How to Buy a Car in Kenya

Updated on 2024/03/21- It is often very stressful to buy a new car. This is because there is a lot of money at stake. Therefore, you need to be sure that you are purchasing the right vehicle, so you do not end up regretting it later. In this post, I’m going to give show you useful tips on how to buy a car in Kenya both old and new, online or in a car dealership.

Unfortunately, many people are in a rush during the process of buying a car. This makes them overlook many essential details and not perform the necessary amount of research that all buyers should do. This inevitably leads to problems down the road after the car has already been purchased. Do not let yourself fall into this trap. Here is how to go about figuring out the right vehicle to buy.

How to buy a car in Kenya

Assess Your Needs

It is no secret that some vehicles are better at performing specific tasks than others. This means you need to choose a vehicle that is designed for the tasks you will need it to perform.

As much as you might like to dream about what you want in a car, it’s best to think more about what you need — not just now, but in the future, too. Failing to do this will result in a wide variety of problems.

For example, you might need to buy a car to drive on a long commute to work. If this is the case, you do not want to buy a car with a powerful engine that guzzles a large amount of gas. Otherwise, the cost of gas will put a significant dent in your wallet.

You might be buying a vehicle to transport tools and equipment for your job. You should verify that the car has an adequate amount of storage space before making this type of purchase. Here are some practical considerations to keep in mind:

• How many passengers do you need to carry?
• What type of driving do you do: highway, surface streets, off-road?
• Do you have a long commute and, because of that, is fuel economy important to you?
• Do you need all-wheel drive?
• What are the safety features important to you? ( Read about factors to consider when assessing the safety of a family car
• Do you need a lot of cargo capacity?
• Will you be using children’s car seats?
• Will you be doing any towing?
• How much parking space do you have?

What is your Budget?

Unless you’re paying in cash for your car, you’ll need to think about financing your purchase or lease. How much can you afford to allocate toward a car payment each month? The general rule is no more than 20 per cent of your monthly salary.

Consider other Cars in the same class as on you have in mind

If you already your dream car in mind, you should still review and check other comparable vehicles at the same level to make sure you haven’t overlooked an even better choice. You can do this by choosing the same vehicle type and set up parameters that are important to you.

Once you have settled on a worthy prospect, you can quickly check for detailed information on pricing, specifications, and features. You can also compare vehicles you chose to contrast features and specifications more easily.

Features

Every person has a list of features that they want their new car to have. Some of these features will come standard. Other features will cost you extra to have installed. However, these features can drastically raise the price of the vehicle. Of course, the amount of the price increase will depend on what the features are.

Keep track of how much each feature costs so you can easily calculate if you will be able to afford it. You can also make a new car comparison to ensure you always get the best deal.

Costs of Ownership 

Some cars may be cheaper to buy but more expensive to own and maintain. Why? Even if two cars are the same price, one might depreciate faster or cost more to insure and maintain compared to the other.

Before you commit to a car, you should estimate its long-term ownership costs. These include insurance, depreciation, fuel consumption cost maintenance.

Safety rating

Many people focus on performance and features when they are buying a car. However, these things should never blind you from finding out the car’s safety rating. You owe it to yourself to buy a new vehicle with many of the latest safety features. Your life is worth paying a little extra.

Set Up a Test- Drive

Now that you’ve found a car that seems like it might be a good fit for you call or email the seller or dealership’s to schedule a day and time for a test-drive. By booking for a test-drive, you ensure that the car will be waiting for you when you arrive.

What to Look for in a Test-Drive

A car might seem to have all the features you want, but the real test takes place when you are in the driver’s seat. You should test-drive the car the way you would drive it during your everyday life.

If you commute daily, drive the car in both stop-and-go traffic and at highway speeds. If you love terrains and off the road, find some steep hills to climb. Drive over bumps, take tight corners and test the brakes in a safe location.

Get in and out of the car several times and be sure to sit in the backseat, especially if you plan on carrying passengers. Check out the cargo space. If you plan on using children’s car seats, bring those along to test for fit and ease of installation.

While you are evaluating the car, don’t be distracted. Take your time looking at everything over and over again. A good dealer will respect your need to experience the vehicle and will allow you to focus on the driving experience. Turn off the car stereo to listen to the sound of the engine. You can always evaluate the sound system later when you return to the dealership.

Select Your Car

After test-driving several cars, the choice should be clear. If it isn’t, sleep on it. In the morning, you might have your answer. If not, ask your friend’s opinion.

While making the right decision is essential, it’s also good to realise that there isn’t one perfect answer. Today’s cars are safer than ever before. They get better mileage. They have amenities at lower costs than in the past. In short, there could be several good vehicle choices, and the final decision is a matter of individual taste.

Now that you’ve done your research, we hope that this article makes you feel confident that you’ve found the right car for you, it’s time to buy. Please support us by sharing this post on Facebook.