My car buying story

It's not every day that you get to drop a sizable sum of money on an item, so when it is that day you can imagine the sheer excitement of it all, coupled with the crippling fear of whether you've made the right choice.

After seven years of cruising round Australia's south-eastern states in my Holden Cruze, I decided to trade up to something with a little more style and technology and much better fuel economy to suit my inner city lifestyle.

As someone who likes cars, knows cars but also likes to stand out from the crowd, I found the journey to new car ownership somewhat of a challenge. Practicality and all those other sensible qualities of certain brands of car are in almost complete conflict with my desire for style, flair and uniqueness.

After months of research and browsing across carsales and car brands' websites I had my heart set on a Renault Megane. For me, it was the perfect fit for what I was after. A practical and sensible hatchback designed by the French, part engineered by the Japanese and built by the Spanish. There was style, flair, technology and the price was right.

The next step was actually one of the most daunting: entering the dealership to test-drive the car. You might be thinking: "What is so scary about going to a car yard? You know what you're after and you know cars."

The immense pressure you feel by sales people can make you do silly things like buying a car way more expensive than you had planned for, or purchasing a house in a suburb you've never heard of.

I walked in, did the whole casual browsing of the car I was interested in by doing the universal opening of every door and compartment and inspecting it as if I was working in quality control. A minute or two later I was approached by a friendly sales person, pleasantly asking how I was going and was I in need of assistance or a coffee?

Two things I certainly needed and two things I've rarely been asked whilst in a car dealership previously.

Next thing I knew, I was driving around the area testing out the vehicle with the salesman. He was pointing out the different elements of the car including the auto parking, the driver modes (I particularly enjoyed driving in sports mode) and the multimedia system. I was given the usual sell about the price, the 'special deal at the moment' as well as the brand's warranty/ownership details, which he modestly explained.

Driving back into the car yard, we got out of the car and had a chat about the car and how other customers were enjoying the product. Then, just like at the end of a date, I got the "Would you like to come inside for a coffee and talk about next steps?" Gulp. Here came the scary commitment part.

I knew I liked, if not loved the car but I was not ready to commit. Just this minute. I still had to work out my finances, costs of insurance and other little details that you do forget about. Always write a to-do list!

Over the next few weeks, I carried out my research on car insurance (which in itself is a full-time job to compare policies and prices), as well as checking out different finance options.

As the weeks passed, the more and more I thought about the car and started imagining what my life would be like if it was mine. I feel that if you're making a big decision in your life, financial or not, you need to be so sure about it. Over research, over analyse absolutely every last inch of the product until you feel that it is the one thing you need. If you can't make that justification, what is the point?

I found the car I was after on carsales (opting for a near new demo), placed my enquiry and awaited confirmation of the dealer's location and availability.

I booked an appointment and braced myself for the commitment.

Walked in at 10am, spoke to the sales team, drank my complimentary coffee, drove the car I had enquired on, was offered another coffee (as you can tell, this brand's dealerships love offering coffee to customers).

To my surprise, everyone in the dealership was friendly, explained everything clearly, was quite flexible and not pushy at all. There was the friendly staff member who was in charge of upselling me to paint protect, interior protect and tinting. I've been warned by my dad, a stalwart of the motoring industry for over 30 years about this. I politely declined on four occasions across three days.

Next thing I knew, it was 12pm and I was walking out of the dealership with my signed contract and collection date of six days' time. The longest six days of my life!
Picking the car up was the best part, after all that research, small talk, finance balancing and coffee. They did that new car reveal with the sheet and everyone in the showroom applauding. Unnecessary yet so worth it. I love my little blue hot hatch.

Key takeouts
• Know what you want and need – in terms of technology/equipment/creature comforts. Once you see the prices you'll need to do some compromising or revaluation of these wants and needs;
• Write a to-do list of all the things you need for the transition to a new car;
• Research, research, research. Carsales has everything from reviews, pricing, tips and advice to make sure you are making the best selection;
• Test drive! Always test drive, get a feel for the car. As they say, a puppy isn't just for Christmas its forever – and the same is true of cars – so make sure you're happy;
• Don't feel pressured to make a decision then and there;
• Pick a colour you'll be happy to look at every day;
• Post a photo of you on Instagram with a funny pun or comment so your friends and family know you went through the car-buying process.