[Timgt5]

I thought I would break this post down into 3 parts for easier reading...

Guide to Buying a New Car

I thought I would put this out to help those who are in the market for a new or used car. For most of us car buying can be a stressful experience, so many choices, hard nosed sales tactics and confusing offers can make this more difficult than it should be. Cars are the second largest purchase most of us will make. I am hoping this piece will make this process more satisfying for those who go through this.

Any complex process can be made simpler by breaking it down into simpler components or steps. This allows you to keep your mind focused and efficient and while it may take more time up front, it will save you a lot of time and hopefully some money when you finally make that offer on the car you want to take home. So let’s grab the keys…

First take a deep breath:

Step 1) Determine your needs.
Since most of us will only one car at a time, it is best to start by thinking about how you would use a car. Are you using this as a primary vehicle to haul around a family of five and their stuff? Are you frequently asked to cart around the little league team? Are you single and just need enough room for a weekend get away? Do you like the wind in your hair? Do you drive primarily in town or do you take long stretches on the interstate. Talk o your spouse and significant other as well, they can provide input into the process. Once you have determined you needs, you can narrow down the types of vehicles you look at. The last step is to be honest with your actual budget, figure out what you can actually pay for a car. There are a number of Loan Calculators online that will help you determine how a loan amount breaks down by monthly payments.

Step 2) Determine your priorities
Now that you have determined what kind of car you need. Then start listing those things that are most important to you. Fuel Economy, Comfort, Refinement, Luxury, Performance, Style, Safety ratings, etc… It will then make it easier to get to the third step…research

Step 3) Research the options
This is a very important step; the good news is that there is a lot of information out there. I would recommend picking up the most recent copy you can find of Consumer Reports, Car Buying Guide, CR puts these out for both new and used cars. There is a lot of information in that book and it is particularly useful in looking up information regarding reliability of different models over a number of years and even breaking those problems down by major components.
The major car magazines, Road and Track, Car and Driver and Automobile are good sources of info as well. All three put a yearly buying and leasing guide. Also all three of these magazines also have robust web pages.
On the internet, Edmonds.com is a great site to learn about different cars, with facts, figures and reviews. Many of these reviews are on video as well. Intelichoice also has a great website to help you calculate the total cost of owning a particular car (factoring insurance, fuel costs, etc...)
If you are proficient with Excel, I would build a spreadsheet for the different cars you are looking at so you can easily make side by side comparisons for things like interior/cargo space, acceleration, fuel economy and other statistics.
While CR and others can provide you with good information, please take their driving tests with a grain of salt. Remember despite their expertise, the people that conduct these tests are still human and ultimately make subjective judgments as to what is good and what is not. There is not actual substitute for seat time for yourself if you want to be sure of what you are buying. Remember that what you buy, you will have to pay for, not the guy or gal test driving for Car and Driver.
Once you complete your information gathering, narrow your choices down to four or five vehicles (that is a good number to manage, but if you feel confident you can add more to your list) It is ok that look at more than one variation of a particular car (if a car for example has both a four and a six cylinder you may want to consider test driving both and that is quite alright. Now you have done your homework it is time to test drive.

[Timgt5]

I thought I would give this one bump for the weekend T