Appearance, comfort and style
It may be important to you that a car looks stylish, as well as having a functional, comfortable and well-designed interior. Many cars can be customised with options and accessories to allow you to create a vehicle that feels like it was made just for you.

Car type
The types of car currently available include:

• Cabriolet/Convertible: a passenger car with either a detachable or folding roof (e.g. Ford Focus Coupé-Cabriolet).
• Estate/Wagon: a passenger car that has four or five seats but with a longer body for extra boot space (e.g. Ford Mondeo estate).
• Hatchback: the most popular body style that has the traditional two rows of seats and a top-hinged tailgate for easy access to the boot (e.g. Ford Mondeo 5-door).
• MPV (Multi-purpose Vehicle): also referred to as a People Carrier, traditionally a 7-seat vehicle.
• Saloon: a 4-door passenger car with a boot (e.g. Ford Mondeo 4-door).
• Sport: a high performance car, usually with only two seats.
• SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle)/4x4: designed as a tough on- and off-road vehicle. Generally powered by a larger engine.
• Supermini: generally a low engine sized small car that’s highly manoeuvrable. Offers reasonable running costs due to good fuel economy, low road tax and, often, a lower insurance group (e.g. Ford Fiesta).

Many modern cars don’t fall into a single category, creating new types of vehicle that suit today’s drivers. For example, the Ford Kuga is often referred to as a ‘crossover’.

Colour
Most people choose their car’s colour based on personal preference, but there are other things you can consider too:

• Choosing a metallic paint colour can have a positive impact on the future resale value of your car.
• Buying a dark colour interior trim may prove to be more practical.

Depreciation
Depreciation is the term used for the decrease in a car’s value over time. It’s often measured as a percentage of a car's value after three years or 36,000 miles, compared to its price when new.

• Before buying your car, it's worth finding out if this particular vehicle/model traditionally holds its value. If so, you’re more likely to be able to sell it at a reasonable price in the future.
• Cars which lose the least value over time tend to be either 'best in class', rare, or popular models with second-hand appeal.

Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) plans, like Ford Options, include a Guaranteed Minimum Future Value, subject to mileage and condition. You can find out more about Ford Options in the 'Buying and Protecting your Ford ' section of the Ford website, and in section 2.6 of this Guide.

Safety
Modern cars are safer than ever before. Even so, it can give you peace of mind to find out how safe your new car is. Factors affecting a car’s safety include:

• Brakes and driving dynamics, which are designed to help avoid accidents.
• Airbags and seatbelts, which are designed to limit the effects of accidents.

You can get independent, impartial information on the safety of any new car by visiting the Euro NCAP website at www.euroncap.com

Security
Unfortunately, there are more than two million vehicle-related thefts every year in the UK. So make sure you ask your Dealer about the security system in the car you’re looking to buy.

Running costs
We cover purchase price and ways to pay in the ‘Ordering and Paying for my Car’ section. Equally as important as the purchase price is the cost of running your car. This includes motor insurance, road tax, servicing and fuel consumption.

Motor insurance
It’s worthwhile getting a few quotes to find out the cost of insuring your car annually. Factors that affect the insurance premium include:

• The quality of cover provided (where repairs are carried out*, whether a courtesy car is included, the excess you have to pay for each claim)
• The driver (age, gender, previous claims and any motoring convictions)
• The type of car (insurance rating and value)
• Where the car is kept (street, driveway or garage)
• What the car is used for (social, domestic and pleasure, or business)
• The type of cover required (fully comprehensive or third party)

*A number of insurance policies do not include the use of Manufacturer Approved Repairers following an accident. Using Approved Repairers is important because their technicians regularly receive manufacturer training to ensure they have the expertise to best carry out repairs on your vehicle. Additionally, they only fit genuine parts that have been vigorously tested to ensure they meet the relevant quality and safety requirements.

Road tax
Cars registered on or after 1 March 2001 fall into one of a series of bands based on fuel type and CO2 emission levels. These determine how much you pay for your road tax.

• To pay less road tax, opt for a vehicle with low CO2 emissions, like those from the Ford ECOnetic range, or a vehicle with an alternative fuel to petrol, such as Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG). Some cars with very low CO2 emissions even come with zero road tax, such as the Ford Fiesta ECOnetic.

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If you’re likely to choose a car based wholly or partly on the effect it has on the environment, you can consider:

Size/number of seats
Small cars are generally more economical, but it's important to buy the right sized car for your needs and for the types of roads you’re likely to drive on.

Weight
A heavier car will use more fuel starting off, accelerating and stopping.

Transmission
Automatic cars are smoother than manuals, particularly in urban areas. However, they use around 10% more fuel.

• Continuously variable transmission (CVT) cars are also available, which use only around 5% more fuel than manuals.
• Automated manual transmissions are becoming more popular. Hydraulic and electronic systems take care of clutch and gear changes, making the car more efficient than 'normal' automatics and manuals.
• Whether the car is two- or four-wheel drive can affect fuel economy.

Fuel
Vehicles that run on biofuel, electricity, diesel, hydrogen, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) or petrol are all available in the UK. Petrol and diesel are the most popular, but other fuels can be more environmentally friendly.

• You can get miles per gallon (mpg) performance figures from manufacturers either online or in brochure format from the Dealership.
• These figures are broken down into urban (town/city driving), extra-urban (motorway driving) and combined (town and motorway driving) and should allow you to compare all models, engine sizes and types.

It's worth having these figures to hand when choosing your new car, along with an understanding of how much city or motorway driving you expect to do in it.

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Sources of information
Besides reading through this Guide, there are several ways you can get more information about a car you’re thinking of buying:

Vehicle brochures are available either:

• At your Dealership
• By visiting the manufacturer’s website to order a brochure to be posted to you or you can download an eBrochure.

www.Ford.co.uk is also a valuable source of information. For example: The Help Me Choose tool has been designed to make it easy for you to choose the right Ford. Accessed by a button on the home page, the tool asks questions that enable you to quickly narrow down the range to a few suitable vehicles.

The Online Car Configurator allows you to choose the derivative, number of doors, colour etc., and watch your Ford car being built on screen in 3D.

Your Dealer is an invaluable source of information about the vehicles available, so feel free to ask as many questions as you like.

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Ford expertise
Ford has a heritage of over 100 years in the motor industry. Our experience and size allows us to offer a truly ‘one-stop shop’ experience when you buy a new car from us.

We have a network of around 700 Ford Dealers operating throughout the UK providing sales, service, accessories, vehicle repairs, parts and vehicle maintenance. Our Dealers are as enthusiastic and knowledgeable about our products, so buying a new Ford from them is likely to be a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

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The purpose of a test drive
Taking a test drive is useful as you never really know how you’ll feel about a car until you get behind the wheel. During your test drive, your Ford Dealer will tell you about the car you’re driving and how it compares with others. The Dealer will also talk you through any features you may not have noticed – feel free to ask as many questions as you like.

The key things to remember before you go

• Bring your driving licence (you will need both photocard and counterpart for new-style licences).
• Have an idea of your budget.
• Keep an open mind, as you may end up thinking differently about certain models and features after you’ve experienced them.
• Think about how you will use your car and what’s most important to you, e.g. off-road handling, comfort, technology, storage/boot space, optional extras etc.
• Try out as many features as you can. You could take your MP3 player along with you, for example, to try with the car’s sound system.
• Make notes to remind you what you thought.

Practical things to consider when you’re taking a test drive

• If possible, allow at least half an hour and drive on different kinds of roads. Also, you may like to ask your Dealer if you can test drive a new car for an extended time.
• If anyone else will also be driving your car regularly, make sure they test drive it too.
• Consider if the car’s suitable for the types of journey you’ll be doing in it. For example, is it fuel-efficient and comfortable enough if you do a lot of long journeys?
• Parallel park the vehicle to check that it gives you good all-round vision.
• Check that you find it easy enough to use all the car’s functions like the radio or Sat Nav. Are you comfortable with the placement of instrument panels, controls etc?
• Check if it’ll be easy enough for you and your passengers (particularly those who are less mobile) to get in and out of the vehicle.
• Check that the vehicle has sufficient head and leg room for taller drivers and passengers.
• If you have children, take them with you to see if they're comfortable in the back of the car. Also consider: Does the car have child locks on its doors? Is it easy to fit a child’s seat in the vehicle, e.g. with ISOFIX child seat attachments?
• Make sure the things you regularly take in your car, like pushchairs or golf clubs, will fit. And if you regularly carry heavy objects, check that the height of the boot makes it easy enough to get these items in and out.
• If you regularly need to carry objects of a large or unusual size or shape, check that it’s possible to add additional storage/carrying equipment like bike racks, roof racks or roof boxes.
• If you’ll use it for towing, check that the engine’s powerful enough for this.
• Measure your garage or driveway and check that the vehicle will fit before you buy!