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If you've come here, you're probably seriously thinking about buying your first car, and we congratulate you on that! However, before the final decision has been made and the wallet has been emptied, we would like to give you 3 main recommendations for purchasing the first car.

1. Define your car parameters

The starting point would be to understand what type of car you want. Since it would be the first car, it would initially not be aimed directly at the purchase of a dream car, but rather at at an enjoyable model, but if something happens in time, it would not be so painful.

Clearly define what the car manufacturer should be, the model, how many seats are needed, what the load compartment should be, fuel type and consumption, additional functions (seat heater, radio type, etc.), mileage, and car quality at the time of purchase. We also recommend you to consider what purpose the car will be used for, which roads will be used most often, whether additional safety features are needed, how economical the car should be.

Once you have understood your desires, determine the parameters without which you will certainly not be able to and without which you will be able to do without. This breakdown will be useful in drawing up a car purchase budget. Also, we recommend you to research the reviews of other drivers' car models to understand in time what hidden defects may be in the desired car.

2. Understand what the budget is available to you

The next step in buying your first car is to set a budget. Do car market research to understand if you can afford a car according to predefined parameters. We recommend you research the prices for those cars that have only certain necessary parameters. If the price is below the available budget, then you can safely look for a car with additional parameters. This operation is very convenient and simple with our car evaluation calculator.

Next, you must understand whether the car purchase fee will be paid immediately in full cost or whether a car lease or loan will be taken, which will require additional research of lending companies and will create long-term monthly costs.

We also recommend taking into account the costs of maintaining the car, such as purchasing fuel and other liquids, changing and repairing tires, road taxes, roadworthiness testing, and other costs.

3. Find a loyal place to buy a car

Once the right car is found in the desired price range, the last step is to choose where to buy the car. The most reliable option, of course, is to buy from well-known car dealerships or dealers, but we are well aware that it is often cheaper to buy a used car from its owner.

Therefore, to avoid unwanted surprises as much as possible, we recommend you to check the technical inspection history of the vehicles charge and the information on the time of their arrival and the previous owners registered in Latvia by the CSDD for free. Knowing this information will make it possible to determine whether what the car seller has said is true and honest.

The next database that we recommend to visit is AUTODNA, wherewith the help of a unique VIN number it is possible to find out if the car has been involved in any traffic accidents, or not stolen property and other useful information, which is often hidden by unscrupulous sellers.

Once the necessary register information has been obtained, it is useful to know the activities to be performed on-site for car research, therefore, we recommend taking a person who knows the car mechanics well enough and can notice car defects after direct research. If you want to know more about ways to avoid the purchase of a stolen or unregistered car in Latvia or to obtain any documents from the seller to purchase the car legally, we recommend that you study this relevant VID article.

We hope our advice was informative and useful enough for you. Good luck looking for your first car!