Everything you need to know!. Review on General Tips on Buying a Car

Let us get down to the points that must be studied before buying a car/SUV or Pickup Truck for that matter. When you are in a market for a vehicle you are kind of decided whether you need to go for a car or Van/SUV or a pickup truck. So the focus of this article/review is not to discuss what your need is. The basic assumption is that you know what type of vehicle you need. These are the factors that should be considered logically before you sign the dotted line.

Also, the buying preferences in United states & India are totally different. Here I will compare both the scenarios. The same factors would result in a dramatically different choice in USA & India.

(1) Size & Power

Size does matter, consider what is your need, what you need to carry & what is the frequency of it. If you plan to buy for a family of say 4 then Midsize cars like Accord/Camry/Impala/Passat/Altima/Maxima/Impala/New Malibu etc would better suit your needs. If you regularly carry 4 adults better to go for a V6 option unless the 4 cyl in Accord/Camry/Altima would satisfy your needs just fine. In India given the crowded & small streets any midsize hatchback or a car would fit the bill for example Hatchbacks like: Fiat Palio, Hyundai Santro, Tata Indica or small cars like Indigo, Petra/Sienna, Ford Icon should be considered. In USA the wide spectrum of options is mind boggling, in India also the situation has improved vastly in last 5 years, too many choices to consider.

(2) Driving Dynamics: Ride & Handling & NVH

What is important for you, good ride or better dynamics. There is often a line drawn by manufacturer with this & they come to a compromise between the two. The Accord favors a little more to handling while Camry leans towards smoother ride. In India Palio is much better handler compared to'small-sized tires for better fuel economy' cars like  Santro, Indica.

(3) Safety: Both Active & Passive

(3.1) ABS(Antilock braking) & Stability Controls are also making their way to the mainstream cars & needs to be checked out. The Airbags are crucial for many models to receive good rating so better watch out for options like Side Airbags & rear-side-air bags.

(3.1) This has become the most important reason for buyers & specially for the families. Check out the crash tests at the Govt Sites NHTSA.org or the magazines like Consumer Reports that conduct their own crash tests. Insurance Industry also conducts crash tests & many magazines publish the results on the same. Extreme performers(both good/bad) make it to teh Dailies too. But a close scrutiny of the crash tests needs to be done before you decide on a vehicle. Last 2 years NHTSA is also conducting a rollover test. Consumer Reports does much comprehensive Rollover test that has resulted sometimes in controversies too.

(4) Fuel Economy

This was I guess never an issue in USA until recently when Gas prices started to shoot over 2$per gallon(3.79 Liters). In India the rates are almost$3.75 per Gallon! So fuel economy is HUGE issue. That is the reason, Palio despite of being a very good product lacked behind on sells chart due to below average fuel economy. Bikes are the major personal transport in India that give 140iles per gallon. So fuel economy is a HUGE & teh foremost issue in India. That is why Diesels are so popular that give 40% more economy than petrol(gas) counterparts & also Diesel is significantly cheaper than Petrol.

(5) Reliability & Service Network

One of the most imp issue & reason for satisfaction among the car buyers. Here, Japanese makes have an upper hand but the US Automakers are caching up fast. The market perception is still not as good as Japs though. Hordes of satisfied Accord/Camry owners are now buying their Minivans & SUVs too. A real danger for the big 3. You can check again Consumer Reports annual issue for short term & long term reliability. Also check J.D. Powers & associates survey results.

In India the daily travel distances are not that big & hence service network is more imp issue, but of course reliability is an issue. The gap is not that big between different automakers but even here Honda/Toyota are out of the league from others. Maruti(Suzuki) has the most wide servicing network & you get them services in almost every village/town etc.

(6) Durability

Long Term durability affects the resale value of the vehicle as much as the ownership experience/brand loyalty factors. It also reduces the maintenance/repair costs of the vehicle. A good build quality goes a long way in this regard.

(7) Price/Value Equation

It always comes down to this. You got to weigh price to content or'overall value' of the vehicle, a little expensive vehicle say Accord would be much better over a few years even though competition prices their vehicles cheaper. You got to consider projected ownership costs over the 3-5 years to get the idea if the vehicle is a good'value'. Cheaper is not always a better value.

(8) Resale Value

This is the most important factor if you plan to keep vehicles for around 3 years or less. A little less significant if you plan to keep it for say 8 years. But this factor gives you the overall perception of the vehicle in the market that no other thing can give.(A good resale value always shows a good vehicle but converse is not true always.) Many factors like brand equity, overall quality, value quotient, durability etc are inherently displayed by the resale value & it should be an important thing to consider even if you are planning to keep vehicles even for more than 8 years.

(9) Comparison with competitive brands/models: Pros/Cons

Many internet tools & sites provides you information at your fingertips & comparison shopping would always give you the best deal out there. Even try out different dealerships of teh same brand & the experience will be different for sure.

(10) Your Needs & the Type of Usage

You don't want a corvette when you want to tow a boat.& that is obvious but sometime it seems many buyers tend to neglect their own need just because they can buy a costlier vehicle. Example: Honda CR-V versus say Honda Pilot or even Ford Explorer. Always consider what is your current & future need in say 3-5 years. Consider Minivan instead of a gas-guzzler SUV if you need to carry more than 5 adults on a regular basis.

(11) Always consider buying a used/certified vehicle

You could save a lot of money if you went this way. Now a days there are several attractive offers on the certified used vehicles that can give you 2 year old vehicle at a very bog discount from the newer model year. Again, compare different schemes from different automakers in this regard. Sometimes you can go for a pricier vehicle like BMW 325 instead of new Accord V6.

(12) Personal Preference/Desire/Appeal Factor

This always is a factor, always think if you are going to be happy with the vehicle. Specially if it is the only vehicle you are planning to buy for some time. Use all the brains to come to a choice but do not neglect your heart!:-) You should enjoy the time you spend in you vehicle. That is a must!

Reference:

http://www.edmunds.com=> Prob’ly the best one out there.

http://www.detnews.com/autosinsider/index.htm

http://www.thecarconnection.com

http://www.newcartestdrive.com

prnewswire.com

indiacar.com autocarindia.com caranddriver.com roadandtrack.com automobile.com