A Google 2011 survey revealed car shoppers can spend over 1-year researching cars. Most research for 4-6 months trying to find the best car. A typical car shopper will use over 18 sources of information and 97% will be influenced by what they read.
Then it’s off to the car dealer for a test drive and to see what’s their best deal.
I once heard most people would rather visit the dentist than a car dealership. So keep it simple when you look over a car. Look at it from all SIDES = Size, Interior, Drive, Economy, Safety, leaving the capacity for keeping your wits about you.
Here we look a the test drive. First be sure to test drive a car that's exactly the same as the one you intend to purchase for driving pleasure which is a combination of:
- versatile handling characteristics,
- an engine which performs well on every type of road, and
- smooth gear changes with tight gear ratios for better pick-up in town
Check the car is:
- easy to manoeuvre,
- quiet,
- free from vibration,
- overtakes in complete safety,
- with control of roll on bends.
- Ideally engine torque has been optimised at low engine speed to increase punch.
Try to arrange a 3-day test which includes a very long journey. This probably isn't possible at your local car dealership but there's no harm in asking. Alternatively you could hire the car of your dreams when you next intend to go on a long trip provided you're guaranteed to get the exact car you're considering buying.
A long trip and a test over days will tell you if the car is comfortable for you. A car's soft seats in the showroom may feel nice but if they don’t support you when you’re actually driving you’ll finish a journey with all sorts of aches and pains.
So see if you can get your hands on a car for a few days and do a long trip.
Regards
Ralph
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