New car buyer's guide
Most people have at least one burning motoring question that they are just dying to find out the answer to. Some of the most common include: "Where can I find cheap car insurance quotes?" "How much is my fuel costing me?" and "Where should I get my car serviced?"
Well, if your question is "How can I choose the right new car for me and get a great deal while I am at it?" then your luck is in. The cheap car insurance experts at duck2water have plenty of useful tips and advice to help you make a good decision when buying a new car.
There are three main points to remember:
- Decide which cars suit your needs
- Test drive any potential matches
- Buy at the right time
- Deciding which cars suit your needs
Once you have your figure, you can research all the different types of cars to see which will best suit your lifestyle and your budget. Are you after a sporty coupe, an economical supermini or a practical family car? Will a 4x4 fulfil all your needs or will it leave you wishing you had chosen something a little more modest in size?
When you start narrowing down the models you are interested in, use the vehicle's car insurance group to work out whether cheap car insurance is going to be an option and find out its mpg to account for fuel costs. Also, remember that maintenance and replacement parts can be much costlier for some makes and models than others. Unless you plan to keep your car forever, consider re-sale values for cars several years down the line, as some will depreciate quickly whilst others hold their value well.
Test drive
Once you have some models in mind, don't be afraid to test drive all of them so you can be absolutely sure the one you choose is the one for you.
There is a lot to think about when you go out on a test drive. Firstly, make sure that the car meets all of your practical requirements. Consider the things you do most frequently - is there enough room for your shopping or luggage? Are your child seats compatible with the car?
Also take into consideration your comfort requirements. Check how comfy the seats are, as there is no way you want to be stuck with a car that looks and performs brilliantly but is unbearably uncomfortable. If you regularly take five people in the car, a supermini is not going to be the most comfortable option either - perhaps take a look at estates, 4x4s or perhaps the family car part of the market instead.
When you are out on your test drive, try to experience a range of driving conditions. If you can, take the car on both rural and urban routes, as well as on a dual carriageway or motorway so you can get the feel of it at all speeds. Also, try out various manoeuvres to see what the car's turning circle and visibility are like.
Buy at the right time
Just like when you are searching for cheap car insurance by getting quotes from here, there and everywhere, shopping around when buying a new car can also save you quite a bit of money. By checking a number of dealers in your area, you may find price differences of several hundred pounds or more.
This cost disparity can also give you ammunition with which to haggle down the price further - something which many British drivers often neglect to do. You are most likely to have luck with haggling at the end of the month, when dealers want to hit their sales targets and may well be more flexible with their offers.
The end of February and the end of August are also especially good times to get bargains from dealers as they will be wanting to sell as many cars as possible before the new number plates come in. However, it is important to note that if you do choose to buy at this time, your car number plate will make the car look up to six months older than it is. This may make its resale value less than a car registered at the beginning of March or September.
Need cheap car insurance for your new car?
Once you have signed the papers for your new car, there is one thing you have to get sorted before you can drive off, and that is your motor insurance. However, fear not because it takes just a couple of minutes to get a really cheap car insurance quote from us.
Whether you choose a Mini or a Mercedes, or a Ford or a Ferrari, you will be astounded by our low cost motor insurance. We are able to offer you such cheap car insurance because we keep our running costs to a minimum and operate efficiently - and we pass all our savings on to you.
If you want cheap car insurance for your new car, get a free quote with us today see how much we can knock off your premium.