Our teenager recently got his driver’s license. What usually happens after that is he wants to buy his own car. Of course, it won’t be a brand new car so there are more things to consider when buying a used car.
Here are some things that we told him he should know before buying his first car:
- Know what kind of car you want
- What make and model
- Do you want a coupe, sedan or hatchback?
- What kind of gas mileage do you want to have
- When looking at a car you’re interested in, here are some things to ask the seller:
- How many miles does the car have?
- Is there anything wrong with it? Has it ever been in an accident?
- Has the seller been performing regular maintenance on it?
- Here is the most important part – how much money is this going to cost you?
- What’s the price of the car?
- How much is registration and insurance?
- How much will it cost to perform regular maintenance like oil changes and tire rotations?
- How much is it going to cost for gas on a regular basis? If he can’t afford this, it will just be sitting in the garage.
Can you think of anything else teens should know before buying a car? What other advice would you offer?
photo credit: Stephen K. Willi
Mimi, I applaud you for raising a teen ager! I dread the day mine start driving! I have a few years since they are 6 and 4 but still I dread it! When I got my first car, I thought I was invincible and nothing bad could happen. It's also good to prepare these young drivers for what could happen and if something does happen on the road, what they should do. Also, my parents got me AAA which was a life saver when I had a flat tire in the middle of nowhere!
Before buying any used car, ask the seller if you can take it to have a mechanic look it over. Most mechanics will do this for free or for a small fee, especially if you're their regular customer. If the seller won't let you do that, run! If you find out there are some minor repairs that need to be done, ask the mechanic how much they will cost, and then ask the seller to reduce his price accordingly.
Before buying any used car, ask the seller if you can take it to have a mechanic look it over. Most mechanics will do this for free or for a small fee, especially if you're their regular customer. If the seller won't let you do that, run! If you find out there are some minor repairs that need to be done, ask the mechanic how much they will cost, and then ask the seller to reduce his price accordingly.