Buying A Car - A Newbie's Experience
December 29th 2006 21:01
I consider myself a practical shopper, one who compares items based on price and quality before making a final decision. It takes me quite some time to buy an item, especially if it's for personal use. I tend to compare items from different stores before I decide which one to purchase.
But when it comes to cars I am absolutely naive.
I know nothing about them except that it takes me from point A to point B. There are only two main points I consider when choosing a car: 1) That it is fuel efficient and 2) That it has a good safety record.
We bought our first car in 2005, it was a Toyota Corolla LE. I loved that car, when it comes to fuel efficiency, the LE is on the top of the list. It also has good crash test results. For a while the LE served its purpose as it took us to where we wanted to be, but after moving to 2 different locations in 2 years we soon discovered we needed more leg and area space. Which reminds me early this month when we bought a Christmas tree and we had to remove it from the box so that it would fit in our car. Yes we needed a bigger car that was still within our budget.
Our first choice was a 2007 RAV4 Limited, I really like the way it looks plus it is bigger than the LE. My husband wanted a V6 engine because we did notice that our LE, which was a 4 cylinder, has difficulty going uphill or when we are lugging around heavy stuff in the back. A V6 engine has more power but it will also consume more fuel. So we went to our car dealer and found out that they only had 4 cylinders available and if we wanted a V6 engine we had to place an order and it would take three months for the vehicle to arrive. We asked for the price of the RAV4 and considered what other vehicles were in the same price range. There were three:
1. 2007 Toyota Highlander - 4 cylinders, 2 wheel drive, I like the look, bigger than the RAV4 but hubby wanted a V6, 4 wheel drive.
2. 2007 FJ Cruiser - Not fond of the look, ample leg and area space, has V6 engine but only 2 wheel drive.
3. 2006 Tacoma - Nice looking truck, very spacious, has V6 engine and 4 wheel drive. It was $2000 less than the 2007 Tacoma model but with very slight differences.
The Tacoma clearly had what we wanted, it was big, strong, fast and dependable. I was only having one problem, I wanted a 2007 model. I went online to see exactly what makes the 2006 model different from the 2007. After learning that there were only two differences, which are quite unoticeable in my opinion, we decided that at less than $2000 the 2006 Tacoma was a good deal.
So we traded in our trusty LE for the Tacoma and we got it yesterday! We took it for a drive and it handles really well. We got the double cab, SR5 Package which includes a 6 CD changer with 6 speakers. I must say the exterior is impressive but the interior is absolutely awesome.
So yes we are happy with our new vehicle and it's one we plan on keeping for a long time.
If you are planning on buying or trading in your vehicle my advice is to really do your research first before you go to the dealership. Also, if you are availing of financing. try to go online if they have special offers because sometimes the dealership is either not aware or won't tell you about it. In our case the financing company has a special low interest offer for items over $20,000 but the dealership wasn't aware of it (they said) until we pointed it out and showed the website.
Are you planning on buying a car? What model/s do you like and what is your dream car?
But when it comes to cars I am absolutely naive.
I know nothing about them except that it takes me from point A to point B. There are only two main points I consider when choosing a car: 1) That it is fuel efficient and 2) That it has a good safety record.
Our first choice was a 2007 RAV4 Limited, I really like the way it looks plus it is bigger than the LE. My husband wanted a V6 engine because we did notice that our LE, which was a 4 cylinder, has difficulty going uphill or when we are lugging around heavy stuff in the back. A V6 engine has more power but it will also consume more fuel. So we went to our car dealer and found out that they only had 4 cylinders available and if we wanted a V6 engine we had to place an order and it would take three months for the vehicle to arrive. We asked for the price of the RAV4 and considered what other vehicles were in the same price range. There were three:
1. 2007 Toyota Highlander - 4 cylinders, 2 wheel drive, I like the look, bigger than the RAV4 but hubby wanted a V6, 4 wheel drive.
2. 2007 FJ Cruiser - Not fond of the look, ample leg and area space, has V6 engine but only 2 wheel drive.
3. 2006 Tacoma - Nice looking truck, very spacious, has V6 engine and 4 wheel drive. It was $2000 less than the 2007 Tacoma model but with very slight differences.
2006 Toyota Tacoma (Photo by Hope)
The Tacoma clearly had what we wanted, it was big, strong, fast and dependable. I was only having one problem, I wanted a 2007 model. I went online to see exactly what makes the 2006 model different from the 2007. After learning that there were only two differences, which are quite unoticeable in my opinion, we decided that at less than $2000 the 2006 Tacoma was a good deal.
Tacoma Interior (Photo by Hope)
Tacoma Interior (Photo by Hope)
So we traded in our trusty LE for the Tacoma and we got it yesterday! We took it for a drive and it handles really well. We got the double cab, SR5 Package which includes a 6 CD changer with 6 speakers. I must say the exterior is impressive but the interior is absolutely awesome.
So yes we are happy with our new vehicle and it's one we plan on keeping for a long time.
If you are planning on buying or trading in your vehicle my advice is to really do your research first before you go to the dealership. Also, if you are availing of financing. try to go online if they have special offers because sometimes the dealership is either not aware or won't tell you about it. In our case the financing company has a special low interest offer for items over $20,000 but the dealership wasn't aware of it (they said) until we pointed it out and showed the website.
Are you planning on buying a car? What model/s do you like and what is your dream car?
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