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Owning a car is an exciting event in your life. If it’s your first time owning a vehicle, the idea of having the ability to go places gives you a feeling of freedom. But that excitement can be dampened by several issues associated with car ownership.
After all, car ownership can become more complicated than it should. Purchasing a car can already be overwhelming with all the choices of brands and models. Then you have to worry about getting the best financing, the best extended car warranty, and the best insurance. Once you purchase your car, you’ll be facing maintenance issues.
But it should not be complicated or intimidating. You don’t need to get overwhelmed with too many options and issues when purchasing a car. Maintenance is easy if you choose to make it easy. Here is a guide to uncomplicated car ownership.
In This Post:
Two Steps to Simplify Buying a Car
Buying a car should not be that difficult. The key is to reduce the steps in purchasing and narrow down your choices.
- Narrow It Down – Start with your budget. This will already narrow down possible car choices. Cross out all options that are over your budget. To narrow it down more, think of your regular car use scenarios. If you don’t have a family and will only use your vehicle for going to work and back home, you can cross out SUVs and family wagons. Narrow it down more using practical considerations: the size of your garage, monthly fuel budget, weather conditions. By the end of it, you'll have a list of cars that fit your profile.
- Keep It Simple – Your lender and your dealership will try to upsell with any chance they get. Keep it simple with your car loan: lowest premiums, shortest payment terms. When the dealership upsells, splurge on car essentials like good tires and insurance. But skip the rear spoiler or any cosmetic non-essentials.
Three Steps to Simplify Maintaining a Car
Now that you have your shiny new car, you need to keep it in top condition. Taking care of a vehicle is not complicated, even if you don’t know a thing about car mechanics.
- Know Your Car – Read your car owner’s manual. By doing so, you’ll get to know which fuel is best, what features you might have missed, and maintenance schedules. The manual will also teach you what your car’s warning lights mean and how to fix issues.
- Maintain Regularly – At the minimum, you can maintain your car by washing it. If you're not familiar with basic maintenance, bring your car to the shop at least once a month. Ask your mechanic to teach you basic things you can do at home, such as checking your fluids and topping these up. Make every visit to the shop a learning opportunity until you learn basic repair and maintenance.
- Drive Safely – The best way to keep your car in shape is to drive it safely. Aggressive driving will put unnecessary strain on your vehicle and make it vulnerable to collision.
Simple Is Best
The essential idea in making car ownership uncomplicated is to go basic. Keep your car purchase simple by narrowing your choices down and buying only the essentials. Make maintenance simple by driving safely and learning from your mechanic.