How to save money while buying a car

How to save money while buying a car

Buying a car may not be as easy as you think. You could have gone to the showroom planning to buy a small car that suits your modest budget. But chances are that you could be left confused by the salesperson's enthusiasm to push a higher variant of the car or add-on features. You probably wanted to get a good bargain on the car since you are not keen on additional features and your requirement is for a vehicle that takes you to office and back. Do you need all the features that are offered in the car these days? More pertinent question is, are you going to use all these features?

A car with a multitude of features may not suit you. Instead, you should go for a car that has features that you need. So, once you decide to prune the features, you can save a lot from your final bill.

Rear AC

You could be wondering why a small car needs a rear AC vent. Even though five people travel in your present car, all the passengers get enough cooling. Besides, most of the time your parents and child could be sitting in the back seat. They do not need a chilled cabin. Besides, those living in the hills do not need AC most of the time. Then why should you pay extra to get a rear AC vent?

The showroom executive may not have ready answers for your queries.

How to save money while buying a car

But, if you live in an arid climate and if your car has a bigger cabin, the rear AC vent is a boon. Most cars do not have this feature. But if you go with a variant that doesn't have rear AC, you could save some money. This could help to go for a lower variant that doesn't have this feature or opt for another car that has a feature you require in the same price bracket.

Fog lamps

Have you ever used the fog lamps? May be during a hill trip some years ago. In thick fog, you may have used fog lamps once or twice. But such trips are very rare. And most people do not know if their car has such a feature. That means, you have paid for a feature that you seldom use. One needs to look at the climate before having such a feature in your car. The feature is useful in fog and heavy rains. But what is the need for fog lamps for someone who drives mostly in the city? Why do you need to pay extra for a feature that you could use once in the lifetime of a car?

Power windows

If only two people are going to travel in the car regularly, why do you need power windows in the back too? In such a case, do not spend more for a feature that you are never going to use.

Seat upholstery

The dealer will try to sell you a seat cover along with the car. But you could get better and cheaper cover from the market. Here too you could make savings.

Tiltable steering wheel

If the driving position of the car is comfortable without using the tilt facility, then why spend more to have a car with such a feature? If the car is going to be mostly driven by you and you are comfortable with the actual driving position, go for the lower variant that doesn't have a tilt feature. Here, too you make good savings.

Automatic head lamp, rain sensing wipers

The knobs to switch on these features are just a few centimetres away. In that case, do you need an automatic head lamp and rain sensing wipers? In luxury cars these features are much more accurate. In smaller cars, they are not. In premium cars, the head lamp automatically dims when a vehicle comes in front of it. If you don't have such features, why spend money on such gimmicks? Most of the times the automatic rain sensing wipers start working when the windshield is covered in water. Do you need to wait that long? So, do you need this feature?

Infotainment system

You might have heard about features such as Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and navigation. But how often do you use them? Do you need to spend money on navigation for a trip that you make once in a blue moon? If you travel mostly through known places, it is best to avoid the navigation feature. The number of people who use Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is very few. These features are for those who travel long distances daily and make long phone calls frequently. But for others, it has only ornamental value. You could use that money to get a reverse camera and sensor.

Push button start

Though it is a lovely feature, if your budget doesn't permit, this is one feature that can be dropped easily. Effectively, there is not much difference in using either the key or the push button. Just that push button start has more snob value.

Rear defogger

Do you use the defogger regularly? Specially in Kerala? The answer is no. Then why spend money on it? All the features mentioned here are not unnecessary but not having them won't make much of a difference. Then why spend extra money on them? Choose the features that suit your usage, climate, and number of passengers etc. You do not need all the features that today's cars come with. Carefully pick and choose the features and you can save a lot.

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