This post is a collaboration with ATS Euromaster, but all thoughts and experiences are my own.
It has been quite some time now since I’ve bought a car and many, many years since I bought my first. There are many things that you need to consider when buying a car and there are many that I wish I knew then that I do know now.
For instance, I wouldn’t necessarily have thought about properly checking the service history of a car I was buying when I was younger but car servicing is so important that I’d definitely be looking for a decent service history now!
As part of the ATS Euromaster I Wish I Knew campaign, I wanted to share with you the things I looked at when buying my first car versus what I tend to look for now.
What I Considered When Buying My First Car
If anyone tells you that they simply looked for the practical things and didn’t consider how the car looked when it comes to their first car, then they are lying. I, among many others I knew, wanted our first car to look good – after all, the first car is a ‘status symbol’, so to speak! Everyone will remember that one model that was the one to have when they were younger and the same was true of my generation – we didn’t seem to care about the practical things as much which is ridiculous.
It didn’t matter how many miles were on the clock or if it needed some minor work doing as long as it looked the part. However we would soon find out that looks and status aren’t everything and a practical car is much more ideal. I didn’t really care about space and comfort – something I am much more inclined to look for now.
Photo by Robert Haverly on Unsplash
What I Would Look For Now
Now I am in my thirties and have two children, my partner and I have specific things we look for in a car.
We always look for a decent service history if we are buying used. It is important to regularly service your car – not only can it extend the lifetime of your car (and save you from replacing it earlier than you should have to!) but it also helps to maintain vehicle safety. The safety of our children is paramount so it needs to have an impressive history for us to consider it.
We also look at the more practical side of things – space, how much fuel it will use, insurance and tax costs etc. Our current car is a 7 seater Skoda – we chose this because the insurance and tax was a decent amount, fuel usage is okay and we have plenty of seating space but also plenty of boot space (even if the two back seats are up!). It runs well and is perfect for our needs.
The cars we had way back when would not be suitable at all – we would be spending all of our money on repairs or the fuel because it would guzzle it! There was also a distinct lack of space for our family and it would be a tight squeeze!
What I Will Teach My Children
Once my children are old enough, I will, of course, be helping them to purchase their first car. I will teach them that they don’t need to conform to peer pressure and get a specific type of car just because everyone else seems to be. I will let them know that they can have something that may not look the best but is great in so many other ways such as practically and financially. I will also teach them all the stuff I didn’t know when I was younger – all about servicing, the extra costs such as insurance, tax and fuel and what other things to look out for.
What things do you wish you had known back then when it comes to buying your first car?