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CarHub's First Time Car Buyer Guide

CarHub's First Time Car Buyer Guide

Well, we all know that 2020 was a weird one. Everyone, the planet over, was affected by a little, era-defining event called the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re still in the midst of said pandemic, of course, but now that the dust has settled to some extent, we can take a look backward and take some stock of how the pandemic has touched the CarHub community. 

 

The results have been interesting, to say the least. The early 2020 outlook for the automotive industry was dire. It turns out the gloomy forecast was much ado about nothing. The automotive business hasn’t suffered, it’s just changed.

What’s Changed? 

 

Closeup portrait happy, smiling, young attractive woman, buyer sitting in her new car isolated outside dealer, dealership lot office.

In a recent survey conducted by Cars.com, close to 60% of car buyers have said that the pandemic swayed their decision to purchase a vehicle when they did. It seems that in a time of instability and periodic lockdowns, people valued the freedom that a car offers more than ever. Of 1,500 online respondents, more than 50% said that they had bought sooner than they originally planned due to the pandemic.

 

First Time Buyers 

 

There were more changes as well but one that stands out is that the post-pandemic world has attracted far more first-time buyers to the market than years previous. At CarHub we have a great structure in place for first-time buyers. We know that buying your first car can be an overwhelming experience but it's also an extremely exciting and rewarding one. We’re here to help make the experience as simple and seamless as possible, and we thought that this would be a perfect opportunity to run through the process to make things easier for the first-time buyer. 

 

So what are the steps? How does driving away in your first car take the leap from dream to reality? We’re glad you asked! Come along and we’ll run you through the first-time buyer process.

 

What’s the Right Car For You? 

 

Woman using laptop to buy car at table indoors

The first step in deciding to make a first-time car purchase is to make a detailed priority list of your needs. What are your primary concerns in a vehicle? It’s gut-check time when you sit down to figure this one out. Sometimes the things that you want in a car aren’t actually the things that you need. Do you value fuel efficiency? Green standards? Cargo space? Hauling capacity? Also, it's important to know if it's the right time to buy a vehicle.

 

Once you’ve whittled down your desires, you can apply them to the vehicle of your choice. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to land on a vehicle that hits all of the factors in your wishlist. For instance, if you want to hit all of the factors above you need only to look at the hybrid 2021 Chrysler Pacifica. It hits all of the necessary criteria for the factors mentioned above. You may not always get so lucky though. The Pacifica is a rare unicorn to offer such a sweeping array of features. In the case that you are not able to satisfy all of the criteria on your list, having a good sense of the weight of each of your prioritized items will help to allow you to make the right decision at the right time.

 

What’s your budget?

 

Here’s a mistake that many first-time car buyers make: they overestimate their budget. To make an informed buying decision you need to be realistic about what you can afford. This factors into the previous question of what car is right for you. 

 

When determining what vehicle fits within your budget and your lifestyle it’s worthwhile to consider your purchasing options. What does your budget allow for? A cash purchase? A lease? Or perhaps you would be best suited to a loan option? Each comes with its own set of considerations so a good hard look at your finances and your future goals would be prudent before making a decision. 

 

At CarHub we offer easy avenues for each of these options. If it’s a loan that you’re after we have an expert finance team on-site to help you through all of your financing needs. 

 

If you want to complete the process from home you can easily accomplish this using the Online Buy Now button located on our inventory pages. This will present options for you to choose lease, preapproval, or cash, as you wish.

Research Your Choice 

 

A young woman buys a car in a car showroom. A man signs a car agreement.

At this stage, you’ve weighed the factors and landed on your vehicle of choice. It meets your needs, fits into your price range and you’re just about ready to take the plunge. What’s next? 

 

The next step is to research your vehicle, of course. Your vehicle of choice will undoubtedly come in many versions and with many trim-levels. It will be customizable or already customized by a previous owner and it will have a personality of its own when it’s out on the road.

 

A great way to learn everything that you can about a vehicle is to obtain a CARFAX report. CARFAX provides a detailed history of a vehicle and compiles it into a report that will outline any information that may be relevant about the vehicle for a new buyer. You can go to the CARFAX site directly to accomplish this, or, CarHub provides an option to obtain a CARFAX report about a given vehicle on our inventory pages. This is a free service and there are no strings attached when you get a CARFAX report. 

 

One great way to learn everything that you can about a vehicle is to speak with a CarHub Product Advisor. Our Product Advisors have put in the leg work to understand our cars so that you don’t have to. If you’ve already done your research - the internet is a wealth of car information - but you still have questions, a CarHub Product Advisor would be up to the task of filling in the gaps for you.

 

Take Your Top Choice for a Spin 

 

No amount of research will tell you what you need to know as much as sitting behind the wheel of your chosen vehicle and going for a drive. Every car has its own feeling, its own characteristics, and they react differently to every driver. 

 

On a test drive, you will get a chance to review some of the factors that may be important for you, such as comfort, performance, handling, safety features and more. 

 

You can contact a CarHub Product Advisor to book an appointment for a test drive today of any one of the vehicles on CarHub’s North York or Caledon lots today.

 

The Price Talk 

 

At this stage in the game, you can usually expect the haggling to begin. The back and forth of a haggling experience can be stressful and oftentimes, unproductive. It can also lead to a whole lot of heartbreak if your price goals were based on an expectation that only haggling would allow for. If your goal doesn’t come to pass you could find yourself right back at square one - on the car hunt. 

 

While it’s true that some haggling experiences can work in a customer’s favour, most are squarely advantageous to the dealer who is experienced in negotiating. 

 

That’s why we’ve eliminated the haggling experience at CarHub. As a one-price shop, we take pains to place a fair and reasonable price on a vehicle from the outset. You don’t have to worry about whether or not you’re getting the best price for your car. You have the CarHub promise: you are. 

Wrap Up

 

Woman buying the car.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us have chosen to reassess and realign our priorities. For a large number of people who were living a car-free existence pre-pandemic, the value of the ability to hit the road when they wanted to skyrocketed. 

 

If you happen to be amongst the growing number of people who feel for the first time that a vehicle would enrich their lives, there are many factors to consider but don’t worry, the process of buying a car for the first time is also one of the most exciting events in a person's lifetime! 

 

If you’re ready to learn everything that you need to know about buying a car for the first time, you can book an appointment with a CarHub Product Advisor today.

Categories: The More You Know

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