Shoppers: You can judge a car by its sticker

The first time you buy a new vehicle, or the third or fourth time you buy a new vehicle, don’t leave the dealership without the Monroney label, the official name for the window sticker.

The Monroney label decodes the vehicle’s DNA -- item by item -- and thus provides information that can prove useful from the day you buy it until the day you dispose of it.

To some consumers, the label is simply the pricing paper glued to the window that’s the starting point for negotiation with the salesman. But federal law requires that a Monroney label be displayed on each new vehicle sold -- and for good reason.

The label lists every item that’s standard equipment on the vehicle, from engine size to the type of transmission and the size of tires and wheels.

The label often lists equipment in groups, such as performance features that include engine, transmission and tires; safety features that include the number of air bags and where they’re located (front, side and/or side curtains); and convenience features, such as power windows and locks to the number of cup holders and power plugs fore and aft.

The label also details optional equipment and suggested price of each item.

After listing standard and optional equipment, the label displays the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (base price without options) and then adds the options to the MSRP along with the freight charge to arrive at a total price.

The label also carries the Environmental Protection Agency’s city and highway mileage rating and an estimate of how much you’ll spend on fuel per year based on the averages.

The label also lists the make, model, year and serial number of the vehicle. Double-check the serial number on the label with the vehicle identification number along the dash at the windshield to ensure the car you’re interested in is the same one listing all those items as standard or optional.

Consumers also should use the Monroney label to double-check claims by the salesman. If the salesman says you’re getting something as standard or as an option, the label will verify that the item is on the car as standard or has been added to the car as an option and at what price.

If an item has been added as a dealer-installed option, it has to be listed on a separate window sticker to let you know the power sunroof or stereo system upgrade didn’t come from the factory. That means the factory isn’t going to be the one to warranty it, but the dealer is supposed to.

Sometimes buyers check out sales brochures to learn what is standard or optional only to find that some of those standard equipment items are options on the Monroney label -- or are not offered at all.

Brochures are printed well before vehicles go on sale and before final pricing and equipment content is determined and carry a disclaimer that availability can change. So go by the Monroney label, not the sales brochure.

When purchasing the vehicle, always insist the dealer remove the label intact and give it to you. Make a few copies to keep in a safe place for future reference.

The label is useful when trading the car in or selling it outright. It shows the next buyer that the car came with side air-bag curtains, anti-lock brakes and traction control as you said.

The label can be valuable, too, when verifying car features during insurance claims.