Back in the days while I was growing up, I used to think the more significant your car, the more rewarding it is to you. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. I am going to discuss a topic that appeals to not only current car owners but also aspiring ones. This is a handy vehicle purchase guide for all. It will help you if you buy a car for the first time, change between car brands, or upgrade your vehicle to a higher-spec one.
Vehicle purchase guide: list of vehicles/cars by body types
A vehicle, with all intents and purposes, is used for transporting people or goods, especially on land, such as a car, truck, or cart. We have various categorizations of vehicles. However, I will use the categorization based on body type or structure for this post. You will agree with me that the most popular types of cars are the ones listed below:
Sedans
Stylish sedans feature four doors and are marketed to families or buyers not attracted to the sporty looks of a coupe. Examples are the Mercedes-Benz C-class, Acura TL, RL, TSX, Toyota Camry, Lexus es 300, honda accord, etc. We also have a sub-category of sedans such as Midsised sedans(e.g. Acura tl), compact-sized(e.g. 2009 honda accord), and soon.
Hatchback
A hatchback is a car type with a rear door that opens upwards. They typically feature a four-door configuration, excluding the rear door. However, we now have many two doors hatchbacks. Examples of four-door hatchbacks include Hyundai Grand i10. For two doors, think of volks polo GTI and the likes
- Convertible:
If you can drop the top to feel the wind in your hair, the car is a convertible
Multi-purpose vehicle(MPV)
A multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) or multi-utility vehicle (MUV) is commonly known as a ‘people carrier’. Examples: Acura MDX, Nissan MPV, dASTUN Go +
Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV)
Sport utility vehicles are based on a truck or passenger-car platform. SUVs based on a passenger-car platform are called crossovers. Crossovers and truck-based SUVs look the same with truck-style looks, such as the Dodge Durango or Chevrolet Suburban. Examples: Honda CR-V, Toyota Rav4, Landrover, range rover sport, and so on
Coupe
A coupe has two doors and a conventional trunk or a sloping back with a hinged rear cargo hatch that opens upward.
Sports Cars
All sports cars feature two doors and come as a coupe, a Dodge Viper, or a convertible roadster, such as the Mazda MX-5 Miata.
Other types
- Minivans
- Trucks
- Diesel
- Crossover
- Station Wagons
- Hybrid/Electric
- Luxury: We have your Lexus, Audi, Benz, BMW
- And finally, trucks and pickup. E.g. Toyota Hilux, tundra
1. Vehicle purchase guide: Suitability in the form of your taste, type, or style
Firstly, you need to have the type of vehicle you want in mind. You can achieve this in various forms, 1. seeing one a family or friends is riding. 2. Do your online research, 3. Get professional advice, and 4. Go to the car seller and look for any design that blows your mind away. I recommend seeing the car online and physically on the stands.
This one determines what and how the car will serve. Is it a family sedan? Or a tiny city compact car? Or, quite the contrary, a forest pick-up truck? I don’t think this criterion needs further advice on what body type serves what purpose.
Type of Car (Segment) — Decide which car you want: Hatchback — smooth city drive, great mileage. Compact Sedan — comfortable city drive, larger space, good mileage, in a budget, additional features. Sedan — a bit luxurious, good space, comfortable for driving for long distance SUV — Powerful, comfortable, meant for long driving sessions, other great features
The purpose of buying a car: An individual can buy a car for two purposes:— (1)Personal Use — If you want to purchase a car for personal use, then go for a comfortable and medium-range or high-range car depending on your budget.(2) Commercial Use — If for commercial purposes, go for non-expensive and comfortable cars. I will suggest a diesel engine if you need a truck or pickup. If you have a family of 4 or 5, you can make do with a 5-seater sedan. However, you might want to consider an MPV or a bus if you have a large family.
2. Vehicle purchase guide by budget and cost of maintenance
First of all, don’t ever go above your budget. Secondly, research the cost of maintenance ahead of purchase. It is generally believed that luxurious cars such as Benz, Audi, BMW..have a high maintenance cost.
How Much Can You Afford To Pay For A Car?
Look at your budget and determine how much money you’ve left after the basic needs like feeding, rent, and a little for upkeep have been deducted. Remember, you will still need to spend a little on the car after purchase.
New or used?
You’ve probably heard that a new car loses thousands in value the moment you drive it off the lot. Since that saying is true, let other guys drive the car off the lot. Then you buy it at a reduced price. “A good two- or three-year-old used car is the best automotive buy out there,” Quincy says. If you are a city dweller, you can buy a brand low-performance vehicle for cheap. This range includes KIA, Hyundai, Civic, and so on.
Vehicle purchase guide: Buy or lease?
Buying is always a better deal, as you can get years of service from a vehicle after it’s paid off. If you lease, you will always be making car payments. When you buy a car, you know exactly what the price is.
3. Vehicle purchase guide: the vehicle history and recall checks effect
It is equally important to check the vehicle history before your purchase. Do this, especially if you buy a used car without any warranty. As for new car users, you can rely on your warranty if any problem arises. Always remember that a used car seller may not tell you all the truth about the car’s problem.
I am happy to tell you that you have various online resources that can help you with this. Questions like
- The engine condition, along with its service history and logs
- Probable accident history of the concerned vehicle, if any.
- Numbers of previous owners.
- Original mileage(just in case the one on the odometer has been doctored.
Websites where you can check your vehicle information for free
Some vehicles are notorious for certain problems as they age. For example, most Toyota sedans have poor interior quality. Some Hondas have suspension issues(e.g. cv joints); also, on Honda, check out if the model you want to buy is not plagued by transmission issues, engine rattling, and so on.
Especially relevant:
What is premium unleaded gas/petrol? how important are they and where can you find them to buy?
Do You Want to Turn off the AC Button When You Turn on the Heater in Winter? Can This Save fuel?
4. Vehicle purchase guide based on fuel type: Premium gas, regular gas, diesel, or hybrid.
This is another very delicate decision to make. If you want a city car and have the money, buy a hybrid/electric car. If you live in a country with no premium gas, please don’t buy any car that requires premium gas. Finally, for big commercial vehicles like trucks, trailers, pickups, and buses, try and source for an engine that uses diesel.
5. Vehicle purchase guide: Miles per gallon (MPG) vs engine performance
Fuel economy
Vehicle purchase guide based on engine performance
Unfortunately, high-performance engines are synonymous with high fuel consumption. Although technological advancement is trying to address this. A 4-inline engine will consume more fuel than a v6 engine. Similarly, a v6 guzzle more fuel than a V8.
Also, consider a good engine CC, power & torque while going for a vehicle. It decides how well your car can move its head in rough pickup terrains. If you want to pull a trailer, you need a V8 engine.
On the good side, this fuel consumption is compensated with high horsepower and torque, ideal for a long-distance journey. When traveling a long distance, a low-performance vehicle may run out of steam when you floor the gas pedal. Watch out for the following as far as the performance of a vehicle is concerned:
- Tires and wheels: The bigger the rims, the wider the road terrain the car can thread. Also, go for an all-season tire if you do not have an extreme temperature.
- Mechanical: Engine size for a high compression ratio starts at 3.0L. If you need high-speed performance, the fuel type should be gas. Cylinders should be V6, at the least. Horsepower and Torque are also under consideration here.
6. Vehicle purchase guide based on safety and security
A high to moderate safety rating is paramount when choosing your next car. You wouldn’t want to use a sedan in a swamp. Swamps require special build and tires, so only special trucks navigate through swampy terrain. As for security, you need basic security measures in the event of accidents. Don’t buy a car that has already deployed airbags. Or one without any airbags.
Safety is required because you must be alive to ride your car right. Safety features like airbags, crossbars, braking efficiency, EBD, uphill breaking, and ABS are to be considered. A car with Airbags is a must. (At least 2 – one for driver & other for co-driver)
It is better to avoid the base versions of any model. For obvious reasons, most of the time, they won’t have any safety specifications. Go for the model with minimum/basic safety specs & a tougher build-quality material.
List of safety and security features you should look out for in a car
- Front headrests
- Rear headrests
- auto delay of headlamps
- child seat anchors
- daytime running lights
- Ventilated front disc / solid rear disc bracks
- dual front side-mounted airbags
- dusk sensing headlamps
- electronic brakeforce distribution
- Engine immobilizer
- front and rear head airbags
- Also a front fog/driving lights is great
- Front seatbelt pre-tensioners
- Remote Anti-theft alarm system
- Stability control
- Tires pressure monitoring
- traction control
- high-intensity discharge headlamps
- ABS brakes
- Emergency braking assist
- Emergency interior trunk release
- Rear center 3-point belts
- Rear door child safety locks
Note: After the purchase of your can, please embark on additional safety and security measures such as going for insurance, buying a vehicle tracker, or installing other forms of car anti-theft devices
7. Vehicle purchase guide: Comfort and convenience
if you want heated seats, go for them. Similarly, if you need a navigation system with a rearview camera, include it. I love full-option vehicles. However, try to limit all the add-ons to what you will use. A bit larger space. Interior comforts, smoothness of the car, visibility, and dashboard comforts are to be considered.
Also, a history of excellent reliability, attractive styling, the latest technology and safety features, premium audio system, comfortable 8-way adjustable seating, heated seats
In addition, legroom is also a factor, especially for tall people. A Coupe or a compact sedan will be unsuitable if you are tall. You will need a large or midsize sedan. Watch out for the followings when looking for additional features for your vehicle:
Some of the technology and features in modern cars
Compass
8. vehicle purchase guide: In-Car Entertainment
- Subwoofer(S)
- Surround Audio Surround Audio (Discrete)
- Provided Satellite Radio Service, yes
- Element Antenna
- Bluetooth
- AM/FM Stereo
- Speed Sensitive Volume Control
- Auxiliary Audio Input And USB With External Media Control
- A lot of speakers. some cars have as many as 15 Total Speakers
- USB Connection yes
- A certain number of Watts of Stereo Output
- Radio Data System, yes
The conclusion
Let me use this medium to address my people in Africa and other underdeveloped economies. Buying a car is not as tricky as maintaining it. I have had many friends who rushed to buy cars and sold them off shortly after simply because they couldn’t buy fuel regularly. Please cut your coat according to your cloth when purchasing a vehicle. If you want to use it for business, buy a diesel engine. However, if you are a city driver, choose a hybrid or fuel-efficient car like Toyota Prius, Honda Civics, or even Nissan Micra.
For the rich and mighty, I will only advise you to put safety and performance ahead of every other thing since maintenance cost is not an issue for you.
Summarily, every car owner wants his other car to be reliable. Hence, reliability should come above every other thing. I wish you the best of luck as you decide to buy your next car.



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