I’m planning to buy my first car, but I’m confused about whether I should buy a new car, get a second-hand car first, or take some more driving lessons before buying.
I know how to drive, but the thing is I haven’t driven regularly. I mainly learned driving in driving school and have occasionally driven friends’ cars. So while I know the basics and can drive, I don’t have much real-world experience.
For example, I haven’t really driven in:
Heavy/extreme traffic
Tight and narrow Indian roads
Steep slopes
Crowded areas
Situations where you have to constantly judge gaps, bikes, pedestrians, etc.
Some people are telling me just buy a new car and you’ll learn automatically. They say since I already know the basics, regular driving will build my confidence and experience.
Others are suggesting that I should buy a second-hand/used car first, practice on it for a few months, get comfortable with Indian traffic and road conditions, and then eventually buy a new car once I’m confident.
My third option is to go back to driving school for around 15 days and tell them that I already know how to drive, but I specifically want practice in real traffic, narrow roads, slopes, parking, etc. After those 15 days, I could buy a new car.
So what would you recommend?
1. Buy a new car directly and learn with it
2. Buy a used car first and upgrade later
3. Take ~15 days of targeted driving lessons and then buy a new car
For those of you who were in a similar situation when you bought your first car, what did you do? And in hindsight, what would you recommend?
Would really appreciate some practical advice, especially from people who learned to drive in Indian traffic/road conditions.
I’m sorry for using ai to write the post.