The most emotional part of buying a new car may not be the
idea of buying a new car but choosing which one to buy. However,
even if a car is a bad "investment," choosing a good car deserves
careful treatment because its reliability and ability to hold
value will play a large role in the overall cost of owning
the car.
Research
When trying to decide what car best suits your needs, fanatical
research is going to pay off. However unpleasant car shopping
can be, for such a big expenditure, people usually invest
surprisingly little time trying to find the right one.
All new cars have their own dazzle factor, but do your homework
to know which ones won't turn into your worst nightmare with
time. One of the best ways to find a great car is to live
and breathe cars for a while. Places to look:
Consumer Reports has a valuable annual report on all new cars and some
in-depth features on specific cars, but to get access to these
articles online you must pay a $3.95 monthly subscription
fee.
Road & Track, Automobile, and Car and Driver all have a new car buying guide with some basic information
about new cars and search features to find any articles written
about a specific car.
Pricing
You can check the dealer invoice and manufacturer's suggested
retail price of any new car and its optional equipment at
CarsDirect.com.
Buying
The Internet offers many options for buying cars, but most
of them refer you to their dealer networks, the same places
you may be trying to avoid by using the Internet to shop for
a car. The best place we have found to buy a car on the Internet
is CarsDirect.com
because they allow you to handle the entire process online;
they will sell a car to you directly and not through a middleman.
At their site, you can easily find and price the car you want,
get financing (or provide your own), and organize a delivery
of your vehicle to either your home, office, or through a
local dealership. On top of all of that, they offer great
prices.
|
