What You Should Do When You Get a New Car

With the purchase of a new car, come many responsibilities. Be it the paperwork, safety checks, and testing the car for its performance, you’ve to ensure that you got the best deal. Here’s all the info you need that can also serve as a check list of things to do when you buy a new car. ~ Ed.

Whether you have just purchased your very first car or you are on your fourth, there are a number of things that you should do after you have signed the contract and exchanged money. These tasks may vary depending on whether you have purchased:

It will also depend on whether you have purchased the vehicle from:

When you buy from someone on social media, you aren’t always going to know what you are going to get. It is always best to do more research if this is the case, as well as more safety checks and cleaning once you have taken the car home. If you have purchased a second-hand car from a business, there is a higher chance of the car being cleaner and safer, so there may be less for you to do when you take it home.

Most cars that come from a business, providing it is reputable and trustworthy, will be cleaned before the sale and come with a warranty and a folder of the relevant paperwork. If you buy a brand new car, then all the safety checks should have been done and it should be spotless. The only thing you really need to do is drive a little carefully to wear in the brakes.

With any car that you buy, it is important to get all the paperwork organized and make sure you have all the relevant insurance and tax. There are voluntary things you can do as well, such as customizing your new vehicle to make it your own.

8 Things To Do When You Get a New Car

To help you on your journey, here are some important things that you should do when you buy a new car and take it home for the first time. These tasks will help you both in the short term, as well as the long term.

Put it in your name

It is really important that you obtain and complete the relevant paperwork to register the new car in your name. The person or company that you buy the car from should be able to help you with this. The process may be slightly different if you are buying a brand-new car, a car from a dealer, or a private person. It will also vary depending on what country you are buying the car in. Make sure you do this right away and obtain the right proof.

Organize the paperwork

You will be handed some paperwork when you purchase the car. Some of this will be the purchase and the proof of sale and payment. Some of this will be about the car itself, for example, this might be a manual for the vehicle and the history of work it has had on it with the relevant invoices. You should keep a hold of this and store it in a safe place. This could be in a folder or a filing cabinet. Make sure you know where it is. This is important because if there is an issue with the car, you may need this paperwork if you go back to the dealer and claim anything on the warranty. It will also be important to set up your insurance and make any claims if you have an accident.

Lastly, when your time ends with the vehicle and you feel it is time to move on, you will need all this paperwork when you sell your car. You will need to provide the new owners with the history of the vehicle. This means that you will also need to keep receipts and invoices for any work that you do on the car, including MOTs and services.

Insure and tax it

Make sure you insure and tax your vehicle. Check what the rules are in your country, and ensure you follow the instructions. You may be penalized if your car is not taxed and insured correctly. It will also cost you a lot of money if you find yourself in an accident without any insurance.

Check over the car and check it for safety

If you have purchased a brand-new car, then it should have been signed off for safety, but there is still no harm in doing some additional checks yourself.

It is vital that you do these checks on any secondhand car, especially if you purchased from a private individual, regardless of what they have said. You should give your car a full safety assessment, and check things like:

Depending on how much knowledge you have about cars, you may choose to take this to a professional garage to get it all checked over properly and signed off. It is best to do this straight away, so you don’t put yourself at risk. It will also help if there are any issues, to address them sooner rather than later if you want to claim on any warranty that you may have.

Drive it around and get used to it

When you know your new car is safe to drive, you should take it for a drive. This will help you get used to how it feels and how you can drive safely. Especially if you are driving a different model, size, or type of car than you are used to, if this is your first car and you have recently passed your test, or if you have not driven for a long time. You will be able to:

Clean the interior and exterior

This activity might not be as necessary if you have purchased a brand-new car. But nonetheless, it is a really good idea to clean the car before you use it. You don’t know who has used it or what the car has been used for. This will ensure there are no unclean or health hazards in the car you are about to drive around in. It will also enable you to check out the interior of the car and assess for any damp or mold. This is a great way to assess any issues that need addressing sooner rather than later. It also gives you a nice clean car to drive around in and adds to the excitement of having a new car.

Customize your new car

Many people like to customize their cars when they get them. This is an excellent way to make it unique and make it your own. You can also add things that you like, things that will make it more comfortable for you, things that look cool, and things that make the car more practical. Many people with new cars such as Corsas, like to install dual exhaust tips to enhance the sound performance of their car. Other custom upgrades you can make are storage solutions which are ideal if you travel a lot, or even color customization to make it bold and unique.

The great thing is, there are so many things you can do to customize your car depending on your needs, wants, and budget. You can do a lot of stuff yourself with the right tools and knowledge. There are many experts on YouTube who post helpful tips for you to follow. If you have more of a budget, you can send your car to a professional so they can customize your car how you like it, all you need to do is give them your ideas.

Maintain it properly

A new car can be fun and exciting, but that excitement can die off quickly if you don’t maintain your car properly. It is really important that you take time to look after your car and maintain it. This will help it last a lot longer, keep it comfortable to drive, hold its value, and save you a lot of money on repairs over time. To properly maintain your car, you should consider doing the following on a regular basis:

Wrapping It Up

Buying a new car is an investment. Make sure you treat it that way and follow all these important steps after you have made your purchase. Get the car papers in your name, make sure you complete the insurance and tax formalities, check the car for safety, test drive it, and clean it.

Over to you

What checks or things you do after you purchase a car? Share your experiences and tips in the comments.

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