Avoid Looking Like A Car Virgin W/ Our Tips 4 Buying Yr First Set Of Wheels

Contributor: PEDESTRIAN.TV

Buying your first car is daunting like all firsts are: it can bring you right back to that first day of school when you were five years old and knew almost nothing except how to write your own name. That’s how little some of us know about cars before we walk into a dealership – that, and that we’d like a blue one please.

Oh, and if Oprah could hook a girl up, that’d be swell.

Well, with a little help from Emily at Mitsubishi, we’ve managed to compile this ‘ere list of tips and tricks for first-car buyers.

Know Your Drive Away Price

You might be presented with two prices on your vehicle: your recommended retail price (RRP) and your drive away price. The price you should really be referring to is the latter, which includes your on-roads costs, like Compulsory Third Party Insurance (CTP), rego – you want to negotiate for a year’s worth – dealer delivery and stamp duty. On top of that: state motoring clubs offer annual reports which look at vehicle ownership costs – they’re for sure worth checking out before you buy.

Is He New, Used Or Demonstrator?

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYurtdtgk-A/?hl=en&taken-by=mitsubishiaust

A brand new car will have less than two ks on the speedo, and was driven off the truck into the showroom. A demonstrator car has very few ks, but has been driven lightly, and has already been registered. You can sometimes score a great deal on a near-new vehicle. A used car has been previously owned and was often traded in at the dealership. If you want to drive a car straight back to yours, ask to see what they have in dealer and demo stock.

Check Your Safety Features

You want your car to have a five-star rating from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP). And your car might come fitted with some bonus high-tech safety features as well, like lane departure warning alerts to stop you drifting out of your lane, or a rear-view camera and sensors for reversing safely. While you’re thinking about technology, also double check if all your gadgets – phone, iPod, whatever – are compatible with your new beb.

Do You Need A Two- Or Four-Wheel-Drive?

Triple-check which one you’re buying. If you’re a beach bro or someone who loves to go bush, you’ll definitely be engaging 4WD mode. But if you’ll mostly be zipping through the city, you might not need it. You’ll generally save dosh if you don’t need four- or all-wheel drive, which is a pretty neat perk for you urban latte types.

Take ‘Im Out For A Test Drive

You’ll need to have your license on you – let’s be real, who doesn’t carry one with them at all times – for the dealer to make a photocopy. And then you can hit the road, Jack, making sure to glide past a glass office building if you can to see how your potensh new car looks on the road with you in it. You’ll also want to check that the navigation system is totally up to date and can take you all the way back to mum’s place.

Bring Your Dog To The Dealership

No joke. You need to make sure your new car can actually meet your needs. So if that need includes having enough space to fit the most precious creature in your life you better be bloody well sure before you buy that Clare the Cav-cross fits/approves of your new vehicle. Don’t bring your surfboard to the dealership, but make sure you’ll be able to fit it in with the seats down or up on the roofracks, and that you’ve got the space for luggage if you’re a frequent traveller, or fishing rods, or whatever it is you’re into.

Be Up To Speed On Your Warranty

You want to make sure you know what the car’s warranty is – especially if it’s a used vehicle, because the warranty might not be valid for much longer. You also want to know if your car comes with free roadside assistance, and how often you need to get your car serviced. Often new cars will come with a complimentary 1500km service – definitely take them up on that, and use the opportunity to ask any questions you may have about your new car.

You might want to apply all this knowledge to picking up a brand new car of your own – why not start off by taking a look at what’s out there, including the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross? Read all about its fancy as hell design features HERE.


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