For most people, next to a house, their car represents the single, largest purchase they will make. While you wouldn't think of buying a house that wasn't "just right" for what you need, many people blunder into the showroom and drive a new car home that night because "it was cute," "the color was right," or a hundred other reasons, many supplied by the salesman. Some estimates put the number of buyers who even bother to take a test drive at less than four out of five

Naturally, everyone is influenced somewhat by brand loyalty, advertising, or reputation, but the obvious point is to buy what you really need. Once you have decided that you want or need another car, set down some basic limits-subcompact or intermediate, room for four people, type of engine, etc. Then start shopping around for what fits your needs. Some factors to consider are:

Weight -- If maximum fuel economy is your goal, weight of the car is the single most important factor. Roughly, each 500-lb gain in weight over 2,000 lbs. will cost you 2-5 mpg. On the other hand, the fuel economy penalty for heavier cars is less if most of your driving is at sustained highway speeds.

Body Style -- This will largely be determined by your needs and the way you use a car or truck. Generally, the smallest car that fits your needs will be most economical.

Engines -- All other factors being equal, smaller engines are considered more economical to operate, but this can be deceiving. One of the biggest mistakes new car buyers make is to under power their car. This is particularly true with intermediate and larger size cars. In fact, compared to weight, engine size is not a significant factor in fuel economy at highway speeds.

Ease of Service -- If you plan to maintain the car yourself, look for easy accessibility of parts frequently replaced (plugs, filters, lube fittings, etc.). Even if you don't want to get your hands dirty, easy accessibility will lower your mechanic's bill.

Options

If you're looking for a "loaded" popular model, you may be lucky enough to find just the car you want already on a dealer's lot. Otherwise, don't count on it.

After you've finally narrowed your choices down to about three models, how do you decide which car is going to give you the most for your money? Start by looking at the sticker prices of all three, and paying close attention to exactly what equipment each includes. "Standard equipment" is a flexible term, and there is a lot of difference in its meaning from one car maker to another. What one car maker offers as standard equipment may be considered an accessory by others.

Beyond the essential parts needed to make the car run, the more equipment you get for the same money, the better off you are. The cost of options can add up fast, though. They can drive up the price of your car by the thousands before you know it.

Performance-related parts are things like sport suspension, anti-lock disc brakes, and overdrive transmission, which no one will know you have, but will make all the difference in the way your car handles and performs. In addition, they can help you achieve the maximum degree of economy.

Sport suspension and anti-lock disc brakes may be either standard or optional equipment. In addition, both are options you really might like to have.

Overdrive transmission is great to have if you do a lot of highway driving. It saves gas and reduces wear and tear on your car. If you plan to use your car for quick jaunts around town, you won't see the difference. Look at it as one of those things that are nice to have if the car maker throws it in free.

Air conditioning is almost never considered standard equipment. Where you live plays an important part in your decision as to whether you need it or not. In addition, remember that the performance and the fuel economy of your car are probably going to suffer, but you will be comfortable.

Style/trim accessories have no real function, and are usually described in glowing terms like "deluxe custom interior, custom wheel covers," "sport package," etc. If you're really shopping for a bargain, forget about these. There are many kits available for the do-it-yourselfer to customize the car nicely without the expense of the factory doing it for you.

Best time to buy

Usually the best time to buy a new car is toward the end of the month. Many dealerships run monthly sales incentive programs, and many salesmen have quotas to meet each month. Depending on circumstances, the salesman may be willing to take slightly less commission to sell a car somewhere between what you want to pay and what the sales manager will accept.

Time of year also is important to new car sales. New cars are in short supply shortly after the fall introductions, so prices are slightly higher then. The winter months are traditionally slow for new car sales, and sometimes you can find a good deal then.

Trade-ins

If you plan to trade in your old car, don't discuss this until you have arrived at a price for your new car. This avoids a lot of confusion about what the car is costing and how much trade you're allowed.

All car dealers subscribe to one of several used car valuation books that list the average wholesale and retail value for a car depending on condition. If the dealer can't make money on selling you a new car, he may try to get your "cherry" used car at rock-bottom trade in.

A good rule of thumb is to accept a dealer's trade-in offer if it is within $500 of the price your car commands in the local papers. The aggravation and cost of selling your car is worth that much at least. If the dealer can't come closer than $500, sell it yourself.

It is almost impossible to tell how much your car will depreciate or what it will be worth several years after you have owned it. Determining your car's trade-in value are such factors as gasoline availability vs. your car's fuel economy, frequency of repairs, general public acceptance (popularity), and whether it is an Import or Domestic made.

EPA mileage estimates
See Figure 1

How realistic are the EPA mileage estimates? There is no question that fuel economy in a particular car will vary widely, depending on the driver. Complicating the estimate is the fact that cars are even more variable than drivers are.

There has been considerable criticism of the EPA fuel consumption figures as being too optimistic. The EPA procedure is useful as a simplified representation of the wide variation in conditions that affect customer fuel consumption. In addition to the driving cycle itself, the EPA procedure establishes many standard test conditions for variables such as type of fuel, ambient temperature, and "soaktime" (elapsed time since car was last operated, which affects warm-up conditions). Though the specifications are meant to be representative, each introduces into the measurement of fuel consumption a variable that tends to make it higher or lower than customer usage indicates.

As an example, look at the dynamometer tests. The car is run in a stationary position on large rollers that allow the wheels to spin simulating road speed. Tire rolling resistance is affected by car weight distribution and tire pressure, among other factors. Only one pair of tires (front or rear) is cradled on the dynamometer rollers. Because of this, front-wheel-drive cars can experience higher losses due to tire rolling resistance than rear-wheel-drive cars. Tire pressure also influences rolling resistance and the EPA specifies an artificially high tire pressure to increase durability during the tests.

Other factors contributing small biases toward the final EPA economy number include road surface, state of road repair, wind, weather conditions, altitude, engine accessory loads, and customer maintenance. All will affect the actual in-use fuel economy.

Fuel economy labels are meant to be useful in comparing relative economy of cars and in estimating the actual fuel consumption experienced in use. Obviously, the in-use fuel economy obtained by any given driver/car combination is subject to many variables and cannot be determined exactly.

Figure 1 This chart, published by the Society of Automotive Engineers, shows results of tests that measured the real world fuel economy of eight different kinds of cars (identified A-H). Drivers of these cars recorded their fuel mileage for three successive tank fillings. The range of fuel economy indicated by the highs and lows is compared to the EPA estimates, shown by the dots.

Making the deal
See Figures 2 and 3

Now that you have your choice narrowed down, it's time to shop for the best deal. A dealer has to make between $300-$500 on each car to stay in business. However, that doesn't mean that the sticker price on the window reflects this profit margin-it's probably much more. You can easily figure the approximate cost of the car to the dealer by looking in any of several publications available on newsstands or by using the following chart:

The suggested retail price is shown on the window and probably looks something like this: Depending on the model of car you're considering, figure what it cost the dealer. If this hypothetical car were an intermediate, it would cost the dealer about $10,140 (sticker price minus about 18% of sticker price). To this, you have to add dealer preparation, transportation, taxes, and tags. A good deal on a car is this bottom line plus the dealer profit of $ 300-500.

Arriving at what you consider a fair price is relatively easy. However, that doesn't mean the dealer or salesman has to sell the car at that price. Get the salesman to put his best offer in writing, then go to different dealers and try to bargain for a lower price. Remember, too, that no price a salesman quotes is binding until the sales manager accepts it.

Figure 3Always check the sticker carefully before making an offer on a new car.

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