to count on someone coming to your rescue. And if you notify the operator that you are pregnant or elderly or a woman alone, you should be given priority.
For someone who has mobility problems, a car can mean the difference between independence and being housebound. There are various government-sponsored schemes offering information and advice about buying specially adapted vehicles, tax concessions, and special parking permits or badges which allow the disabled to park in restricted areas. There are also associations catering for disabled motorists which give advice and campaign for better treatment and provisions.
There should be no problem getting insurance cover, but make sure you declare in full the nature of your disability and any special adaptations made to your car, otherwise the policy could be invalidated.
Able-bodied drivers can help by giving assistance when they see a broken-down car with a ‘help — disabled’ sign. Someone who is confined to a wheelchair cannot make their way to an emergency telephone, so be a good Samaritan and do what you can to help.
With such a huge variety of makes and models on offer, choosing the right car can be a daunting task. Before you start touring dealers’ showrooms, your first priority must be to work out how much you can afford to spend. Running costs and maintenance will need to be taken into consideration when calculating your budget, because insurance, road tax, maintenance and replacement parts can add up to a substantial amount. If you are considering taking out a loan, make sure the monthly repayments are well within your means; aim too high and your car could end up being repossessed.
Having done your sums and fixed your price limit, don’t let any salesman talk you into spending more than you can afford. Ask about hidden charges for delivery or number plates. You will be in a stronger negotiating position if you do a little research: check out motoring magazines for details of what optional extras — sunroofs, air-conditioning, cruise control, CD players, airbags, metallic paint, alloy wheels — are available, and a guide to current prices for new and used cars.
Think realistically about what it is you need from a car in terms of size, economy and performance. You might dream of sitting behind the wheel of a high-performance sports car, but if you have a large family a two-seater convertible is going to be too small, uneconomical, and therefore out of the question.
How large a car you need will depend on the size — and age — of your family, and whether the car is required for business use involving long journeys or the transportation of heavy loads. For long motorway journeys, a large car will be much more comfortable — and for caravan-towing a powerful engine is a must.
If you have a large family or use the car to transport groups of children on the school run, a ‘people carrier’ or MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) may be the best option. These can seat seven adults in comfort, and some have room for the luggage, too. Estate cars can accommodate an average-sized family with room in the back for large loads or a couple of dogs. Hatchbacks are convenient for a small family, and usually the rear seats fold down to give extra space for luggage or shopping.
Because children can’t be trusted not to tamper with door catches when travelling, they are safest in the back of a two-door car, or a four-door model fitted with childproof locks. Elderly passengers, on the other hand, will have difficulty manoeuvring themselves into the back seat of a two-door saloon or hatchback.
Will the car fit into your garage? It’s a great boon if you can lock your car away securely when not in use, and it would be a waste to have to park on the street while your garage stands empty. If you don’t have a garage, think twice before you buy a soft-top convertible. Thieves, vandals and even the neighbour’s cat can slash their way through the cover in no time if you leave it on the street.
If you need to borrow money to buy a car, shop around for the most advantageous interest rates. The key figures to look out for are the APR (Annual-equivalent Percentage Rate) and the total amount payable (you may need to deduct the agreed cost of the car to find out how much the loan is costing you). Interest charges can mount up, so unless you find a dealer offering ‘0% finance’ it’s best to pay cash if you can afford to.
The four main finance schemes are:
‘loan’: a bank or finance company lend you the money, which you then pay back, with interest, over a fixed period. The car is yours, unless you fail to meet the payments.
‘personal contract purchase’ (pcp): many car manufacturers now offer these schemes, which look attractive because the monthly repayments are low. The unattractive part is the large final payment which must be made either in cash or by handing over the car. Keep an eye on the credit charges, which can be high, and also mileage restrictions imposed by the dealer (you could find yourself limited to as little as 6000 miles per year).
‘hire purchase’: there are unlikely to be mileage restrictions in a hire purchase scheme, but the car remains the legal property of the lender until you make the final payment.
‘personal leasing’: this is basically a long-term rental agreement. You don’t have to raise a deposit, but the car will never be yours and there could be mileage restrictions.
Whichever scheme you opt for, check the terms carefully. It’s better to take the paperwork home with you overnight to read it through thoroughly before signing — if you allow yourself to be pressured into signing then and there, in the showroom, you may find you’ve committed yourself to something which is not in your best interest.
Running costs vary depending on the size and specifications of the vehicle. Spares are more expensive on foreign and luxury cars. High-performance cars and large vehicles cost more to insure and give fewer miles to the gallon. Fuel consumption is substantially reduced with a small car, but the service intervals may be shorter than for large cars.
This is why it pays to study consumer or motoring magazines which publish comparative charts listing new and used cars by price, and showing details such as insurance group, top speed, fuel efficiency (miles/kilometres per gallon/litre in urban traffic and in top gear at speed), service intervals, and even the cost of a routine service. Manufacturers are now building cars that can go for up to 20,000 miles (32,000 km) between services, which works out a good deal cheaper to run than a new car whose warranty demands that you take it back to the garage every 6,000 miles (10,000 km).
Cars with diesel engines cost more to buy, but offer better fuel economy, are more reliable, more tolerant of damp weather, and have a longer life span (diesels can be expected to cover as much as 200,000 miles/322,000 km, whereas a petrol-engined car would do well to make it to 150,000 miles/241,000 km). On the downside, diesels are noisy, the fuel smells, the engine labours when climbing hills, service intervals may be twice as frequent as for petrol-engined cars, and if they do go wrong they can be very expensive to repair.
Environmentally, unleaded petrol is a friendlier fuel than diesel. Catalytic converters reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulates into the atmosphere, so even though they have to be replaced every few years, the cost is justified by improved air quality.
Whichever fuel you use, be careful not to breathe in the fumes as these contain cancer-causing agents.
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