Even though your credit report may have more detours than a southern city after a snow storm, we performed some magic and now you have the financing needed to buy a car. Wait, you say you haven’t even applied yet! It still isn’t too early or too late to talk with friends, family, perfect strangers or yourself about what you want or need in your next car. We won’t bore you with a list of “250 things you need to before you hit the gas pedal.” Add these three things to your car buying checklist and you will be well on your way to your new wheels.
#1 What will you do with your car?
Now we both know you will buy the car for driving, but exactly what will the car be doing for you? Will your car be only for getting to and from work or will you want to take it for hundreds of miles on the weekends without stopping for fuel? Are groceries the only item you will put in your vehicle or will you need to chauffeur precious and noisy cargo or even haul a boat? Is it more important for the car to protect you in an accident above all or is priority one that the car be as sexy as you? These are some of the questions you will be answering to decide the make and model of your next car.
#2 Decide how much you can spend out of pocket for the vehicle.
Even if not required, try to make a down payment on the car or light truck anyway as it will be less that you need to pay during the loan term. Go over the numbers and be honest with yourself about what you can afford for both the monthly payments and the down payment. Our team here at BlueSky Auto Finance will do everything in our power to get you in the car of your choice. Remember, just because you may have credit problems doesn’t necessarily mean you will not be able to drive home in the car of your choice.
#3 Know what extras you need or want in a car or light truck.
For more on options see last week’s post. Just know for now that your payments will be based on the total price of everything you are getting with the car – not what you and the salesperson shake on before you sit down and talk about extras.
Check these items off your list of things to take care of before you buy a car and you will be ready to roll in no time.
