Choosing a Car to Buy - Best Car for You

We often hear questions such as "Which car should I buy?" or "What car is best for me?" or "Can you help me choose a car?" With so many choices of makes, models, and styles, it is not easy making a decision about which car to buy.

There are so many factors to consider when buying a pre-owned car. There's price of course. There's also reliability, mileage, insurance cost, fuel economy, performance, comfort, safety, and appearance. Choosing the "best" car means finding the right combination of those factors that are most important to you. We'll try to give you some help in this article.

What is important to you?

Vehicle buying is a very personal experience. Everyone has difference needs and tastes in cars, just as with houses, clothes, and most other things in life. The right car for one is not the right car for another.

What are your priorities and preferences? Here is a helpful exercise to do. Make a list of the factors that are important to you, ranking them from most important to least important. Your list might include some of the following:

  • Reliability / Dependability
  • Safety Rating / Safety Features
  • Price / Affordability
  • Styling / Appearance
  • Comfort / Luxury Features
  • Performance / Speed
  • Utility / Capacity
  • Maintenance Cost
  • Operating Cost
  • Fuel Efficiency
  • Insurance Cost

Also consider how you intend to use your vehicle. Will it be a family vehicle, or a personal vehicle? Will it be driven by multiple family members for different purposes? Will it need to carry cargo or more than four people? Will it be used to commute to work? Long distances or short distances? Highways or city streets? Severe weather conditions or not?

Do you want your vehicle to reflect your social, professional, or financial status? Do you view your vehicles as recreational and fun to drive? Or do you view them simply as being necessary to get you from Point A to Point B? How much time will you spend in your vehicle?

The answers to these questions will help you in prioritizing the characteristics of the vehicle that will best fit your needs. If you are new to buying cars, the First Car Guide web site may help you further.

After choosing the right car, be sure to get an online car insurance quote and choose the right insurance.

Suggestions and recommendations

Although it would be impossible to discuss every possible make/model vehicle, we can make some suggestions regarding vehicle categories that might help you narrow down your choices. Then it's up to you to do your own research to make your final choice.

Price and Mileage
If your budget is tight you may know you should look for an older car possibly with lots of miles. Are such cars worth buying? Although a car with 100K miles or more is generally considered a risky buy, many such cars are in great condition and will go another 100K miles or more, while others are junk. The only way to know the difference is to have a qualified mechanic inspect the car before you buy. You cannot rely on the word of the seller about the condition of such cars. Therefore, don't rule out older high-mileage cars. Just take more time and precaution in your search. For more, see, Used Car Prices and Negotiating

Reliability
If reliability is a major concern for you, stick with Japanese brands such as Honda and Toyota that have a history of outstanding reliability. Older models of Acura, Infiniti, Lexus, Mazda, Nissan, and Subaru are also good choices. According to Consumer Reports magazine, some models to avoid are older Volkswagens, as well as SUVs and minivans from Buick, Chevrolet, GMC, Jeep, Land Rover, Nissan, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac. For more, see, Is This a Good Reliable Car?

Safety
Automobile safety comes in a variety of flavors. What safety features does the car helps avoid accidents? What features help occupants survive an accident? What characteristics make it prone to accidents? In general, later model cars have better and more reliable safety features than older cars. Electronic stability control systems are more common on newer cars and practically non-exist ant on older cars. Child restraint systems, child air bag disablers, and side air bags are only on newer cars. Some older cars may have been in accidents and air bags never replaced.

Insurance Cost
Auto insurance is expensive. In fact, it can be the largest expenses associated with owning and operating a car. Choosing the right car can make a huge difference. In general, 2-door sports cars, even inexpensive ones, are much more expensive to insure, than large sedans, minivans, and SUVs. Expensive cars that are expensive to repair are also expensive to insure. Car makes and models that are stolen most often are expensive to insure. The best way to compare different cars regarding insurance cost is to simply get comparative rate quotes from multiple insurance companies.

Warranties - Repair Insurance
After you've selected car accident insurance, and you have a used car more than 3 years old, make sure you are also covered against expensive breakdowns and repairs after your new-car warranty has expired.. We recommend Warranty Direct®, the largest and oldest provider of direct-to-consumer automobile warranties. Another reputable used-car warranty company is Endurance Vehicle Protection. We suggest you get and compare free price quotes from both companies.

Operating Cost
In general, the older a car becomes, the more likely it will need maintenance, parts replacements, and repairs. This might include batteries, hoses, cables, brakes, tires, clutches, transmission repair, CVC joints, fluid and belt replacements, and other work that might be covered by a warranty on a newer car. For example, many models need timing belt replacements after about 60K miles. If the belt is allowed to wear and break, the car's engine can be destroyed. Parts and repairs cost more for luxury cars, even old ones.

Fuel Economy
Gas mileage has become an important buying consideration in these times of fast-changing fuel prices. Many consumers choose hybrid vehicles such as the most popular Toyota Prius, and other hybrid versions of conventional models such as the Honda Civic, Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima, Toyota Highlander, and Cadillac Escalade. Some non-hybrid models also have excellent EPA fuel ratings. Examples are the Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, SmartCar, and Nissan Versa. Newer car models tend to better mileage than older models. Unfortunately, it is difficult to impossible to find original EPA ratings on older cars.

Performance / Speed
In general, vehicles with larger engines have better performance. If you are looking for a car with high performance, look for V8 engines or smaller engines with a turbocharger or supercharger. Old models of the Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette, and Pontiac TransAm offer cheap performance, if not good reliability. Other older models with great performance are BMW M3, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, Porsche 911, and Ford Mustang.

Utility / Capacity
If you need to carry your kids, their friends, and pets, consider a minivan such as the ever-popular Honda Odyssey. If you need some cargo capacity, a midsize minivan or a SUV, if not a pickup truck, might be best for you. Toyota 4Runner, Honda Pilot, Lexus RX would be good choices. For smaller capacity needs, the Honda Element, Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV-4, Subaru Forester, and Nissan Xterra would be good. If you normally need only two seats, a Honda Civic coupe, or Mazda3 might be ideal. If you live in an area with winter snow and ice, look for models with 4-wheel drive (4WD).

What's next?

Once you've narrowed down your choices for the car you want, it's time to begin shopping. Used cars are available everywhere: from individuals, from dealers, on the Internet, in newspaper classified ads, or at car auctions. Continue to the following article for details.

Next: How and Where to Find Used Cars for Sale