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Monday, January 21, 2008

How To Find The Right Car For You

There is no argument that housing prices have continued to rise
over the last couple of years making it the largest single
purchase most people will make in their lifetime. However with
the prices of the average new car now nearing $30,000 they are
definitely the second largest purchase many of us will make by
far. By keeping this in mind you can help ensure that this
important decision should be made carefully and not in a hurried
or rushed, knee jerk decision that many car dealerships seem to
bully most of their customers into.

To make sure that you don't make a mistake and that you buy the
best possible vehicle for you and that it will accomplish all
that you need it to you should do a little research and some
soul searching as well.

To start, consider your present situation of whether you are
single or have a family. If you have a family and this will be
the primary mode of transportation to shuttle everyone out and
around then you may want to consider a minivan. For those soccer
moms and hockey dads out there the new dual sliding door or even
the single sliding door minivans offer serious convenience,
plenty of room and decent fuel economy considering the load you
can handle with it.

If you, like many others can't quite see yourself in a minivan
you may want to consider a sport utility which are really
growing in popularity. The great thing about these vehicles is
that they are available in all makes and in several price ranges
to cater to everybody's budget. You can choose between a
smaller, cheaper sport utility like the Ford Explorer, or get
into a larger vehicle like the Chevy Suburban or maybe a Ford
Expedition. Either way you get some of the convenience features
of the minivan with that rugged jeep type of look.

If you are an outdoors mountain junky that enjoys going camping
and hanging out with friends in the woods or going on weekend
surf trips you may want to consider the sporty new Nissan
Pathfinder or another 4x4 vehicle that can get you to where you
need to go without the worry of how you're getting back out. The
Pathfinder is designed with the outdoor lover in mind with built
in roof racks and storage standard. However with any vehicle
that you may be considering don't be talked into 4-wheel drive
unless you really need it and intend to use it regularly. There
are some big things to consider with a 4-wheel drive like,
4-wheel drive transmissions add thousands to the price, is much
heavier, and will also cost you more money for insurance and
gasoline due to decreased gas mileage.

Deciding on a color may seem easy right now but if you change
your cars every couple of years then you have to keep resale
value in mind. Although many will say color is a matter of
personal preference there are a few guidelines you should follow
for particular types of vehicles if you are concerned about
resale value. Regardless what type of vehicle you purchase stay
away from "out of the norm" colors like purple or yellow unless
you plan to keep the vehicle forever. Another color that has
been proven to be "cold" for resale in light blue or "ice blue"
as it is known in the industry. If you plan to trade every 2-4
years you are far better off choosing a normal color like white,
silver, beige, etc. If you are planning to buy a sports car you
will definitely want to stay with white, red, or black.

For your interior choices you may have the choice of leather,
vinyl or cloth. Although leather is really nice and smells great
to most, you must be the type of person who will take the time
necessary to maintain leather, also keep in mind that leather
can be unbearably hot in the summer and unless the seats are
heated, they are very cold in the winter. If you do plan on
getting into a sports utility or something similar then check
out the vinyl, it's cheaper than leather but is really durable
and you don't fell you're going to rip the seat every time you
get in the car or truck.

You will also want to take insurance cost into consideration
when choosing a car, especially if buying for a teenager.
Overall, sports cars and 4-wheel drives are more expensive to
insure, not too mention a lot more to fix if you run into any
repair issues.

Another good move before you head to the car dealership is to
consult a local mechanic and ask them what cars they have the
most problems with. They can tell you which cars they see with
the most problems and what the common problems are. Not only
will you get an idea of what cars are good but more importantly,
which cars to steer clear of! (Excuse the pun)

So as you can see, walking into a dealer and buying the first
thing they push on you can be a bad move unless you have money
to burn. Take the time to think it over and come up with some
guidelines of your own that cover your present situation so that
your new car purchase will be a pleasant one and not the car
buying nightmare you hear about more often than not.

About The Author: Get valuable tips and links for car buying
online and buy cars online including online car loans, online
car insurance, online car auctions, car buying mistakes and car
dealer scams to avoid and so much more at
http://Car-Buying-Help.com/carblog/

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