10 Facts to Know About a New Car

When it’s time to select a new car, it can be seductive to check out the shine and take a test drive. But finding the right car takes a lot of serious research.

You can read books put out by research organizations and scour car magazines but still come up short. A dedicated car shopper knows that getting the right information about cars isn’t easy.

Car brochures help, but they are long on irrelevant technical terms and showy pictures and often short on hard facts.

For example, Ford boasts in one brochure: “A simple turn of the hand is all that’s needed to operate the rotary climate . . . control.”

That’s great, but how well does that air conditioner cool off the car? You won’t find any manufacturer who discloses the output of its air-conditioning systems.

Buick touts the safety features of its cars in a brochure, saying its LeSabre has “substantial front brake rotors.” I’ll bet that’s the case, but exactly how fast can that Buick LeSabre stop from 70 m.p.h.? You won’t find it in any Buick brochure.

If I were the king of the car business, these 10 points would have to be disclosed in brochures by every manufacturer:

1. Stopping distance. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requires manufacturers to test their cars for stopping distance, but you won’t find it the brochures. It is available if you ask for it, but it should be easier to get.

2. Fabric content of the upholstery. If I buy a $20 shirt, I can find out what the fabric is by reading the collar label. But when I pay $20,000 for a car, the seats could be made from recycled leisure suits, for all I know. Not all fabric holds up well.

3. Crash bumper certification. Some cars still have bumpers capable of withstanding a 5-m.p.h. crash without damage. By law, they must withstand only a 2 1/2-m.p.h. crash. It is cryptically listed on the window sticker, but it ought to be in plain English in the brochure.

4. Paint formulation and thickness. A lot of water-based paints are being used for environmental reasons, notes Ken Zion, an auto body expert at El Camino College. They are good for the air, but not so hot for cars. A little thicker paint may hold up better, Zion said.

5. Pollution output. The government is forcing our society to clean up. As long as I have to pay, I’d like to know whether some models outperform government standards.

6. Air-conditioner output. A lot of cars, particularly imports, are weaklings in this category. Car systems should be rated by BTU output, as home systems are.

7. Impact tests. Everybody likes safety. Manufacturers should disclose the results of all crash tests, including side-impact tests that are kept secret.

8. Glass hardness. All auto glass is not the same. Some glass will become pitted after just a few years, impeding visibility. Also, I’d like to know how much ultraviolet light, which kills interior fabrics, the glass filters out.

9. Recycling labeling. It would be nice if these cars could be economically recycled, and a few labels would help promote such reuse.

10. Engine longevity rating. You can bet the car companies do extensive tests on their engines. It would be nice to know how they rate their own equipment.

A Ford spokesman said that there are a lot of reasons that car companies may not be able to disclose such information. And a Honda spokesman noted that he had not seen such information in many cases.

But Stephen Levy, author of the influential book “The Complete Car Cost Guide,” argues that consumers face a daunting challenge in getting complete information. Levy said he faces a “nightmare” in compiling data for his book.

“They say consumers really don’t want a lot of information,” he said. “Probably they are right. But it should be available to those who want it.”