April 2005
Some factors to consider when car shopping

There are many factors to consider when choosing a new vehicle. Reliability, cost, fuel economy, performance, styling and comfort are all things that we factor into our decision. Some other factors that you should also keep in mind are injury, collision and theft ratings. These 3 factors all impact on the cost of auto insurance. The choice of vehicle could affect your annual insurance cost by several hundred dollars (or more).

To find out how various vehicles stand up in these areas, go to this website: www.highwaysafety.org.

There is a lot of interesting information on this website, including a chart giving ratings on injury, collision and theft claims on a wide range of vehicles. For example, the Acura Integra has the worst rating for theft of all vehicles listed. It was below average in the other categories too. One of the highest rated vehicles is the Buick LeSabre.

You shouldn't base your vehicle purchase decision solely on these ratings, but I think they should be factored into the decision. For example, you may choose to buy a Suzuki Esteem based on its many merits, despite its having the worst rating for injury. Just make sure your health and life insurance is paid up.