loan? Do you like the vehicle of your choice enough to think of driving it for that many years?
If you clock more than 2500 km a month in your vehicle every month(avinashksingh says 1800km), it is definitely worth looking at a diesel vehicle.
Always ask about clearance. Our roads don’t tolerate the low-slung models very well; every millimetre helps!
How willing are you to put up with nuisances like dents and scratches that are the bane of a car owner, and how expensive are touch ups and fix-its?
Ask car owners what maintenance costs are like.
If you want some info about safety features, check out the review ‘safety features in a car’ by G-raptor
https://mouthshut.com/review/General_Advice_on_Buying_a_Car-77329-1.html.
*Do your homework.
Enjoy!
ps. To all those who feel this article doesn’t have enough technical detail, I want to reiterate that this is not meant to replace overdrive/autoindia in your quest for info. Most women have excellent shopping skills, and these can be applied successfully to the purchase of practically every kind of product; Cosmetics or cars, the principles of purchase are the same; it’s only the parameters that change!
That’s where this review comes from.