If you are buying your first car in college, then you need to be careful so that you don't end up with an expensive car that you can't maintain at this time in your life. Assuming that you are a typical college student with limited finances, here are a few tips to keep in mind when choosing such a car.
Mind the Insurance Costs
If you are like most college students, then you are likely to be under the age of 25. Unfortunately, this means you are at an age that auto insurance companies assume you are a risky driver due to your inexperience and the driving habits of drivers in your age range. This means your auto insurance premiums are likely to be higher than average. Don't make it worse by buying a car that attracts high insurance premiums. Instead, you should buy a relatively inexpensive car, a car with a proven safety record, and a car with reliable safety and security features; that way your car insurance premiums will be reasonable.
Mind the Maintenance Costs
You also need to consider the maintenance costs of the prospective brands you are considering buying. Most college students aren't exactly swimming in money, which means their car maintenance budgets are also small. As such, you shouldn't buy a car that will break down every now and then and will cost an arm and a leg to fix each time it breaks down.
Try To Buy Used
Both used and brand new cars have their pros and cons; however, you are better off buying a used car at this time. Here are some of the reasons a used car will make much more sense for you than a new one:
Try and Pay In Cash
Lastly, you should consider buying your college car in cash instead of getting a car loan. By buying a car on loan, you will end up paying more money for it than you would spend on it with a cash purchase. You don't want to be paying for maintenance, buying gas, and paying for insurance, while also making the auto loan repayments. This point also connects to that of buying a used car – it's much easier to buy a used car in cash than it is to buy a brand new car in cash.
For more information on finding used trucks for sale, contact your local dealer.