But I Don’t Know Anything About Cars!- How to Get the Right Car for You: Fun Extras

Fun extras are a great way to customize a car and really make it yours. If you are interested in getting a new car you may be able to tailor some of these features to fit you by ordering your vehicle from the manufacturer through the dealership, but if it is important to you that you be able to drive the car off the lot when you go to buy then you may need to think hard about which features are most important.

The first thing to think about when it comes to the extras is the seating. Though some seating features may not be too important, others can be. If you have back problems and need flexible seating positions then the type of seating could mean everything to you. Be sure to check out all the different seating options. Do you need leather or cloth seats? If you have kids who might be spilling stuff all over the place then easy-to-clean leather seats might be the right choice, but if you’re concerned for the environment then maybe you should check out cloth seating. What about power seating adjustment? If you do have a bad back the power seating adjustment can be very important because it allows you to change seating positions without having to reach awkwardly placed levers. And there’s always the heated seating option for those of us who chill easily.

The next thing you want to consider for your new vehicle is the audio system. For those who are not so musically inclined this is still an important feature if you would like to listen to books on tape or talk radio. Most new vehicles at least come with an AM/FM radio as standard, but if you are in the market for a used and especially older vehicle you may find that the radio is missing. If having a radio is important to you, you may be able to order one and have it installed. Does the vehicle have a cassette player, CD player, or USB port? You probably won’t find any modern vehicle that still equips a cassette player as standard, but you might find one in an older, used vehicle. CD players are quickly becoming a thing of the past as well, so you may want to double check to make sure the vehicle you want has one, or if you don’t want a CD player double check that it doesn’t have one. The popular hook-up these days is the USB port, which allows you to plug in an MP3 device to play your music. You also shouldn’t over-look the speakers in the vehicle. Your new car may come with lots of nice audio features but if the speakers won’t do the job then there’s no point in having those features! Try out the speakers at the dealership if having a nice audio system is important to you.

What about a DVD player? A lot of new cars, especially vans and SUVs are coming equipped with DVD players that face the rear of the vehicle so the passengers can enjoy a movie. This is a wonderful feature if you have children; it can keep them occupied and out of your hair while you try to concentrate on the road. However, if you don’t have any little ones and aren’t expecting to have kids any time soon then the DVD player can be an unnecessary expense. If you know you’re the only one who is going to be in the car, or it will just be you and one or two other adults then no one is even going to be able to use the DVD player and you should probably look into getting a vehicle without that feature.

And finally you should take into consideration all the little details that may make your new car just the right fit for you, such as power locks, air conditioning, remote keyless entry, and sunroof. As with many of the other features I’ve discussed, most modern vehicles are automatically equipped with power locks and air conditioning. But again you may come to find that some used vehicles that are older models may actually exclude these things. If air conditioning and power locks are not very important to you, then you may be able to find a great deal by being willing to buy a vehicle that others are not as interested in since it may be lacking these features. But if these things are important to you, perhaps you want a modern looking car or you are concerned about temperature control in the vehicle, then be sure to double check that these features are included. As for the sunroof this can be a nice way to let a little extra sun into the car on a summer day when it is bright out. But if you like to keep your car on the cold side then the sunroof may be an extra expense that will barely be used. Remote keyless entry though is something that everyone can use. It’s especially useful for shopping trips when you’ve got your hands full with bags. Instead of fumbling around with a lock you can gain easy entry to your vehicle with the touch of a button. It also comes in handy when children are around. When they run out the door and make it to the car in five seconds flat you can unlock the car for them and still take your time getting there.

So after you’ve gone through all the specifics of your new vehicle you can finally decide which car is the right one for you. But you’re still not done! You should always be sure to test drive your new vehicle before you commit to it. It may seem like its absolutely perfect for you, but you don’t want to get your heart set on a specific car only to take it home and find out that you hate the feel of it when you drive. Test driving may seem like a really simple thing to do, but there are actually specific things that you should be looking for when you test drive your vehicle. For information on what to look for, please see our next article, How to Get the Right Car for You: Test Driving. And if you haven't already be sure to look at the first two articles in this series, How to Get the Right Car for You: Under the Hood and How to Get the Right Car for You: Safety.