Don’t fall for these mistakes that first time car owners make!

So you’ve crunched the numbers, and you can finally afford to buy your first car. Obviously, cars don’t come cheap in Singapore, so you’ll want to do all you can to get maximum bang for your buck. In this article, we’ve rounded up 4 common mistakes that Singaporeans make when they purchase their first car. Make sure you do your due diligence, and steer clear of these mistakes!

1. Rushing into your purchase

Look, we get the appeal of instant gratification. It’s pretty cool to order a kettle from Amazon Prime, and have it on your doorstep within two hours.
But here’s the thing… buying a car is NOT like buying a kettle from Amazon. If you realise that you’ve made the wrong choice for some reason, this means you’re basically flushing tens of thousands of dollars down the drain.
Bearing this in mind, take your time to look around, and don’t rush into your purchase right off the bat. In fact, if you make up your mind to buy a car towards the end of the year, we’d recommend just window-shopping and holding the actual purchase off till the middle of the year.
Why should you do this? Well, car dealers tend to make more deals during December and January -- that’s when people receive their year-end bonuses, and start buying or upgrading cars. Assuming you don’t need your car urgently, it makes more sense to buy around May or June, when sales reps are closing less deals. This way, you increase your chances of getting a good price.

2. Falling for the tactics of aggressive salespeople

Salespeople have plenty of tricks up their sleeves, and if you’re not careful, you could end up buying a car under pressure.
We know, we know -- as Singaporeans, we can’t help but be drawn to special promotions, freebies, and bundle offers… but at the end of the day, if you let yourself get suckered into buying a car at the very first dealer you visit, we can bet that you’ll live to regret it.
So, the next time you hear a salesperson saying…
“$5,000 off the listed price! Cheapest deal in town, promotion ends today!”
Take it with a pinch of salt. If you’ve compared prices (for the same car!) across multiple dealers, and you CAN confirm that this is indeed the cheapest deal you’ll get, then go ahead. But if not, shop around, and don’t get pressured into buying on the spot.

3. Going for a solo test-drive

Unless you’re a trust fund baby, and everyone in your household owns their own Lamborghini, your siblings, parents, or spouse will probably be using your car as well.
Bearing this in mind, don’t just go on a solo test-drive; get your family to take turns driving the car as well. This will eliminate complaints (about the ride height, the positioning of the break, the set-up of the wheel…) surfacing only after you’ve purchased the car.
On top of that, make sure your family members can get in and out of the car easily as well. You might think that you can get by with a smaller model, but if your exceptionally tall grandpa is scraping his head every time he gets into the car, then you’ll have to re-think your pick.

4. Ruling out second-hand cars

As consumers, our first instinct will always be to look for something new and shiny.
That said, you shouldn’t rule out second-hand cars right off the bat. There are plenty of second-hand options that are so well-maintained, you wouldn’t even be able to tell that they aren’t new.
At the end of the day, it really boils down to your needs and circumstances. If your goal is to get a car that doesn’t depreciate so quickly, for example, a second-hand car is a good choice. And if you travel often for work and there’s a chance that you’ll get posted to an overseas office for a few years, then don’t waste money on buying a new car -- you might not even be around to drive it.
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Which mistake did you find yourself making (or almost making) when shopping for your first car? Let us know in the comments!