If you’re a young adult, a vehicle can seem like a daunting investment. Heck, you might be scared enough of student loans, let alone car loans on top of that! And there’s no high school or college class that teaches you how to buy a vehicle, which makes the whole process seem even scarier. How are you supposed to know if you’re even getting a good deal?
Let’s set the record straight: any eligible driver is perfectly capable of owning their own vehicle. And even if you aren’t ready for your first set of keys just yet, there are important steps you can take now that will help you a lot in the future.
Whether you call yourself a millennial or Gen Z, a vehicle can be massively beneficial to your future. Census reports show that 1 in 3 young people ages 18 to 34 live with their parents. And while there’s nothing exactly wrong with this, it does show that our current economy perhaps isn’t treating young people as well as it should be. You might think this is an argument to save money and avoid owning a vehicle, but… well, the opposite is actually true.
Owning your own vehicle is an important way to establish your independence and open up potential opportunities. It’s one of the easiest ways to make an investment in something that is yours, regardless of your living situation. Studies show that driving a car you like can improve your mood and mental health, which makes sense, considering the average American spends an hour a day behind the wheel.
You also get to broaden the horizons of what you can do for work, what you can do for fun, and (most importantly) where you can go to eat. Far out ideas that seemed impossible before can suddenly become real when you have your own vehicle to drive.
You might understandably be concerned about the financial investment required to own a vehicle. But don’t worry, there’s good news on this front too. Thanks to numerous sales incentives throughout the year, financing a vehicle is cheaper and easier than ever. And even if buying a new vehicle is out of the question, leasing a vehicle gives you all the benefits of buying new at literally a fraction of the price. No matter what your financial situation is, your salesperson will do their best to work within your needs to get you a vehicle you can afford.
If you know you want a vehicle in the future but don’t have the means to buy one just yet, there’s still a lot you can do to prepare. First, establishing a good credit score will go a long way in preparing you for a new car. Second, saving money for a down payment can also help you snag a good deal. Both of these gestures will show your dealership that you’re a “low risk” customer, and you’ll be offered more competitive deals to earn your business.
No matter what your age is, it’s always a perfect time to buy a vehicle. In fact, the younger you are, a new vehicle can wind up helping you a lot more than you’d think. And if you know a young person in your family who is struggling with this decision, the tips mentioned above can help them prepare to make a decision in the future. Perhaps you don’t long for independence like your younger family members do, but it’s never too late to help them learn to spread their wings and fly on their own.
