Choose the right options, packages and trim levels can be difficult.

By Jim Gorzelany

As if deciding which features you'll want included in your next car or truck isn't difficult enough, the ways in which automakers package them can be confounding. To get the best deal on a new car or truck you'll need to pay close attention to how a particular model is equipped and choose one that not only has the right combination of features, but packages them in a way that will save you money.

Most models come in two or more so-called "trim levels," with higher-priced versions offering progressively more accessories and other upgrades. Generally it's best to choose the trim level that comes with most or all of the features you desire, instead of equipping the base model with options on an ala carte basis. However, if you'll wind up paying for added items you may not otherwise need or want, taking the higher trim level can be a poorer value. Be aware that not all features may be available with all trim levels in a given line; you may not be able to add, say, stability control or leather seats to the base versions of certain models.

A few automakers, namely Honda, Acura, Scion and Suzuki, offer no factory-installed options of any kind-any extra features are only available in higher trim levels or can be purchased from and installed by the dealership. Others, like Hyundai, only offer most, if not all, extra items bundled together in packages.

Most vehicles offer option packages or groups in which popular features are sold together either according to a common theme (like "Luxury Package" or "Off-Road Group"), or for convenience sake. Occasionally certain features may only be ordered as part of a package. Usually, but not always, the aggregate cost of all items will be discounted at a price that's lower than it would be if you'd order each component separately. As with trim levels, however, discounted option packages may not be a particularly good deal if they include features you don't otherwise require.

To muddy the water a bit more, a particular feature or option group might be priced differently according to which trim level you're choosing. Also, ordering a particular option or package might be dependent on selecting other features or groups (the "Performance Package" may mandate you also buy the "Wheel and Tire Group," for example, or a rear backup monitor might only be offered with the navigation system). And if you're not already confused enough, what you might be led to believe are separate trim levels could, in reality, just be option packages. Thus, the "Anniversary Edition" of a particular car might exist only as an equipment group insofar as a car or truck's price sheets are concerned. The Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 version from the late 1980's was perhaps the most notorious example of this. While it was promoted as a top-of-the-line model, it was actually ordered as a $23,000 option package on the base version.

So given the near-total lack of consistency in the automotive business-sometimes even among models in a single manufacturer's line-how can do you determine what will be the specific combination of standard and optional features that will afford the best value? First, you'll need to consult a printed or online new-vehicle pricing guide, and have paper, a pencil and a calculator at hand. Check the standard-equipment descriptions for each trim level and the list of options and option packages to see what's available for the model or models in which you're interested. Add the prices of the individual items you seek and compare that total with the price given for the trim level and/or option group that includes those features.

Where more than one configuration is possible, compare the costs of options and groups combined with higher trim levels, to see which is the better deal. Pay attention whether a particular item is available only on certain models, requires certain other features or packages or comes at a higher or lower cost depending on which trim level, options or groups you've chosen.

Be aware that you may not readily find the exact combination of features and packages you want on a given dealer's lot. Fortunately, most salespeople will consult a database of other dealers in your area to help locate a particular configuration, or at least something close to it, and have the vehicle hiked over to the showroom for you.

Of course if all else fails you can order exactly what you want from the factory. However, it may take as long as three months or more for you to take delivery, and depending on the time of year and the particular make and model, you may not be able to special order one at all.

Thus, it's always best to keep your "options" open when you go shopping for a new vehicle.

 
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