Part 1 What Do I Want/Need in a Vehicle? 1.16.2.A2 28 Total Points Possible Directions: Complete the following questions. 1. Scenario name drawn: 2. Marriage and children status: 3. Annual income: Down payment: 4. According to your situation, explain why you want a vehicle. (3 points) 5. How will the vehicle be used? Circle all which apply. (3 points) Drive to school Drive to school activities Hauling items Carrying friends Drive to work Traveling Carrying family members Recreation and sports 6. Estimate the number of miles you will drive by recording where you will be driving, total weekly miles, and total monthly miles. (3 points) Where Total Weekly Miles Total Monthly Miles School Work 7. What kinds of road will the vehicle be driven on? Circle all which apply. (3 points) Highway Off road Rural Gravel City/town Snow conditions Family Economics & Financial Education Revised November 2004 Transportation Unit Researching an Automobile Page 10
1.16.2.A2 8. Where will the vehicle be parked most of the time? Circle all which apply. (2 points) Driveway Parking lot Street Garage 9. How will the vehicle be paid for? (1 point) 10. Who will carry the insurance policy? (1 point) 11. Do you qualify for any insurance discounts? Circle all which apply. (2 points) Good Student Nonsmoking Other Driver s Education No past accidents or tickets 12. List options (a minimum of 5) you would like in the vehicle (CD player, cruise control, power locks, etc.) and rate each item based on priority by checking the appropriate level in the chart (1 high, 3 - low). (5 points) Automobile Option Priority Level 1 2 3 13. Review your responses and summarize your transportation wants by completing the following sentence by identifying five transportation needs. For example, a four-wheel drive truck with large hauling capacity, automatic transmission, large cab and standard features. (5 points) Based on my responses, the following type of vehicle would be best suited for me: Family Economics & Financial Education Revised November 2004 Transportation Unit Researching an Automobile Page 11
1.16.2.A3 Part 2 What Types of Vehicles Fit My Needs? 7 Total Points Possible Directions: Complete the following questions. 1. Scenario name drawn: 2. Annual income: Down payment: 3. Loan variables: 4. On average, what percentage of a person s spending plan is spent on transportation costs? (1 point) 5. Based on your annual income, how much money should be spent on transportation each year according to the average percentage? (Annual income X percentage in decimal form) (1 point) 6. How much money is this monthly? The monthly payment should not exceed this amount. (Above figure / 12) (1 point) 7. With this payment amount, use a Web site to determine a price range of vehicles which fits your spending plan? Record the answer. (1 point) Before completing the last question, take some time to perform pre-shopping research on the internet to find a vehicle described on the What Do I Want/Need in a Vehicle worksheet 1.16.2.A2. 8. From the price range listed above, choose 3 vehicles to compare. Record the make and model for all choices. (3 points) Family Economics & Financial Education Revised November 2004 Transportation Unit Researching an Automobile Page 12
1.16.2.A4 Part 3 Comparison of Vehicles 30 Total Points Possible Directions: Compare the vehicles listed on question #8 on the What Types of Vehicles Fit My Needs? worksheet 1.16.2.A3 by completing the following chart. Make Model Year Criteria Vehicle Options #1 #2 #3 Warranty Gas Mileage Monthly Payment Monthly Insurance Costs Price Family Economics & Financial Education Revised November 2004 Transportation Unit Researching an Automobile Page 13
1.16.2.A5 Part 4 Making & Evaluating a Decision 50 Total Points Possible Directions: Complete the following decision-making grid to weight the important criteria when researching a vehicle. (40 points) Decide what criteria (at least 5) to rate a vehicle on are most important to you and record them in the criteria column below. For example: style/look, price, features, durability, etc. Only choose criteria important to you. Decide, on a base of 100%, how much each criterion should be weighted. For example, if style/look is the most important to you, its percentage would be higher than the other criteria s percentages. If durability is the least important, its percentage would be lower than the other criteria s percentages. Next, score each vehicle according to the criteria, based on a 10-point scale, where 10 is the highest score. For example, if you really liked the style and look of vehicle #1, you would give it a high score like a 9 or 10. In the next column, multiply the weight by the score and record it. For example, if the weight was 30% and the score was 8, the math would be.30 x 8 = 2.4. After all of the criteria for the vehicle has been scored and weighted, total the weighted scores at the bottom. Compare each vehicle by the weighted score received. The highest total weighted score would be the vehicle which best matched your needs and wants. Criteria Decision Weight (W) Vehicle #1 Vehicle #2 Vehicle #3 Score (S) W x S Score (S) W x S Score (S) W x S Total 100% Family Economics & Financial Education Revised November 2004 Transportation Unit Researching an Automobile Page 14
1.16.2.A5 Part 4 continued Directions: Answer the following questions based on the decision-making grid. 1. According to the above chart, which vehicle should you purchase? (1 point) 2. Which vehicle will you buy? Explain why. (2 points) 3. Are you satisfied with your choice? Why or why not? (2 points) 4. What can the consumer accomplish by completing the planned buying process? (2 points) 5. If you were to complete this process again, what would you do differently? (2 points) 6. What surprised you about this research process? (1 point) Family Economics & Financial Education Revised November 2004 Transportation Unit Researching an Automobile Page 15