What are some tips for buying a new car? ?

Question

I've started doing my research into buying a new vehicle. I've found a site called the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. They do extra testing on vehicles. I really like this site. I've also started compiling a list of features that I want for our new car. We've got a pretty good sized down payment (over $5,000). Were considering just saving the money and paying for a new vehicle out right. So my questions are below:

1: What car manufacturers are the best for resale or trade in value? (I've heard that volvo, honda, ford are some of the "best" on the market).

2: When is the "best" time to buy a new car? end of the year models?

3: Are side air bags and that "electronic stability control" good features to have on a new vehicle? (I've read conflicting information).

4: What are some of the lower maintenance vehicles on the market? (I DO NOT like spending my extra time at the repair shop.)

5: What are some of the more "family friendly" vehicles on the market? (I've been looking at a volvo station wagon.)

6: What vehicles get great gas mileage both in town and on the highway?

7: Should I consider buying a hybrid?

8: Should I buy an extended manufacturers warranty beyond what comes standard with a new vehicle?

I hope I haven't asked to many questions. I would appreciate some positive feedback. (We bought a Kia Sephia and a Chevy Metro. The Kia has caused more headache and money then I ever thought a car ever would. The Chevy Metro just runs like a little champ, but we've outgrown it's size.) I would appreciate any help you all can give me. Thanks. :)

Answer 1

Well i can't answer all your questions but, i'd go for the Honda for reliability, i'm not sure what it's like if you need more room in a car though, end of year is a pretty good time to buy, Hybrids at this time are very expensive, as far as the extended warranty goes checkout what it covers, some are not worth the paper they are written on.

Answer 2

As far as i know,this is a question with many different answers,it is really depend on the judgement of yourself,provide a great resource here for reference though.http://car-insurance.bestips.info/car-in...

Answer 3

First of all go used. You can get MUCH more car for your money. For example for the price of a base Civic you can get a used G35 sedan which is a MUCH better car overall. To answer your questions...

1. Toyota and Honda(and their related brands) tend to have the best resale value. Nissan also generally has good resale values. With other companies it largely depends on the cars. As far as luxury brands go Lexus, BMW and Porsche hold their values well.

2. For a new car the best time is at the end of the month or right before a model year switch(i.e. now)

3. Yes, both of them can save your live. Traction control is the second most useful safety device on a car behind seatbelts.

4. Pretty much anything Toyota, Honda, and Nissan(besides SUVs). For the domestics it varies from car to car.

5. The Volvo V70 is a good car. I'm not exactly sure of your price range, but check out used Dodge Magnums, used Audi A4 Avants, and the Subaru Legacy Wagon.

6. It depends what you mean "great gas mileage." To me upper 20s hwy is fine and most current V6s can hit that.

7. Nah, Hybrids are going for super high now because of the panic over gas prices. The price difference would be like $3-7K which could buy a lot of gas. You could check out the VW Jetta TDI though. Those things get like 50MPG hwy. They aren't on sale yet and may be on a waiting list in your area.

8. It depends on the car brand. Some car brands already come with 100,000 mile warranties(Hyundai, GM, etc), and Chysler comes with a Lifetime warranty(powertrain), but Honda and Toyota only have 36,000 mile warranties.