Saying Goodbye to Your First Car and Finding the Perfect New One

Time for a new car? ‘Adulting’ can be hard and, as you’ll know if you’ve followed my journey to buy my own Countrypolitan Fiat 500, I know just how daunting this process can be… But it can also actually be quite exciting if you do some research and know what you are looking for. Heck, you can also have fun trying out other ones – like my week with a Peugeot 108!

I found it hard to say goodbye to my first car – a trust Peugeot 106 which went to a loving home – but upgrading can have a positive impact on many areas of your life and even save you a tidy sum in the long run. So, how do you go about finding the right second vehicle once your first set of wheels no longer fits the bill?

Affordability

If you are anything like me, then it is likely that you have daydreamed about turning heads on the street by driving past in a brand new Mercedes or Porsche, but sadly this is not an option for many of us. That is not to say that you can’t find a good deal on a luxurious car, though!

You should look into buying second-hand and research finance deals, as these can make it much more affordable to drive that dream car. One of the most important things is to set a budget and ensure that you don’t go over this, no matter how tempting!

Checklist

Before checking any cars out, I found it helpful to compile a checklist of what I was looking for – this narrowed my results and ensured that I found a car that ticked all of the boxes. You should consider how large you need the vehicle to be, how often and far you will be driving and whether you will be driving mainly in the city or on the motorways.

The Hunt

Armed with this information, you can now begin your search! I discovered that there were some very helpful guides online on how to decide on a model and what to look for – these made it much less daunting when you visit the dealership. With so much information online, it means that you can do most of the hard work from the comfort of your own home.

One piece of advice I got which I found to be extremely helpful was to get a mechanic to check over the car – this will give you peace of mind knowing that the vehicle is safe and reliable. You should also take time to read reviews and find dealerships that have a solid reputation, like Unbeatable Car.  Places like this will have the widest range of cars and you also know that you are doing business with a trustworthy company.

It can be daunting to ditch your first car and go for an upgrade, but with enough research and a few handy tips, it can actually be a relatively straightforward process.