What to look for on your test drive

Once you've found a car that interests you, taking a car for a test drive is the next logical step. The test drive is more than just a quick fun drive in the car you like. It's the time you really need to decide if the car is for you or not. While test driving the vehicle, look out for the following areas.

Comfort

Once you purchase a car, you will more than likely spend quite a bit of time in the vehicle. Whether you have a long drive to work or if you're the soccer mom driving your children to soccer practice, you need a car that satisfies your comfort needs. Being uncomfortable in your vehicle is frustrating and dangerous. It can take your attention off the road while you're driving. Adjust the seats, mirrors and steering wheel to make sure you can get them to the correct positions. Check your ability to get in and out of the vehicle easy and pay attention to the back seat if you have children.

Visibility

Some vehicles have horrible visibility. With the new rollover rating requirements, B and C pillars are becoming thicker and thicker to handle the increased standards. These blind spots can cause serious safety issues. Check the visibility when your car is parked, driving and backing up. All vehicles have blind spots, you need to make sure you're comfortable with the vehicle you're buying in particular to blind spots.

Noise

The volume of the noise on the interior may not be a deal breaker for the car purchase, but it can add or detract from your comfort level when you are driving the car. A loud vehicle can be annoying and disctracting when you should be focusing on the road.

Exterior Size

Verify that you are comfortable with the dimensions and overall size of the vehicle you're driving, especially if you are upsizing your vehicle drastically. One tip is to try parking the car in a variety of situations. Check how you feel pulling into a parking spot, backing out and even parallel parking the vehicle. You will get a quick feel for the dimensions of the vehicle and how you feel driving a vehicle of its size.

Handling

Pay attention to how the vehicle handles when you're driving it. How does it turn, how does it take curves and rough roads? See how it accelerates into traffic and how quickly you can stop. Drive the vehicle in conditions that you usually encounter. For example, if you commute on a specific road daily, you should try and drive the vehicle on that stretch of road to get an apples to apples comparison.

Weird Noises

The test drive is the ideal situation to find any mechanical issues with the vehicle. After checking the air conditioning, heater and stereo, turn them off. Drive with the windows open and down. Listen for any unusually noises, clunking over speed bumps, ticking noises, metal on metal clunking, wind noise etc. These can all be hints of much larger issues and are good indicators of the overall quality of the vehicle.

When your time comes to test drive the vehicle you're interested in making your own, make sure you try and use these tips. Knowing what to look out for when driving a car can help you make a quality, informed purchase decision when you're ready to buy your next car.

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