(NAPSI)—Taking certain steps before you buy a car can help you drive a real bargain.

How To Buy A Car

For example, before you even set foot in a showroom, look around. What cars do you see on the street, in ads or in a parking lot that appeal to you? What do you like about them? Second, go to car company websites and look over what’s on offer. Third, decide what you need: How many passengers do you usually carry? Where do you usually drive—highways, city streets, off-road? Will you drive in ice and snow? How important is fuel economy? Do you need a lot of trunk space? How much parking space do you have? Make a list of what you must have in your car and another of what you’d like to have. Once you have some idea of what you want, visit consumer websites to compare safety, performance, gas consumption and overall cost. Finally, visit your bank and get yourself preapproved for a car loan so you know how much you can spend.

Cars To Consider

Two cars that are on a lot of car buyers’ short lists these days are the 2016 Chrysler 200S and 300S Alloy Editions.

With unique dark bronze and titanium finishes, these cars showcase leadership in color and material design inspired outside of the automotive industry, including fashion, architecture and technology, often in the brand’s backyard—the Motor City.

Matching their athletic styling, both feature sport-tuned suspensions for driving enjoyment and offer advanced all-wheel-drive (AWD) systems with Sport mode for added all-weather traction and handling. It delivers traction to all four wheels when necessary or, thanks to its segment-exclusive technology, can electronically adjust back to two-wheel drive for maximum fuel efficiency.

The 200S is a midsize sedan with coupelike proportions and windswept details that give it a timeless look. It offers highway fuel economy of up to 36 miles per gallon, 60 available safety and security features, an available, best-in-class, all-wheel-drive system, and easy-to-use, state-of-the-art technology. The Alloy Edition pairs its gloss black accents with larger, 19-inch, dark bronze aluminum wheels for an industrial look, while highlighting its sport-tuned suspension.

With confident looks, world-class execution and uniquely expressive materials, the 300S Alloy Edition comes in dark bronze, titanium and black gloss finishes.

When designing the Chrysler 300S Alloy Edition, the team incorporated exclusive black Nappa leather with caramel accent stitching on the sport-contoured heated front seats, rear seats, instrument cluster bezel, steering wheel and armrests. It delivers a best-in-class 31-mpg highway fuel economy standard, plus the availability of the segment’s most advanced all-wheel-drive system and award-winning Uconnect systems and services.

For drivers who want more rear-wheel-drive handling capability, a new performance-tuned suspension with increased spring rates, performance-tuned steering and bushings, larger sway bars (with V-8 engine) and Goodyear Eagle F1 Three-season tires is available.

For those who want even more performance and style than the standard 300-horsepower 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 engine paired to the state-of-the-art TorqueFlite eight-speed transmission with Sport mode and paddle shifters, the 300S Alloy Edition can be had with a 363-horsepower 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine with four-cylinder mode Fuel Saver Technology and uniquely sculpted side sills and deck lid spoiler.

Learn More

For further facts, stats and photos of these cars, go to www.fcanorthamerica.com and www.chrysler.com.