Everyone thinks that it is easy to buy a car (the process is easy but very extensive), however, when you think about buying the right car for your needs, you must leave the impulse behind and start your research.
The first thing to realize is this: the car you think you want may not be the car you need.
- For example, let’s say you have:
- two or three children
- his wife
- And maybe a father or father-in-law or two will travel with you.
That’s a lot of company to carry. It also usually means that your dreams of a fancy coupe or handsome four-door aren’t realistic. If you choose either, you’ll find it hard to fit six or more people into two or four seats, especially if your kids are young and you still have to carry all the trappings of young parents (stroller, bags and such), TRUE? So the coupe or the sedan are not valid options, right?
So what should you be looking at? The short list is: a minivan, which makes sense if it seats nine, an SUV with seating for nine, or if it’s also going to be carrying a lot of gear, then a full-size pickup can also be a valid alternative. For security.
As you can see, buying a vehicle is not as easy as you think, unless you are single. So it’s simply finding the model that you think looks the best and that you can afford; go through the usual two-step dealership; finish the deal, and leave
Family size matters
It goes without saying that family size matters. It has to be your first consideration when buying a new vehicle. Your first step in buying a car is to decide exactly what your family’s needs are, and then find the vehicle that best fits them.
Here are some suggestions:
If your family is one of today’s “small” families – a husband and wife with no kids – then you can get that great looking sedan or, if you both agree, maybe that coupe (some hybrid coupes are very attractive and safe; stay away from really small cars, as the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has pointed out in its annual crash test, the tiny coupes or sedans out there are not particularly safe in major crashes and, surprisingly, EPA mileage ratings put cars like the Smart and Fiat 500 in the 30-40 mpg range, while there are compacts that routinely get over 40 mpg).
Whether for the “reduced” family or the family with one child, a crossover is a good option. Provides more than enough space for your child or the extra “stuff” you might bring on an antiquing or camping weekend.
Usually advertised as “four-wheel drive,” these vehicles, based on one automaker’s compact-sized chassis, are true front-wheel drive vehicles with primarily four-wheel drive and an added afterthought, and more expensive.
The key to this type of vehicle is the second drive shaft that drives the rear wheels and the viscous coupling that makes the vehicle an “all-wheel drive” car. The vehicle’s drive is a simple 50-50 split front to rear with some control to reduce drive to one or two drive wheels. However, most of the time, the CUV is front-wheel drive because it only looks like a mini-SUV.
The reduced or small family is also a candidate for one of the newer truck-shaped crossovers like the Toyota Venza. All other thoughts apply to this type of vehicle, except to say that you may only be able to buy a front-wheel drive version. The cargo area makes this a viable vehicle.
larger families
If you like the size of a young family of three or four kids and also like to take one or another set of parents with you when you travel, then you’re a candidate for a nine-passenger vehicle. Some suggestions include:
A nine-passenger minivan: Most minivans have seating for six to nine passengers, depending on whether the third bench is under the floor in storage. This is a configuration that most people use, as they don’t carry parents as often, so they use the extra space for various items they have to tow, such as baby carriers, strollers, toys, favorite items, and the like. A safer, albeit more expensive, alternative is an all-wheel drive minivan like the Volkswagen minivan (it’s actually based on a Chrysler/Dodge model).
A full-fledged three-seater SUV like the Chevy Tahoe or Suburban: It’s a true SUV. Not only does this type of vehicle offer seating for up to nine people and plenty of storage space, it is also a true four-wheel drive vehicle.
In a real SUV, there are several automatic settings you can use and let the vehicle and its suite of sensors decide whether the vehicle should be rear-wheel drive (usually these vehicles are) or four-wheel drive. The key to this vehicle, aside from the large amount of space available that will actually accommodate nine people, is the fact that when in “auto SUV” mode, sensors in the transmission, in the wheels and in the rest of the driveline, determine how much traction is available to each wheel. If one wheel needs more traction while others need less, to prevent skidding and the like, then power is automatically sent to the wheel(s) that need it.
These are some of the problems you face when you are thinking about buying a vehicle. Yes, you’re free to buy the vehicle you want to buy, but think about this: Imagine getting a standard sedan for your load of nine-passenger vehicles. Something has to give when you try to load and who or what you leave behind on a journey.
Easy to buy a vehicle
It is true that buying vehicles is a very easy process. It really comes down to driving to a dealership. Talking to a vendor or wandering around the lot until you find something you like and then engage with the vendor. Next, after the test drive, is the dealer’s mandatory “two-step” or round-trip until you get to the price, put down a deposit, and start filling out the paperwork.
Then there is the inevitable conversation with the sales manager and, if all is well, the handshake.
Finally, there is the visit to the finance department.
But wait a minute, there’s another set of considerations to think about that we’ll cover in the next part of this how-to: The type of driving you do also influences the vehicle. This is probably not what he thought when he set out on his car buying journey, is it? There are a number of websites that help in researching it such as http://www.safecar.info/real-cost-of-vehicle-ownership or http://www.autotrader.com. They will give you more than enough to think about, as well as price alternatives.
Next: The driving you do