The Ultimate Guide to Researching a New Car: Checklist for Car Review Sites, Consumer Affairs, and Complaint Websites
The process of buying a new car can be both exciting and overwhelming, especially if you’re not sure where to start your research. With so many different models, brands, and features to choose from, it’s important to gather as much information as possible before making a purchase. To help you make an informed decision, you should check a variety of sources, including car review sites, consumer affairs sites, and car complaint websites. In this blog post, we’ll go over each of these resources in detail and explain what information you can find on each one.
Car Review Sites
Car review sites are a great place to start your research, as they provide in-depth information about a wide range of vehicles. These sites typically have professional auto experts who have driven and tested various cars and can provide you with an objective assessment of their performance, handling, comfort, and other important factors. Some of the most popular car review sites include Car and Driver, Motor Trend, and Automobile Magazine.
When looking at car review sites, it’s important to pay attention to the following information:
- Performance and Handling: You’ll want to find out how a car handles on the road, its acceleration, braking, and overall driving experience.
- Comfort and Convenience: Car review sites will provide you with information about a car’s interior, including the level of comfort and space, the quality of materials used, and the convenience of the controls and technology.
- Reliability: You’ll want to know how reliable a car is, and what kind of problems other drivers have experienced.
- Fuel Economy: You should also find out how fuel-efficient a car is and whether it’s worth the cost in terms of fuel savings.
- Price and Value: Finally, you’ll want to know if a car provides good value for its price, and whether it’s worth the investment.
Consumer Affairs Sites
Consumer affairs sites are another great resource for researching new cars, as they provide information about a car’s performance, reliability, and customer satisfaction. These sites typically have user reviews and ratings that can give you a good idea of what it’s like to own and drive a particular car. Some of the most popular consumer affairs sites include Consumer Reports, Edmunds, and J.D. Power.
When using consumer affairs sites, it’s important to pay attention to the following information:
- User Ratings and Reviews: You’ll want to read through user ratings and reviews to get a sense of what other drivers think of a particular car. These reviews can provide you with insights into the reliability, performance, and overall driving experience of a car.
- Reliability Ratings: You’ll want to find out how reliable a car is, and what kind of problems other drivers have experienced.
- Safety Ratings: You should also find out about a car’s safety ratings, including its crash test results and any available advanced safety features.
- Price and Value: Finally, you’ll want to know if a car provides good value for its price, and whether it’s worth the investment.
Car Complaint Websites
Car complaint websites are another useful resource for researching new cars, as they provide information about common problems and defects that drivers have experienced. These sites typically have databases of complaints that you can search through to find information about a particular car. Some of the most popular car complaint websites include CarComplaints.com, MyCarVoice.com and NHTSA.gov.
When using car complaint websites, it’s important to pay attention to the following information:
- Complaints: You’ll want to look at the types of complaints that other drivers have reported about a particular car, such as mechanical problems, performance issues, or safety concerns.
- Research the Year: Make sure to research the exact year model vehicle.
- Compare Models: Compare different vehicles across different manufacturers in the same segment.