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New Car Purchase

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Submitted By akallan
Words 730
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Consumer Problem-solving activity: New car purchase
Problem Recognition
Problem recognition is comparing a person’s ideal situation against actual. Recently, my family has been considering whether our current car is meeting the needs of our family of 5. The kids are getting older and are involved in sports and music that require more transportation space for sports gear, musical instruments and the need for more “elbow” space. We would like to go on road trips for family vacations and visit family members who live hours away. Having an extra vehicle will certainly make it easier for both parents to take the kids to their activities especially when drop off and pick up time is the same for different kids. Keeping the current vehicle and purchasing a minivan will meet the family needs in different capacities.
Information Search
In recognizing this problem, I spoke with friends and relatives who already own a minivan. Some parents who I have met through sport teams have expressed what a great difference a minivan has made in their family lifestyle and comfort. They expressed that the space, safety and convenience in having a minivan is certainly worth it for any family. All expressed that “stow ‘n go” in their minivan has been of great convenience and offered to even demonstrate the features to my wife and I. My very close friend in Montreal uses his Dodge Grand Caravan for the same reason I would need a minivan and is thrilled that his family of six can go on long trips with ease.
The websites for Dodge, Toyota and Honda have given much insight on the features and prices of their vehicles. I searched online for the safety rating for all three make of vehicles (http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings) and they were rated as the top 3 by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in North America. Visiting the different dealerships and speaking with sales personnel has been very informative and also gives a sense of what customer service to expect in the future. We walked away with brochures and price options so we can deliberate on our choices.
Alternative evaluation
After speaking with friends, relatives, sales personnel, reviewing brochures and visiting various websites, we have come to the conclusion that 3 different make of vehicles would be of interest:2013 Dodge Grand Caravan, 2013 Honda Odyssey Ex and the 2013 Toyota Sienna Se. It was now time to get a better feel for each vehicle. Both my wife and I decided to test drive the different vehicles because she would need to be most comfortable with the minivan.
All three make of vehicles were quite comfortable but the 3rd row of seats in the Toyota folds but does not disappear. The Toyota Sienna also has a disadvantage in gas mileage compared to the Dodge Caravan and Honda Odyssey. All three vehicles accommodate 7 passengers and are comparable in such areas as engine capacity, automatic transition and internal features for comfort and entertainment. The pricing of the vehicles as per the manufacture suggested retail pricing (MSRP) and financing options is as follows:
Dodge Grand Caravan- $19,995
36 months 1.99%
48-60 months 2.99%
72 months 3.99%

Toyota Sienna Se- $26,585
0-60 months 0%
72 months .8%
84 months 1.99%

Honda Odyssey Ex- $28,675
24-36-48 months .99%
60-72-84 months 1.99%

Purchase Decision
After reviewing all the information and alternatives of vehicles, a decision on when and from which supplier to purchase the vehicle can then be made. Purchasing the vehicle can be based on affordability, model preference, safety, customer service and financing options. Given the alternative vehicle cost, interest rates, vehicle preference and affordability we made the decision to purchase the Grand Caravan with a down payment $15,000 and financing the remaining amount on a 36 month term financing at a rate of 1.99% with the option to make full payment before the end term of the contract.
Post-Purchase
After purchasing the Grand Caravan and driving it for the last two months, we discovered that this was the right vehicle for the family. We’ve had two weekend vacation trips out of the province and there was much “elbow” space for everyone. Attending soccer tournaments and games in other towns and cities has been a more pleasant family outing.

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