How To Choose The Right Car
Most cars are designed with a specific purpose and a specific consumer market in mind. Once the purpose has been established, the styling must be given consideration to make the car attractive enough to sell to a mass market. The major effort then becomes to design and develop a car that satisfies economy, comfort, function, and style. This is not always possible, and here is where many car shoppers and buyers meet with disappointment. For the most part, you must place your emphasis on function if you expect the greatest value per dollar invested. If the car is also pretty, all the better.
First you must select a category model: subcompact, compact, intermediate, full-size, luxury, import, sport-utility vehicle, station wagon, pickup, or van. Once you have selected the category, you should then compare all manufactured offerings within that category. To facilitate comparison, you must realize that there are characteristic similarities among competitive models. A compact is a compact, a full-size car is a full-size car, and so on. Your final decision should then shift emphasis from the manufacturer to function, price, individual dealership, and dealership location.
Even if you plan to keep your new car for only 2 years, project the needs of size and function over a 3-year period. You may not trade the car after 2 years as planned. If your family outgrows the car at the end of 2 years and you are stuck with the car for another year, you and your family will be uncomfortable during that third year.
Are you a 1-car family? Is your new car going to be a once-a-week family-get-together car, or an everyday car? If your second car is large enough to hold the whole family, your new car can be smaller. If you are a one-car family and you need large-car roominess, buy a large car and acomplia buy best pay extra for it; you cannot afford not to. Better a car a little too big than one too small.
How many miles per year is the car to be driven? One thousand miles per month is considered average, and for that amount of driving, any size will withstand the expected wear and tear, normal maintenance, and repairs. The higher your mileage, the larger your car needs to be for durability and comfort.
What type of driving will be putting most of the miles on the car? Stop-and-go city driving is rougher than rigid, over-the-road driving. Even if you must sacrifice fuel economy, get the car that will withstand the rougher driving conditions. Less frequent repairs compensate for fuel economy loss.
Regardless of the exact model specification (2-door or 4-door) and size best suited to your needs, fuel economy will have an effect on your final decision.
In the 1970′s, an alleged fuel shortage sent many people to the showrooms in search of economy-anything that promised higher gas mileage and fuel savings was bought and a lot of mistakes were made. The next year, many who impulsively bought economy cars for top dollar (no discount) traded them in on larger cars because the small car did not fit their needs and usage. Any fuel economy realized throughout the year was lost-on the initial purchase by paying full sticker price, and at trade-in time by depreciation.
To be on the safe side, go back to function and usage and pick the car best suited to you in terms of size, horsepower, and special features.
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