by Isaac Madengu Mangatu

Created on: April 21, 2009   Last Updated: April 12, 2011

Ford releases its latest mid-size 2009 Hybrid Focus, Honda releases the fuel efficient Accord, the list is endless of the best car on the market. As if that is not enough, the shapes sizes and fuel efficiency data on the cars makes the selection process much harder & tougher for the everyday person who does not understand these statistics.

They are so many factors to consider when buying a new car and not knowing what to consider makes the selection itself an issue that can either be upsetting or frustrating at times. I can breakdown the important factors in to different stages & at each stage one can either get the car that goes with that or go on to the next stage to get the next.

The initial stage is to obviously know that you need a car, when you know this you qualify to start planning on getting a new car and you will need to consider the next factor which is my stage two. This stage requires the most and thought but once you have put the thought to it the rest should be a downhill run.

Stage two requires you to define what you want the car for, what will be the primary use of the vehicle? Knowing the main reason why you would want a vehicle will drive you more to the type of vehicle that suits your needs. I know of people who wanted a vehicle & did not take time to consider why & after buying a vehicle, they were stuck with a car that they could not return while it did nothing for their everyday lives except create a debt.

While at stage two you also have to ask what the secondary use will be, this question then makes sure that you get a car that not only suits your day to day life but also can go beyond the everyday use. After stage two if you have not had an idea of what car you want you can go to stage / factor three which basically is how often you do get to use the vehicle? Knowing the frequency can give you an idea to the cost of fuel over so time. Fuel efficiency can be calculated simply by looking at the size of the tank of the car, knowing distance travelled over a period of time and that will tell you how much you will be spending over a given time.

Now that you have considered why, what & how much you will use the vehicle for, the next and issue/factor is the cost of the vehicle. Look at your budget, knowing how much can change or adjust the vehicle size but it is still important because in most cases they are different models out there that you can variate & compare. As I said, when you have a budget, getting the vehicle becomes less of an issue; you can then move to the last issue which is the manufacturer. GM, Chrysler, Toyota, Mazda, all is very good makes & competitors, it is not only important that you look for a manufacturer, but consider how much maintenance & repairs will cost.

Usually a foreign model will cost more to maintain that locally built cars. While Germany & Japan are the leaders in the most comfortable models which last the longest, they are about the most expensive to maintain. Although foreign models look good, they are not necessarily the best, they are locally built cars that have endured time, all you need to do is research about the local cars & make an enriched assessment of the choices you have.

Finally I would say that you need to make at least a selection of five similar models from different manufacturers & assess the car against each other. When you test drive, sit in the vehicles & walk round the cars you have a better judgment of the cars. Never buy a car you have not test driven, see it and drive it before you buy it.

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