The reason that people choose to buy a car rather than get public transport everywhere is due to freedom and access. The freedom that comes with owning your own car is one that most students absolutely yearn for, because public transport isn’t always the easiest to deal with.

Most students who are headed off to uni are at the age where they just passed their driving test, so they’ll be looking to own their first car. The possibilities are truly endless when you own your first car and that’s the case whether you are owning a small smart car or a Volkswagen. It’s important, though, that you don’t get ripped off when you’re trying to buy your first car, especially if you’re a student and you’re new to the game. Let’s take a look at.What you need to think about when it comes to buying your very first car as a student.

1. Cost. It’s one of the major factors in deciding which car you should get no matter how old you are. But cost is always going to be a factor with a student budget. The cost of the car that you buy can really determine how much of your budget you have leftover for things like insurance, repairs, and gas. Cars come in all different shapes and sizes, so you need to make sure that you’re paying for a car that is really going to make a difference to you and your life. Dealerships will often charge more than a private seller for the same car, but you may be able to negotiate for more add-ons or better deals on your finance.
2. Used or new? Another consideration when buying a car as a student is whether you should buy a used car or a new one. You should balance out which one is going to be more cost effective. If a used car is going to cost the same as a brand new one that’s never been driven, then it makes good sense to go with the new car however. You need to think about how many kilometers are on the car and what year it was made so that you can make sure that you get a car that’s fairly new without too many kilometers without the price tag of a brand new one. Used cars depreciate fairly quickly after moving off the lot so you have to think about that too.
3. Dealership or Private seller? When you buy a car from a private seller, you have to make sure it’s got its roadworthy certificates so you can register it in your name. This allows you to drive it immediately. If the car that you want doesn’t come with a roadworthiness  certification, you can always use a mobile roadworthy service to see whether or not the car needs inspection before you buy. This way you could negotiate the cost of any repairs at the seller before you buy the car. When you buy the dealership, you might end up with somebody telling you that you can’t afford to have the car that you want. Take somebody with you when going shopping for a new car as a student so you don’t end up getting ripped off at the end.