Car shopping can be an overwhelming process, especially when it’s been a while since you have purchased a new vehicle. There are so many choices; it can be hard to know exactly what you need. Here a few tips to help you find the perfect vehicle for you.
· Decide what you can afford: Loving a vehicle is no use unless you can afford it. A good rule of thumb is to allocate no more than 20 percent of your monthly household income for all the cars in your household. This not only includes the car payment, but also the gasoline, insurance, and preventative maintenance costs. Make sure to crunch the numbers before making the decision to purchase.
· Decide between new and used: There are trade-offs with each, you need to decide what is more important to you. Buying a used car means you can get a more expensive car for your money, but you risk having a shorter warranty period and possibly not knowing the cars full history. Buying new means you’ll get less car features for your money but you will benefit from the full warranty and lower interest rates.
· Narrow down your buying choices: Make a list of cars that you’ve noticed around town or at your local auto show and begin researching them. There are many reputable sites that can help you learn about the features of the cars so you can narrow down your list based on what’s important to you.
· Assess the cost to own: An independent site like Edmunds.com can help you research the cost of ownership of different vehicles in your area. This will give you a better idea of whether or not a particular car will fit in to you budget
· Don’t rush the test drive: To get the most out of your vehicle you’ll want to own it for 5 years or longer, so make sure that you’ll be happy driving this car for years to come!
Let’s face it, no one likes getting a ticket. It can make you late for work, or just plain ruin your day. As much as we want to play the victim, there is a reason for traffic tickets, and that is to keep the road safe. If you want to avoid the boys (and the girls) in blue, you should avoid these three traffic violations:
1. Speeding: The faster you go the longer it takes for you to react to a potentially hazardous situation. It may seem ok to just go “10 over”, but if a pedestrian runs in front of your car, you might have a problem. The speed limit is there for a reason, so obey it.
2. Illegal cell phone use: Although just a few states ban all cell phone use in cars, more than 30 have banned texting behind the wheel. Why? Because it only takes one glance down at your phone to lose control of your vehicle. Just put your phone away while driving, you’ll avoid a ticket and a potential accident.
3. Equipment violations: Heavily tinted windows, burned-out headlights, broken windshields, and expired tags are all common equipment violations that people get tickets for every day. Keep your car maintenance up to snuff, and you shouldn’t have to worry about it!
We’ve all had that terrifying experience of getting just a little too close to a semi-truck or Tractor Trailer on the road. They’re big, and they take up a lot of space, but there’s no reason to be afraid. Here are few tips on how to respect that truck, and keep yourself safe.
· Avoid their blind spots: Trucks have large blind spots to the right and rear of the vehicle. Smaller blind spots exist on the right front corner and mid-left side of the truck. The worst thing you can do is cruise along in a trucker’s blind spot, where he can’t see you. If you need to pass the truck, do it quickly, and try not to linger.
· Don’t cut them off: You may think you can squeeze in to that small gap in traffic ahead of the truck, but it’s very dangerous. Trucks take as much as three times the distance to stop as the average passenger car. Therefore, you’re really only risking your own life by cutting off a truck.
· Be courteous: It's not easy to get a 22-foot tractor and 48-foot trailer into traffic. If you see a trucker has his signal blinking, do the right thing and leave room for him to merge. They will appreciate it, and you will minimize the chance of a potential collision.
