1: What will fit your lifestyle? Do you want a Car, Truck, SUV, CUV or Minivan? Car – A Car is a motor vehicle with room for a small number of passengers. Types of cars include Sedans, Hatchbacks, Coupes, Compacts, Sports Cars and Convertibles Truck – A Truck is a heavy vehicle used to transport large amounts of goods in most places, however, in Texas many pickups are used as cars. SUV – A Sport Utility Vehicle (or SUV) combines elements of road-going passenger cars with features from off-road vehicles such as ground clearance and four-wheel drive. CUV – A Crossover Utility Vehicle (or CUV) is a compact utility vehicle built on a sedan platform. Minivan – A Minivan is designed to transport multiple passengers with reconfigurable seats in two or three rows. 2: Do you care how your new vehicle is powered? Do you like to hear the roar of an engine, or do you prefer the muffled tones of a hybrid or the near silence of an electric? Gas/Diesel – A gas engine is an internal combustion engine that runs on gas fuel, whereas a diesel engine works by compressing air to a sufficiently high temperature to ignite diesel fuel injected into the cylinder. Hybrid – A hybrid engine uses two different forms of power such as an electric motor or an internal combustion engine, or an electric motor with a battery and fuel cells for energy storage. Hybrids can be driven unlimited miles after the battery is depleted due to the alternative source of power, like the gasoline engine. Electric – An alternative to fuel, an electric motor uses energy stored in rechargeable batteries. Batteries can be charged in charging stations or wall outlets. Electric vehicles were first developed to travel over short distances and are mostly geared to being driven in the city. Fuel Cell – Fuel Cells combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity and offer the range and refueling of conventional cars. Pressurized hydrogen is sold at hydrogen refueling stations. 3: What is your budget? What is the amount that you are comfortable paying each month (assuming you are not paying cash)? Lease – A lease enables an individual to obtain a vehicle without paying for it entirely. The consumer gets access to the vehicle for a certain term and then must return it at the end of that period, sometimes with the option to buy it outright. Advantages include lower monthly fees and the ability to drive later model vehicles. Disadvantages include limits to the mileage you can put on the vehicle and being responsible for the condition of the vehicle when returning it. Buy – When you buy a vehicle, you must either pay cash or borrow funds from a creditor or lending institution. Advantages include: ownership of the vehicle, you can drive as many miles as you want and there is no risk of possible lease-end charges. Disadvantages include higher monthly payments, post-warranty repair costs, and the responsibility of trading or selling the vehicle when you want a new one. This calculator is provided as a convenience. Please see your local North Texas Automobile Dealer for details. Loan Amount Loan Length in Months Interest Rate Monthly PaymentCalculated Enter only numeric values (no commas), using decimal points where needed. Non-numeric values will cause errors. 4: Do your research. After you look at 1, 2 & 3 you can now take a deep dive into the products. There are a number of resources you can use to compare vehicle amenities and cost. These sites include: https://www.nadaguides.com/Cars/Compare-Carshttps://www.carprousa.comhttps://www.insideautomotive.comVisit your local NTXAD dealer. https://www.ntxad.com/consumers/find-your-next-car/ 5: Buy Your Next Vehicle at a New Car & Truck Dealer. Is the dealership you choose to purchase your new vehicle at a member of the NTXAD? The NTXAD holds its members to a high standard of treating customers fairly. If you aren’t happy, we aren’t happy. Visit one of our members today. There are more than 200 new car & truck dealerships in North Texas but buying a new vehicle from one in your own backyard can be beneficial. If you plan on buying a new vehicle, it’s important to build a relationship with people you can trust for years to come. When it comes time to have your vehicle serviced, doing so at a dealership near your home or work can be a convenient time saver. Even if you choose to buy outside your immediate area, typically a new car & truck dealership will welcome you with open arms for either warranty repairs or routine maintenance by a certified technician. New car & truck dealers are incentivized to make it easy for you to buy a new vehicle. This means you may have a chance to buy a new vehicle with -0- percent financing or with a low interest loan. And since the dealers pay for the inventory that is on their lots, they are incentivized to give you a discount if the vehicle has been on their lot for 45-60 days. So, ask how long the vehicle you are interested in buying has been on the lot. Maybe, you’ll find an additional discount. Buying a new vehicle means you likely won’t have the same kind of service issues that you can have with a used car. If you do have an issue, a new vehicle is likely covered by a warranty. Once your vehicle falls out of warranty, you’ll still want to be close to a dealership that sells your brand to make sure you have automotive technicians who KNOW your vehicle and use the Factory Parts to fix it. It’s important to use factory parts supplied by an authorized dealer because these parts are better than knockoffs or used parts that may be cheaper. Remember, cheaper doesn’t necessarily = SAFE. Competition among dealerships ensures that you have options when buying a new vehicle. Consumers benefit from the new car & truck dealership business model first and foremost on pricing. When local dealerships of the same brand compete for a customer’s business, prices drop. Dealers also compete on financing where they have access to multiple lenders nationwide. And dealers also compete on trade-in values, especially when you have a vehicle that is resaleable. Franchise laws exist to prevent monopolies and promote competition in vehicle pricing and service to the consumer, provide for the efficient distribution of vehicles and service across the wide geographic area that is our state, and provide a local presence where Texas consumers can have service, warranty and recall work performed even in cases when a manufacturer ceases to do business.