How to Check your Car before Driving

Getting a few checks done before you drive off might make the difference between a smooth ride and a huge inconvenience.  Read on!

Exterior - Look for leaking fluid as well as any tire issues. Your windshields, windows and mirrors should all provide clear visibility too

Engine - Make sure that your fluid levels are up and that your battery is charged up.

Signals and Lights - Your indicator lights should be bright and responsive. Make sure that your headlight, brake and reverse lights are not blown. Your wipers should be in good working order too!

Interior - Make sure nothing has sneaked into the car before you drive off! Also, give your car a chance to warm up so you can read the gauges and make sure that everything is in order.

When car trouble is unavoidable, you can always call a mechanic or reliable roadside assistance team to bail you out! Find out how you can subscribe with such services with The Smarter Finance Company today!

How to Check your Car before Driving 

Making Sure you have Sufficient Car Insurance

You shouldn’t ever compromise on your car insurance even though it’s expensive. Here’s how to keep your insurance costs low...

Buy an Affordable Car - Sports, performance and SUV models generally are more risky cars to drive because of the power they have. While the cars are costly themselves, it can be expensive to insure them too.

Figure out what you Need - Find out what kind of coverage there is. Comprehensive insurance is a good mid-level coverage to start with.

Compare Car Insurance - Compare the best car insurance deals and pick the one that fits your car the best. Make sure you check out reviews of the company too!

Look for Discounts - There just might be some special rates if you pick up a package deal or wait for a particular time in the year.

Manage your Excess - Balance your excess with how much you can afford but don’t pick an excess too high that you won’t be able to claim anything unless your car is totalled!

Drive Carefully! - A good driving track record means a cheaper insurance premium!  

Check with The Smarter Finance Company if you need help with those quote comparisons today!

Making Sure you have Sufficient Car Insurance

Car financing for Newbies - The Novated Loan

How can you use a novated loan to help finance your car? Find out more below...

How it works - Ever wish you could streamline your car payments? The Novated Loan helps you integrate your financing payments into your salary structure with the help of your employer! Choose a non-maintained novated loan to retain some control of how you pay for your car’s expenses and a maintained novated loan if you would prefer all the variables to be taken care of.

Pros - There is convenience in including your payments in your salary. Both parties are rewarded in this mutually beneficial relationship and more than in just good feelings! There are tax deductions also of course! And the lender is happy to lend you a larger amount at a smaller interest rate too.

Cons - The car remains under your name so if you are out of a job, the responsibility is on you to continue making payments.

The Novated Loan can make your life easier, but let The Smarter Finance Company help you work out the details. Call us today!

Car financing for Newbies - The Novated Lease

Car financing for Newbies - Comprehensive Insurance

How does Comprehensive Insurance work? Let this short article give you a heads up...

How it works - Insurance covers accidents and all sorts of unexpected situations that may happen to you and your car, whether on the road or at home parked under a tree. Comprehensive insurance normally will cover fire, theft and third party damage.

Pros - Definitely you will get peace of mind from the assurance of financial protection. You’ll be able to afford repairs and even medical care if it boils down to that as long as you have insurance in place!

Cons - Premiums can vary in cost to you and if you are a safe driver, you might wonder why you need to pay for something you might not utilise. Just remember that you’re not the only driver on the road though!

Car financing for Newbies - Comprehensive Insurance

Find out more about what insurance can be provided to you. Call The Smarter Finance Company today!

Car financing for Newbies - Roadside Assistance

We find out more about Roadside Assistance and how it can benefit you when you buy a new or used car.

How it works - A roadside recover team can help you get back on the road if something happens to you when you’re driving. A tow or a quick jumpstart or even help retrieving your keys from a locked vehicle is easy when you have a trustworthy team to call.

Pros - Sometimes you just need a helping hand but you don’t know who to call. Roadside Assistance gives you the peace of mind that someone with experience and a solution can come to your rescue at any time.

Cons - If something doesn’t happen during the term of your subscription (which is a good thing), your subscription fee goes down the drain.

Car financing for Newbies - Roadside Assistance 

Don’t you think it’s better to be safe than sorry? Find out about the options for Roadside Assistance with The Smarter Finance Company today! 

Car financing for Newbies - The Secured Loan

We take a look at the secured loan and how it can help you finance your new or used car!

How it works - A secured loan is carried out by putting up an asset, normally the car itself, as collateral so that the lender has an assurance of your commitment to the contract. If the borrower defaults or misses payments, the lender has the right to repossess the car as payment instead.

Pros - Because of the collateral that you’ve put up, lenders are appeased enough that their “investment” in you will be returned and that you won’t miss your payments. You are likely to be able to borrow a bigger fum of money with lower interest rates. Tax deductions, both for sales and for businesses, also apply.

Cons - There is a chance that your collateral or the car itself might get taken away by the lender if you are unable to make payments.

Car financing for Newbies - The Secured Loan

You can work out how to make sure that a secured loan is affordable for you by contacting The Smarter Finance Company!

Car financing for Newbies - The Hire Purchase Agreement

Let’s find out more about the Hire Purchase Agreement for financing your new car.

How it works - The lender buys the car and lets you “hire” it from them. But with the added benefit of ownership once you have made sufficient payments to the lender. You can adjust the payment terms according to your preferred tenure and work with the lender to find a monthly instalment amount that meets your needs.

Pros - Since the lender owns the car until you’ve paid up, they are much more willing to give you better interest rates and accept the agreement at a lower deposit amount. Sales tax and VAT can be waived and can benefit businesses in terms of managing their cash flow. Ownership is also granted at the end of the term.

Cons - If you default on payments or break contract anywhere in between, you lose the right to own even a portion of the car despite how many payments you’ve made.

Car financing for Newbies - The Hire Purchase Agreement

Find out more about the Hire Purchase Agreement with The Smarter Finance Company!