Car buying confusion

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – There are terms car dealers use that can be confusing. It's mostly because they mean different things to different automakers. So, how can you drive through the maze of shopping for your next vehicle?

Cruising behind the wheel of his new car, Nihar Suthar is relieved the bumpy road of figuring out all the jargon of car ads is now in the rear view mirror. He said, "I had to really research what a lot of these terms meant."

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Terms like "all-new", "re-designed" and "refreshed" are used often in advertising, but be aware: there are no federally regulated and no industry-wide definitions. Also, what they mean may depend on who you ask. When we asked major car makers for clarity, some admitted that "the definitions of these terms are fuzzy", "these are terms of art" and "it's an inexact science." Dave Sullivan is an auto industry expert and said, "The terms, they vary across auto makers. It's really up to the marketing; there's not one uniform classification that everyone can slot into."

Chrysler says "all-new" refers to a model that is pretty much "new" from the ground up. A Cadillac dealer we spoke to says "all-new" means "a car that has not been seen before." But an Sullivan said it can also mean taking an older model car and making it, well, "pretty much, all new." "Sometimes in order to save money automakers will basically change the sheet metal, the headlights the tail lights and then kinda call that, maybe, an all-new car. Underneath it might have the same engine, the same transmission."

Everyone we talked to pretty much agreed on the term "redesigned." Mark Takahashi with Edmunds.com told us, "It's an existing model that they have significant upgrades to as far as it may actually even look completely different." But some automakers sometimes use "all-new" and "redesigned" interchangeably. Like Nissan, which told us it considers its 2015 Murano and 2014 Rogue "all-new" and "redesigned". Both models have been on the market before, but the cars are completely different. Lexus, on the other hand, told us "redesigned means major change, but not all-new."

So how do you cruise to the car you want? Takahashi suggested, "Find out if a car is just a slight cosmetic upgrade here or there or if it's an all-new, ground-up brand new car." Slight cosmetic upgrades can also mean a car was "refreshed". Another term you may have heard is "next generation," that's typically when auto makers take a model that's been around for years-and give it an overhaul. Experts say you may not want to get caught up in hot-sounding marketing jargon, instead, make a list of features you need in a car and calculate the price that fits your budget, and shop with that in mind.