Things to Consider When Choosing a New Car

Size and Space Needed

One of the first things that you need to consider is what your current or future circumstances are as far as the number of people in your immediate family who will be driving or will be transported in the new vehicle you choose. For example, are you single, married, have children or expecting a child in the near future? Your answers to the above questions will help determine the size of car you should be looking for.

Luckily, today there is large selection of compact and fuel efficient cars that are geared towards families. The cars are made to be more compact but still give you interior space for you and your passengers. Things to take into consideration include; if the family pet travels with you often or how convenient the car will be to get a child’s car seat in and out. Your age may play an important role here! Pensioners may well like the sliding doors on models such as the Peugeot 106; while the Station Wagon or Estate cars and 4WD’s have excellent room in the back for owners of big dogs and families who holiday a lot and need either a bigger car or a more powerful engine to tow a caravan for example. A 1.2 Nissan Micra or Mini First which has a 1.4 litre engine would certainly not be the car for you if that was the case. You also have to consider what type of cargo space you will want or need. Here is a little tip for the fisherman; the Toyota Estima is a great vehicle for fitting your fishing rods into and a comfy retreat when it all gets a bit much when the weather is bad as you have the space to move around and wait it out.

A Huge Variety of Body Types To Pick From

There are a variety of types of car to choose from and there is a type for everyone’s lifestyle. A supermini is usually easy to drive and has smaller engine sizes. These are ideal cars for a small family, new drivers or someone on a tight budget. They usually have good fuel economy and the tax is lower. However, the size and performance levels are also lower.

The hatchback is one of the most popular types of cars on the road today. They have two rows of seats and cargo space behind the rear seats. These are reliable and make good family cars. In most of the models the rear seats fold down to give you even more boot space.

The MPV, which stands for Multi-purpose Vehicle, is a good choice for a large family or if you often have a lot of passengers. These types of vehicles have plenty of seats and a large boot area. They are a bigger size car and are less fuel efficient than a compact car.

A sports car is a high performance machine that usually only has two seats and most are rear wheel drive. They are not an inexpensive vehicle and cost more when it comes to buy car insurance, purchasing auto parts and a full car service. The fuel economy is usually on the low side but they do offer power and maneuverability in exchange.

An estate car is a passenger car that has a longer body style than most hatchbacks and less room than an MPV. If you are looking for a luxury family car or an executive vehicle this might be a good choice for you.

A SUV, which stands for Sports Utility Vehicle, can be used as an off road vehicle and has good towing capabilities. Nissan produce some great 4WD vehicles while the ever popular Hummer and Land Rover are still the firm favorites for larger families. They are usually equipped with strong engines and have about the same interior space as an estate. These are reliable vehicles but fuel efficiently is usually very low.

Engine and Performance

How well a vehicle will perform is a major factor to consider when choosing a car. If you use the motorways often you will want to check out the acceleration time from 0 to 60mph. You also want to make sure you have enough horse power for your needs. The size of the engine is also something to consider. One thing to keep in mind is the higher the performance the higher your insurance cost may be.

Cost

Once you have narrowed down your choices and have a specific model you’re interested in; now it is time to do some research. The internet is a great place to find detailed specifications and information on not only the cost of the vehicle but the actual selling price of the car you are leaning towards buying. Only then are you truly more informed when you are at a car dealership. Other products such as gap insurance, comprehensive car insurance, car warranty information and car depreciation levels and car finance calculators are extremely well documented on the internet and not only indicate the true running costs of your chosen vehicle, but together with the cost of any aftermarket accessories you may want to add to your new car provide you with a global overview of the true price you will be paying. Many of these aftermarket products are available to buy directly online, saving car buyers from paying out any extra when the dealer offers them the same products at higher prices. A small amount of research could easily save a car buyer hundreds of pounds on insurance and car tax, not to mention thousands on maintenance and new car depreciation.

Fuel Economy and Environmental Concerns

As far as fuel is concerned the most common fuel types are petrol and diesel. Hybrid cars are quickly becoming more popular and variations of the dual fuel vehicle is something that vehicle manufacturers have started to investigate with great gusto. Unlike hybrid cars (Honda have the Honda Civic hybrid and & Honda Insite Hybrid while Toyota have the Prius) petrol fuelled cars have more power, are quicker from  zero to sixty but are less efficient than their diesel counterparts as petrol engines tend to have less efficient fueling systems, therefore more fuel is wasted on each trip. On the other hand, diesel engines produce lower CO2 emissions, tend to give more mileage for your money and often have turbo chargers to help increase their power output.  You should keep in mind that the higher the CO2 emissions the higher the car will be taxed by the government. You want to make sure that you look closely at how many miles per gallon the car you’re considering buying averages. There are other eco-friendly options available which include electric and hybrid vehicles. Very excitingly there are also some vehicles being manufactured today that run on bio ethanol which is eco-friendly. Governments around the world are incentivizing car makers to produce more efficient vehicles and manufacturers realize that very soon emission restrictions will be so strict that consumers will be insisting on ultra efficient vehicles and duel fuel cars are one very buoyant market in trying times we live in. As an ever growing environmentally conscious society consumers no longer accept second rate offers from the automotive industry and this spells a brighter future for our children!

Safety

To most people the vehicle’s safety is the single most important factor when choosing a new car. This is especially important if you have a young family, 3 or more kids or you simply have a lot of passengers that are relying on you to keep them safe on the road. When looking at vehicles always look at the safety features for example ask your dealer how many airbags it has, what the Euro NCAP rating for that particular model is, does Bluetooth come as an option with the radio and how many miles you should expect to get from a set of tyres. Not so strange a question when you realize that every car has different rates at which they wear down their tyres.  An example would be the lovely Fiat Stilo which won’t do more than eight months of town driving on a set of new tyres due to the way the front suspension works and the ASR setting affects the inside tyre wear. But most of all please don’t forget to ask about the Euro NCAP’s star ratings for the car before you buy.

Purchasing a new vehicle is something that you want to take your time doing and shop around to decide which car will best fit your needs. A new car is a major investment and you want something that will be reliable and last a long time. If you consider your options wisely you will find a vehicle that will fit you and your lifestyle.

Gap Insurance is a great way to protect new car buyers from the effects of new car depreciation; there are many types of gap available and the information is easy to access when doing an online search.  Finance Gap Insurance pays the difference between the new car’s insurance payout in the event of a “write-off”, and the amount of finance outstanding on your loan or contract hire agreement.  Vehicle Replacement Gap Insurance will cover the difference between your car insurance company’s payout and the cost of replacing your car to the same level of specification and price of the insured car -including any industry price increases – should you have an accident in which your insurer deems your motor vehicle a write off. Good luck with your new car.