Revealed: Weird And Wonderful Ways To Pay For Your Next Car

Are you thinking of buying a car soon? That’s great news! The only trouble is, how are you going to pay for it? If you’re unsure about the answer to that question, you are in for a little treat! That’s because today’s blog post will give you some ideas on how you can raise the money you need to buy your next pride and joy.

Many people assume that the only way they can get a car is to spend many years saving up the money for it. Unfortunately, that’s not always possible in a real-life scenario. Unexpected bills might come up, and you might not be able to meet your regular savings payments.

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Sell your existing car

If you’ve already got a vehicle, and you want a new one, now is the time to sell your workhorse. The thing about car values is that, in general, they go down over time. That means the car you drive today might be worth a lot less in a year’s time. In fact, the longer you keep your car, the lower its value is going to be.

That’s why it makes sense to put your car up for sale today rather than next year! Yes, you might need to use public transport for the time being. But, once you’ve amassed the money you need for your next car, you can go ahead and buy it!

The trick to getting the most amount of money for your existing vehicle is preparation. One thing that many car owners don’t realise is that first impressions always count. If your car looks like it’s never had a wash since you’ve owned it, buyers will offer you a lot less than its real value.

Here are some handy tips to help you prepare your existing car for sale:

• Give the exterior the full detailing treatment. That means using a pre-wash “snow foam” treatment on the body for a start. Next, wash the car using the “two-bucket” method to avoid scratching the paint. After you’ve dried it, run a clay bar over the body to pick up any tiny dirt particles. Finally, you can polish and wax it;

• Don’t forget to clean the interior too. Remove the floor mats and give them a thorough clean outside of the car. Vacuum the interior carpets, seats and headlining. Use some cleaning products on the dashboard and seats. And don’t forget to clean the glass;

• Shine up those tyres. You can buy some spray-on tyre shine products to use on your car for that ultimate showroom finish; and

• Make your engine bay spotless. Use a steam cleaner and engine degreaser to get rid of any baked-on oil and grease. Vinyl care spray can get used to shine the rubber hoses and plastics in and around your engine.

It’s also worth making sure that your car is running well before you sell it. Even if a cheap rubber hose needs replacing in your engine bay, it can devalue your car by hundreds! In essence, you need to make sure the car is in a full roadworthy condition before you sell it.

The car has to be in a condition where the buyer can drive it straight away without needing to do any work to it. That includes replacing the tyres if they are bald or have cracked sidewalls. Of course, you don’t need to spend a fortune on premium tyres. Just get some brand new budget ones. The new owner can replace them later if they wish.

Sell your unwanted stuff at home

Now that you’ve prepared your car for sale, sold it, and got a good price for it, you need to continue raising money for your next vehicle. The next step is to look around your home and find out if there’s anything of value you can sell that you don’t need.

For example, how about that old Apple iPad that’s gathering dust in your living room? Perhaps you’ve upgraded to a new smartphone and don’t need your old one anymore? You might not think it, but there are plenty of unwanted valuables you can sell! Remember, the more you sell, the more you’ve got going in your new car fund!

You can use websites like eBay and Gumtree to sell your items. And there’s also those stores in your local town that will buy things like electronics for cash. You are sitting on a potential goldmine at home; you might as well tap into that resource!

Finance the remaining balance of your next car

By now, you’ll have saved up a great deal of money towards your next pride and joy. But, if you don’t want to wait a long time to get it, one thing you could do is use the cash as a large deposit on it.

The rest of the balance can then be financed. All you need to do is make a set of low monthly payments, and the car is paid off. It’s as simple as that! You can usually find out how much you’ll need to pay using online calculators on websites like carbase.biz.

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Rent your driveway out

A brilliant new way of making a passive income is to rent out space on your driveway. People will want to park their cars in places that are safer and more affordable than inner-city or suburban centres.

Because you haven’t got a car parked on your driveway at the moment, you may as well do something useful with the space for now! Websites like JustPark enable people to offer their spaces for reasonable prices. They are also safe to use, and the money is paid for in advance so you don’t have to worry about that either.

There’s also a hidden advantage of renting out your driveway. If there’s always a car parked on there, opportunist thieves will avoid breaking into your home as they will assume that someone is there!

So, not only are you making some money for your new car fund, but you’re also keeping your home safe at the same time. It sure is a win-win situation, don’t you think?

So, now you know what to do, it’s time to crack on and start doing it!