Ten things to consider when buying your first car

Buying your first car can be a terrifying experience, but it can also be fun if you know what to do and what to look for.

In the interests of ensuring you make the right decision, Nissan South Africa has developed this handy 10-step guide to buying your first car.

If you follow the suggestions below, this process could prove to be quite an adventure and if you’re lucky, you may just end up with a trendy little fun-hunter as your first car.

Why do you want a new car?

Scrutinise your motivation for wanting to buy a new car and establish exactly what it’s going to be used for.

For example, if you have a new job as a sales representative, you might want an economical car that can easily do high mileage with a small amount of fuel.

Test drive and research

Take your time to consider all the options available. Don’t rush into buying your first car whether you’re buying new or used.

Understand that you are spending quite a bit of money and you need to research everything about your potential new ride.

Affordability

This extends further than the monthly hire purchase payments you will make on your first car.

This includes monthly fuel costs, insurance and maintenance.

Smart first-time car buyers will do well to consider the new Nissan Micra Active because it comes with a class-leading 3-year/90,000km service plan and a 6-year/150,000km warranty.

Interest rate fluctuations

Most first-time car buyers forget that there will be interest rate fluctuations during their finance period of 3 to 6 years, so don’t forget to budget for possibly higher monthly repayments.

Insurance

Don’t underestimate how high insurance payments are for first-time buyers and be sure to shop around for quotes from different companies, but scrutinise the finer details to ensure that you are comprehensively covered.

Safety
In the rush to buy a new car, some youngsters sacrifice safety features for cool optional extras.

Don’t do this. Safety must be a priority and your new car should have certain basics. The new Nissan Micra Active comes standard with a host of safety features that are absolutely necessary on your first new car.

Features such as an Antilock Braking System, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution with Brake Assist and two airbags are exactly what you need.

Parts pricing

Often, cars that are competitively priced at the outset turn out to be more expensive in the long-run because their parts pricing isn’t as inexpensive as people assume it is.

Do the research and understand how much you will be spending on parts when your service plan comes to an end.

Several Nissan vehicles, including the new Micra Active, are great value for money because their parts are very competitively priced.

Resale value

It seems strange to have to consider selling your car just as you’re getting ready to buy it, but it pays to think long-term and to have a fair understanding of whether your new ride is going to hold its value over the years.

Important features

It’s a given that safety features are of utmost importance, but you never know what curveballs life may throw your way, so don’t underestimate the importance of features such as ISOfix child seat anchorage, which is a standard feature in the second row of seats in the new Micra Active.

Remote central locking, speed sensitive auto door locks and an immobiliser are also standard on the new Micra Active.

Express yourself

When you’ve done all the grown-up stuff such as research, budgeting, reading through insurance quotes and you realise that the new Nissan Micra Active for R159,900 is a gem of a car, you’ll be pleased to know that it has quite a few cool Nissan Approved Accessories, which are covered by the warranty and which allow you to pimp your ride with peace of mind.