Are you looking to buy your first car? Here are some tips that could help you.

In the life of motoring enthusiasts, there are two moments that make us especially happy: when we get our driving licence and when we buy our first car. At 18 with a freshly obtained licence, we constantly think about what our first set of wheels will be, we scour second-hand market pages day and night, and we dream of cars that our teenage pockets cannot afford. However, today we want to give you a series of tips to make sure your choice is the right one and so that you can enjoy your first car.

To do this, we offer you several steps that could be key when choosing the ideal candidate, which must meet a series of requirements to avoid your first car going from a dream come true to a real headache.

Choose a simple car with a good reputation

We’re sure your mind and the second-hand market tempt you with the idea of buying a large-capacity car at a very affordable price, but the problem comes when that vehicle shows its faults and demands maintenance in line with its price when it was new. That is why the most sensible choice is to look for a vehicle with simple mechanics, whose defects and virtues are well known, and where we can easily find spare parts.

This way, we can enjoy a vehicle with an engine whose mechanical layout is easy to understand and will allow us to gradually learn more about how it works. At the same time, our finances will suffer less and we will have more room to cover future breakdowns.

Make sure the car’s price is not higher than or equal to your budget

As a general rule, we always look for our first car to be second-hand, where we can find all kinds of vehicles, segments and units. It is important to set a maximum budget before starting the search for what will be our first companion on the road, and which we must respect to the letter.

This will be important so that we can keep saving once we have made the outlay of buying our first vehicle, since its maintenance and care will depend on us. With a selling price that fits within our budget, we will have more money available to repair any kind of problem that may appear after purchasing it.

Appearances can be deceiving: make sure you check everything before completing the purchase

Many vehicles on the second-hand market can fool us with their exterior appearance and mileage, but this should not be the only thing that catches our attention in a potential purchase. It is important to go over every detail to make sure that our choice has no problems that could turn out to be fatal after some time.

To do this, we must inspect the underbody, wheel arches and any area that may hide rust, especially if the car is of a certain age. At the same time, it is important to know whether the previous owner carried out the appropriate maintenance, servicing, and whether it has a stamped service book. This will help us determine whether our possible purchase has had a good life, something crucial, since it will assure us that some of the most important components have been replaced or properly looked after.

Another factor that can make us turn down a candidate is the mileage, since we always focus on those vehicles that have covered the least distance. However, we must be careful, as the mileage may have been tampered with. To check this, we will have to look at the wear on the parts most used by the driver, such as the steering wheel or the gear lever knob, and check whether it matches the mileage declared. Another sign of heavy use is the condition of the driver’s seat, where it may show considerable wear on the side bolsters.

However, this can also lead us into error, since use is not the only factor harmful to these components, as they also depend on the climate the car has been in, its segment, the quality of the materials and how well it has been cared for. If in doubt about the seller’s honesty, the best option is to request a report from the DGT (traffic authority), which will provide us with the real mileage.

First look for units close to your town

Nationally, we will find countless units of the chosen model, but it is important that you first look to see if there is one near your town. This will help us keep the budget intact by not having to make long journeys and, at the same time, it will make it easier to calmly inspect our candidate.

It will also allow us to take the chosen car to our trusted workshop, where it can be given a thorough inspection before completing the purchase. If we do not find any nearby units or none of them appeal to us, we can proceed to search for other vehicles outside our autonomous community.

If we take this decision, it is important that before setting off on our journey we have arranged to view several units, since otherwise our trip could be in vain. This will also force us to increase our budget slightly to cover both the outbound and return costs.

It is also important to travel accompanied, so that the return trip is not too monotonous and so that the tiredness of going to the place and coming back does not take its toll. Another important point is to find out about a workshop in the area where the units we have seen are located, so they can be inspected to ensure we make a good purchase.

Get well informed about the chosen vehicle and its most common faults

Today we can find countless pieces of information about virtually any vehicle in the world, which is very important when choosing our candidates. It is important that we focus on a model well known in the motoring world, whose mechanics have been thoroughly studied, and that we know its most common problems and its main advantages.

This will help us know exactly what to look for and what to ask when buying the car, since it can save us from some unwelcome surprise. We should also try, as we have already said, to ensure the mechanics are simple, since this will make repairing certain components much easier.

Within every model and every brand there are countless engines, which have a good or bad reputation. This should also be another point to take into account, since it is important that we focus on the powertrains with the best reputation and long-term reliability, so that we can enjoy our first car even more and considerably reduce the number of breakdowns.

Ask the seller all your doubts and concerns before going to see the car

It is always good to make sure that the car we are going to see is exactly as described in the advert, and so there should be no hesitation in asking the seller about the condition of the car we want. This will help us determine whether it is really worth going to see the vehicle in person or simply giving up and looking at another unit.

Ask the reason for the sale, since it is important to know whether the seller wants to get rid of the car because of a breakdown, a new vehicle purchase or any other reason that reassures us. Another important point is to ask for photographs of a part of the vehicle that cannot be seen in the advert and that makes us suspicious about its real condition.

Last but not least, enjoy it, because it is your first car and with it you will live countless adventures and unforgettable moments. Take into account the risk factors of each unit and/or model before buying, and make sure it fits perfectly within your needs and budget.