Tips for Buying Small Cars

Recent events around the world saw people scrambling to purchase small cars. Gas prices went through the roof and stayed there for longer than anyone cares to remember. Buying any car comes with its fair share of headaches, but small cars have a few issues that are unique to their size and longevity. Here are tips for buying small cars.

1. Wear and Tear- Small cars are more prone to wearing out than a larger car with similar miles and use. The engines are smaller, parts are made of lightweight materials and they just are not built to last in most cases. Be wary of small cars whose mileage is well over 100,000, and ask to see maintenance records if they exist.

2. Safety- When comparing small cars to larger ones there is always a safety issue to consider, especially with older models. Today’s small cars are safer than ever with air bags, side curtains and certain manufacturer modifications such as reinforced roofs and break away nose caps.

3. Too Small- A small car will give you superior gas mileage and the confidence of knowing you reduced your carbon foot print, but that does not mean one will work for you. Do you have more than two children? Is this a back-up or work car only? Are you planning long trips where room for people and luggage is going to be required? All of these are great questions to determine if a small car is right for you and your family.

4. Track Record- What kind of consumer response has the small car you are looking at received. Some small cars were practically junk right off the assembly line while others are the Timex’s of the small car world, they keep a licking and keep on moving! Some of the Nissan varieties fell into this last category and a few small Dodge’s fell into the first know your car.

Small cars have many advantages but you cannot ignore the disadvantages altogether. If a car is not large enough to take the kids to dance or soccer practice, you will eat up your savings arranging alternate transportation.

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Consumers Digest Magazine Names 2009 Automotive Best Buys

The Auto Best Buys section includes photos, invoice pricing, standard features and performance traits that support the models’ Best Buy selection in the collective opinion of CD’s veteran automotive editors: Jim Gorzelany has served Consumers Digest readers for 21 years, including reporting on automotive categories such as crossover SUVs and hybrids; Kevin Kelly is senior editor of Automotive Design, suspension & Production magazine; Jim Mateja writes a weekly Chicago Tribune auto column and has received numerous awards for his auto coverage; Matt Nauman served as San Jose Mercury News’ auto editor and is one of the jurors that picks the North American Car of the Year at the annual Detroit auto show.

“Few purchases are more important, or require more research, than buying a new vehicle,” Weber says. “Our analyses underscore our commitment to ensure that consumers are as satisfied with their auto purchase years after making it as they were on the day they drove off the lot.” As manufacturers consistently improve in all areas of the customer experience, satisfaction among new-vehicle owners in Mexico has steadily increased to record-high levels, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Mexico Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study(SM) released today.

Now in its fifth year, the study measures new-vehicle ownership satisfaction with 2007 model-year vehicles suspension in Mexico. Overall satisfaction is determined by measuring customer experiences in four areas: vehicle quality and reliability; vehicle appeal (satisfaction with the design, style, performance and comfort of the vehicle); dealership service (satisfaction with the dealer service department); and ownership costs.

The study finds that customer satisfaction across the industry has continuously improved since the study’s inception in 2004, with steady year-over-year increases culminating in an industry average of 825 on a 1,000-point scale in 2008. This marks a 20 percent increase from 2004. Improvements by Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Nissan and Volkswagen account for more than 80 percent of this increase in the average industry satisfaction score. Notable improvements have been made throughout the industry in satisfaction with ownership costs, which has improved markedly since 2004.

Honda Accord 2009

For two decades at the present, there have been two perennial no-brainer options for a mid- measurements relatives sedan: the Honda Accord and the Toyota Camry. Both have legions of content owners and fine statuses for consistency and security. Making a decision between the two habitually approached down to this: If you wished a kindly bounced car with top-quality isolation, the Camry was the road to choose — and if you longed for a athletic ride and might live with a spot less alteration, the Honda Accord was the car of alternative. There’s still some certainty to this axiom for 2009, but units have modified quickly in the midsize sedan part. For one object, the Honda Accord has grown enormous and silkier with its newest recreation; for another, the rivalry has came up to.
Here’s how objects turned out for the Honda Accord in at the moment family sedan at no cost-for- every.

The Honda Accord is now around the fourth-sportiest candidate, by our calculation, rambling the canyon- sovereign Nissan Altima, the upsized but still able Mazda 6 and the often- unnoticed Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan pair. It’s also still in an inferior position by characteristic Honda foibles like grand road racket and inflated brake pedal shuddering during stiff stops. Execution is likewise boring — while the advanced 2.4-liter four-cylinder in the EX is enjoyable, the base engine is simply adequate, and the top-of-the-line 3.5-liter V6 is overwhelmed in terms of increase of speed by many competitor six-cylinder motors.

Don’t get us amiss — the Honda Accord 2009 lingers an alluring car, for a variety of motives. First of all, it’s got an ace up its covering that most rivals don’t: its true name for trustworthiness. Also, the Accord has ballooned to such a degree that the EPA organizes it as a ” enlarged car,” and it represents in the commodious cabin, which brags one of the most compliant passenger seats of any family sedan. The center stack is indisputably button- glad, but its quality look and sense brings to mind luxury sedans such as the Infiniti M succession.