Four Steps to Own a Vehicle as a Young Person

As a young person, one of your foremost ambitions is to achieve independence - and to hit out into the world, and to lead your own life autonomously from your parents and your peers. A vital ingredient for this sense of adventure is of course the motor vehicle. Helping you travel, commute, and get between cities and towns, your own car is vitally important for the independence that you seek. With this in mind, this article focuses on how you can come to own, insure, and drive your own car in four simple steps. 

Your Test

You need to take a driving test before you’re legally allowed to drive on the roads. This means learning how to drive - either with the help of a driving instructor, or with the assistance of a parent who is able to show you the ropes and monitor your driving style as you learn. When you feel you’re ready, get behind the wheel of a vehicle for your driving test. If you pass, you’ll be granted a license that allows you onto the roads in whatever vehicle you happen to purchase. 

Buying a Vehicle

It’s a smart idea for your first car to be a second-hand one, because you may well put a few scrapes and dents in it over the course of your first year behind the wheel. It’s also a cheaper option for young people who don’t have a terrific amount of money to invest in their first car. Look to auto traders online to get an idea of what the going rate is for a small second-hand car - and make sure you haggle and barter when you’re buying second-hand, to save you as much cash as possible.

Insuring Your Car

This is perhaps the toughest element to your owning and operating a car independently. Your insurance premium can be very high as a young person - and if your parents are unwilling to help you pay for it, this could lock you out of having your own vehicle. In light of this, it’s suggested that you look at young person’s motor trade insurance in order to find ways to reduce your premium by tinkering with your policy. The cheaper your policy, the better - although do be aware of the pitfalls of a cheap policy, like a high voluntary excess, for instance. 

Maintenance

No car owner should be unaware of the maintenance obligations of owning and driving a mo-tor vehicle. This is a responsibility towards yourself, your passengers, and other road users who you might endanger in a car that’s poorly-maintained. Be especially careful of brakes and tires, as well as the oil that you should be checking on your car each week to ensure your engine runs smoothly. Be sure, too, to check out any issues with your car at the garage, as they could be warnings of larger faults to come. 

Owning, insuring and maintaining a car is a big responsibility for a young person - but, by following the above steps, you’ll show that you’re ready to step out into the world and live independently.