Your First Car

As soon as you get your drivers-license, the next thing on your to-do list probably is buying your own car. You´re already daydreaming about the freedom that comes along with it, how your friends will envy you and your cool new sports car.

But cool new sports car are expensive, and you probably wont be able to afford one, so you´ll have to be realistic. However, that doesn´t mean you can´t have a really nice car. And finding such a car within a limited budget is´nt that hard. Let me try to help you with some guidelines!

There is a wide range of cheap used cars for you to choose from. I´ll try to help you by telling you what to look for, and what to avoid when buying your first car. You don´t want a car that keeps breaking down, you want a car that works properly, takes you from A to B, looks good and doesn´t cost you a fortune.

First of all you need to determine how much money you are willing to spend on a car. Or perhaps, how much money you are able to spend. Finding cheap used cars isn´t hard, but they may need a lot of maintenance. If your car breaks down it could be very expensive to have it repaired. So, don´t buy the first cheap car you see. Take your time when choosing your first car, and you will eventually find a really good one.

When considering how much money to spend on your first car, you must also be aware of the costs of keeping the car running. There are many things you´ll have to pay for besides the cost of buying it. You need to pay for gas, insurance, road tax, car washing, spare parts, service and sometimes repairs, among others. You´ll have to take all of these costs into account when deciding your car budget.

Since it´s your first car you probably don´t know that much about how to maintain and repair a car. But perhaps someone in your family does, or maybe a friend does. Because if you are able to do some of the maintenance yourself, you will save money. If you are interested in learning how to maintain your new car, you could buy a repair manual. I can recommend Haynes repair manuals, since they have been really helpful to me. These manuals covers everything from changing oil to engine overhaul.

• Bodywork. Look for corrosion, pay particular attention to rust on the structural elements of the car.
• Engine. How does the engine compartment look? Is it dirty and oily, or is it clean and tidy. This could tell you a lot about the maintenance that has been done. Don´t forget to check the oil, both oil-level and the condition of the oil itself. Start the engine and listen for any strange noises. If the engine doesn´t sound good, don´t buy the car.
  
• Tires. Check the tire wear. Are the tires new or do they need to be replaced soon? Remember that buying new tires costs a lot of money. Don´t forget to check the spare wheel. Make sure that there is one and that it is in a good condition.
• Inside the car. Make sure everything looks all right, and that all the instruments work properly.
• Test drive. Don´t buy a car that you´ve never driven. Listen for strange noises, make sure you don´t feel any vibrations and test the brakes. Make sure you feel safe driving the car. Once again check the instruments, do they work properly when the car is running? Check all the lights, headlights, indicators, brake lights and the horn.
• Service. Make sure the car has a full service history. Check for receipts from services and repairs. Does it look like the car has been taken well care of? Then it is probably a good investment.
• Remember that if there´s anything about the car that makes you unsure, consider carefully whether you really should buy it.

Keeping your car in a good condition will help to prevent any major mishaps. And it is much easier and cheaper to regularly maintain the car by washing it and changing the oil according to the manufacturers descriptions, then repairing rust damages or having the engine repaired.

• Wash your car regularly, even if it doesn´t seem to be too dirty.
  
• Polish the car once or twice a year at least. 
  
• Change the oil and the oil-filter regularly. Check the service manual of your car for details. 
• Check the tire pressure once in a while.
  
• Make sure all lights are working.
• Check the coolant level.
  

I just want to wish you good luck in the search for your first car! I hope this hub can help you.

I wish I read something like this before I bought my first car, but I didn´t. That car was close to disaster. I only had it for a couple of months, then it ended it´s days in the junk yard since the engine gave up. I don´t want you to make the same mistake.