Skip to main content

Tips for buying your first car

Tips for buying your first car





Instead of splurging on an impulse, it's important to consider the financial viability of owning and selling the car

 

1 Cost of ownership

Young earners with easy access to credit are often swayed by the prospect of buying the hottest set of wheels. However, besides the car loan EMI, they also need to take into account the maintenance expenses, insurance premium and fuel charges. So, instead of using the entire surplus income to purchase the car, they should calculate the total cost of ownership. Setting a realistic budget is key to enjoying the ride without worrying about the next EMI payment or a rise in fuel costs.

2 Low on maintenance

You may have got a good discount and struck a good deal on your dream machine, but will it prove to be as lucrative when it comes to maintenance? Since it will be your first driving experience, it's likely that the car will pick up a few dents along the way. Will you have to wait for a week to get the maintenance work done on the car? Will you be able to get spare parts easily in case it breaks down? So, keep in mind the aftersales service of a brand before you pick a car. Popular brands with easily accessible service centres and readily available spare parts should be your best bet.

3 High resale value

It is a given that you will upgrade your car after a few years and, in all probability, sell the old one to help finance the new purchase. What will be its resale value at that time? While there is no way to arrive at an exact figure, you can get a good estimate by studying the resale value of various brands. Typically, the cars with easily available spare parts are the ones that command a high resale value. For instance, a five-year-old Opel Corsa bought for nearly `6 lakh will fetch you a little over `50,000, while a `4 lakh Hyundai Santro could get you upwards of `1 lakh. So, before you zero in on your first car, make sure you check its resalibility quotient.

4 Used car options

With the used car market becoming more organised, it is an option that first-time car buyers can explore. Maruti's True Value and Mahindra & Mahindra's First Choice wheels are two popular and reliable platforms, with Renault also set to join the club. The amount that you would ordinarily shell out to buy a hatchback could get you a used sedan with fairly decent specifications. If you want to avoid taking a car loan, a year's savings may get you a certified used car from these established platforms. When your income increases after a few years, you can always buy a new car.

5 Petrol versus diesel

This is a question most first-time car buyers grapple with. Earlier, diesel cars were an easy choice despite being more expensive, due to the lower fuel cost and higher mileage. This meant that you could recover the premium you paid within 2-3 years. Now the running cost is no longer a decisive factor because diesel prices are virtually deregulated and the price gap between the two fuels has reduced to just about `10 litre. This means that you may have to drive a diesel car for 5-6 years to recover the extra cost. So, experts say that if you have to drive less than 50 km a day, the low       maintenance petrol variant might be the better choice.

For further information contact Prajna Capital on 94 8300 8300 by leaving a missed call

Leave a missed Call on 94 8300 8300

Leave your comment with mail ID and we will answer them

OR

You can write back to us at

PrajnaCapital [at] Gmail [dot] Com

---------------------------------------------

Invest Mutual Funds Online

Invest Any Mutual Fund Online

Download Mutual Fund Application Forms from all AMCs

Download Mutual Any Fund Application Forms

---------------------------------------------

Best Performing Mutual Funds

    1. Largecap Funds Invest Online
      1. DSP BlackRock Top 100 Fund
      2. ICICI Prudential Focused Blue Chip Fund
      3. Franklin India Bluechip
      4. ICICI Prudential Top 100 Fund

B. Large and Midcap Funds Invest Online

      1. ICICI Prudential Dynamic Plan
      2. HDFC Top 200 Fund
      3. UTI Dividend Yield Fund
      4. Birla Sun Life Front Line Equity Fund
      5. Franklin India Prima

C. Mid and SmallCap Funds Invest Online

      1. Reliance Equity Opportunities Fund
      2. DSP BlackRock Small & Midcap Fund
      3. Sundaram Select Midcap
      4. IDFC Premier Equity Fund
      5. Birla Sun Life Dividend Yield Plus
      6. SBI Emerging Businesses Fund
      7. HDFC Mid-Cap Opportunities Fund
      8. ICICI Prudential Discovery Fund

D. Small and MicroCap Funds Invest Online

      1. DSP BlackRock MicroCap Fund
      2. Franklin India Smaller Companies

E. Sector Funds Invest Online

      1. Reliance Banking Fund
      2. Reliance Banking Fund
      3. ICICI Prudential Banking and Financial Services Fund

F. Tax Saver Mutual Funds Invest Online

1. ICICI Prudential Tax Plan

2. HDFC Taxsaver

      1. DSP BlackRock Tax Saver Fund
      2. Reliance Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund

G. Gold Mutual Funds Invest Online

      1. Relaince Gold Savings Fund
      2. ICICI Prudential Regular Gold Savings Fund
      3. HDFC Gold Fund
      4. Birla Sun Life Gold

H. International funds Invest Online

1. Birla Sun Life International Equity Plan A

2. DSP BlackRock US Flexible Equity

3. FT India Feeder Franklin US Opportunities

4. ICICI Prudential US Bluechip Equity

5. Motilal Oswal MOSt Shares NASDAQ-100 ETF

Popular posts from this blog

ICICI Prudential Dynamic Plan Invest Online

Download Tax Saving Mutual Fund Application Forms Invest In Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online Buy Gold Mutual Funds Leave a missed Call on 94 8300 8300   ICICI Prudential Dynamic Plan             Invest Online This fund does remarkably well during falling markets, but fails to show the same prowess during a rising market. The fund sticks to its mandate to adapt to the dynamic nature of the market by shuttling between debt and equity. It takes aggressive asset calls in equity when the market surges by investing in quality mid-cap stocks. At the same time, it adopts a defensive strategy by investing in debt and cash when markets get overvalued, making it a good long-term choice.     For further information contact Prajna Capital on 94 8300 8300 by leaving a missed call     Leave a missed Call on 94 8300 8300   Leave your comment with mail ID and we will ...
Read more

Mutual Fund Review: ING Dividend Yield

  ING Dividend Yield's small assets enable the fund manager to churn in impressive returns… Strategy The aim of the fund is to invest in stocks which offer a high dividend yield. This fund deploys a value based strategy which aims to gain from investing in fundamentally strong and free cash flow generating businesses. The scheme focuses not only on growth but also on the cash generated by the business, which mostly leads to stable returns even in volatile markets. This fund has a low volatility because of its investment in high yielding stocks. The scheme tries to include stocks that yield dividend above the dividend yield of the Nifty and stocks with liquidity, which throws up a universe of 150 stocks.   Our View Launched in October 2005, this fund invests at least 65 per cent of its assets in high dividend yield stocks. The fund has consistently maintained a mix of stocks across varying market capitalisation, with a higher tilt to mid caps compared to small caps. Howev...
Read more

ICICI Lombard to provide weather cover in 10 states

ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company has been given the mandate to provide weather-based crop insurance for rabi season (2010-11) in Madhya Pradesh, Bihar,Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Himachal Pradesh.    The insurance company will cover 69 districts — 30 loanee districts (farmers who have taken loans) and 39 non-loanee districts. The major crops that ICICI Lombard covers for the season are winter paddy, cotton, wheat, mustard, barley, maize, onion, potato, tomato, lentil, peas, arhar, jowar, fenugreek, coriander, cumin, methi, isabgol, brinjal among other crops.    Weather-based crop insurance provides cover against weather-related risks such as excess or deficit rainfall, variations in temperature and fluctuations in humidity. This scheme facilitates immediate compensation based on certified data collected from independent third party bodies such as Indian Meteorological Department ( IMD ) and National Collateral Management Services Ltd. ( NC...
Read more

Lump Sum or SIP?

Invest Mutual Fund Online     You have a lump sum in hand and you wish to invest in equity funds. However, you have heard a lot of talk about investing in equity funds through Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs) because they help average costs, ensure you do not ill-time the market, and help you invest in small sums, besides giving you many other advantages. So, should you invest the money you have in hand in one go, or let it remain in your bank account and then do an SIP? There is no harm in investing a lump sum amount. For all you know, compounding, over the long term, could work better with lump sum. However, make sure you fulfill all of these three criteria if you want to invest in one go. Else, SIP is the way to go. #1: You invest for the long term According to past data, ideally, if you have a time frame of 12 years or more, you can consider lump sum investing (provided you satisfy the other two conditions that follow). So, what is the sanctity behind 12 years? Is it because only...
Read more

Tax Returns: Myths and facts of filing your Tax Returns

THE fiscal year has ended and many choose to make tax-filling. Despite this being a regular, annual ritual, several tax payers have some misconceptions, some of which are listed below: Misconception No. 1 Filing tax returns is a complex and cumbersome process. I need a Chartered Accountant to help me file my tax returns. Contrary to popular belief, preparing and filing tax returns is actually quite simple. If you have a digital signature you can accomplish the entire process sitting at home on your computer thanks to the e-filing facility on www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in. Alternatively, you can submit the returns online, print a one-page receipt, sign it and drop it off at the income tax office within fifteen days of submitting the returns. No documents are required to be submitted with the receipt. However, if you want help, there are several third party service providers who offer tax preparation and filing services for a fee as low as Rs 200. Misconception No. 2 The interest I p...
Read more
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Invest in Tax Saving Mutual Funds Download Any Applications
Transact Mutual Funds Online Invest Online
Buy Gold Mutual Funds Invest Now