What should you be considering?
Getting the car you need at a fair price should be your objective.
There is a lot of emotion in buying a car that gets in the way of logic.
Colour, prestige, and popularity are common fairly useless factors, and of course then there are ‘other expert opinions’.
Opinions come from everywhere and they only make it all the more confusing.
Add to that the fact that on the Australian market there is now over 40 brands of motor vehicles to choose from and blah, blah, blah, you have a lot going on around making that decision.
Usually, most people get it down to three vehicles but really are they the right vehicles?
The largest factors usually involved in setting up those three options are marketing by the manufacturer, opinion by friends and family, and social perception. Social perception is why one brand will be doing better than most in the market. If you see and hear something enough times it must be good. Social perception has kept Toyota and Mazda on top of the market over the last few years. I am not knocking all social perception, as it does generally influence the used car price as well and makes a car you might buy new easier to sell when you are ready to move on but it does not always point you to the car you should be buying.
The interesting fact about social perception and vehicle pricing, is that buying a good car with a lower social perception will give you approximately the same price difference between buying and selling (when you are finished with it). So don’t be too taken in by social perception and don’t be afraid to look at the ‘not as popular’ brands because you can pick up really great deals on them.
Let’s now create a checklist as this is really what is important when you start looking.
This is the order we put the checklist in working on the pure logic of value for money, usability and our number one consideration
SAFETY
- How safe is the vehicle – What is the ANCAP safety rating out of 5?
- Safety features and what are they – do they reduce the chance of significant injury in an accident and do they have features that prevent accidents – list them all down.
- Colour has a large accident significance as the easier you are to see the less likely that anyone runs into you.
- Visibility when driving – can you clearly see every angle around the vehicle when driving (even in reverse).
- The positioning of the instrumentation and operation characteristics – some vehicles are too busy and can slow down reaction time. All operational features need to be adjustable to your size.
Predominate Use
What are you using the vehicle for a majority of the time – make a list – this list will determine a lot of the features you require right down to what fuel you should be using:
- Children and passengers?
- Carrying luggage or work gear?
- City or country driving?
- On-road or off-road?
- Where are you parking the car?
- Towing or large loads?
- How big are you and your passengers?
Is maneuverability and parking ease important to you?
-City driving
-Parking area
-Small streets
-Reversing Aid
Performance
Performance should be your next consideration as you are spending a lot of money no matter what you choose, so it should feel comfortable to drive and have enough power to make you feel in control. Test driving is the only way to tell and you can get a specialist comment as well as a measure of your own experience.
Cost
The last of the issues you should consider is all about cost. The reason it is last is that after taking into account all of the above you should now have a few cars to consider and you can filter the rest by the cost test. There is no logic in buying a car you can afford that does not suit your needs or is not safe.
- Does the weekly finance payment fit your budget (don’t worry about the cost of the vehicle as it always comes down to the monthly payment)
- Is the servicing cost capped and is it within your monthly budget (calculate over the year)
- What is the fuel consumption and does the $ value of fuel fit into your monthly budget?
- Are repairs expensive if something does go wrong and do you have yourself protected
Finally, we use all the other filters to narrow down your selection.
Colour, availability, reputation, social advice, professional advice, and all the other stuff that is important to you.