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Crash Tests and Star Ratings-That's How I ShopFeb 14 '01 (Updated Feb 16 '01) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Please read this review to find helpful web addresses to aid you in your purchasing decisions based on safety and value. Crash test reports and star ratings MATTER.
If you are thinking of buying a new/ used vehicle, PLEASE read this review for some really helpful advice! I went looking for this subject so that I might share some vital information with you. I invited others to join in making this a write-off, so hopefully you can pick up some really helpful advice here before you make your final decision! My husband and I are now in the process of deciding upon a newer van to replace the one we have now. In making this decision, we are approaching it several ways. The first thing you need to do is get some type of idea what kind of vehicle you might be interested in. Car? Van? or Sports Utility Vehicle? Maybe you might even do a little looking around to see. If it's a car, do you want a Sedan, or do you want a wagon? If you're looking at vans, what features are special to you? Would you be interested in looking at a sports utility vehicle instead of either of the other two options? Once you have narrowed down your list, start looking around to get an idea what features each of them has. Maybe visit the dealerships and pick up some brochures and take a peak inside a couple of models. Let the salesman know that you are "just looking" at this point. Once you have looked around a little bit more, you likely have discovered what is available in your price range. Now it is time to do some serious Research. There are several ways to go about getting some really great information to help you narrow down your choices. I am going to focus on the tool that is sitting right before you right now; the internet. This is an invaluable tool. First of all, you can look through the Epinions site. I sat here yesterday and looked at what real customers had to say about the vehicles I have been considering. They'll tell you the bad along with the good. I even emailed a few of those people to see if certain problems were worked out or if they had anything else they wanted to tell me. Another place to look that is really helpful is www.kellybluebook.com. This site will not only tell you what you can expect to get for your trade and what particular vehicles might go for in your area with and without certain features, but it has much more helpful information to click through also. It also has car reviews and previews. It also has sections for tips on buying or selling, insurance and warranty information, and even an auto parts store! You can click to request a vehicle history report from Carfax from this site also. Their Tools, Tips, and Advice section could provide you with a world of help. Another truly excellent place you MUST visit before deciding on your purchase is The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website. That one is located at http://www.nhtsa.com. This site has information on crash tests and star ratings that are used for insurance rates. This information is VITAL! Literally! The van I have now has a driver airbag, but no front passenger airbag. It's safety rating is 4 stars (out of five possible) for the driver and 3 for the front passenger. We assumed that any newer vehicle that had at least one airbag by the front passenger would bring that rating up, right? Wrong! My husband brought home a 2000 model Montana minivan for me to look at two nights ago. The price was excellent and it had all the features we were looking for. I drove it, the kids liked it, we were good to go. Ok, let me look up the safety ratings on that just to be sure. ::Alarm bells going off here:: This van has not one but TWO airbags for both front passengers, and yet it's star ratings are the same as the van I'm currently driving. How can that be? If you then click on the vehicle description it will give more detail. It will give you further injury specifications like how it rated on head injuries and femur injuries, chest impact, etc. You could spend a good deal of time looking over these charts and graphs if you want to. They're very helpful. *This is exactly the kind of information the car salesman will NOT tell you!. Right then and there we decided against the Montana. We started looking under the minivan category under each year and seeing which vehicles rated the highest in these crash tests. Since I have a choice, I am not going to buy anything less than perfect ratings; five stars for every passenger. This brings my options down to two. In those two, I have X number of models and years to pick from. Looking through this information before purchasing a car might just have saved my life or the lives of my three children! This site also has other information, a huge menu-ful, of other things you can check out from their web address. One important thing my neighbor kept insisting on was checking on recalls. Ok, so I did that while there too. Hmmm.... the van I'm driving has one I will need to take care of before it can be sold; and I need to get a jump on it! The model I am favoring now, a Ford Windstar, also has some to be fixed. Of course, those will be fixed free of charge by manufacturer if they haven't already been done before putting on the market. Supposedly any vehicle that you'd buy from a dealer or an auction will already have this done or they will be pulled from the sale. This may or may not be true if you are buying from private owner. Be extra cautious if you do that. Pull up the Carfax report. Ask for service records on the vehicle. We have excellent service records on the van that we are going to sell and it's been a wonderful vehicle; we've just outgrown it. I hope this review has been helpful to you. If you'd like to be part of a write-off on this topic please email me! ladiazii@aol.com Please also check out these writers: Sweetsue and Sweetcece for good advice on shopping for vehicles!  |
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