Monday, April 6, 2009

Compare Car Features & Prices

When buying a new or used vehicle, there are many factors to consider. Along with aesthetics features and price can weigh heavily on the decision at hand. You must compare features and prices before making a choice as you want to get the most for your dollar, and only when these factors are put side by side can you make the correct choice.


Instructions








1. Look at the price of the vehicles being considered. If they are in the same price range, it will be easier to compare features and pricing. You can expect similar features in cars in the same price range. You can also narrow down your choices by disregarding any vehicles out of your price range.


2. Examine the safety features of each vehicle. If they all have airbags, but only one or two have anti-lock brakes, you may be able to exclude some of your choices as anti-lock brakes make a car safer overall. They add value to the cars in question over those without this feature.


3. Check engine choices. You may notice that some of the cars have bigger, more powerful engines. Not only does this affect resale, but a more powerful engine is more valuable monetarily. If you are looking for fuel efficiency, this may be the opposite as most four cylinder engines have better gas mileage than eight cylinder engines.


4. Compare average gas mileage. With gas prices high, you can save hundreds of dollars a year if you make sure to buy a car with good gas mileage. To compare, average the city and highway numbers to get an overall average. Keep in mind that your driving style will affect your overall gas usage.








5. Compare warranties of all possible choices. If the cars are new and of different brands, check to see what the warranties include. If two cars are very similar and one has a longer or better warranty, that may be a consideration. If they are pre-owned, check which have remaining factory warranties and also check to see the costs of aftermarket warranties on those particular vehicles. Those prices should be included in the cost of ownership.


6. Drive the car for as long as possible. Test drive each car to see how they handle and how fun they are to drive. As that is the purpose of the vehicle, you want a car that handles and drives to your liking. Its driving capabilities as well as its braking distance are all features that should be very important to you and should weigh heavily on your decision.


7. Inspect the inside of each car to get a feel of its ergonomics. Each car in the running should be comfortable to sit in and have a strong air conditioner with well-placed vents. You should also listen to the stereo to see if it is to your liking and note which vehicles have power windows and door locks as well as alarm systems. You will spend most of your car time in the car, so interior features are important also.

Tags: price range, anti-lock brakes, compare features, cylinder engines, more powerful, most your