The life of a modern woman is like a fast-pacedautobahn. When planning her usual day, a woman necessarily includes work, household chores, shopping trips and childcare. Therefore, a woman behind the wheel has become a completely natural phenomenon of our days. And if you have realized the need to become one of the full-fledged owners of an iron horse - this article is for you!
How to choose a car?
It would seem that with the current abundance of variouscar dealerships, car markets and online car auctions, it is quite easy to answer this question. But this is only at first glance. Buying a car is a very important step, it is not cheap. When choosing, the main thing is to take into account not only the usual criteria for the price-quality ratio, but also to buy exactly the car that will become your real assistant, and not an additional burden and a black hole in the family budget. First, you need to understand and decide what kind of car you need.
Sedan, hatchback or estate
It is worth mentioning right away that there is no idealThere is no such thing as a "women's car". Everything depends on the purposes for which you are buying a car. Agree - it is quite inappropriate to buy a three-door hatchback if you have a large family. Or use a station wagon for commuting to work. So, first, let's figure out the body type, and therefore the capacity of your future purchase. If you need a car as a means of fast and convenient movement around the city in the company of your beloved girlfriend or mother, then a sedan or a three- or five-door hatchback will suit you just fine. A sedan is beautiful, such a car, as a rule, has a representative appearance, it is a classic. If you like classics, then you can choose Toyota Corolla, Daewoo Lanos, Chevrolet Aveo. A car with a hatchback body type usually has two rows of seats. And its trunk is combined with the interior. However, the trunk volume of such a car is small. But to load your purchases into it after a relaxing shopping, this trunk volume is quite enough. Cars with this type of body include Kia Picanto, Daewoo Matiz, Mazda 2. A station wagon is another type of body that can be an excellent choice for those lady drivers who are going to carry something larger in volume in their trunk than a few branded bags from the store. Such a car belongs to the category of cargo-passenger. And if the trunk volume is not enough for you, then the rear seats in the station wagon can be folded or completely dismantled. A station wagon is an excellent choice for those who already have a child. A stroller will fit perfectly in the trunk, and your child will not be left without his own transport. And if you like active recreation, you can easily transport a mountain bike, skis and snowboards in such a car, and there will still be room for friends with whom you will go out of town for a wonderful pastime. There are currently a number of station wagon cars on the market: Toyota Corolla Fielder, Opel Astra Caravan. Of course, the types of car bodies are not limited to the examples given above, but you should not overload yourself with unnecessary information. For a woman, if she is not engaged in cargo and passenger transportation, the choice will be between these three types of body.
Choose an engine
If we talk about the technical side of yourchoice, then in this matter special attention should be paid to the car engine. This is the most important part of the car. And the correctness and validity of your choice depends on how technically prepared you are. It is no secret that today the most popular engine is a gasoline engine. But even here, not everything is so simple. The car engine should be not only powerful, but also economical. Engine power is expressed in horsepower. And if 125-150 horsepower will be enough for a hatchback, then a station wagon with an engine power of less than 200 “horses” should not even be considered as a purchase option. At the same time, do not forget that fuel consumption increases in direct proportion to engine power. And high fuel consumption is, first of all, a blow to your pocket. Diesel engines are considered more economical in terms of fuel cost. But such an engine is more often installed on SUVs or cargo-passenger vehicles. By the way, a diesel engine can be called economical only if the annual mileage of your car exceeds 40,000 kilometers. Otherwise, don't even think about buying a car with a diesel engine. It will cost you more, and you won't even notice the savings due to the low mileage. And the more powerful the car's engine, the more fuel and oil it consumes. Therefore, when choosing an engine by power, the rule "the more, the better" ceases to work.
Automatic is good, but manual is better
Experienced male car enthusiasts believe thata woman's car should only be equipped with an automatic transmission. Apparently, they are guided by numerous jokes about a woman behind the wheel, for whom the number of pedals should be equal to the number of legs. Don't believe it. And in choosing between an automatic and a manual transmission, you should follow only the criteria of expediency. Undoubtedly, in the conditions of a big city (with its constant traffic jams and countless traffic lights), an automatic transmission is an excellent assistant to the driver. The engine operates in an optimal mode, and it is impossible to overload it. The automatic itself decides how many engine revolutions to include in certain conditions. But at the same time, fuel consumption increases significantly. Do not forget that automatic transmissions are very "fragile" and break easily. And replacement will cost you a pretty penny. An automatic may suit you if you live outside the city, where, as is known, the problem with "fools and roads" is quite acute. On a dirt road, with a little slippage, your automatic from a friend will turn into the main enemy. And after a light rain by Russian standards, you will become a prisoner of the first track. Whereas the manual gearbox is always obedient to the driver. This means that with sufficient skill, even without all-wheel drive, you can easily overcome the suburban "liquid asphalt". And the fuel consumption, of course, if you took into account our advice regarding engine power, will not make you think about the benefits of walking.
As a fish o ... drive
SUV - sounds nice.And not only does it sound impressive, but it also looks impressive, and off-road it behaves like an obedient trained horse of noble blood. And the whole secret is that this car has all-wheel drive. That is, all four wheels spin. In such a car, you are not afraid of any dirt. All-wheel drive of the car is your choice if you live outside the city or just prefer to push off the road with all four wheels. But you can forget about saving. The fuel consumption of all-wheel drive cars can be terrifying. It is much better to choose a car with front-wheel drive. Of course, it is unlikely to take you off-road, but in the city such a car will become your friend. On a winter road, front-wheel drive cars obey the steering wheel very well. They react sensitively to any movement. And the fuel consumption will pleasantly surprise you. By the way, most small cars, nimble and comfortable, are front-wheel drive cars.
Learning a dream car
Having studied all the parameters outlined above,After careful consideration and comparison, have you chosen a car that can make you happy? Don't be lazy and learn as much as possible about the brand of car you have chosen. It is not difficult at all. Numerous car enthusiast clubs and thematic forums, where car owners share useful information, describe the disadvantages and advantages of their purchases, will become an invaluable source of information for you. There you will be gladly given practical advice and consulted on any issue of interest to you. A car is a fairly serious investment of money, and therefore it is better to spend a little time and study the issue thoroughly than to later receive a pile of scrap metal at your disposal, which is a pity to throw away and too expensive to repair.
Adventure in the showroom
Can you afford to buya new car? If so, go to a car dealership. And not just any car dealership, but an official dealer. But first, carefully study the standard equipment of the car, all the options offered by the manufacturer, and the warranty conditions, both from the manufacturer and from the car dealership itself. Do not forget that during the trip your car becomes a fortress on wheels, and in addition to comfort, you should be concerned about the safety of your car. Many car dealerships offer additional options to the standard equipment. Study them too. Air conditioning, airbags are a necessary and useful addition. But a “tricked-out” audio system may be important to you only if you are a music lover and cannot live a minute without music with high-quality sound. An electric trunk door is a useless toy and an attempt to make you pay for something that does not affect the comfort of the car. Remember that you should still pay close attention to the technical characteristics of the car, and not to additional options. The presence of some of them serves precisely to “divert” your attention from the shortcomings of the car. It will be useful to visit several car dealerships, if there is more than one official dealer of this car brand in your city, and compare prices for the car and the cost of additional services. And the composition of additional services in different dealerships may differ due to seasonal discounts or various promotions. Do not be afraid to ask and be interested in all the details. Be sure to take a test drive. See how convenient the car is to drive. How you feel behind the wheel. How comfortable and ergonomic the interior and upholstery are. Every detail is important in this case. You are a woman and have the right to be capricious. Especially since you have done a tremendous job studying all the characteristics of the car you need. Buying in a car dealership is also convenient because the managers of the car dealership will help you draw up the documents for the car. And if you want to buy a new car, but you do not have enough money, you will be helped - most car dealerships cooperate with banks that can provide you with a car loan.
The old horse does not spoil the furrow?
Of course, buying a new car is a dreamany woman. But what if the car brand you have chosen is very expensive in itself? Or, out of reasonable savings and careful calculation, you have decided to buy a used car? Even the most avid car enthusiasts agree with the fact that some used cars are much more reliable than new ones. This is understandable: in the first thousand kilometers traveled, the weakest points of the car are revealed, and a good owner subjects the car to additional adjustments, carries out the so-called tuning. For the most part, these words are true in relation to European-made cars and so-called cars that have not been driven in Russia; but in Russia we also have many drivers with brains and "smart" hands, which is often able to compensate for the shortcomings of domestically assembled cars. When buying a used car, you have several options:
- Buy a car at the car market.But here you have several problems at once. Too often, cars after an accident, stolen cars with re-stamped numbers on the engine and frame, and "drowned" cars, that is, cars that have been in water, are sold at car markets. It is quite difficult for a woman to understand all the intricacies of fraud and deception that unscrupulous sellers use. Therefore, if you have the opportunity - contact your loved one, father, brother or just a childhood friend, a person who understands these intricacies. With a high degree of probability, he will be able to recognize a putty-filled and freshly painted car after an accident or a rotten body better than you. He will be able to listen to the engine, climb under the bottom of the car and examine the chassis.
- Buy a car with the hands of an unfamiliar owner. In this case, there is much less risk of being deceived and fraudulent, but all other issues and problems remain.
So, here are a few more sensible, simple tips.Be sure to check the used car at an independent technical center. There, specialists will conduct the necessary tests and give you a conclusion that you can use as a guide when making the final decision about the purchase. Check the availability of documents for the car: registration certificate, technical inspection. If everything is in order, you can proceed to the registration of the purchase and sale documents. After all, the market and the private owner of the car are not a car dealership. And all the paperwork, from the purchase and sale agreement to deregistration and registration, you will have to do yourself. Do not forget that you can return a faulty car after purchase only if you purchased it from a legal entity. If you are not 100% sure that you can cope with the difficult task of buying a used car, it is best to resort to the help of people who understand this. You are a woman and can let a man take care of you. Recently, numerous online auctions have become very popular. All you need in this case is money, the Internet and the minimum knowledge that you have acquired in the process of choosing the car of your dreams. By the way, in this case you will have the opportunity not only to buy a car manufactured and assembled abroad, but also one that has not driven a single kilometer on Russian off-road. The only downside is that you will not be able to touch the car with your own hands. But if your initial choice fell on a Japanese-made car, you can not worry about the quality of the purchased car. Japanese online auctions are considered the most reliable, and deceiving a buyer in the land of the rising sun is not welcomed. At such an auction, sitting at home in a comfortable chair, you will be able to examine your future car almost under a microscope: a special program will helpfully enlarge and show you every inch of the body, the engine and all the most important parts of the car. So you can be confident in your choice, as if you had touched everything with your own hands. In addition, Japanese cars are considered the most comfortable, reliable and relatively inexpensive. When buying a car through an online auction, be prepared to part with your money much earlier than you receive the car. It is best to enter into an agreement with a company that handles the purchase, pays customs duties and transports cars purchased at auction. The company will provide you with access to the auction to select a car. Which car to choose, where to buy it - it's up to you. But remember that when buying your first car, you can only rely on your own knowledge, it depends only on you whether this purchase will bring you joy. We hope that the advice in this article will help you, and your car will make you one of those happy Amazons behind the wheel, who can rightfully quietly whisper to her iron assistant: "You and I are of the same blood. You and me." We recommend reading:
