Top 3 Vehicle Factors to a Parent

Are you shopping for a new vehicle, but have never been on a test drive? Test driving is exciting, but it is easy to forget good questions when deciding if it is the vehicle for you. Here are ten questions to ask yourself and the salesperson during a test drive. 10 questions to ask yourself or to check out during a test drive: Always start by observing your space as the driver. Do you have enough legroom? Is the seat easy to adjust? Does the steering wheel adjust? Check out the cooling system to make sure it is easy to use. If you want separate controls, heated seats, or cooling seats check for those too. As you begin to drive, see how well you can see your surroundings with your mirrors. Do not forget to check the back seat if you typically drive your kids or animals in the vehicle. Think about the sounds of the vehicle. Is it too loud? Do any sounds annoy you? Any sounds of concern? If you like the radio on then try it out. See if you think you will be able to figure out the infotainment system or if it is too much. Pull into a parking lot while you are testing it to see how parking goes. Is it easy to park? If not, do you think it’s something you could get used to? Leave the driver's seat on your preferred settings and move to the seat behind it. See how the space is in each seat as if you were a passenger. Think about what you typically haul around. Will it fit in the trunk? Ex. stroller, car seat, wagon, sports gear, etc. Ask yourself how this vehicle compares to your current vehicle. What do you like or dislike compared to your current vehicle? If you love the vehicle, be sure to ask the salesperson questions like the vehicle's warranty, specials, the longevity of the vehicle, opinions on the different versions, etc.

5 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Buying A Car Buying a car is a really big decision and can be really stressful. It’s typically a decision you never want to rush into. It’s worth taking some time to work through a few questions before investing in a big purchase like a car. We know buying a car is not something you do frequently, so we want to help ensure customers feel comfortable and confident in their new investment. In order to help, we’ve compiled a list of the top five questions to ask yourself before buying a car. Should I buy new or used? This is probably the top question you should ask because it could be the difference of a few thousand dollars in your final total. Did you know there’s a $15,000 average price difference between a new and used car. If you are on a tight budget, used is the way to go because it will likely still have a full warranty and probably everything you need minus the new car scent. If you have no budget and are planning for your dream car, then buying new is probably for you. How are you going to use it? If you have a large family, then you’ll want several seats, extra space, and maybe even built in dvd players. If you need to tow a trailer every week then you’re going to need to find a vehicle with a tow rating and payload best for whatever you plan to haul. These little factors are going to determine a lot with what vehicles you should even consider. Ask yourself what life changes are you or your family likely to see soon? We won’t tell you to avoid the two-seat sports cars, but you might meet someone in a year and have a child in 4 years, lots can happen in 10 plus years. (a common lifespan of a car) Also something to keep in mind with children is how big they will be near the end of the lifespan of your car, this is often forgotten and later regretted. What are the operating costs? Many people love big SUVs or sports cars, which might be within your car buying budget, but when you discover you need to gas your car every other day, your budget might implode. If you already budget a certain amount of gas each month, then buying a car that will use a similar amount is your best option. Another option is always spending more on an economical car, because long term it will likely increase your budget. What do you like or dislike about your current car? This is a great question to ask yourself, especially since you’ve probably had your current car for a while. What made you buy the car in the first place? Do you like or dislike how it handles, safety features, gas mileage, repair costs, etc.? You know what you like and don’t like about your car, so make a list. When you decide to start the buying process bring the list with you, so we can help too! 5. Do you really need to buy a new car? People often get caught up in the idea of new, shiny things, especially cars. Look at your expenses. Are you paying more per year for car upkeep than car payments? Is your car hurting your budget? Maybe your family has outgrown the car or are you just planning ahead? Asking yourself these questions and making sure a car payment truly fits into your budget is really important. You want to be ready and prepared for a big purchase.

By Rachel Swaby for Giz Explains The smell of a new car is intoxicating. It reminds us of money and shiny objects. It evokes that golden period before repeat coffee stains, moldy Tupperware, and our trunk's transformation into a Good Will depository change the way we feel about our car. But it's kind of a weird smell, right? It's so different from chocolate chip cookies or eucalyptus or whatever else we identify as pleasant. So we decided to get to the bottom of the new car smell. What  is it? The answer, according to Toyota's color and trim manager Janis Ambrose Shard, certainly leans toward a more Pavlov's dog-type reaction. We like the smell because we like the car. Unfortunately, says Shard, "The smell is mostly organic compounds in the vehicle off-gassing. Anything that is vinyl or plastic—the foam lamination on the seat surface, the plastic on the dash or on the door panel—it's the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) coming out of them that causes that smell." In other words, without the relationship to a brand new car, the smell would just, you know, smell. VOCs probably ring a bell because they're air pollutants. And they can do a number on your health. And they're everywhere. Thousands of household products-from paints to cleaning products to waxes-all emit the gasses, and they're normally found in low concentrations in indoor air. In your car, petroleum-based solvents in plastic and vinyl are to blame. VOCs escape from the dash and the seats because they don't require super high temperatures to evaporate. A normal ol' Tuesday will stir them up. Another VOC fun fact: You know that weird foggy film that builds up on the inside of your windshield? Blame the new car smell. The same VOCs that we're sniffing can be responsible for mucking up our windows, too. "That new car smell is not something we strive to achieve," says Shard. If anything, automakers are trying to cut it. Toyota has moved from solvent-based glues to water-based alternatives to slash VOCs, and other automakers, like Ford, have experimented with swapping petroleum-based seating for soy based foam. Natural materials, though, have their own set of challenges. For instance, Ford had to go through a lot of veggie-based foam trials to find one that didn't offend the consumer's nose. And because the natural material holds a lot of moisture, living somewhere like Louisiana where it's both hot and humid, can cause some natural materials to deteriorate rapidly, says Shard. Basically, they're working on taking that new car smell away. In the meantime, we should start working on ending our affinity for inhaling VOCs. Let's instead focus our olfactory efforts on new car leather. See, during manufacturing, the warm leather smell disappears from the pieces that go into cars. Leather manufacturers, knowing that the smell is important to us, make sure to add that smell back in before anything is shipped to consumers. Thank goodness we still have one unnatural smell to happily cling to.