When I’ve bought my own cars, trucks, wagons and SUVs, and helped others with their purchases, I started building a list of questions to help with that decision. There are a lot of cars out there. How do you narrow it down? If this blog helps you with your purchase, then I’m glad this was helpful. Happy purchasing! If you have any additional notes to add, email me!
| Heuristic | Details |
| New or used vehicle | Some people want a fresh and new car with no history behind it. If you can afford a new vehicle, and you are driven by that new car scent, go for it! For others, spending money on a new car is not something they value. Used vehicles is their preferred path. From my experience, the best used vehicles come from manufacturer dealers. Whatever they have used on their lot was checked over by the sales and service guys. They’re usually the best of the best from trade-ins. Everything else goes to auctions, which winds up at used car sales lots. That’s a mixed bag. Some dealers are decent, but I found a lot of them had poor examples, riddled with issues, and the price was en par with the manufacturer dealers. Private sales can be great or awful too. Ensure you do diligence with inspections, test drives, etc. |
| Age of vehicle | Most of the time, for a used car, usually aim for 5 years of age maximum. Usually, between mileage and age, you’re good for at least another 4-5 years from that vehicle. That being said, I have bought older and had a great experience with them, but again, do proper inspections. If you need a loan from the bank for the vehicle, they may have an age restriction as well. Normally I’ve seen 5 years, but I purchased a 7 year old car in great shape with low mileage, and they approved it because of the condition and make. If the car you’re buying is a collector type car, age really isn’t a question, is it? |
| Mileage | Some cars can go forever. Others, can not. Less mileage is less wear and tear, but also higher price. Then there are rental cars, executive cars, and sports cars that the previous owner thrashed. Normally lower mileage means longer life, but depending on how it was driven and serviced, there could be hidden costs coming your way. Some high mileage cars are highway driven, which still has maintenane related work to the mileage, but are good vehicles still for many years. Some manufacturers have poor quality, and people get rid of the cars quickly with trade-ins. Do your homework and see if that’s a concern. If you’re familiar with the vehicle and normal life expectancy for the mechanicals, that helps. |
| Ideal Budget | If you are shooting for a maximum price to spend, what is that? |
| Over Budget Limit | Ideal budget, and actual price don’t always match. Remember too, that the price usually comes with additional fees, taxes, etc. Sometimes the car you end up wanting is just slightly above what you had in mind. Figure out what you are willing to go to above your ideal if this happens. Reduces disappointment if the car you looked at is beyond this limit. |
| Vehicle Brand | If it does, then search within the brand you prefer or trust. There are enough consumer and industry reviews of vehicles out there, I don’t need to go over that. Sometimes all that information doesn’t matter to a buyer. They like brand X, and that’s what they’re looking for. |
| Vehicle Use | This one is loaded. It ties into engine/motor type, comfort, type of vehicle, and other factors. How much driving in a year do you foresee? How far on a daily basis? Are you wanting to have a lot of cargo area, and how much? Are you wanting to haul a trailer? If so, how heavy? How many people do you want to have the ability to drive around? Are you strictly on the road, or do you see off-road use? How many hours a day do you spend in a vehicle? Anything special purpose you’d need from a vehicle (extra power plug ins, etc.)? |
| Power Plant | Today you can choose from gasoline, diesel, electric (hybrid/battery only). Depending on your vehicle use, this may help you decide what you need. |
| Gas Mileage | If you’re going gas or diesel engine, ask yourself how much you’re willing to spend on gas. Also consider the engine octane requirement. Some of the high performance / turbo engines require higher octane gas, which can make fill ups very expensive. With newer technology, you’ll be amazed at how much power you can get from a very small engine, and get great gas mileage at the same time. Don’t under estimate the small motors! |
| Reliability | For some folks, this rates high on their list. For others, they are tolerant of a certain amount of issues. For people who typically buy a particular brand, they’ll have a level of expectation already established around this, but even if you trust a brand, even Toyota and Honda have had some duds when it came to reliability. Do some homework around this if if matters to you. |
| Standard or Automatic | This is almost becoming a non-issue in the marketplace in North America. With the level of technology put into automatics, and the majority of people buying automatics, standard transmissions are fading out of the market. That being said, if you’re looking for a standard, you can get good deals on them because most people will shy away from buying those cars. If you like the standard feel for fun, but need an automatic for frequent traffic jams / stops, then you may want to look at an automatice with ‘standard’ shifting mode options. Many car manufacturers make these transmissions, and they are pretty cool. |
| Safety | Most cars do pretty good safety wise these days. You don’t have to go far back to see which ones really didn’t measure up. Many sites out there with ratings for safety. Look for air bags (front, side), Stability Control, Traction Control, Anti-Lock Brakes, and the new comer – Bluetooth for hands free phone calls! Most cars today have to equipped with the above list due to insurance and industry standards. If you’re buying used though, the further back in years you go, you’ll find some of these items missing in some cars. For me, safety is huge. I’ve seen to many crash test videos where the results are pretty frightening. Last point on this topic. Headlights and fog lights. With so many cool designs on vehicles today when it comes to headlights, you’ll be surprised at how many of them suck when it comes to night time visibility on dark roads. If that matters to you, make a point of looking at that in your choices. |
| Comfort | Some vehicles are harsh rides because they’re sporty, were built with firmness in mind. Ride is one thing, but how does it feel when you’re in the driver, passenger or rear passenger seats? How easy is it to get in and out a vehicle? How much room do you have when you are seated? Are your knees touching the dash, or squished under the steering wheel? Can you reach the pedals ok? Is the seat comfortable? How are your sight lines out the windshield? Are the doors awkward to deal with when getting in and out of the vehicle? Can you adjust the steering wheel / seat / pedals if needed to make things comfortable? Are all the controls within reach, and easily pressed (even if you have gloves on)? Can you see around the vehicle using windows and mirrors to your satisfaction? Does your head touch the roof, or have a hand width space? Could you see yourself in a long drive in the vehicle you’re looking at? How noisy is the vehicle when driving it, and is that acceptable to you? |
| Interior / Exterior appearance | For me, I’ve learned that interior layout matters more than how the car looks on the outside. Why? I’m spending time in the car, not outside. If I was buying a car totally for outside looks, then inside wouldn’t matter as much. You can find inexpensive cars now that have really gorgeous interiors in them. That being said, if you don’t want an ugly car on the outside, with a paint job that drives you nuts, then this all matters to you. It does for most folks, but sometimes they don’t realize it until they see the vehicle that just says, “No.” |
| Performance and Handling | Even if you’re going from A to B and back every day, that doesn’t mean you don’t have an expectation on a car’s technical abilities. For those folks who drove the land yachts of the 70’s, you can attest to the lack of steering feel, and handling of a heavy boat on rough waters. Great in a straight line on the highway, frightening on off ramps. Sometimes a car with slow acceleration will drive you nuts, and sometimes a car with too much power will scare the crap out of you. Sometimes a car that handles poorly does not promote confidence while driving it, for fear of losing control of the vehicle. See comfort. This is part of that too. |
| Vehicle Size and Shape | See comfort. If you’re not comfortable navigating a vehicle on the road, or in parking lots, it’s not a great experience. Caveat being, if you need a type of vehicle for purpose, sometimes you can’t get away from some size limitations that you’ll have to work with. If you live in an apartment building or condo with underground parking, also check for parking space sizes and maximum height allowance in the garage. Also, sometimes it’s as simple as in not feeling safe in a small car on a road full of big vehicles. Sometimes it’s not being able to see out the back window. |
| Warranty | If buying used, see if there’s still manufacturer warranty, or a proper (not BS) extended warranty offered with the vehicle. This does offer peace of mind if the warranty is proper. I mentioned BS – yes, some used dealers try to sell you warranty packages that, if you look at the fine print, have way too many rules and exclusions on them, which means you probably are just wasting money on them. Always read them before signing money away. |
| Vehicle Condition | Sometimes people want a vehicle that is certified, emissions tested, no accidents and ready to go. Good! Registered accidents is a hit and miss I find. Also, there is context to those accidents. Sometimes it’s really nothing, other times there was structural damage and the repair is so bad, you just should walk away. Rust! Well, rust is a thing especially in northern climates. Some car manufacturers have had bad track records with rusting as well. Sometimes the car you want is as-is and needs some work to make it happy again. Look into costs, as that will be your end price. Sometimes people restore their cars with a fresh coat of paint. Have that professionally checked out, because a lot of people do poor work before the paint, and the vehicle will continue to rot under that shiny new paint job. If you’re wondering about the mechanical condition, definitely get a trusted mechanic not affiliated with the seller, to check the car out. Certification papers don’t always have everything covered as expected. Finally, for certification, know what is supposed to be done for where you’re buying AND living, and recourse should something not be meeting those requirements. |
| Features | What features do you want in a car? The list is long for this, so look at what you get with a vehicle. Also think about what features you definitely appreciate before you go looking. What can you live without, what are your must haves? You’re investing into something you’re going to be driving for a period of time. May as well be happy with the feature set it comes with. |
| Test Drive Experience | If you can, always bring someone that can help assess a vehicle with you from an impartial, non-emotional perspective. Even if you’re a seasoned purchaser, unless you’ve mastered separating your emotional attachment to a purchase, some people find it hard to walk away from something that is raising some red flags or is outside of their realistic price range. Also, be aware of your emotional response to a vehicle. You’ll be surprised as to what matters to you after trying a few of them out. Sometimes a vehicle hits the mark, and other times, it points to the vehicle you want. You’ll know when you’ve found the right vehicle. It’ll make you smile on so many levels. |
| Cost of Insurance | OK, you’ve decided on a vehicle, or list of candidates. How much does it cost you to insure it? If it’s high, why is that? Also look at the annual top stolen vehicle lists. That too factors into insurance rates. In the end, are you OK with the insurance price? |
| Read industry reviews | If you have a range of vehicles you’re interested in, always check out industry reviews out there. Lost of information, and always check out the positive and negative reviews. Sometimes vehicles are known lemons, and other times, look at what the issues were, and if that concerns you or not. Best case scenario, you’ve fallen for a vehicle that the industry raves about! |
