This is part of a sponsored series. All thoughts are mine.
Most recently, we’ve been in the market for a new SUV for me. Believe it or not, my old, faithful Equinox has lasted me a good ten years now and it’s time to trade it in for something a little more updated with less miles. It’ll be a bittersweet goodbye, but at the same time I’m looking forward to a new ride. Talking with a New York Toyota dealer and working through the process has made me stop and think about what’s necessary in a ‘must have list’ when you’re shopping for a new vehicle, and I wanted to share some tricks of the trade.
First of all, I want to tell you why I think it’s crucial that you have a list like this. You may think you know exactly what you want, and it’s possibly that you do, but when there are so many different models out there, you might get stuck on little details that happen to be big details for you. When we started test driving vehicles, I thought I knew exactly what I wanted. I was set on purchasing the same exactly make and model, just ten years newer! Easy enough, right? Wrong.
What I actually found out when test driving that brand new vehicle, was that I actually didn’t like what they’d done with the truck. It didn’t hold the values that I was looking for anymore. When I was single and in college, it had been perfect for me. But now that I’m married with a little one, my priorities have shifted and my vehicle requirements are completely different.
So it all comes back to sitting down and taking note of what is most important to you when it comes to your vehicle.
Start with size, do you want a car, an SUV, a truck? Consider your daily cargo requirements and what makes most sense on a day-to-day basis for you.
Then move on to how many seats. This probably isn’t as prevalent for a car, but for an SUV or truck, you may just need 5 seats or you may want more like a third row seat or the optional front middle seat if you need space in a pinch.
Next consider your needs for space, technology, radio and more. For some people, a GPS system is non-negotiable. For others, they don’t care if it’s included or not. In your list, specify things you absolutely have to have and things that would be nice but you could do without. In our car search, our salesman thought it was a little odd that I didn’t want a sunroof or moonroof – apparently that’s not something that people actively turn down. But for me, I don’t want one. After a car accident in college where I cut my head open on the sunroof, I was terrified that it could have been worse. Thus, no sunroof/moonroof for me.
Once you’ve hammered out the specifics, you’ll want to hone in on a price point (or optimal monthly payment) which will help you determine what year range you will be looking for that specific vehicle in. Trust me, it helps to get this figured out early.
Lastly, and don’t get stuck on this one, figure out what color vehicle you DON’T want. That’s right, now which color you want, but write down which colors you wouldn’t want. It makes it much easier to choose a vehicle if you aren’t set on a certain color.
These tips are basic, but it covers the essentials of what you should look for when it comes to purchasing your next vehicle. Make sure to drive a good variety of comparisons so that when it comes down to choosing the perfect one; you’re confident that you picked the best one for you. With all that in mind at the end of the day, you really can’t go wrong!
What’s the biggest factor for you when buying a new vehicle? Leave a comment below!
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