Even if you've bought a car before and you're not entirely new to the whole experience, you may still tie yourself into a deal that isn’t right for you or buy a car that proves to be the worst mistake of your life. While your family and friends might try to rush your decision along and get you on the road, there's a couple of things you should prepare yourself for before buying a car.

Take Someone with You When Looking

The best way to know if you're heading into the right deal is to take somebody with you when you go to look around for a car. Generally, the person you take with you should have a small knowledge of cars – that's if you don’t already – so that they can advise you on what not to go for. At this point, making the right decision is vital because if you don't, you'll be left with the wrong car altogether; a car you're not happy with. Ideally, the person you take with you should be someone you trust enough to appreciate their opinion and their honesty rather than someone who's bound to steer you in the direction of what they want, and honestly, that's the easiest way to opt for the more expensive car instead a car based on your budget.

Things to Look Out For

Nowadays, when people consider buying a car, they tend to browse online through stock on dealer websites and get their hopes up thinking that the car they see is in immaculate condition, when it might not be the case. Upon your arrival at the dealership, compare the car to the advert you saw on the website and make sure they match – the easiest way to do this is to get inside and look around. If the car parked up in the shade, it may be hiding some unclear scratches or bumps on the framework, so be sure to ask the dealer to pull it upfront in the sun so you can observe the car closely. Though it's highly unlikely for a car dealer to sell you a car that is faulty or significantly damaged, it's impossible for them to pick up on every little problem with the vehicle so if you pinpoint anything when inspecting, let them know because the chances are they weren't aware of it.

The Test Drive

Call it what you want, but, you'd be the fool to not test drive your car first – even if you trust the dealer. As you may well know already, there are just some faults dealers cannot pick up on so easily and it's hard for them to guarantee that every car on their forecourt is flawless – they might not be. But the only way you'll be able to know for sure if the car you are looking at is the one for you, is to take it for a spin. It doesn't have to be far, but, it's recommended that you make test drives frequent.