When Frank Gonzales glances at the miles-per-gallon sticker on the Lamborghini Gallardo Spider, he scoffs at the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 11 city and 17 highway miles per gallon estimates.“I’ll guarantee it does eight,” said Gonzales, salesman of exotic cars at Lamborghini-Miami.
“Really?” I asked, surprised.
“Not even that.”
Although a salesman may spout off some of their insights, buyers should do the homework when it comes to the mpg rating. The EPA is in the middle of recalculating estimates with current driving habits, and not all the data is updated. Here are some questions buyers may want to ask when buying a new automobile:
- Ask if they offer hybrid models, but be forewarned on pricing. The new technology equipped with the hybrid tends to have a starting price higher than its non-hybrid model.
- Ask if you’re eligible for tax breaks. Depending on the model, you could get up to $3,000.
- Ask about the vehicle’s CO2 emissions. This is estimated by how clean the fuel burned is.
- Ask for the miles-per-gallon rating for the city and highway. Some cars may have a high mpg rating, but have off-scale numbers when it comes to CO2 emissions. Try to get the numbers even.
