Five questions to ask before buying a car

You need a new relationship with transport. This is the change in direction you’re ready to take but – whether it’s your first car or your 13th – buying a car can be daunting.

Cute, sexy, reliable, dependable, practical, fun. There’s a huge field of players out there, in all shapes and sizes and personality types, ready to be searched, found and enjoyed.

Some will look disappointing, others will simply be too good to be true. So, as you look out across the field, here are some quick questions to mull over before you commit…

Nothing preachy or judgy here, just a plea to set yourself a firm budget and stick to your guns before you start shopping for a car, whether it’s new or used.

This will help cut down the list of potential matches, save you wasting time and stop you overspending.

There’s a LOT of choice out there in car land to tempt you, so it’s worth thinking about what you’ll be using the vehicle for, where you’ll mainly be driving it and what features are important to you.

That’s not just whether it’s got mag wheels or a smartphone hook-up, but deeper questions to ask from the get-go – how big do you need it to be, how economical, how capable in various situations, how many friends are coming along for the ride, what are its manners like, will Ma and Da approve?

Your protection is important, right? Ditto your fellow passengers and even outsiders you might come into contact with. So check the independent expert safety ratings on the ANCAP or How Safe Is Your Car? websites and, bottom line, accept nothing less than five stars.

For older cars, take a quick look at the Used Car Safety Ratings done very well by Monash Uni’s Accident Research Centre. More stars, more better.

On the car itself, as a bare minimum, make sure it has electronic stability control (ESC), anti-lock brakes (ABS), a reversing camera, as many airbags as possible (say, four or six) and, if your budget permits, autonomous emergency braking (AEB).

OK, it gets a bit boring here, but you’ll be wide awake and wondering WTF you did to deserve this if the car starts costing you big bucks as soon as you’ve bought it.

A high-maintenance chariot – like a sophisticated European luxury car or a thirsty 4x4 ute or SUV – will eat into your bank balance. Nothing wrong with basic and bland, which you’ll come to love for its all-round goodness and its lower insurance, service and repair costs.

Also, highness in the popularity stakes should ensure replacement parts are a decent price and in good supply.

It’s a great question that’s hard to answer, but asking around and doing some easy internet stalking can help you avoid buying a car with a history of failed relationships with lots of previous owners.

By all means, listen to your mates whinge about their cars and dive into online forums. But don’t get too jaded and put faith into trusted sources, like carsales’ Buying a Used Car library and the federal government’s official Vehicle Recalls website, which will tell you what’s gone wrong and what should’ve now been fixed on the car you’re keen on.

If you’re pressing on with an inspection date with a car dealer or private seller, why check out these relevant articles:

And if you want to get really well prepped, go to our mates at RedBook.com.au and look up the car you’re interested in.

They’ll give you all the features and specs, the safety rating and, because you took the time to say hello, they’ll also give you a running cost estimate and market valuation. For free.