All of these factors should be considered before considering the purchase of a new vehicle. While this does cover the topics about the hardware, there is the issue of the money and business, which is a topic for another day.
What to look for before buying a new car
May 11, 2016|Posted in: Uncategorized
So you’re out there looking for a new car to buy with the extra bonus that you had received which somehow helped you reach the target that you were aiming at from the moment you started to save your earnings.
All those extra hours worked and the extra-ordinary effort put in can now bear fruit as now you can finally put your hands behind the wheels of that really stylish SUV that you’ve been eyeing for yourself or the family van that you’ve wanted your entire family
to fit into, or perhaps you haven even made up your mind yet and want to get buy the one which attracts you the most. But this might be a big mistake, as there are several factors that you must be vary of before purchasing:
Interior Features
Apart from the default interior hardware that almost every car has these days: storage compartment, emergency flashers, air ventilation, cup holder and air bags, there are certain other additional features that can be customized for a better driving and travelling experience.
Backup Cameras: These useful gadgets can come embedded and are extremely useful when it comes to parallel parking.
Remote Entry: Remote Entry has become more and more common and have come a long way from its inception as a curious novelty. It is now her to stay and being able to lock and open by simply approaching the door still feels like luxury, but even more progress is being made with hands-free opening methods.
Automatic Temperature Control: This is an extremely useful investment to be made for your car in the long run. The feature of this utility is not limited to controlling temperature by a thermometer, but can also save you money on gas or petrol.
Sun-Roofs: This can seem an extravagant addition, and indeed a lot of the car producers, keep this feature as part of their premium or limited purchases. For those who cannot resist, it is suggested that you buy it, but never feel bad if you couldn’t.
Leather Seats or Not: The choice to have leather seats or not could be a tough one to decide. Clothes are equally convenient in comparison to leather ones. Leather seats are much simpler to clean stains off than clothes; they will either too hot or cold depending on the weather, besides, they are way more expensive. The decision may finally boil down the amount of money that you can spend on.
Exterior Features
Power Doors: A door that takes 15 seconds to automatically slide open, either upwards or sideways, will seem a bit tedious to the able bodied user, they would rather try and open the door by themselves. However, having your hatches or trunks be automated can save a tremendous effort when it comes to storing groceries or goods that have your hands full.
Rooftop Storage Racks: This can be great for carrying large cargo like bikes and kayaks or anything particularly large that you could not fit into the car or vehicle itself. However, it’s better to have it fitted in manually after purchasing the car instead of being fitted in during the purchase.
Upgraded Wheels: The stock wheels that come along with your vehicle may not really be of good quality and you will like that it is better to have it replaced with another one. This intuition is correct and you should look for another one in the aftermarket.
Mud Flaps, Bumper Guards, Paint Protection, Etc.
It is usually the case that any small additional features, such as “mud flaps” aren’t really worth the money that they are charging. If any bumper protector or any external accessory pricks your intention then you should have it purchased from an external third party instead.
The Engine
The Engine is a car’s power plant. It is the greatest factor when determining the velocity and the momentum of the vehicle. Typically, the categorization of engine is based on two factors: the number of cylinders inside of that engine and the motor’s overall displacement in litres.
Globally, most engines use a configuration of four or six or eight cylinders, while certain smaller brand of vehicles like the 1.6 litre four –cylinder engine compact car or SUV will have the greater mileage capacity but will not deliver when it comes to power and when it comes to the 6.2 litre supercharged V8 in the Chevy Camaro, the circumstances are reversed with great torque but pathetic fuel efficiency.
Also, in case of selecting the sizes of different engines, there are certain noticeable differences that will be witnessed. One such difference is the one between a 1.6 L V4 Engine to the 2.0 V4 Engine. When an upgrade from the former to the latter occurs it doesn’t necessarily entail a faster or much stronger car, but instead it will perform better when it traverses difficult terrain like a steep incline.
The Transmission
There are three options to choose from, when it comes to the question of transmission. There is the automatic transmission, semi-automatic transmission or the manual transmission. The first one involves you having nothing to do with the gear or clutch, and all the adjustments will be made automatically, while the semi-one does provide the option of engaging with the gear via an automated clutch.
The manual transmission will have you engaging the gear and clutches voluntarily. Though difficult than the former two, it is still preferred by a lot of drivers, delivering a more visceral and exhilarating experience for the people. These are mostly present in sports cars or stripped down sedans, as the transition towards automatic transmission will be imminently absolute.
The Powered Axles – There are basically four types and each one of them has certain factors unique to the type of vehicles you want to purchase.
Front Wheel Drive: The wheels at the front of the car will receive the most amount of power, and they are much better to have traction than the rear wheel weathers. It makes them easier to handle during inclement weather. Although, during acceleration, the weight of the car moves backward, therefore causing it to be slower than the rear wheel drives.
Rear Wheel Drive: Having a rear wheel drive makes it much easier to accelerate than the ones that have front wheel drives, but tend to be much slower though. Sports cars like the Ford Mustang use the rear wheel drive instead of the front wheel. Having a rear wheel drive makes the distribution of the weight much more even.
Four Wheel Drive: Four Wheel Drives give power from the engine to all the wheels of the car. This gives it a greater traction than the former and therefore much better capacity to handle uneven surfaces like mud, dirt and snow. Often found in pickup trucks, Large SUV’s and Sedans. All the traction powers make it much harder to conserve fuel and constant usage may cause damage to four wheel drive, thus there exists the option to switch to 2 WD.
All-Wheel Drive: Certain cars comes as all-wheel drive, receiving power from the engine to the four wheels just like the four wheel drive, but there is no option for to adjust to another drive format. It is much easier to be driven on pavements, although I rougher terrains, the sensitivity of the All-Wheel Drive makes relatively difficult to drive.
Alternative Fuels
Today, a lot of the auto manufacturer’s offer their vehicles fitted with alternative fuel options. It is curious to investigate these options and their worthiness.
Hybrids: They use more than one type of engine power mechanism compared to the normal type of cars. There is usually a combustion engine plus an electric motor. This design is purported to be more fuel efficient than the normal engine driven cars, although the hefty price- at least $2000 more than their counterparts and as much as $10,000 more. The Hybrids will be much useful if they are used for a long terms, otherwise the costs of purchasing one will overshadow the economic benefits associated with it.
Electric Vehicles: Electric Vehicles are cars runs on electricity, and therefore never using any petroleum products as the base for its power. This is extremely positive for the reduction of air pollution and for the safety of the planet in general. Despite the great advantages offered by the electric car and the Eco-friendly nature, it is now only in the proto-type stage. The fuel efficiency is good but capacity to hold charge for long distances is a disadvantage, also the extremely high prices. The industrial production of electric car batteries isn’t that good for the environment either. It might well take another decade or two before an affordable, usable and more environment friendly cars could be produced in masse
Leave a Reply
*