“What are the essential questions to ask when buying a car?”

You’ve probably already thought about and even pictured yourself driving the car you ‘d like to have – the size, colour, ambience, status etc , and why not? It should be an exciting experience. But I suggest you also need to first consider some practicalities, which will depend on your personal circumstances.

Now I don’t want to spoil any dreams but it’s quite possible that your ‘ideal car’ may not be the best solution for you right now.

So let’s start off with a few basic considerations:

My advisory points:

• Consider what you need the vehicle for – primary purpose; eg. short journeys/long journeys; frequency; no of passengers; load; expected weekly/monthly mileage; other drivers?
• Consider your budget, paying options, initial outlay, running expenses, tax and insurances.
• How long are you expecting to keep this vehicle?
• Are you looking to buy ‘New’ or ‘Used’?
• Where are you going to keep the vehicle?

More Considerations:

Based on your previous answers, you’ll need to decide whether a diesel or petrol powered vehicle would be best suited to your circumstances, or maybe opt for hybrid or fully electric.

For example: If you’re a short journey traveller, a petrol or electric car would probably be the better choice. If however, you do a lot of motorway driving or longer distances, a diesel car is probably the better option.

1) Diesel or petrol: If journeys are typically shorter, diesel may not be suitable because of the increased risk of the diesel particulate filter getting blocked, and emissions devices to consider. So, the expected use of the vehicle is something to consider.

Next, fuel consumption and purchase price should also be a buying consideration. Generally diesel powered cars are now more fuel efficient than petrol, but the initial outlay might be more expensive.

Now with the arrival of Hybrid cars, you can have the best of both options – alot of petrol hybrids give you the fuel economy of a diesel car while giving the reliability of a petrol car. For example, a hybrid (petrol and electric) vehicle might be the most economical solution without the worry and inconvenience of battery run down. Fully electric, still has a lot of ‘range anxiety’ attached to it. The range of the full battery is still considered very limited for some drivers.

2) Manual or Automatic Transmission?

Now that’s a personal choice. If you like driving and the control of shifting the gears, you’ll want to purchase ‘manual’. If however you enjoy the comfort of a car working for you, then go for automatic. There’s little difference now between fuel consumption, but you may have to dig a bit deeper in your pocket to purchase an automatic. 

3) Size of Vehicle

What kind of load do you need? Are you expecting to tow a trailer or caravan? How many passengers do you regularly expect to carry? These questions will influence the comfort and the size of vehicle you’ll need. And what about safety? How safe will you feel in a big/small car?

4) Maintenance

From a technician’s point of view – you need to consider ‘performance’ and is the car going to suit the way I drive? How will I service it/look after it?

5) Buying Options –

a) USED CARS – Will I buy it privately which may be cheaper but could be riskier even though now the seller can no longer sell ‘as seen’ without any responsibility, or will you aim to purchase through a dealer who will give you some warranty and more peace of mind, but you will likely pay a premium for that.

But if buying privately, you may have a knowledgeable/mechanically minded friend to help you or you could employ the services of an (eg) AA/RAC vehicle check if the value of the vehicle warrants it. Some garages (such as ourselves, ROY HUBBARD MOTORS) will offer a vehicle check service before you purchase a car.

You should do some research yourself via an HPI vehicle Check into the history of the vehicle, any finance owed, owner confirmation etc, to know what you’re buying and if there are any issues with the vehicle. Apart from an initial visual check for damage, acceptable scratches etc, you could carry out additional checks yourself – eg: check the oil colour – does there appear to be any contamination in the cooling system etc. You’ll get an idea of how the car has been looked after. What is the service record? What about its MOT history? Has it passed easily each year or always needed work done – it could be an indication of how the car has been maintained.

If you have opted to buy through a dealer and have obtained a warranty, we advice to get a car service and check as soon as possible while still in the (eg 3 months) warranty period. You can then get any problems found repaired/replaced under warranty.

If however, you opt to buy privately, eg. through an advertised private sale, as a buyer you now have limited protection as a seller is no longer allowed in this country to sell a vehicle ‘sold as seen’. A seller can no longer hide a known defect on a vehicle and again an HPI vehicle check should reveal the car’s history to be taken into consideration.

So here’s a summary of things to consider when buying a vehicle.

• Be prepared to do some research before you buy any vehicle because it’s important to understand what you are buying without necessarily being lead by your heart!
  
  
• diesel or petrol, hybrid or full electric?
  
  
• What size vehicle do you need – eg number of passengers, load, towing, feeling of safety & protection, fuel consumption, ease of parking etc.
  
  
• What level of comfort do you need – manual/automatic transmission, safety features, optional/standard extras.
  
  
• What are the main pitfalls (if any) and have they been dealt with to your satisfaction?
  
  
• Seek advice from a local trusted garage who will be able to point out some pros and cons to consider.
  
  
• Have more than one choice in mind and take a road test as all cars/makes drive differently and you may find one suits you more than another
  .
• And most importantly, don’t be rushed into a decision by a over-keen car salesperson! Ensure you are happy and confident with your decision having considered all the above points to your satisfaction.

Buying a car/vehicle should be an exciting experience to be enjoyed and with a little bit of pre-purchase research, you’ll hopefully avoid all the post purchase regrets!

I hope this short article has helped you choose the right vehicle to suit your needs and I wish you years of happy motoring!

Graham Packer.
Director of Roy Hubbard Motors, Market Harborough.