- 1). Narrow your car options down to about five or six automobiles that you are interested in. Line them up with their specifications clearly displayed, and then compare them all side by side. The easiest way to do this is online---see Resources for a tool that allows you to compare cars, even if they are made by different manufacturers.
- 2). Compare the body style of each auto. The most popular auto body styles are sedan, coupe, convertible, station wagon, SUV and hatchback.
- 3). Compare the gas mileage, also called fuel economy, of each car. How many miles can you travel on each gallon of gas that you add to the car? Also, determine what type of gas will be needed for the car. Is premium or regular unleaded recommended? E85 or diesel?
- 4). Find out what safety features are built into each automobile. Are there air bags in the cars, and if so, where are they located? There are driver and passenger airbags, side airbags and head (curtain) airbags. Does the vehicle have anti-lock brakes? Look up the crash-test ratings for each vehicle at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website (see Resources).
- 5). Compare the engine specs of each automobile on your list. Identify three specifications: horsepower, number of cylinders and the liters. The horsepower measures the torque of the car---the more horsepower, the more powerful the engine. The number of cylinders also measures power---a six-cylinder engine will pump faster and stronger than one with four cylinders. Finally, the liters of the engine (i.e. 2.4 liter engine) measures the capacity, strength and energy that can be produced by the engine.
- 6). Test drive each car that you are interested in to see how the car feels when you're on the road. You want to see how well the car picks up and how it handles turns. Listen in for any unusual noises, and test the quality of the brakes. Gauge which of the cars make you most comfortable behind the wheel.
- 7). When you have narrowed your choices down to two or three autos, compare the price of each vehicle to make your final determination on which car best fits your needs.
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