Tips When Buying a New Car
When it comes to buying a new car it can potentially be one of the top financial decisions you will ever have to make. For some, hunting for a new car can be a daunting prospect, but for others the process is fun. Here are some tips for you to consider when you are on the hunt for a brand new car.
Size
Firstly you will need to think about what exactly you will be using your car for. Are you going to be carrying passengers or travelling alone? What about the luggage – will you carry lots of items and therefore require a large boot space? If you’re going to be mostly travelling around the city then a small car like a VW Polo will be a great little car for you. A Corolla will happily accommodate four people and some luggage. You might consider a an SUV-type vehicle like a Volvo XC60 or an MPV like the Honda Odyssey if you want to carry elderly people about as there is plenty of space to climb in-and-out of the car. If you will be touring with the family, then a large estate like the Holden Commodore Tourer is superbly comfortable and spacious over the long open-road haul.
Number of Doors
SUVs, hatchbacks and station wagons with four doors and a big opening tailgate are all classed as having five-doors because the rear gate is a massive door that opens wide to access the boot space. There are three-door hatchbacks with two doors to access the seats and one big door at the rear to access the luggage space. Then there is the saloon car like a Honda Accord which has a smaller boot opening at the rear and four doors for access to the seating area – so it’s known as a four-door. A two-door car like a Mazda MX-5 has two doors to access the seats and a smaller boot opening at the rear. I’m sure once you’ve checked out a few cars with hands-on experience then you’ll form a good picture of the style of car you’ll want to buy.
Space
You’re going to need to consider the amount of space that passengers are going to either enjoy or hate. The freedom of occupant space and the number of doors – or lack thereof – will affect the enjoyment levels of the occupants while travelling. Even some three-door cars like the Renault Megane can accommodate passengers quite happily in the rear seats, however getting in and out of the back seats does require having to move the front seats forward in order for the rear seat occupant to get out of the car. And if you’re sitting nice and snug in the front seat when the rear seat passenger needs to get out for a leak, then I’m sorry but you’ll firstly need to get out of your front seat for them to be able to get out of their rear seat space. Not much fun! Accessibility into the seats of a five-door or four-door car is easy. Some SUVs like a Holden Trailblazer and MPVs like a Citroen C4 Picasso have three rows of seats and can carry seven occupants with ease. Those sitting in the third row will usually require a second row seat to be folded for them to get out – but the access and occupant space is usually quite good in one of these types of vehicles.
Luggage Capacity
Most cars have their luggage space at the rear of the vehicle and this area is known as the boot. Boot space, volume or capacity is given in the car’s specifications and is usually given in litres for us “down under”. If you talk American then then boot space will be given in cubic feet – just to be annoying! If you’re going to be carrying occupants and luggage regularly then it would be wise that you check out how much boot space your potential new car can offer. Most hatchbacks, SUVs, MPVs and station wagons have rear seats that can be folded down to provide more luggage space when required. Generally, the bigger the car – the bigger the boot space.
Fuel efficiency
It’s worth considering how economical a new car will be before handing over the cash. If you’re on a budget, then definitely check out the fuel efficiency of the particular vehicle you’re interested in. Most vehicles under 2.0-litre engine capacity will be quite economical with all of the latest engine technology like stop/start and more gears being standard on most new cars. Turbo diesels – particularly small ones – can be quite efficient, but do remember that fuel taxes are heavier for diesel vehicles. Hybrids like the Honda Insight are very efficient around town when they usually require most of the travel to be done by the electric motor. They get thirstier when performing open road driving because the car will require its petrol or diesel engine over the electric motor. There are purely electric vehicles which you can buy like the Nissan LEAF, but these are suited for city environments.
Warranty
All new cars come with a warranty. Most manufacturers offer a three year warranty and some offer five years like Mitsubishi, Hyundai and Toyota. Kia vehicles offer seven year warranties. Having a good warranty on the car you’re going to buy is ‘peace of mind’, really.
Outgoing models
When a manufacturer is about to release a brand new model, the outgoing model is often offered at a great price. So do keep this in mind when buying new. If having the very latest isn’t such a big deal, then buying an outgoing model is a great way of knocking a few thousand off the purchase price.
Level 2, 9 Help Street