What car options should I choose?
New cars come with more personalisation options than ever; no longer is an extensive options list the preserve of the luxury car buyer. Buy a city car or supermini and you can still easily spend thousand of pounds on extra equipment – the question is, how far should you go? It would be easy to think that when you buy a new car you should choose the specification according to your own wishes and requirements. But it’s always worth thinking ahead, as you could end up seriously out of pocket if you don’t. The key thing to consider when ordering your new car is how long you’re likely to keep it. If you plan to keep it until it drops, how well it holds its value isn’t really a consideration. So if you’re going to keep your car for a decade or more you might as well spec it exactly how you want it as you’ll enjoy using it that much more. Few people keep their car that long though; they’re more likely to replace it for something newer after 3-5 years. This is where you have to be much more careful with the options list; get carried away and you could lose a fortune at trade-in time.