After carefully considering how much you can afford to spend on your car loan payments, we recommend that where a car meets your needs you would rather buy a smaller car that’s newer than a large car that’s older. The costs of owning a larger will be more the running costs - fuel, maintenance, tyres, spares are expected to be higher. We recommend you will find the best value in something almost new - two years or younger.

When you choose a car between 3-5 years old and has been treated well by its owner could also provide good value for money. Used cars that have travelled between 15,000 to 20,000 kms a year are great buys.

Ex-fleet or rental cars can represent great value, but you need to consider that these cars have been driven by hundreds of different people in most cases with little or no regard to the treatment of the car.

Odometer fraud can be avoided by making sure that you purchase a car history report. Once substantially more common than can be found today, there are still numerous examples of consumers being taken advantage of by deceptive sellers. If there is a unusually high wear and tear on the drivers seat, accelerator and brake pedals, its usually a good indicator that further investigation may be required 

By investing so much time in ensuring your have the best car finance, don’t be too quick to choose a car without getting a mechanical inspection for your peace of mind. Basic mechanical inspections can costs as little as $100 and can provide great peace of mind.