Do you need a car?

For most people living in the 21 first century, driving a car has become a necessity for commute to work, errands, family vacations,ets. At some point, you will need a car. Here are tips when you need to purchase a new, pre-owned or used car. For the record, I am also a car enthusiast. One of the best cars I have ever driven was a manual transmission 1987 Acura Integra. It was so much fun to drive from Queens New York City to Brooklyn on the Beltway Parkway.

Tip#1 : Find a car price within your working budget. ( A price that will not cause a dint in your savings for the future. )

Tips#2: Test drive the car and if during the test drive, you find a fault with the car, simply walk away. ( From my personal experience, In the past I once bought a vehicle even though I felt something was wrong with the car. During the the test drive, I heard the wheels shaking, and had thought the fault was due to bad tires, I bought the vehicle anyway and changed the tires and the problem persisted, to my surprise and hurt.

Tips#3: Buy a car with great gas mileage per gallon. For example a car with a V6 engine will give you on average a combined 24 miles per gallon compared to a bigger V8 engine which may only give you 15-18 miles per gallon. Spending less on gasoline means more opportunity to save money and invest for your future.

Tips# 4. Explore the option of an electrical vehicle as one of the two vehicles in your household. Electric car owners on average pay lower maintenance cost when compared to gasoline cars owners. Unlike an combustion engine, with electric cars you will have no more need of changing the oil, changing the radiator, changing the alternator, no more changing the engine gasket.. If you decide to buy an electrical car, make sure the company has superchargers around the country for longer distance travel,

Tips# 5: Buy a good car with the longevity track record and reliability that will last 15 years or more. You may pay more upfront but you will be get the most out of that car with fewer costs and repairs over the years. If you decide to buy a very cheap car, either make sure you are a good mechanic yourself or knows someone who can fix that car, because the maintenance cost over the life time of that cheap car may be more than the actual purchased price.

Tips#6: Perform your due diligence and do your good research on the car you are interested in such us the model, make and year manufactured before making the purchase. Good car purchasing resources include Car and driver magazine.com, Kelley Blue Book.com, Edmunds.com

Tips#7: Take your trusted mechanic with you to inspect a used car before purchase.

Tips#8: Plan to pay off the car within 5 years and no more. Better yet, if possible, save and pay for the car in cash.

Tips#9: Purchase a car that may have affordable parts, and a car that spends less time in the mechanical shop.

Tips# 10: Read car reviews about previous owners that purchased the car of interest before buying.

Tips#11: Compare car prices on web sites such as cargurus.com, autotrader.com, carmax.com They may tell you if you are getting a great deal, good deal, or a fair deal price , or if you are spending too much money for the car.

Here are some example of best cars for college students in Snow Areas: Toyota RAV- 4, Jeep Rubicon.

Best 3 Row Luxury SUV: Mercedes GLS 450, Mazda Cx9, Chevy Tahoe, Cadillac Escalade, Toyota Sequoia , Toyota Landcruiser. Lexus LX 600

Best Sport Sedan: Infinity G35, Lexus 250IS, Cadillac ATS, BMW 3 Series-the maintenance cost is too high so think twice before buying a BMW.

Best Midsize Sedan: Toyota Corolla

Best Sedan: Toyota Camry, Acura Integra( Also comes in a manual transmission.)

Best Pickup truck: Ford F 150.

Best Minivan: Honda Odyssey

Best Electrical Midsize SUV: Tesla Model Y.

Best Reliable SUV: Toyota 4 Runner. It also has a high resale value.

Best Sport Coupe/Convertible: Chevy Corvette, Porsche 911, BMW 4 Series,

Best car for you: A safe car and the right amount of money that you can easily afford without breaking the bank!!

From Dr. Kofi Amo-Mensah.