How to Choose the Right Car for Your Lifestyle

Choosing the right car to buy can be challenging. With so many options out there, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and not know where to start.

This simple 6-step guide will help you narrow down your choices, so you can get the best car for your lifestyle. Let's get started!

1. Assess lifestyle needs

The first thing you must consider is your lifestyle needs. For example, how do you plan to use the car? To commute, go on road trips, run errands, haul cargo, tow a trailer, or some combination of the above?

You should also consider how many passengers the car needs to transport, and whether you need room for car seats.

Will you need to drive on rough terrain? Then you may want a four-wheel or all-wheel drive rather than a front- or rear-wheel drive only. Similarly, think about your climate. Will you need to drive in snow and ice very often? Then you might be better off with all-wheel drive.

2. Set a budget

Before you get too far in your car shopping, determine your budget. How much can you realistically afford to spend on a car? This will help narrow down your choices.

First, consider whether to buy a used or new car. Here, it's important to remember that new cars depreciate at a much faster rate than used cars do. By the time you drive a new car off the lot, it will have lost 9-11% of its value.

Next, decide whether to finance the car or pay for it in cash. If you choose to finance, know that there are many different ways to do it, including getting a traditional car loan from a bank or credit union or getting buy-here-pay-here (BHPH) financing directly from the car dealership.

According to Tiger Okeley at BHPH dealership Oak Motors, "Some people may not have the credit to qualify for traditional financing through a bank or credit union. For them, buy-here-pay-here financing may be a better option due to lower credit requirements."

It's also important not to forget about other car expenses, such as car insurance, license and registration fees, regular maintenance, and unexpected repairs.

As a rule of thumb, your monthly car expenses shouldn't exceed 15% of your monthly take-home pay.

3. Choose a type of car

At this point, you can start to narrow down what type of car best suits you.

For example, a wagon might be best if you want a little more cargo space than a sedan has to offer. Or you may prefer an SUV or pickup truck for driving across rough terrain or hauling big loads. Alternatively, if you have a big family and need extra to drive kids around, a minivan might be the best choice.

Fortunately, you have many options to choose from:

• Sedan: a four-door car with a large trunk

• Wagon: a passenger car with a longer body and larger cargo area than a sedan and a rear hatch

• SUV: a larger car with higher seating and extra space for both passengers and cargo

• Hatchback: a two- or four-door small car with a trunk door that swings upward

• Coupe: compact two-door car with a fixed roof

• Convertible: a car with a roof that can be opened or removed entirely

• Pickup truck: a car with an open bed in the back that you can use to haul large items

• Minivan: a passenger car that can seat seven or eight passengers and has one or two sliding side doors

• Sports car: a two-door high-performance car with an aerodynamic design

• Electric car: a car that runs on an electric motor with rechargeable batteries and requires no gas

• Hybrid car: a car that runs on an electric battery and gas and is more fuel-efficient than all-gas cars

4. Consider car features

Next, consider the car features you want your car to have. These can include safety features such as traction control, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, rearview camera, and more.

You might also want to determine what infotainment system features you want your car to have, such as GPS navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, touchscreen, hands-free calling, and multimedia entertainment. CarPlay is another nice feature to have. It lets you integrate the car's entertainment system with your iPhone and even unlock and start the car with it.

Other car features include fuel efficiency (how many miles per gallon the car gets) and comfort features like heated seating, climate control, and a sunroof.

5. Shop around for cars

At this point, you can start shopping around for cars online, at local dealerships, or even from private sellers (though these may provide far less selection). See what's available and compare prices. Be prepared to weigh trade-offs between different car models and make compromises.

Some popular sites for checking car prices include Kelley Blue Book and Edmunds. Some all-make sites for shopping for new and used cars include Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace.

6. Do your final research and test drive

Once you have a car picked out, it's time to do your final research on that car model. Check online reviews and ratings and learn all you can about the vehicle.

From there, schedule a test drive with the seller so that you can get behind the wheel and see what it actually feels like to drive the car. Take your time to get the full experience and don't make a final decision unless it meets all your criteria. Sleep on it if needed.

It's also essential to get a car inspection by a licensed mechanic or dealership.

That's how to choose the right car for your lifestyle. So get out there and start shopping!