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How to choose a car

Budget and personal preferences are two crucial factors which will lead you to the decision what will be your next car. But there are so many options available that narrowing down your choices might be not an easy task and hard to decide which will be the best car to buy.

Determine the type of a car

Depending on personal needs there are numerous alternatives from small coupes to big SUVs you might consider when it comes to the type of a car body. If the car will be primary used by one person go at work every day smaller coupe or sedan will be a good fit. Minivan is typically associated with a term "family car" and one of the best options if you have more than one child. Pickups are usually for men who need a vehicle for moving stuff around or just like to have a fun mudding in their 10 inch lifted trucks. Some people might just choose a car because they like it regardless real needs, price and performance. It is very common to see one driver in a huge rig going every day to work and back home.

car

Consider fuel economy

Check fuel consumption of a car. Smaller vehicles with hybrid engines are the most fuel efficient options and you will save the most at a pump. There is also an option of electric car which do not use traditional fuel (gas, diesel or ethanol) at all, but has an electrical battery as a source of generating a power. Fully electrical cars are more expensive comparing with other conventional vehicles because of a battery cost.

Manual or automatic transmission

It is no question the car equipped with an automatic transmission is more convenient and much easier to drive especially in the city where you do not have to change gear manually at every traffic light. Manual transmission seems to be more reliable mechanism, you will have more control over the car and the fuel consumption is normally lower. With better accelerating performance manual transmission is commonly used in sport cars.

How safe is a car

There are two prime qualities every car should be checked for safety while evaluating which car is the safest.

  • How the car will protect passengers in the case of a crash. Different types of equipment from seat belts to airbags helps prevent the people inside the car from being injured. But there is always a common sense - bigger car tends to be safer for passengers in case of collision.
  • Car crash avoidance ability is with systems ad devices vehicle equipped and how it helps the driver to avoid the collision. Lights, mirrors along with traction and stability control system will assist the driver in preventing an accident.

Reliability

There are different independent agencies and associations who offer their reliability rating for every car brand and model, based on engine, power train, brakes and other system performance. You can compare those numbers, but keep in mind the most expensive doesn't mean the most reliable. Other factor is a resale value which directly depends on how car will perform overtime. It still very questionable and will dependable not only on a brand of a car but overall condition as well, but some cars tends to lose their value significantly faster than others due to lower quality and performance with a time.