Single, high income and relatively short commute on twisty backroads- the dream set of circumstances for a car enthusiast, no? Well those aren't my circumstances since I have two kids, a longish commute and all the expenses that go along with parenthood. Whether my household income is higher than or right at the national average, I won't be heading to the Porsche dealer for a 911 or Cayman S.
For this car purchase I am looking for some comfort for four, preferably six passengers. I want the car to hold its value and I want efficiency- not just for miles per gallon but for greenhouse gas as well. On this post I am going to list the three or four online resources I will be using to help me choose. These resources are not car enthusiast websites but are consumer information sites designed to help everyone choose their vehicle wisely.
I won't let it go without saying that my ongoing (meaning lifelong) resources are the car magazines I read online and in hardcopy. These are car enthusiast sources of information. Currently Automobile is the only magazine that arrives at my house in the mail but I religiously read Winding Road as well. These two sources as well as occasional visits to the Car and Driver and auto manufacturers websites keep me up to date and, I hope, my perspective fresh.
The first online resource I'll talk about is intellichoice. www.intellichoice.com provides and extensive list of cars and information about how much owning them will cost. Particularly useful are the target prices provided. Target prices are what a consumer should hope to pay for specific models of cars at the dealership. Check out the overall value meter as well. Most Toyota models peg the value meter because they last, are efficient, require few repairs and are not overpriced to begin with. How does your car compare?
No comments:
Post a Comment