How to Buy The Best Car to Suit Your Needs

If you are in the market for buying a new car, the first choice is obviously to consider what your most common use of the vehicle will be.  For example, as a family, are you better off with a nice four door car or an SUV?  Both offer room for the kids and the groceries, but do you need the extra room for friends of an SUV or the significantly higher gas mileage of a sedan?

Are you buying a vehicle for a college student?  If so, something fuel efficient and cheap is likely the best bet.  Never buy a new car for your child, it’s always better to go used. Hondas and Toyotas are great first cars for a student, as they can be bought with a lot of miles on them very cheaply, and and if any parts need replacing they can be obtained locally at a very low cost.

The Toyota RAV4 is an excellent ‘college student’ car – it offers the look of a miniature SUV, with tons of space in the trunk, two or four doors, and gets up to 30 miles per gallon.  These cars keep on rolling up to and beyond 200,000 miles, and can be bought used for between $2,000- $5,000 depending on their mileage.  The best used models to look for are the 1996-’99 editions, or anything built after 2002.  Transmission problems have been widely reported in the 2000 and 2001 editions so these models are best avoided.

For families buying a new car, the Chevy Suburban is a top choice. It seats nine people while still offering plenty of room for cargo and is incredibly comfortable.  Gas mileage is certainly not on par with a Prius or even a sedan, but the vehicle is a good physical fit for families.  A Subaru Outback offers a great sport wagon look and feel and offers rugged dependability as well as much better gas mileage than an SUV.

Ultimately, the best make and model for you when buying a new car from your local auto dealership depends on your needs and tastes.  When you use these options as a starting point, however, it can be much easier to find the right car for you and your family.