Reader question:
I’m eighteen years old and am going to buy my first car. What kind of stuff is standing in my way?
Melissa
A lot, sorry to say.
But don’t fret. People your age are buying new cars all the time despite all of the blockers that have been put up along the road, and with a little paying attention to what you’re doing and easing around these blockers, you can get the car you want, too. All it takes is a little work and a little research, and usually some time as well. It’s probably true that you don’t want to wait, but all good comes to those who do, right?
- Credit history.You don’t have any. This can really get in the way of you getting a loan to finance your car. Financers look at your credit history for good history and lengthy history to determine that, if they give you a loan, you will continue to make payments well. If you don’t have a credit history, they can’t know how you will act and you are then a higher risk.
- The vultures. Being a first time buyer, the car salesmen will come down at you like scavengers. They assume you don’t know anything about the car buying process and as such think they can trick you into paying more. Prove them wrong.
- Used cars. You’ll probably have to get a car that’s more than five years old your first time around, but lenders don’t tend to give loans to people buying those kinds of cars. As such, it will be harder for you to get your first car financed.
- Insurance. Teens, despite being among the most low paid, have to pay the most for car insurance. It’s usually around three to five thousand for a teenager, and being added to your parents’ insurance doesn’t soften the blow by much. It’s especially bad for males.
- Maintenance, gas, etc. Not only will you have to pay a lot of attention now to make sure that your car is in good shape, but you will have to fork out a lot more money in order to keep it that way. Even if it doesn’t actually break down, there’s gas and oil changes and all that.
Cheers,
Fashun Guadarrama.