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Top tips for getting a car, including having it delivered
Special to The Enterprise
Getting a car is a pretty big move, made all the more daunting due to the health threat and financial uncertainty posed by the COVID-19 crisis.
Still, you have places to go. And with public transportation and ride-sharing a definite no-go for now, a car is probably your best bet. With all of this to consider - not to mention getting a good deal - here are five tips that experts say everyone should keep in mind when looking for a car in 2020.
Now more than ever, don't buy new
We are finally waking up to what our parents always told us: going with a pre-owned vehicle is the smart choice.
According to Kelley Blue Book, the average new car will set you back about $37,000, while one that's used (and identical in nearly every way) comes in at a considerably lower $20,000 or so.
A new car also depreciates like crazy when it leaves the lot. In fact, new cars lose around 20-30% of their value in just the first year, and are worth about half of their sticker price after three years.
Those are just a couple of the reasons that more peo ple are now getting used cars - with a record 62% of prime customers opting for pre-owned over new.
Don't take out crazy loans
Nowadays, about half of vehicles are bought with loans. And in order to keep payments low, Americans are drawing them out longer than ever, with an average loan term of over half a decade.
This situation leaves you throwing away a ton of cash on interest over the years of the loan - and left with few options for getting the debt off your shoulders if your financial situation or ability to pay changes.
It's no wonder there's a national auto loan crisis, with a record 7 million Americans who are 90 days or more behind on their car payments.
Explore subscriptions
Car subscription services are a popular, no-loan way to get a car in hard-to-predict times, letting you drive month-to-month and simply walk away when you want.
One of the most popular subscription services, Fair, even lets you complete the whole process of getting a car entirely on your phone without leaving your house.
You can get approved in-app, shop for the car you want, sign for it with your finger, and even have it delivered to your driveway for free - with no long-term commitment, negotiation or even physical paperwork.
Fair has over 20 different car brands on its app - all of them less than five years old and with fewer than 50,000 miles. In addition, routine maintenance, 24/7 roadside assistance and a limited war ranty are all included in each car's monthly payment.
Do your research
There are a number of great online resources avail able for consumers to find not only the best car price, but the best year, make and model.
Websites like Edmunds offer forums where consum ers can compare where and what other people paid for similar vehicles, while resources like Carfax and J.D. Power provide valuable infor mation on your car's history.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administra tion website even offers an online tool to find out if the individual vehicle has had any safety issues or recalls.
Get the full expense picture
Online loan calculators are a simple way to get an esti mated figure for what loan payments may end up adding in principal and interest.
Additionally, you need to
consider auto insurance in your car's overall expense. The average cost is $1,548 a year, but that varies with the carrier, the driver's history and the vehicle type.
Repair costs can also add to your bill, as a 2017 stud y from AAA showed the average repair bill is between $500 and $600. —Brandpoin t
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Standards Link: Mathematics: Calculate the sums of whole numbers to 23. You Need: Each player needs 8 markers. Buttons, pebbles or even small squares of paper make good markers. Goal: Be the first person to get to the sum of 23. How to Play: 1. The first player puts one marker on a number and says the number aloud. 2. The second player places a marker on another number, adds that number to the previous number and says the total aloud. 3. Play continues until one player reaches exactly 23.
Buzz’s Eggs-tra Challenge: Change the numbers in each egg above, using the numbers 5 through 8.
Beeper’s Eggs-tra-ordinary Challenge: Begin with 23 and subtract the amounts to reach zero. Standards Link: Mathematics: Subtract single digits from single and double digits.
Who won the egg roll race? Trace the winning egg’s path to find out. Standards Link: Eye-hand coordination.
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Change CAT into DOG by changing just one letter in each word along the word ladder. DOG by etter in each ord ladder.
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Standards Link: Visual discrimination.
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