When was the last time you considered replacing your car? Most people tend not to. In fact, they don’t worry about when they should replace their car, but they also don’t look for the signs that they should in the first place.
When you buy a car, especially if you’re not knowledgeable about the way that cars work long term, you believe you can drive it off the lot and that’ll be it for a good few years. Unfortunately, most cars aren’t built like they used to be.
Which means that you need to ensure that you know what the signs are to show that your car is dying. Sometimes you can save the day by just replacing the car parts with Cummins parts, But it doesn’t always work like that.
If you’re finding yourself at the mechanic ‘s front door more and more often, begging for help, then it might be time to look at selling your car or trading it in for a better model. Most car dealerships will allow you a part trade where you can do part finance and part trade the value of your car to get a new one.
So how can you tell whether or not your car is ready to be upgraded?
- Your car is no longer compliant. Emission standards are always changing and in some places the emissions that your car spit out may not be correct for your area. The rules and regulations for emission standards are becoming more stringent and with the birth of more electric vehicles on the road, it’s vital that you are paying attention to the emission standards in your city. For example, across the UK, the Euro Six was phased in in 2016 with the purpose of reducing harmful emissions from petrol and diesel engines. Older vehicles that do not meet those requirements can be used on the roads but could incur daily charges. This is to encourage more and more people to choose to buy electric vehicles or those that are less emissive. Of course, London is not the only city to implement a zone like this one that increases clean air by encouraging better public transport. Other cities across the UK and indeed Europe are doing the same thing and you can’t move in Amsterdam for the amount of bicycles there to be able to reduce the pollution in the air. If you are regularly driving an older car that is petrol or diesel, you should think about swapping to a newer vehicle that could be hybrid or an electric vehicle.
- You no longer feel safe to drive in your car. Well, is there really a better reason to replace it? If your car isn’t making you feel safe, you really shouldn’t be getting behind the wheel. If the steering wheel is shaking under your hands. You might find that your tires are misaligned. Of course, it can be something more serious than that, however, such as the electronic stability control, light being off and other nonessential parts degrading overtime. If parts of your car are starting to fall apart inside or outside, you might need to test drive a new car so that you feel safer to drive. If your engine is getting too hot, whether it’s because of the weather or because of its use, it could also mean that the cooling system inside the car is starting to give up. And a good sign that this is happening is that you are constantly having your cooling systems repaired. New cars have more and often better safety features. There’s blind spot monitoring and auto help with parking, side airbags, and more that are just standard. Automatic emergency braking is also just standard, as is forward collision warning and leaving departure avoidance. These are all being built into more modern cars to keep you safer on the road and stop you from using too much fuel and energy just to move your car.
- Your car is breaking down. If you want to know if you are ready for a car upgrade, it’s about looking at how many times you had to pay for your car to be repaired this year. All the cars are often more problematic with faulty batteries that don’t charge or damage tires and wheels. You might also find issues with the diesel particulate filter, or problems with your engine oil or even the starting motor. If your alternator is constantly crashing or your engine is overheating, you’re going to be dealing with constant repair costs which can be very high. When you finally recognize the early signs of needing a new car, you might think about exchanging it. Petrol and diesel cars don’t often have a monopoly on breakdowns, but if you’re looking for a new car, you should always bear in mind that electric vehicles do have less to go wrong, even if they are slightly more expensive to fix.
- The miles are high. If your car mileage has gone way past the intended lifetime of the car, then it may well be past its sell by date. There is no hard and fast rule as to when this is, especially as it’s quite common for cars to experience issues fairly early in life. However, if you’re noticing the odometer clocking up over 100,000 miles then it might be time to start at least looking around at a new car. Prevention and being ready is always better than being caught in the middle of the motorway because your car has broken down. You’ll be able to pick a brand new car with a brand new engine and feel like you’re more efficient and safer on the road. It could work out as a much better deal in the long run, and in the meantime you can start test driving some vehicles to see what you’d like to move on to. You could also get your current car appraised because even though it could be very much out of date, it could still be considered vintage and a classic to other people.
- Your car is no longer as fuel efficient as it used to be. If your car is not as efficient as the newer modern cars on the road and you are constantly at the pump, then it might be worth upgrading for a more sustainable vehicle. An electric car as well as an EV energy tariff for your home can make a big difference to your savings on fuel and also to how much you are impacting the environment with your carbon footprint. Getting in the electric vehicle may not have been a priority for you before, but it could be a priority right now when you are trying to upgrade your car in the right way.
- It’s just not giving you the same memories as it used to. If your thoughts about your car surround how much money it’s costing you, rather than the adventures you’ve had within it, it might be time to start looking elsewhere for a new car. Your car might also be giving you bad memories. Perhaps you bought it with an ex, or perhaps you bought it at a bad time.no matter what those memories may be you’re going to be reminded every time you get behind the wheel a new car can often represent a new start especially if you are looking for an upgrade.
- Your car is no longer fitted for your lifestyle. Have you got kids now when before you bought your car, you didn’t have any? People change and so do their circumstances, so there’s every chance that your car requirements are going to change as well. Where you may have needed a two seater roadster to go speeding down the highways on a road trip, and now you need an SUV to carry the amount of kids you’ve got, you have to really consider the fact that your car may not be matching to your current lifestyle. If you like to tour around the country but you don’t want to do it in a soft top car, then upgrading it to something more robust is a good plan.
- You can’t upgrade to the latest technology. You want the new technology in your vehicle and you want to have all the safety features that are available to other cars right now. You want to be able to connect your phone the moment you step into the car, and you want the push button feature to get it started in the first place, no matter what it is. If you want the new technology, you should upgrade your car to find it.
- You’ve paid it off. A good sign it’s time for an upgrade is that you’ve paid off your current loan for your car and you are ready for the next run around. You’re ready to head to the dealership, and you’re ready to get a new car and trade in your old one because you spent all that time paying it off.
- You just want a new one. There’s no more to say on this. It’s clear you just want a new car and you’re ready to get one.
