Buying a car..?

You have recently settled down as a university student, and you realise its getting harder to move around. Late buses and crowded trains is really pissing you off, and daddy is not going to buy you a brand new shiny car for your birthday. So you wake up one day and decide that's it, you are getting a decent secondhand car, but you have no idea where to start...

#1 Research

Work out your budget, choose your favourite car brands, list out a few car models you are interested in and let the search begin! You can use websites like CarSales to search for cars, in there you can customise your search to price, transmission, colour, mileage, and so on.

Source: http://www.businessworld-australia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/carsales.jpg

#2 Make appointments

Start calling/texting car owners to set up a meet to get a feel of the car. Test drive the car, play with all the toggles, and do not make up your mind after just one appointment, test drive a few and so you get to compare.

#3 Evaluate the car

You have your eyes on a car, and now it is time to make sure the car is in decent mechanical condition. If you have a mechanic friend, great! Bring him along for a second inspection and let him evaluate the car. If not, there are insurance companies that provides vehicle inspection services (e.g., NRMA), usually a detailed report would be provided at the end, stating almost every mechanical aspect of your car to number of previous owners. This is a potential money-saver, where you can address any problems with your car before you actually purchase it.

Source: http://www.mynrma.com.au/media/products_services_motorserve_vehicle_inspection.jpg

#4 Buying and insurance

So all is good, time to actually buy the car! You don't want to be lugging around huge amount of cash, so a cashiers cheque would be a good idea. After buying the car, remember to get your optional third party insurance right away! You can buy it online from various companies, namely NRMA, Just Car Insurance, Allianz, just do a little research to see which one best suits you! You certainly do not want to risk paying for a light pole that costs thousands if you accidentally knock one over (no offence to your driving skills).

Source: http://trackbattle.com.au/adgp/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/just_car_logo_white-300x150.jpg