Car Buying Guide for the Hudson Valley

Audia Motors is committed to delivering the best vehicles today and down the road.  This marks the first of our ongoing series of buying tips and care care advise to ensure your family makes the best decisions when assessing your automotive needs.

This edition is devoted to helping you select, price, locate and test-drive the vehicle that is best for you. Fist examine your needs rather than wants, you will quickly discover what the car is right for you. 

1. Think about what you use your car for. 
2. How many people do you need to transport? 
3. What type of driving do you do most often? 
4. How long is your commute? Is it important that your next vehicle get good gas mileage?  

All too often people choose a car for its styling or because it is trendy.  Let your needs, not your wants, drive your decision. 

Here are a few other questions to keep in mind when you begin your car-buying process:

• Manual or automatic transmission?
• Four-wheel drive? Or all-wheel drive?
• What safety features are important to you?
• Is cargo capacity needed?
• Will you be doing any towing?
• Do you have a bad back and need special seating?
• Will the car fit in your garage or parking space?

Regardless of whether you decide to buy or lease your next car, establishing a realistic monthly payment that fits into your budget is crucial. The rule of thumb is your total monthly car payments shouldn't exceed 20 percent of your monthly take-home pay.

A lease requires little or no money up front and offers lower monthly payments.  Consider that when the lease ends, you will need a car.  Buying a car can be expensive initially and the monthly payments are typically higher.

Advantages of Leasing

• You can drive a more expensive car for less money.
• You can drive a new car every few years.
• There are no trade-in hassles at the end of the lease.

Advantages of Buying

• When interest rates are low, it makes more financial sense to own a car rather than lease it.
• There are no unexpected mileage penalties for increased driving.
• There's more flexibility — you can sell the car whenever you want.

Before you commit to one car, you should estimate the long-term ownership costs of the vehicle you are considering. These include depreciation, insurance, maintenance and fuel costs.  

• Test-drive before making a commitment.  
• Drive the car in both stop-and-go traffic and at freeway speeds. 
• Drive into the mountains, try to find some steep grades to climb. 
• Drive over bumps, take tight corners and test the brakes in a safe location. 
• Get in and out of the car several times and be sure to sit in the backseat, especially if you plan on carrying passengers. 

It's always a good idea to do all of the test-driving in one morning or afternoon. Driving the cars back-to-back will help you uncover differences.  

Now it's time to decide.  Next week we'll cover the basics to leasing a car and then the steps to buying a new car.  Week after that you guessed it, How to buy a used vehicle.  

 Source: edmonds.com

 

Check out our great deals at AuidaMotors.com

This week Audia is featuring a 2007 Silverado.

2007 Silverado 2500 WT Duramax 

Stk #1243 - 69,000 miles

White, 2 door, 4WD, Regular Cab Pickup

 6-Speed Automatic

6.6L V8 32V DDI OHV Turbo Diesel