What’s the best part of not owning a car?
Being able to skip out on car insurance! Considering, the national average for annual car insurance policies rests right around $1600, not having to pay can mean hundreds of extra dollars each month. However, is the money you save on car maintenance and insurance worth having to rely on public transportation?
If you’re wondering whether or not you should take the plunge, and buy a car, then this article for you. In this short guide, we’ll go over some of the top benefits of becoming a car owner. So take a look by the time you’re done reading this article, you’ll finally know if buying a car is the right choice for you.
1. Broaden Your Job Horizons
The first benefit we want to talk about is how owning a car expands your job opportunities. Instead of limiting yourself to the employment opportunities of your hometown, you can begin to search for the type of job you want, rather than the location you need.
When you have the freedom to narrow down your job search, specifically looking for jobs you want, rather than live by, you’ll adjust your entire mindset. Before you know it, you’ll be career searching instead of job searching. You can start to rule out employment opportunities that don’t align with your future career goals.
For instance, let’s say that it’s your dream to become the regional manager of a successful retail location. However, you’ve only ever worked entry-level retail positions. If you don’t have a car, you’ll likely be stuck searching for more entry-level retail positions that you can walk, bus, or bike to.
If you don’t live in a big, bustling city, you’ll have a few select retail locations, that probably stay the same throughout the decades. However, what about the new retail stores that are opening up in big cities? New locations need managers, and if you have experience, you could apply for a managerial retail physician across town.
Sure, the commute will be a little bit longer than if you stuck to local retail stores, but the opportunity would be worth the trip. Now, you could begin to search solely for managerial positions in the retail industry, and then build your career from there.
2. Keep a Reliable Schedule
Moving on, another benefit of owning a car is that you’ll be able to keep a reliable schedule. How are you currently getting from point a to point b? Chances are, you either know someone with a vehicle, take the bus, or choose to get there on foot. Perhaps, you even have a bicycle that you can use for short runs around town.
As you already know, relying on other people for rides can be a tricky business. If the driver isn’t punctual, what do you do? On one hand, you don’t want to inconvenience the friend who’s driving you. However, when you’re trying to make an appointment or get to work on time, you have to keep tabs on your friends and make sure they’re going to arrive on time.
The act of juggling weekly car rides and then wind up becoming stressful for you, and the people helping you up. If you take the bus, the schedule isn’t always consistent, so you won’t always show up on time. Lastly, bicycling or walking to your location is great for exercise, but when it starts to storm, you can wind up delayed for hours at a time.
Thankfully, owning a vehicle is the perfect solution to all of these problems. When you want to be punctual and have integrity with your schedule, you have to be the one running the show. By owning your vehicle, you’ll be able to guarantee that you leave when you want, and hopefully, arrive early!
Keep in mind that since traffic is still something that’s completely out of your control, it’s always a good idea to give yourself some wiggle room. We like to abide by the rule that early is on time and on time is late.
3. Enrich Your Life
Moving on, owning a car is a great way to add value to your life. So far, we’ve been talking about how being a car owner can help push your career forward. However, the benefits of having your wheels extend far beyond your occupational aspirations. You also are giving yourself endless opportunities to do activities that enrich your life.
For instance, when’s the last time you went to a museum or walked through an art exhibit? How about the library, when’s the last time you went there? There are so many wonderful spaces just waiting for you to explore them. Whether you’re looking to embrace your artistic side as you look at art, or appreciate humanity by exploring a historic exhibit, you have to be able to get to the spaces that are providing these opportunities.
Simply looking at art online or attending of virtual humanities class isn’t going to cut it. There’s something special about putting yourself in a space that somebody specifically set up to help you learn and grow. As you begin to see the world from new points of view, your entire mindset and way of being can change.
All it takes is one piece of art or one captivating historical effect for your brain to start to look at things differently. When you have a car, you can start to immerse yourself in these cultural and educational spaces that you otherwise might ignore.
4. Expand Your Social Circle
About 39% of Americans only have 3-5 friends, how many do you have?
Out of all those friends, how many could you call up right now and make plans with? If you’re like a lot of Americans, you can probably count all of your friends on one hand.
You might know a lot of people, but, acquaintances and friends are 2 entirely different creatures. Establishing and maintaining friendships takes time and effort. One of the best ways to invest in your friendship is by spending time with the people you care about. If you have your car, you can invest more time in seeing your friends face to face.
Instead of relying on phone calls or video conferences, you can enjoy the energy of an in-person meetup. Having a car also takes the pressure off hanging out with friends. If a friend comes to pick you up in their vehicle, and takes you somewhere, you may feel obligated to hang out longer than you want to. Whereas, when you drive your car to meet somebody somewhere, you can feel freer to leave when you’re ready to.
5. Build Your Credit
What’s your credit score look like? If you’d like to raise your credit score, buying a car could help you do that. There’s a lot of different car loans available out there to meet different financial situations. Even if you don’t think you’d qualify for a car loan, you owe it to yourself to explore your opportunities.
Car Buying Tips
If you have a bank, start your search for a car loan there. Sometimes, banking institutions will work directly with dealerships to help provide their customers with friendly interest rates.
Your bank may also be able to offer you a direct loan, even if they’re not partnering with a specific dealership. By securing a personal loan through a bank you’re familiar with, you can make the entire loan approval process easier. After setting up a personal car loan you can look into refinancing it over time.
When you refinance your car loan, you may be able to get the interest rates lower and speed up your payoff time. As you consistently make your car payments, your credit score can begin to improve. However, keep in mind that missing a car payment will be incredibly detrimental to your credit score, and financial wellness.
6. Transport Your Pets
Last but not least, owning a car is the best choice when you’re a pet owner. Going to the vet is already a stressful experience for most pets. However, when you add into the equation a strange vehicle that they’re not familiar with, stress levels can go through the roof.
Instead of having to call in a favor when it’s time to go to the vet, wouldn’t it be nice to just jump in your very own car? Of course, the vet isn’t the only place you’ll be taking your furry friends to. When you have your vehicle, dog parks, puppy parties, and training classes are all on the table. Take a pick of your favorite pet activity, and have fun making new animal-loving friends.
Enjoy the Lifestyle Change of Owning a Car
As you can see, owning a car has never made more sense. Instead of having to schedule your life around other people, you can take control of when things happen. Since getting a loan, is probably going to be the easiest way for you to secure a car quickly, reach out to your bank today. Ask your bank if they partner with any dealerships, and then ask for a personal loan quote.
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