How To Set A Realistic Budget For Your New Car

Setting a decent budget is one of the most important things when you’re buying a new car. If you walk into a showroom with a blank cheque, the salespeople will end up bleeding you dry. But if you go in with a solid figure in mind, you’ll be the one in a position of power. Working out how much you should be spending on a car can be difficult and if you don’t budget too much, you could end up putting yourself in some financial trouble. On the other hand, if you don’t budget enough, you’ll end up with a rust bucket that costs you a fortune in repairs. Before you head to the showroom and start looking at cars, use this checklist to help you work out how much you should be spending.

Image Source

Can You Get Finance?

This is the first thing to consider because it has a huge impact on what you can afford. If you’re going to be paying for it all on your own, you won’t be able to spend anywhere near as much. But if you can get luxury car finance to help you cover the costs, you’ve got a lot more freedom to spend more money. However, you do need to consider what you can actually afford. Don’t think that having finance options means you should spend a huge amount of money. If you can’t make the monthly repayments comfortably then you’ll end up in financial trouble. You also need to look at the down payment you need to make and see what you can afford. Save up a bit of money and then you’ll have a better idea about what finance package you can realistically afford.

New Or Second Hand?

This is the second decision you need to make before you start setting a budget. There are a lot of different things to consider when you’re trying to decide whether you want to buy a new or second hand car. The benefit of owning a new car is that it’s less likely to break down so you won’t be paying repair costs all the time. But obviously, you’ll pay a lot more money for a new car than you would for a second hand one. If you don’t want to spend that much money then second hand is your best bet, but you need to make sure that you’re picking a reliable car that isn’t prone to breakdowns.

Can You Trade In Your Old Car?

This is one of the easiest ways to increase the budget for your new car. If you can trade in your old car and get a big chunk of money to put toward the new one, you’ll be able to afford something a lot better. It’s worth speaking to the dealership where you’re planning to buy your new car because they’ll often give you a better deal on financing if you trade in your old car with them.

Consider these 3 things and you’ll be able to work out a realistic budget for your new car.