by Sarah E. Sanuth

Created on: December 21, 2007

You're at the car dealership and you hear the salesman using all kinds of words, some you have an idea of what they mean and others you might have no idea. Knowing what these terms mean just won't help you when purchasing a car or trading one in, it will also help when bringing that car in for repairs or maintenance.

2WD: Two Wheel Drive. This is when you vehicle is only using two tires to move the vehicle. A two wheel drive vehicle will either be front wheel or rear wheel drive.

4WD: Four Wheel Drive. This is when you vehicle is using 4 tires to move vehicle. It is very similar to AWD but 4WD is not all the time, you have the option to drive in two wheel or four wheel drive.

ABS: Anti-lock Braking System. This is part of your regular braking system. Before when you stepped on the brake the brake pedal and tires would lock up, causing you to continue to skid and unable to regain control of the vehicle. Now, with ABS your brakes won't lock and you will be able to regain control of the vehicle after a slide or skid.

Airbags: Airbags are usually located within the steering wheel and above the glove box; sometimes they are located on the side. When you vehicle is in an accident at a certain speed, these airbags will inflate and act like a pillow so your head doesn't slam into something hard, causing damage to your person.

APR: Annual Percentage Rate. This is the amount that it will cost you to finance the vehicle. The bank gave you the money to purchase the car and they want more money back for what they lent you.

Automatic Transmission: This is part of the drive train that automatically switches gears for you.

AWD: All-Wheel Drive. This is when you vehicle uses all four tires to drive the vehicle.

Base Price: This is what the vehicle would have cost if it didn't have any extras included with it.

Coolant: Coolant is a liquid that is put in a reservoir tank. Coolant has a higher boiling point and a lower freezing point than water and many other liquids. Coolant and Anti-Freeze are the same thing.

Cooling System: This refers to parts of the car such as the radiator and cooling fans. This prevents the car from overheating and damaging it from that heat.

Crash Test Rating: This is when an agency conducts a study on the vehicle in an actual crash. How the vehicle performs is translated into a star system. 1 star being the worst and 5 being the best. The more stars that a vehicle has in a crash test rating gives you a better chance for survival if you were ever in an accident.

Demo:

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