Which car to choose? For those who are planning to purchase a vehicle for the first time, this is one of the most important questions.
Before purchasing, you must clearly understand the purpose for which you are purchasing the vehicle. First, decide where and how you plan to use the car:
Will it be intercity travel or movement around the city along the home-work route?
What will the car be used for more often, for work or leisure?
Do you need a roomy family car or a compact runabout?
Regardless of the purpose for which you buy a car, it should best meet your requirements. Based on them, you can decide which car is better to choose.
Body type selection
The size of the vehicle, safety, comfort, and appearance depend on the type of body. It must be light, strong, corrosion-resistant, durable. Let's look at the most common body types.
Sedan. One of the most popular types of car. The three-volume body has four doors and two rows of seats. The passenger compartment is separated from the trunk by a rigid metal partition. Long sedans with a partition between the front and rear seats are called limousines.
Cars of this type are comfortable, safe, and when properly configured, the chassis pampers the driver with ease of control. The contents of the separated trunk do not bother passengers with odors and noise; the additional volume dampens the force of impact during collisions. They are often chosen as a family car. Small class sedans are also economical. The disadvantage is the relatively long body length due to a separate trunk, and the impossibility of transforming the interior.
Hatchback. It is a five- or three-door body, in most cases having two rows of seats. The luggage compartment is combined with the passenger compartment, so the body is two-volume. In the rear wall there is a door to access the trunk. There are also three-volume hatchbacks with a shortened rear overhang.
The main advantage of this type of body is its compactness, which is achieved due to the absence of a dedicated trunk, while the ability to transport up to 5 people with luggage, or 2 passengers along with large items. This is facilitated by a wide doorway in the rear and the ability to transform the interior by folding the rear seats. The hatchback is noticeably shorter than a comparable sedan in terms of roominess, so it has an advantage on tight city streets.
Among the disadvantages, it takes longer to warm up the cabin in cold weather due to the increased volume. In winter, an open rear door leads to faster freezing of the interior. Noise insulation is worse than in sedans, since the trunk is not separated from the passenger compartment. In bad weather, the rear window becomes dirty, which requires the use of a windshield wiper.
Station wagons are in many ways related to hatchbacks, but they have a longer rear overhang. This is a two-volume body with five doors. Rails are often installed on the sloping roof, which emphasize the length of the station wagon and give it a sweeping appearance. A station wagon is even more suitable than a hatchback for transporting large, long cargo. In many models, the rear seats fold down to create a flat surface. You can even spend the night in such cars during a long journey.
Station wagons are somewhat heavier than hatchbacks and sedans, and their prices are higher. These are truly universal cars, equally suitable for long-distance travel with the whole family, everyday city use, and transportation of goods. The disadvantages are the same as those of hatchbacks: passengers and luggage are in the same compartment.
A minivan is a cross between a station wagon and a minibus. This is a spacious family or company car designed to carry up to eight passengers and luggage. The body is equipped with four or five doors. In the four-door version, access to the rear seats is provided by one sliding door. Extensive possibilities for transforming the interior make the car universal; the interior can be turned into either a large trunk or an office on wheels.
Convertible or Roadster. This is a two-door coupe with one or two rows of seats. The second row tends to be more cramped due to the aerodynamics of open cars. The roof of convertibles is foldable, which allows you to move with the top open, and, if necessary, raise it to protect yourself from bad weather. These recreational recreational vehicles can also be used for everyday driving.