So you have decided you finally need a car but you’re not sure which one. Or you have decided to upgrade from your current car but not sure which way to go. This is the predicament that most of us find ourselves in and sometimes end up making the wrong choices. Below are quick tips on what you should consider when buying a car.

Budget
This is the realistic amount of money that you can afford to set aside to buy and run the car. Besides the cost of purchase, there are other important costs that people tend to overlook. There are maintenance costs, insurance costs, parking fees, and fuel costs. Just because you have saved some money to buy a car doesn’t mean you’ve solved the whole problem, you’ve solved it halfway. The other half should never be overlooked. Do your homework, find out how much it will cost you to keep the car on the road

Safety
Your safety and that of your family is very important and should never be compromised. Always put safety as a priority when considering a car to buy and never sacrifice this for anything. It’s advisable to stretch your budget as much as possible for the safest car within your reach.

Family
The people around you especially your family matter a lot in the choice of car to buy. You should take into consideration their preferences especially your spouse and children. It will not be very wise to buy a manual car when your wife or husband cannot drive it. If you have children, go for cars that are easily accessible and child friendly. Sports cars, 2 door cars, loud cars(WRX?) are a not appropriate as family cars .

Commute
How much time do you spend in traffic? What distance do you cover daily? These are very important questions. If you spend less than 20 mins to commute to work, then fuel economy is not really a major issue but if you spend upwards of an hour in traffic, then that should be a consideration. Also consider the type of road, whether paved or unpaved, bumpy or smooth and choose the appropriate car.

Purpose
What are you buying the car for? To commute to work, for weekend trips, or for business? These are questions that will help you to choose the most appropriate car for your needs. For example, you should never buy a Toyota Land Cruiser pickup for commuting to work, neither should you buy a Toyota Vitz for farming. Such kind of things.