Let me start by saying this - There are no terrible cars, and there are no perfect cars. The aim is to find a vehicle that suits your needs better than others, and that does not burn through your wallet. This whole process takes about a month to complete.
Finally, I cannot stress this enough, do not decide on a car without test driving it and some alternatives. Test drives are free of cost and they help you understand what is on the market and also help build a relationship with a dealer to get you in a better position to negotiate. If you need a car immediately, consider renting a car for a month rather than buying a car that does not suit you.
If you simply don’t have the appetite for research, then just go through the “Planning for a car” section and go to http://www.whichcarisrightforme.com/ Fill in some easy questions and jump to a conclusion.
NOTE: Some of the information might be too basic for people already familiar with the process, so you may choose to skip portions of this post.
How many passengers do you need to carry on most drives?
What type of driving do you intend to do? Is it primarily on city streets, on highways, or on long trips?
Do you have a long commute and, because of that, is fuel economy important to you?
Do you need an all-wheel drive?
What are your must-have features? Think backup camera, leather seats, Apple CarPlay, etc.
What safety features are important to you? Do you want blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning, and automatic emergency braking, for example?
What cargo capacity do you need?
Will you be using children's car seats?
How much garage or parking space do you have?
Are you looking to replace an existing car with a different one? Or is it intended to be an additional car?
Special notes on hybrids and electrics
<aside> 💡 Don’t guess your budget. It is very easy to make this mistake and be stuck with large payments over a long time that affects your finances.
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