10 Things To Keep In Mind Before Buying A New Car!

There is not a single person in the world who will not get excited when buying a new car. After all, the car will be your companion on ups and downs. More importantly, you have invested a lot in it. That said, buying these cars is itself a really tedious and mind-blowing task. Well, one of the reason is because of the number of choices a buyer has, be it any segment. And secondly, the variants, engine and the transmission options are just super confusing. So, here are 10 things to keep in mind to make things a little bit easy.

1. Fix your Budget
   

   

   Firstly, we recommend you to determine how much money you are willing to spend on a car. After all, if you are planning to buy your dream car, money is the only thing that could be an obstacle. Here in India, all the car manufacturers tend to give an ex-showroom price for the car to make the deal tempting. Well, one should not forget that two things that drive the prices high are the RTO and insurance. Also, some companies take handling charges. All these combine and make the car a lot more expensive than what it was advertised for.

2. Fuel Type (Petrol, Diesel, CNG, or Electric)
   

   

   With the budget fixed, comes choosing the type fuel. A buyer in the market can choose from Petrol, diesel, electric or CNG depending upon the use. Let’s dive a bit deeper. With the technology advancements, diesel is almost on the verge of extinction in private vehicles. Neither the fuel prices are very far apart.

   If you travel more than 30kms in a car on daily basis, CNG could be a really good option as it is cheaper to run and even the maintenance is at power with a petrol engine. Thanks to the metro cities and the technology, electric cars are finally a thing here in India.

   Now, as the electric cars are on sale for consumers, this could fair a really good deal when it comes to savings. Sure, the upfront cost is more than the cars with a gasoline engine. It’ll be cheaper in the long run.

3. Body Type
   

   

   Coming to the next aspect, body type. We are sure you’d be knowing all the types but let us give a slight insight. Here in ‘Indian Market’ there are three body types, based on increasing size, hatchbacks, sedans and SUVs with the smallest, of course, being hatchbacks.

   More about Body types: The Different Styles of Car Body Types | Explained

   • Hatchbacks:
     

     

     Having parking problems? hatchbacks could be just right for you. These small cute little cars are also less tiring on stop and go city traffic and are easily flickabe. Also, they offer some luxury features.

   • Sedans:
     

     

     This is the segment that boasts of elegance and luxury. Along with that, because of the long-wheelbase when compared to the hatches, it opens up more space on the inside. Willing to go on long trips with decent luggage and not compromising on luxury, the sedan is what to go for.

   • SUV:
     

     

     There is no denying the fact that over a decade, the big, tall SUVs have attracted most of the buyers. After all, they offer something that no other segment offers, i.e, go anywhere characteristic. This is what the SUVs do without much compromise in ride comfort. But, earlier the SUVs were all about rugged appeal and off-roading, current-gen SUVs are more of soft-roaders and mostly are designed for the urban jungle.

4. Engine
   

   

   Coming to the heart of the engine, the question comes, what to see when comparing two cars. Is it the Bhp or the torque? Also, what more confusing is whether to go for a small capacity engine or the one with large displacement. Let me tell you, Bhp or power is what that should have more preference.

   Here is why! BHP vs Torque | Which is the Real Deal and Why?

   With that out of our way, if you think that a small capacity engine will have better mileage, well, let me tell you, it’s much more than simple maths. An engine with less displacement (say 1.0-litre) will sure consume less fuel in one cycle, but it has to undergo many cycles to extract the most out of the engine.

   In other words, the engine has to be kept on a boil to keep the car running at a decent pace, whereas a large capacity engine will have to do less work hence almost the same fuel will be consumed. This can be solved by turbocharging which is the trend of the 22nd-century cars in India.

5. Transmission
   

   

   Well, let’s not waste your time by explaining the type of transmission. But still, if you want to have a look at the types and how they work, knowledge is just a click away.

   Everything about The Manual Transmission Explained – All The Basics

   • Manual Transmission
     

     

     The stick shift or manual transmission is about to die in the international automotive market but we aren’t in that market. Cars with manual transmission are still a thing here in our domestic automotive market. How can one forget the sheer pleasure and the sense of power when shifting the lever? But choose the manual if you are either tight on budget or do less of inter-city travel.

     Which is the better automatic? DCT vs CVT vs AMT | Choose The Best Transmission

   • Automatic Transmission
     

     

     If you are among the people looking for a subtler and comfortable ride and do a lot of inter-city travel, the automatic transmission is just for you. There are several types of automatic transmission available in the market, this will help you in deciding one. But mind it, an automatic transmission sure is comfortable, it might fare a bit difficult on hilly roads.

     Download The GoMechanic App Now!

     

6. Safety Rating
   

   

   Thankfully, the automotive industry is putting the right use of the internet. Better late than never, people looking for cars have the safety rating among the top pointers in their wish lists. After all, who wants their loved ones in danger. Well, no one thought drinking coffee with family was that dangerous.

   Here are the Indian Hatchbacks Listed According To Their Global NCAP Safety Ratings

7. Ownership Cost
   

   

   Deciding a car to buy is tough, what’s even tougher is maintaining the vehicle. In the end, one spends a lot more than what he/she was willing to pay in the maintenance. That said, this factor should not be kept aside, as the value of the car depreciates with time and we tend to put more money on that very same car.

8. Resale Value
   

   

   Thinking re-sale when buying a car is a wise decision which is practised by almost everyone here in India. With that, one might also, calculate the possible resale value after the term of use. This is one of the reasons, Maruti Suzukis and Toyotas have a really good re-sale value. It’s sad to see that the resale value also depends on the car’s manufacturer.

   Here are 12 Cars with Best Resale value in India | From WagonR to Fortuner

9. Creature Comfort
   

   

   Coming to the last point of research, the features and creature comforts. This is something that depends on variants with the top-end trip getting all the bells and whistles that the car has on offer. But the top variants do costs more, so one can look for the features those are necessary like rear defogger and rear wash wiper. These two are some necessary features car makers miss out on the base variant.

10. Test Drive
    

    

    In the end, after shortlisting the car, don’t forget to give the try. Over here, don’t forget to check how the car handles, is it sharp or slick. Also, don’t forget to check the clutch and its weight. And most importantly, if it is your first automatic car, then you ought to take a test ride, well, just in case.