Choosing The Right Car For Where You Live

 

Pexels. CCO Licensed.

There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing a car. If most of your car journeys are likely to be local, taking into account the area that you live in could be an important factor. Certain cars can be better suited to certain environments. By buying the right car, you could save yourself a lot of money and stress. Below are just a few different environments and the types of vehicle you may want to consider.

Urban living

Smaller cars can be better for built-up cities. They can be ideal for negotiating narrow streets or fitting into small parking spaces (if you live on a road that doesn’t come with off-street parking or designated bays, this could come in handy). Smaller cars also tend to be cheaper to buy. Urban living costs can often be high and so a cheaper car could be beneficial.

Smaller cars tend to have smaller fuel tanks, but in a city this isn’t likely to matter. City dwellers tend to use their car less and may only need to take short trips - plus there’s always a gas station nearby. You may even want to consider a hybrid of an electric car (cities have more charging points, plus may have free parking areas for electric cars). This guide https://lawnstarter.com/blog/studies/best-cities-to-own-an-electric-car/ details some of the best cities for owning an electric car. 

Suburban living

In suburban areas, you can usually get away with driving a bigger car. For some suburban residents, a bigger car may even be essential - suburban areas tend to contain more families and longer distance drives are more popular, which could make a bigger tank useful.

Station wagons and SUVs are popular in suburban areas. You can read a guide to some of the best suburban cars here. If you don’t have kids or a dog, you may prefer something smaller. 

Rural living

In rural areas, having a bigger car with a bigger engine can often be handy. You may have to travel longer distances to get basic essentials and there may be a need to carry more items in one trip. 

Road conditions may not be as great in rural areas and so it could be worth buying a car with off-road features such as a higher suspension and deeper tread tires. Pickup trucks tend to be more popular in rural areas for this reason. When tackling really bumpy terrain, you may even want to consider buying a truck and making some mods such as these offered by https://tcsupfitting.com/heavy-duty-truck-upgrades/. Low ride sports cars are likely to be a bad choice.

Other factors to consider

Climate: The climate could have an impact on the type of car you buy. For instance, a convertible could be appropriate for somewhere that’s warm and sunny most the year round like Florida, but less appropriate for generally colder states like Alaska. 

Crime rate: If you live somewhere with a high local crime rate and don’t have a garage, you may want to think twice before buying a flashy car. Either that, or you may want to research into cars with good in-built security features. 

State laws: Different states may have different rules on which vehicles are legally roadworthy. For instance, certain levels of window tint are not acceptable in some states. Some states and cities also have their own emissions laws to discourage high-polluting cars.