Tips for Downsizing Your Vehicle

Video Transcript

How do you down-size your car? These days, with high fuel prices and attention being paid to global warming, the emissions in our cities, a lot of people are thinking about just that. Well, it may be that you have an SUV like this one here, the most popular vehicle going today. It may seat five or seven. If you really only need to seat five, well maybe you're gonna want to think of a cross-over vehicle. The new generation like this one here that gets better fuel efficiency, a really nice v-6 engine, lower emissions, still does the job for you, or it may be you don't need an SUV at all, but a sedan is for you. This one here happens to be a hybrid, but there are lots and lots of choices in the showroom today for sedans that meet your needs. It begins and ends by matching your needs to your vehicle choice. The place to start is really how many of you are going some place at any given time. Some people buy a nine passenger suv because they figure that's how many they may need some day. Yep, there's one or two people in that vehicle most of the time. It's a better idea to buy a vehicle that has the passenger capacity you need on a daily basis. Most of us, that's a five passenger vehicle. This is a good example right here. There's lots of sedans that can take care of that need. Larger is not always better. the conventional thinking, larger vehicles, safer vehicles, but cars are smarter these days. They have traction control. They have interlock breaking. Often they have stability control, dual airbags, side airbags, airbag curtains. Small cars can do better in the driving environment than they used to, even with larger cars out there. So think about that. A small car, a smaller vehicle is not a bad choice. It's going to be more efficient, cost you less, and it's probably a better choice if it meets your needs. Think about what your needs are as far as cargo. Do you need to carry a lot of gear? Do you need a tow? It may be that, if that's what you need, you do need a larger engine, because a smaller engine isn't going to meet your needs if you have to tow a large boat or a trailor. Something to consider when your off on vacation, get a cargo carrier. Put it up top. You can carry more gear, you can carry skis, and so on. You don't need a larger vehicle just for the time you need extra cargo capacity. There are other ways of doing it. Don't choose something that's too small for your needs, because in the end, that doesn't accomplish your goal. think through what you need, go to the dealerships, examine the different vehicles, test drive them back to back. Talk to people. Ask them about their experiences. In the end, you spend enough time doing this. You determine your needs, there's a vehicle out there that will fit them just perfectly for you. The big tip is buy small, rent large. And a warning, don't buy smaller than what you need.

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