The easy part is over. You’ve said “I do,” opened all the presents, settled into newlywed life and maybe even got dog to make your little family complete, for now. Just as everything is perfect and going well, situations will arise that require big compromise and that are sure to test your relationship. One of those situations can be buying your first car together as a couple.
First things first. You’ll have to come together to decide what kind of car you want and what kind of car is practical for your lifestyles. Rover won’t ride easy in a two-seater sporty convertible. Living in the city will mean nightmarish parking for the oversized SUV that delivers on storage space in a big way. It’s best to have a frank conversation about what your needs are for a vehicle. Once you’ve come to an agreement on the type of car you’ll be looking to buy, you can start researching specific models at Cars.com. The website offers a wealth of information including reviews from actual owners and industry professionals. You’ll soon realize that there can be many levels of any single car model that increase the price fast. As a couple, you’ll also need to determine how much car you can afford considering your monthly expenses. Cars.com can also estimate payments for you by combining the price of a car with interest rates, down payment funds, taxes and more.
The next step, before heading to the dealership, would be to check your credit. If you both have stellar credit scores, that’s great, start shopping. If one of you has a detrimentally low credit score, the other might consider purchasing the car alone to get a better interest rate on the financing. If you both have low credit scores, you should probably do some work to clean it up before you make any big purchases together.