When you are ready to take the plunge in purchasing your first (or another) European car, taking the time to do some research beforehand can prevent an expensive mistake. Though it is worth noting that taking care of and driving any kind of luxury car can be a bit of a money sink, there are ways to make sure you get the most for your money when purchasing and maintaining your little slice of European luxury.
Euro Car Purchasing 101: Always Do Your Research, No Matter What
It can get easy to get carried away when looking at a new car—especially a sleek European model. Appearances and handling can overwhelm the logic center of our brain when confronted with all of those curves. As our friends at Fitment Industries are helpful to point out, one of the first things to do when considering a European car purchase is just to Google it. Search for your car by name—including make, model, type, year—followed by the word problems. Include the year in your search to see any year specific issues, and query using just the make and model to find out if there are any more overarching problems.
Genuine Parts For Your European Car are Worth It in the Long Run
Another thing that can make a big difference in the lifespan of your European car is to make sure you know where you are getting your parts from. We always hear that you should make sure that you get “genuine” parts for your car—thinking brakes and other bits that make the car go (or stop). But it’s also important to know where you get anything that is a visual or cosmetic enhancement or replacement. You don’t want your sweet new ride blemished by a new set of front headlight lenses that quickly go milky or foggy cause they cheap knockoffs.
Selecting, buying and owning a European car can be a daunting task. The more info you have the better, so be sure to check out Fitment Industries’ video on Euro car rookie mistakes to set yourself up for success.
