10 Steps to Finding the Right Car for You

The following steps are devoted to helping you select, price, locate and test drive the vehicle that is best for you. After reading and completing these steps you will be ready to move on to the 10 Steps to Buying a New Car.

Step 1: What kind of car do you need?
If you examine your needs rather than wants, you will quickly discover what the right car is for you. Take a moment to think about the following:

• What do you use your car for - commuting from home to work and back, shopping, inter-city travel?
• How many people do you need to transport - individual, couple, larger family?
• Who shall be driving the car - you, your spouse, chauffeur?
• What kind of driving do you most often do - highway or city?
• How long is your commute - in terms of distance?
• Is fuel cost a worrying factor for you?

In too many cases people choose a car because it has an eye-catching style or it is a trendy favourite. If you tread this path, you may either break your budget or have to go car shopping again soon. Let your needs, not your wants, drive your decision.

Step 2: How much can you afford?
Establishing a realistic monthly payment that will fit into your budget is a crucial first step. How much should this be?

A rule of thumb is your total monthly car payments - whether you own one car or more than one - shouldn’t exceed 20 percent of your monthly take-home pay.

Once you have a certain car in mind, check the IndiaAutomobile.com EMI Calculator to help you estimate what your monthly payment will be based on purchase price, down payment, interest rate and length of loan. Take the time to run the numbers now, before you go car shopping and print out the result. Or if you have a monthly payment in mind, you can check the IndiaAutomobile.com Affordability Calculator to check which cars fit your budget.

Step 3: Should you make an outright buy or finance your car purchase?
Car loans in India are available at reasonable interest rates and it is generally advisbale to puchase a car on finance. You can avail of some exciting options in our Loans section. As discussed earlier, your monthly car payments shouldn’t exceed 20 percent of your monthly take-home pay. Paying a higher portion upfront is a sensible option so that you can adhere to this rule of thumb.

Step 4: Have you considered all vehicles in that class?
Today’s new car market is filled with great products. Most shoppers have difficulty keeping up with all of the vehicles being launched and the upgrades that are being made to existing models, so it’s important to do your research. Use Internet sites like IndiaAutomobile.com to research all your choices before you hit the showrooms.

On IndiaAutomobile.com you can find the specific car you want on the web site by searching by Price, Payment Range, Bodystyle, Segment and Manufacturer. If you already have a car you are considering, you can study it in detail by searching for that Make & Model. Once you have chosen your specific car, you will be on a Vehicle Detail page. This page has links to all the Car Pricing, Features, Reviews and Shopping options. You will also see options of conducting side-by-side comparisons of all the cars that fit your scheme of things.

If, on the other hand, you have no idea where to begin or what to choose you should might want to consult our expert in the Ask-an-Expert section of the site.

Step 5: Have you considered all of the costs of ownership?
Here is an often overlooked fact of car ownership: one car might be cheaper to buy, but more expensive to own. Why? Even if two cars cost about the same to buy, one can depreciate at a different rate or cost significantly more to insure or maintain. Before you commit to one car, you should estimate the long-term ownership costs of the vehicle you are considering. These include depreciation, insurance, maintenance and fuel costs. While depreciation and maintenance should be checked by the reputation of the car in the Used/Second-hand Car Market and insurance figures are provided along with prices quoted by the dealer, fuel costs must be calculated based on the car’s fuel economy and your usage.

Step 6: Research options
By completing steps one through five, you should now have a good idea about what car will work for you. Maybe there are a few cars that fit your criteria. It’s time to narrow it down.

Car buyers have been trained to visit local dealerships to find the car they want. In the Internet age, this is a waste of time and money. You can quickly cover more ground by shopping on-line. Car dealers are waking up to this new breed of shopper who already knows what he wants and what he’s willing to pay. The only thing you have to do in person are test drive the car and sign the contract.

IndiaAutomobile.com is your link to the automotive world. By reading our Web site you can not only educate yourself about cars, but also find local dealers, check interest rates for buying and calculate your exact monthly payment. Before ever heading out the door, you can answer almost any question you may have by searching IndiaAutomobile.com. Remember, you don’t want to go to the dealership until you’re really ready.

Step 7: Schedule an appointment for a test drive
It’s a good idea to complete the initial contact with a dealership before going there in person. This can give you some sense of the business atmosphere you will be dealing with throughout the buying process. Additionally, you can confirm if the car you’re looking for - in the right color and variant level - is actually available in the showroom.

You can make your initial contact either with an e-mail message or over the telephone or you can also make a Contact Dealer request on IndiaAutomobile.com. If you call the dealership, tell the salesperson that you want to set up a test drive - but that you may not be buying immediately. However, assure them that you will buy there if you decide to purchase this particular make and model, and if they can offer the vehicle at a fair price.

Step 8: How to test drive a car.
The goal of a test drive is to experience - as closely as possible - the same type of driving conditions the car will be used for after purchase. If you commute, drive the car in both stop-and-go traffic and at highway speeds. If you frequently drive into the hills, try to find some steep places to climb. Drive over bumps, take tight corners at aggressive (but not dangerous) speeds and test the brakes in a safe location, such as a deserted parking lot. Get in and out of the car several times and be sure to sit in the backseat, especially if you plan on carrying passengers. In short, ask yourself what it will be like to live with this car for a number of years.

While you are evaluating the car, don’t be distracted by the salesperson’s pitch. Don’t drive with the music on - you can evaluate that later. A new car is a big investment; make sure you spend enough time really looking at it. And then, consider one last thing: your intuition. If you are uneasy about this car, follow your instincts. A vehicle purchase decision is too important (and expensive) to undertake without total confidence.

Step 9: After the test drive.
After the test drive, you should leave the car lot. Why? Because you will probably need to drive other types of cars at other dealerships. It’s a good idea to do all of your test driving in one morning or afternoon. Driving the cars back to back will help you uncover even minor differences, which will lead to a more educated purchase decision.

So, how do you get out of the clutches of the salesperson? Don’t bow even if they pressure you to buy on the spot. Remind them you still have other cars to drive and you can’t make a decision yet. Most good salespeople will respect that.

Step 10: Getting ready for the buying cycle.
At this point you should have considered all the cars in the class that interest you. You should have a good idea what you can afford. You should have test driven your top choices.

Now it’s time to narrow your choices down to one car based on your Internet research and the Test Drive. If you are going to buy your next car, read 10 Steps to Buying a New Car. Also, take a moment to congratulate yourself. You have done your homework to find the right car for you. Now you can move forward with confidence.