The Car Project

Buying a car is usually one of the first major purchases that a person makes and will continue to make throught their life. Wise consumers can often save hundreds of dollars on both the purchase and financing of the car.
Project Objectives
Students should learn:

1) how to do side by side comparisons of any new car models on the Internet.
2) how to find the MRSP (sticker price) and dealer markup of any new car on the Internet.
3) how to calculate the monthly payments and total cost of any car model on the Internet.

Later on, we will use these Internet sites to learn the effect that Interest rates have on the monthly payment and the total cost and the effect that down payment size has on the total cost.
The Task
Each student will locate 3 to 6 choices in the following categories:

1) Subcompact car priced under $15,000
2) Midsized car priced under $25,000
3) Luxury car priced under $45,000

List the model, options, horsepower, mpg (city and highway), MRSP (Sticker price), down payment (20%), monthly payment for 4 years @ 8% apr., and total cost of the purchase on the class handout.
Internet Resources
  • Consumer Auto Guide
  • Kelly Blue Book (New and Used)
  • Payment Calculator
    Conclusion
    At the conclusion of this activity, you will have learned to be a wiser consumer shopper. For further information on auto purchasing tips, visit Financing and purchasing tips
    Search Sites
    Use these search tools for keyword searching.
    Documentation
    For instructions on documenting Internet sources, refer to Citing Internet resources.
    Created by Mr. Gregory and Mr. McCright
    Return to the WebQuest page.