Which car is right for me?

Buying a new car is perhaps the most fun thing you’ll do this year. The anticipation of what will essentially become an expansion of your personality is electric. It’s almost like getting a tattoo or a gym body or something else visual that people will see and pass judgement on. Nobody wants a car that makes them look like they’re desperately trying to show off. Nobody wants a car that is little more than a roller skate with a bee-in-a-biscuit-tin engine (because that’s no use for grocery shopping, let along anything else). So, where to begin?

First, many people looking to trade up from a previous motor do so because of a road collision or scrape, leaving them with unsightly body damage. Make sure you get what you are owed in compensation before you sell your damaged car for less than what it is worth (you may need a car accident lawyer)

What can you afford?
Staying within budget is super difficult. But that’s where being savvy with car brands comes in. Searching for car brands that fall into your budget when they are one year older than other car brands that fall into your budget for newer models is a great investment. The better the car brand, the fewer fixes will be required in the future, saving you money on an upgrade for potentially one more or two more years than you’d expect compared to the usual timescales involved with upgrading from cheaper brands.

Size matters
How many people are you expecting to carry on a regular basis? More than two? That’s a no to a little two-seater sporty number, then. Where will you be parking your car overnight? On a driveway? In a garage? Have you measured how much room is available? Being unable to close your garage door because of the tail end of your car sticking out is a car buying faux pas.

Body style
This is sort of the most fun part. Body style should be chosen to reflect your lifestyle. A cramped soft top that doesn’t offer the driver a particularly great 360-degree view of what's going on may be great for short weekend trips to the beach, but probably wouldn’t be the best fit vehicle for the daily commute. The SUV has become the spacious all-rounder. Start from here, adding or subtracting space and features as required until you find the body style to suit you.