When you start car shopping, it’s easy to get swept up in the excitement. If you’re like most people, you probably start with a realistic needs: a car that has great fuel efficiency, can comfortably fit your family, and has proven reliability. As you start looking, however, it’s easy to let the wants creep in: leather seats are great, and a sunroof would be nice. Before you know it, added features can have a big impact on your budget, and if you’re not careful, you might end up compromising on necessities like low mileage in order to accommodate optional features.
However, there is a way to balance wants and needs. Some added features are either unnecessary or cheaper to add on your own than to pay for from the dealership. Here are four optional features that you should skip in order to save money next time you’re shopping for a used car.
The Sports Package.
There’s no denying that sports packages are appealing. Most manufacturers combine cosmetic features like spoilers and trim packages with functional features like enhanced motor power and more sensitive handling. Cars with sports packages look cool and might give you a little extra thrill while driving.
However, if you’re only doing day-to-day driving, the enhancements from the sports package won’t make a big difference in your experience behind the wheel. After all, no one needs a turbocharged engine for commuting to work. Instead of paying thousands for a sports package, save your money and choose the specific embellishments that are most important to you to add after market. You’ll keep your cash and have exactly what you want.
Built-In Navigation.
When built in navigation systems first started appearing in vehicles they seemed like a necessity, saving drivers the inconvenience of printing directions or pulling over to thumb through an atlas. Now that nearly everyone carries smartphones in their pockets, the systems are nearly obsolete. Sure, it’s nice to have a large display, but most cars now have the ability to synch smart phones so that directions from your phone come right through the speakers, guiding you to your destination while keeping your eyes on the road. Plus, apps that correlate user feedback to provide real-time traffic and road condition updates make using your phone for navigation the most efficient option for getting where you need to go quickly.
Remote Start System.
If you live in a cold climate, a remote start system is probably high on your priority list when buying a car. After all, it is miserable driving off in a cold car (not to mention bad for your engine), and the walk to start the car on a frigid morning can seem impossibly long. However, skip the temptation to pay extra for a remote start system when buying, since these are easy to add after market. The systems themselves start at less than $100, and they’re easy enough to install. Even if you end up paying to have one put in it will likely be cheaper than buying for the system at the point of purchase.
Lane-monitoring and Other Assistive Technology.
We haven’t quite arrived at self-driving cars yet, but we’re getting closer with every new model released. Today, car computers can help you stay in your lane, automatically break if something is in front of you, and alert you if there’s another vehicle in your blind spot. While all the added safety technology is nice, it’s also expensive. You’re already used to driving without the assistance of the computers, so don’t splurge on extra support that you probably don’t need.
Instead, decide which safety features are most important to you and add them on your own. Backup cameras, for example, are relatively cheap and easy to install, and can set your mind at ease whether you’re backing out of the driveway or parallel parking. For a few hundred dollars, we’ll gladly install one to avoid the embarrassment of backing into something we should have seen!
Buying a used car is great since you can get often save on features that you would pay big for if you were buying new. However, enhancements still add to the price of the car, so think twice before indulging.
