You’re tired of relying on friends, family, or public transportation to go from point A to point B. You want to own a car. But a car is expensive, and that means that you should do it responsibly.
Buying a car responsibly means that you should try to evaluate if a certain car is the ideal one for you and your lifestyle. Are you going to use your car mainly to commute to work? Or is it going to be the main family car that you’re going to use to go to the grocery store, pick up the kids from school, and go on a family vacation?
The best way to decide if a car is the right one is through a test drive. During the test drive you’ll be able to see if you feel comfortable driving it, if the car responds well, if it’s large enough for your needs, etc.
Keep reading to find out other details about test driving and what you should pay attention to while doing it. Click here to see Queen Creek automall inventory.
Know What You’re Looking For
When in the market for something, it’s generally good advice not to walk into things blind. That goes double for expensive things such as cars. After all, you want to be sure to get your money’s worth.
When testing a car at the dealership, try to be as aware as possible of the situation. You might want to have some roads in mind to test out the car’s handling or even have a prepared playlist to test the car’s sound system.
Listen to the car’s engine as you test it out. You should notice how it reacts when you touch the accelerator or tap the brakes. Does it feel natural to you?
Above all else, be sure to take your time. It’s said that thoroughness pays. In these instances, thoroughness could save you money. You may want to test drive one size smaller or one size larger just to see how your preferred SUV measures up. For instance, if you are favoring the Jeep Cherokee, you may ask to drive the Renegade or the Grand Cherokee.
Check Everything
When you’re testing out the car, you want to give yourself some idea of what it’ll feel like in daily use. This, of course, means you want to check the car’s comfortability. It’d be pretty bad to buy a car with seating you don’t find comfortable.
A standard check for everyday use might include bringing your kids and their car seat along to ensure it fits. Be sure to call or text those close to you to get their opinion. They’ll be riding in that car almost as often as you, after all.
Test driving is also a good way to check gas usage. The salesman will probably have numbers prepared for you, but it can be hard to understand those numbers practically. It might better serve you to get a practical idea of what the fuel economy is like.
When on the road, ask your sales staff person to tell you about the driver assistance features. Are there any you can test safely while driving? Examples include lane departure assistance and automatic braking.
You won’t be allowed to take the vehicle off-road, but a test drive is a good time to ask about the four-wheel drive system and the SUV’s ground clearance. Unless you are at a Jeep dealer, you should be asking if the four-wheel drive can be used to take the SUV on the trail.
Leave Satisfied
Test driving a car is always something you should do. It’s very beneficial to yourself to the point where it’d be weird not to test drive it. You can avoid so many problems through basic checks and tests that it’s surprising. There are even local car dealers who will bring the car, SUV, Jeep, or truck to you for the test drive.
So the next time you’re about to spend money on a new car, remember to check it out first, lest you be met with quite the costly disappointment.