【正文】 hich car best meets your needs and determine how much you can afford to spend on it. Choose the best way to pay for your new car—cash, financing, or lease. Consult your insurance agent to learn the annual premium on various cars. 2. Check Web sites like and TV and newspapers for incentives and rebates on the car you would like to buy. This could include a cash rebate or lowcost financing. rebate [?ribeit] Chapter 5 5 3. Decide on a price based on dealer’s cost for the car and options, plus a markup for the dealer’s profit, minus rebates and incentives. 4. Find the exact car for you in terms of size, performance, safety, and styling. Choose at least three ―target cars‖ to consider buying. Get online quotes from multiple car dealers. quote [kw?ut]，援引 n.引文；報(bào)價(jià) [ pl.]引號(hào) 5. Testdrive the car—and the car salesman. Testdrive the car at least once, both on local streets and on highways. Determine if the car salesman is someone you want to do business with. Is he relaxed, open, and responsive to your questions? Chapter 5 6 6. If you are trading in your old car, you will not likely get as high a price as if you sold it yourself. Look up your car’s trade in value at or . Solicit bids from several dealers. solicit [s??lisit]；乞求 vt.請(qǐng)求，乞求；招攬 (生意 ) 7. Negotiate the lowest price by getting bids from at least three dealers. Hold firm on your target price before closing the deal. 8. Close the deal after looking not just at the cost of the car but also the related expenses. Consider the sales tax and various fees. Get the saleperson to fax you a worksheet and invoice before you go to the dealership. Chapter 5 7 9. Review and sign the paperwork. If you have a worksheet for the deal, the contract should match it. Make sure the numbers match and there are no additional charges or fees. 10. Inspect the car for scratches and dents. If anything is missing—like floor mats, for example—ask for a ―Due Bill‖ that states it in writing. dent [dent] ，凹痕 Chapter 5 8 Choosing a Car Hybrid, diesel, or gas? Sport utility vehicle (SUV) or pickup truck? Sedan, convertible, or coupe? Car buyers today have more choices than ever before, so more than one category of vehicle may be of interest. A good way to start your research is by tapping into the many available sources of information about cars, their prices, features, and reliability. Industry resources include manufacturers’ brochures and dealer personnel. Chapter 5 9 Use Competition to Get the Best Price The following Web sites allow you to submit a free quote request: and Chapter 5 10 Affordability Before shopping for a car, determine how much you can afford to spend. You’ll need to calculate two numbers unless you can pay cash for the entire cost of the car. ? Amount of down payment: This money will e from savings, so be sure not to deplete your emergency fund. deplete [di?pli:t] ，使枯竭 Chapter 5 11 ? Size of the monthly loan payment you can afford: Analyze your available resources—for example, your other expenses, including housing—and your transportation requirements. Don’t fet to include insurance. Your monthly car payment should be no more than 20% of your monthly ine. Chapter 5 12 Operating Costs The outofpocket cost of operating an automobile includes not only car payments but also insurance, license, fuel, oil, tires, and other operating and maintenance outlays. Some of these costs are fixed regardless of how much you drive。 generally, owneroccupied units are better maintained. ? Determine if there is sufficient parking space. Chapter 5 36 ? Watch for unusually low maintenance fees that may have to be increased soon. ? Consider the resale value. For new developments, pare the projected monthly homeowner’s fees with those of similar buildings already in operation. For older developments, check to see when capital improvements such as exterior painting and roof replacement were last made. Special assessments are usually levied on all unit owners for major costly improvements. Chapter 5 37 ? Cooperative apartments: In a cooperative apartment, or coop, building, each tenant owns a share of the nonprofit corporation that owns the building. Residents lease their units from the corporation and pay a monthly assessment in proportion to ownership shares, based on the space they occupy. These assessments cover the cost of services, maintenance, taxes, and the mortgage on the entire building and are subject to change, depending on the actual costs of operating the building and the actions of the board of directors, which determines the corporation’s policies. Chapter 5 38 The cooperative owner receives the tax benefits resulting from interest and property taxes attributable to his or her proportionate ownership interest. Drawbacks of coop ownership include difficulty in obtaining a mortgage (because many financial institutions don’t like taking shares of a corporation rather than property as collateral), rent increases to cover maintenance costs of vacant units, and the need to abide by the capital improvement decisions of the coop board of directors, which can increase the monthly assessment. abide [??baid] Chapter 5 39 ? Rental units: Some individuals and families choose to rent or lease their place of residence rather than own it. They may be just starting out and have limited funds for housing, or they may be uncertain where they want to live. Perhaps they like the shortterm mitment and limited maintenance. The cost and availability of rental units varies from one geographic area to another. Chapter 5 40 Rental units range from duplexes, fourplexes, and even singl