AutoSelect.com knows with so many new cars (and trucks, SUVs, hybrids and "crossovers") to choose from, how do you pick the right one -- for you? Buying a vehicle is a complex transaction, since it involves so many factors which have to be considered as to leasing or purchasing a car, term of the contract, warranty, and gap insurance; Buyers should also study the full range of features, prices and deals available from different manufactures. It's easy to go on looks alone, of course, but down that road lies trouble (very much like picking a spouse on the basis of looks alone “not that we don’t do that now and then”). Or you can focus on price, but if you do that to the exclusion of other considerations, such as comfort, safety or reliability, it's not likely you'll be happy with your "bargain." So where to begin?

To make sense of all the choices out there, start by answering these 10 questions:

1. Do I prefer a domestic or an import brand? Does it matter? 2. Do I need (or just want) a large vehicle, a medium-sized vehicle -- or a small one? 3. Do I need (or just want) a vehicle with rear-wheel drive, front-wheel drive or some sort of all- wheel-drive/4x4 system? 4. Do I prefer a soft ride, a firm, "sporty" ride -- or something in-between? 5. How important is power/performance? Do I need (or just want) a vehicle that can do 150 mph? 6. Do I need (or just want) a vehicle that can carry cargo? How much? 7. What kind of gas mileage is acceptable -- and what's not? Is my personal "tipping point" at least 28 mpg -- or is 16 mpg OK if the car otherwise meets my needs? 8. How about safety? Are crash-test scores very important? The presence (or absence) of features like side-curtain air bags, stability control and Brake Assist? 9. What level of warranty coverage meets my expectations? Is three years/36,000 miles enough? Or is the minimum five years/50,000 miles? 10. Is resale/trade-in value a big consideration? Some brands hold their value much better than others.

Your answers to the above will automatically exclude a number of makes/models, narrowing your pool of possible candidates considerably.

11. Now the biggest question: How much do you want to spend?

Never, ever go shopping for a vehicle without thoroughly figuring out beforehand the maximum amount of money you're comfortable spending -- and stick to it. This will keep you on budget and help you dodge the "low monthly payment" shuck and jive that often gets unsuspecting buyers in way over their heads. Be sure to include everything in the bottom line, too. That means finance charges, interest, taxes, insurance, everything you will need to spend to own and drive the car.

Having settled on a figure you can further narrow down the potential choices on your list to a manageable half dozen or so.

Now it's time to actually go look at each vehicle left on your list. Sit in it, see how the controls feel and, ideally, take each out for an extended test drive. It is strongly recommended that you insist on a test drive of at least an hour or two before you even begin to talk about buying the car. Otherwise, you're buying a pig in a poke that could turn out to have seats that are too hard, an engine that's too noisy, a transmission that's hard for you to shift smoothly, blind spots that make changing lanes hazardous -- any number of things you can't discover without actually trying the vehicle out.