Identifying Your Needs And Wants

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Do Your Research

• Vehicle price.
• Monthly payments, fuel, insurance, maintenance, repairs, taxes, registration, license fees.
• Safety features, crash tests and experience ratings.
• Resale value.
• Reliability.
• Passenger seating, cargo space, towing capacity, off-road capabilities, comfort.
• Design, color, exterior, interior features.

To help you make an informed decision, research the market.

• Your local library, bookstore, financial institutions and Web sites offer vehicle-buying books, consumer magazines and online publications.
  
  
• There are a variety of Web sites that provide information about safety, reliability, fuel and maintenance expenses. You can also find vehicle pricing — especially the dealership's invoice cost, manufacturer's holdbacks and dealership incentives — which are essential for you to make the best deal.
  
  
• Mechanics and your insurance company can also supply important information about the models you are considering. Mechanics, along with vehicle magazines, are good sources of information about frequency of repairs. Ask a mechanic you trust which models have persistent trouble and which are more expensive to repair.

Safety Is A Smart Buy

You do not have to buy an expensive vehicle to get a safer vehicle. There are many affordable vehicles on the market with good crash test ratings and advanced safety features. Before you buy a vehicle, check the safety ratings at the following Web sites:

The Insurance Institute For Highway Safety (IIHS) www.iihs.org

• Frontal offset crash tests.
• Side impact crash tests.
• Rear crash protection.
• Bumper tests.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) www.safercar.gov

• Full frontal crash tests.
• Side impact crash tests.
• Rollover ratings.

The Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) www.iihs.org/research/hldi/composite_intro.html

• Injury, collision and theft ratings.