Buying a New Car, and All that Comes with It

When you go to an auto dealer in search of a new vehicle, there are plenty of factors to consider. Are you looking for something brand new or would you prefer to find a certified used vehicle? Are you willing to consider the impact you’ll have as yet another vehicle on the road and try to find something with the best gas mileage possible or maybe go green with a hybrid car? How important are the size and color of the car for your purposes? Auto dealers can help answer questions you have, but you should probably have some idea what you’re looking for before you show up, or you could find yourself easily sidetracked.

Taking care of your new vehicle
After you have visited the auto dealer, checked out all the cars, and found the perfect fit for your needs and your lifestyle, you are free to roam the roads. But there are some things you should keep in mind about the upkeep of your new wheels. In order to keep your new ride in the best possible condition, you will want to have some things checked out pretty regularly. If you are not too familiar with the inner workings of cars in general of if anyone close to you would giggle at the thought of you even popping the hood to take a look, have someone you trust look things over, or take it in for a tune up. While many cars now have oil life monitors that use sensors to alert you when your next oil change is due, it is something to be aware of. About 16 out of 34 automakers were installing these oil life monitors in 2013, so not every car is fitted with one.

Rising costs in auto care
You would think that considering all of the money that gets shelled out to purchase a new vehicle, car owners might be due for a break when it comes to maintaining the vehicle and operating it over time. But with frequent gas fill-ups, regular check-ups, part replacements, new tires, paint jobs and a host of other things, it seems that there is no end to the money that gets dumped into owning a vehicle. For example, when you get ready to first drive away with your new care, you could have been offered a package for extra protection for the body of the vehicle, but even that is not a permanent solution. Experts say that a wax coat needs to be applied to the painted surfaces of the vehicle at the very least two times a year. This helps to protect against oxidation and contaminants. Often times, depending on the vehicle and its age, it can feel like once one thing goes wrong, everything else needs to be updated, replaced or redone as well. In just one year, from 2011 to 2012, the average overall cost for annual maintenance for a standard personal vehicle rose from $514 to $5371. And that ridiculous change in costs did not even take into consideration car insurance costs that averaged around $593 for each vehicle or car repair service policies that averaged about $7 for each vehicle.

Buying a new car can be fun and exciting, but it is important to think about all of the additional costs that can arise for car owners as well.