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BUYING YOUR FIRST CAR -
Make a Smart Choice
Buying your first car is a big step.
It's probably going to be the most expensive thing you have ever bought. Make a
smart choice.
Look below for information that will
help you choose your first car or even your second, third or fifth car.
Will it be the safest car you can
afford? How much fuel will it use?
How safe are the cars we drive?
The average family car which is less than 8 years old probably has a reasonably
good safety rating. Some older and smaller cars have a terrible safety rating
and some of the most popular are the worst! What will your first car be? How
safe will it be? Will you want to be driving a safety-rating death trap? As a
rough guide, the older and smaller the car is, the lower the chance that
occupants will survive a crash.
Research is important. Some newer cars have bad crash ratings while there are a
few older ones that rate really well. Find out which is the best for you and
your budget. The wrong choice could have disastrous results.
Check out the
Used Car Safety Ratings
(UCSR) on the
RAA
web site.
 The UCSR lists are simple and easy to read. Cars are listed by categories -
Large, Medium, Small, Light and 4 Wheel Drive. They are rated based on real life
crash statistics. The number of casualties per crash occurring for a particular make, model and year of car. Fewer casualties
per crash, the better the safety rating. Good value information.
Study it carefully. From one year to the next a particular model of car could
totally change safety rating.
Choose what suits your thoughts. A car with a slightly lower safety rating but
which comes fitted with ABS may in your opinion be a safer bet overall. You may
consider that a crash could be more avoidable because the car has ABS. Others will simply
want the car that is most likely to protect them in a crash. The decision has to
be yours, what we are saying is that the information is out there. Make use of
it.
For more detailed information go to
www.howsafeisyourcar.com.au this site will tell you if a certain model of car came
with major safety items like Airbags and ABS brakes. It also gives you the
option of comparing different cars and how they rate.
Simply buying a car 12 months
younger or a slightly different model can get you a much safer car. It’s
worth doing the research. Your life may depend on it!
Also, check out these sites
www.redbook.com.au and
http://carsguide.news.com.au/ and
http://www.tradingpost.com.au/Home that list cars for sale. There are
often photos of the cars plus a list of features and options including things
like ABS and how many airbags are fitted. Happy browsing.
Vehicle Standards
Cars sold in Australia have to meet certain safety standards. Each new standard
comes in at a certain date. They relate to everything from crash safety
standards to the use of less ozone depleting air conditioner gas. Knowing which
key standards apply from which dates, can help us choose a much safer, easier to service
used car. For full details of these Standards, go to this website
http://rvcs.dotars.gov.au/cert.html
- have fun.
Some useful dates to know:
Cars manufactured during 1995 and later should be equipped with the
current standard Air Conditioning Gas. Cars manufactured before this may require
“retro-fitting” if they need the air-con system re-gassed. Check with your
service centre re associated additional costs before you buy that car that
"probably just needs the air-con re-gassing'.
Check back again some time for more items……
Car running costs – smaller doesn’t always mean
cheaper
It pays to do some research into running costs before buying that first car (or
any car for that matter). Fuel will be one of the biggest costs. Which car costs
the least to run? With the price of fuel, it is time to think outside the
square. During a Petrol (ULP) price peak recently, a media article listed a big,
six cylinder, LPG car as the cheapest on fuel. This goes against the common
belief that a smaller car will cost less on fuel.
Which are cheapest on fuel?
As a general guide, the list from cheapest to dearest is as follows:
The above guide will vary but is included to help you “think outside the box”
when it comes to car choices and fuel costs. Sites like
www.greenvehicleguide.gov.au/
have
fuel consumption guides for most cars. Check them out and do the maths
before you commit to a car that may cost way more to run than you thought.
There are thousands of ex-government, factory fitted, LPG cars coming onto the
used car markets and a few Hybrids as well. They are available if you look for
them.
If you are worried about LPG and Hybrids being different, learn about them. Talk
to people who know (not just those who think they do). There are a lot of
choices now. Take advantage of the opportunity.
Fuel consumption figures that may surprise
Check out the listed fuel consumption figures for any car you are planning to
buy. Again smaller may not mean more economical. As an example, depending on the
model, a 1.8 litre Pulsar is listed as having very similar fuel consumption to the 1.4 litre
(smaller) Barina. On the other hand, a 1.8litre Eunos 2 door coupe uses as much fuel as
the much bigger 3.0 and 3.5 litre Magna sedans. Check the numbers out. It could save you
getting stuck with an expensive surprise. These comparisons made using
information from
www.greenvehicleguide.gov.au/
Servicing and fuel usage
If you have bought a used car that has not been serviced correctly it could be
using far more fuel than it should. A small 4 cylinder in bad shape can use more
fuel than a big six running at it’s best. Get it fully checked out by a good
mechanic. It is worth spending a few dollars to get it running right. Also
remember that the RAA do "Pre-purchase Inspections" -
http://www.raa.net/page.asp?TerID=157
A car using 10% more fuel than it should will cost hundreds of dollars a year
more to run. Get it sorted and keep it running right, it’s well
worth it. Once again, the RAA website has lots of useful links and information about
vehicle maintenance and running costs. Check it all out at
http://www.raa.net/page.asp?SecID=72
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