Pretoria - For most young people, a car is the ultimate symbol of independence, the freedom to go your own way, in your own time.
But buying your first car is a huge challenge - where do you start? What car do you buy, what can you afford, and what safety features do you look for?
Here are seven golden rules from Ford SA to help you find a car you can live with - and, more importantly, that you can afford to live with. Of course, they would like you to buy a Ford, but the rules apply no matter what brand you're looking at:
1 Don't rush: Keep your emotions under control when you're looking at buying your first car. Be conservative - you'll have to live with it for a few years, and don't forget to shop around for the best insurance rates - they vary widely for young drivers.
2 What can I afford? You'll need to budget for more than just the purchase price. Besides the cost of financing, you need to consider fuel, maintenance, repairs and insurance, along with incidentals such as parking and registration - and a possible rise in your monthly instalments if the interest rate goes up.
If you can, work out what you can afford before you go shopping for a car. Then, even if the car is perfect, you'll know if it's beyond your limit and you can either make the seller an offer you can afford or just walk away.
3 Choose your ride: Make that the car comes with a full service history (a record of all the servicing and repairs it's had) and check the newest invoice against the reading on the car's odometer. The invoice always has a record of the odometer reading when the work was done, so you can easily check its recent history.
If the car has 125 000km 'on the clock' and the most recent invoice in the file is for its 40 000km service, then the present owner hasn't looked after it and the car may be in poor mechanical condition. Conversely, if there are invoices for work done at 125 000km and the car's odometer only reads 85 000km, walk away - somebody is telling fibs.
4 Safety first: We know the sound system is important - but so are an anti-lock braking system (ABS), airbags and an electronic stability programme (ESP) which counteracts skidding. Ask the owner, or the salesman if you're buying from a dealership, which safety features the car has or doesn't have.
If they don't know, look in the owner's handbook that should be in the glove compartment - and if it's not there, walk away. Seriously. People who look after their cars don't lose the book.
5 Make sure all the keys are there: They can be very expensive to replace and, once again, people who look after their cars don't lose the spare keys, misplace them or trade in their cars without them.
6 Understand the terms and conditions- Make sure you understand all the terms and conditions of your buyer's contract. If there's something you don't follow, ask - and keep asking until you understand what it says.
Most important, ask whether there is a balloon payment required at the end of the contract period. What that means is that the monthly instalment is reduced, which is great, but in effect you're not buying the car, you're renting it. At the end of the contract you either have to pay in whatever the car is now worth, as a lump sum - or give it back!
7 Drive the car. Even if you have a more car-savvy friend or relative with you to help check out the car, make sure you drive it yourself as well. Take time to adjust the seat position, steering column and mirrors until you feel completely comfortable in the driving seat, and make sure you can reach all the controls with the seatbelt fastened. After all, you are going to be living with the car for a long time.
Finally, and most importantly, if the seller or salesman refuses to allow you to drive the car, walk away. Without hesitation. The only reason to refuse you a test drive (with him in the car, of course) is if there is something about the car he doesn't want you to know until after you've bought it. And that's a deal-breaker, no matter how much you want that particular car.
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