If it’s time to upgrade your ride by buying a used vehicle, you need to know just what to consider, so you can get something that will serve you well on all your travels. Otherwise, you could end up completely overwhelmed as you browse the classified ads or walk out onto the car lot. Thankfully, you can use this guide to pinpoint your ideal vehicle before you even think about shopping around. Here’s what you need to know.
Reflect on Your Lifestyle
Above all else, your car needs to suit your lifestyle and be prepared to accompany you on all your travels. If you have a big family, adore drive-in movies, and regularly go on muddy hikes on all the best trails near Springfield OH then perhaps a crossover or SUV will work best for you.
But if you only need up to four seats, go on long road trips, and love to save money, you might want a fuel-efficient coupe or sedan instead. There’s a car out there for everyone, so reflect on your lifestyle to see which configurations speak to you most.
Think About Potential Repair Costs
Once you pinpoint your ideal vehicle configuration, it’s important to think about potential repair costs. Labor times and parts costs vary considerably across all years, makes, and models. If you set your sights on a luxury car or big truck, for example, you might be surprised at the cost of regular maintenance alone, not to mention the price of big repairs.
Beware of cars that seem too good to be true because they probably are. It’s not uncommon to see a relatively new luxury car selling at a discount due to the need for repairs. Although it might look like a great deal, the price of repairs on that vehicle could knock its overall cost out of the park.
Beyond that, even the most economical rides require about $1,000 in maintenance per year, so factor that into your cost considerations as well. You don’t want to skimp on preventative maintenance either since that could lead to parts failure and other major problems in the future
Be Mindful About Features
Vehicles with all the bells and whistles are hard to ignore, especially when they have digital touch screens at every corner. Unfortunately, the truth of the matter is that the more features the vehicle has, the more chances it has to break.
Power windows, for example, fail a lot more often than their manual counterparts and cost a whole lot more to repair. If you find that the trade off is worth it, then that’s great. Just make sure to reflect on this a bit before committing to the purchase.
Get an Inspection Before Buying a Vehicle
Even if everything looks great at first glance, used vehicles can have problems lurking underneath the surface. Thankfully, you can find those issues rather quickly by having an inspection performed before you buy.
If you bring your car to our team at Zima Automotive in Springfield OH, we will perform a thorough digital vehicle inspection that lets you know about all its repair needs. Our techs will break down the info to let you know what’s needed now and which problems will need attention in the future.
To get a digital vehicle inspection performed at our Ohio auto repair shop, just give us a call at 937-342-3911. We will work with your schedule to find a convenient time for you to bring the vehicle to our shop.