Question: Finding the Best Car Value When trying to decide what car to buy, real value is not necessarily determined by how much you spend on
Finding the Best Car Value
When trying to decide what car to buy, real value is not necessarily determined by how much you spend on the initial purchase. Instead, cars that are reliable and don't cost much to own often represent the best values. But, no matter how reliable or inexpensive a car may cost to own, it must also perform well.
To measure value,Consumer Reportsdeveloped a statistic referred to as a value score. The value score is based upon five-year owner costs, overall road-test scores, and predicted reliability ratings. Five-year owner costs are based on the expenses incurred in the first five years of ownership, including depreciation, fuel, maintenance and repairs, and so on. Using a national average of 12,000 miles per year, an average cost per mile driven is used as the measure of five-year owner costs. Road-test scores are the results of more than 50 tests and evaluations and are based upon a 100-point scale, with higher scores indicating better performance, comfort, convenience, and fuel economy. The highest road-test score obtained in the tests conducted byConsumer Reportswas a 99 for a Lexus LS 460L. Predicted-reliability ratings (1 = Poor, 2 = Fair, 3 = Good, 4 = Very Good, and 5 = Excellent) are based on data fromConsumer Reports'Annual Auto Survey.
A car with a value score of 1.0 is considered to be "average-value." A car with a value score of 2.0 is considered to be twice as good a value as a car with a value score of 1.0; a car with a value score of 0.5 is considered half as good as average; and so on. The data for 20 family sedans, including the price ($) of each car tested, follow.
| Car | Price ($) | Cost/Mile | Road-Test Score | Predicted Reliability | Value Score |
| Nissan Altima 2.5 S (4-cyl.) | 23,970 | 0.59 | 91 | 4 | 1.75 |
| Kia Optima LX (2.4) | 21,885 | 0.58 | 81 | 4 | 1.73 |
| Subaru Legacy 2.5i Premium | 23,830 | 0.59 | 83 | 4 | 1.73 |
| Ford Fusion Hybrid | 32,360 | 0.63 | 84 | 5 | 1.70 |
| Honda Accord LX-P (4-cyl.) | 23,730 | 0.56 | 80 | 4 | 1.62 |
| Mazda6 i Sport (4-cyl.) | 22,035 | 0.58 | 73 | 4 | 1.60 |
| Hyundai Sonata GLS (2.4) | 21,800 | 0.56 | 89 | 3 | 1.58 |
| Ford Fusion SE (4-cyl.) | 23,625 | 0.57 | 76 | 4 | 1.55 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LT (4-cyl.) | 24,115 | 0.57 | 74 | 3 | 1.48 |
| Kia Optima SX (2.0T) | 29,050 | 0.72 | 84 | 4 | 1.43 |
| Ford Fusion SEL (V6) | 28,400 | 0.67 | 80 | 4 | 1.42 |
| Nissan Altima 3.5 SR (V6) | 30,335 | 0.69 | 93 | 4 | 1.42 |
| Hyundai Sonata Limited (2.0T) | 28,090 | 0.66 | 89 | 3 | 1.39 |
| Honda Accord EX-L (V6) | 28,695 | 0.67 | 90 | 3 | 1.36 |
| Mazda6 s Grand Touring (V6) | 30,790 | 0.74 | 81 | 4 | 1.34 |
| Ford Fusion SEL (V6, AWD) | 30,055 | 0.71 | 75 | 4 | 1.32 |
| Subaru Legacy 3.6R Limited | 30,094 | 0.71 | 88 | 3 | 1.29 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LTZ (V6) | 28,045 | 0.67 | 83 | 3 | 1.20 |
| Chrysler 200 Limited (V6) | 27,825 | 0.70 | 52 | 5 | 1.20 |
| Chevrolet Impala LT (3.6) | 28,995 | 0.67 | 63 | 3 | 1.05 |
Data and information to solve the question if required:
| Car | Size | Price ($) | Cost/Mile | Road-Test Score | Predicted Reliability | Value Score |
| Toyota Corolla (base, manual) | Small Sedan | 16,419 | 0.44 | 70 | 4 | 1.99 |
| Mazda3 i Touring (manual) | Small Sedan | 18,895 | 0.50 | 74 | 5 | 1.94 |
| Toyota Corolla LE | Small Sedan | 18,404 | 0.47 | 71 | 4 | 1.89 |
| Mazda3 i Touring | Small Sedan | 19,745 | 0.52 | 70 | 5 | 1.82 |
| Hyundai Elantra GLS | Small Sedan | 18,445 | 0.53 | 80 | 3 | 1.64 |
| Nissan Sentra 2.0 SL | Small Sedan | 20,150 | 0.57 | 74 | 4 | 1.51 |
| Kia Forte Sedan EX | Small Sedan | 19,040 | 0.57 | 71 | 3 | 1.32 |
| Ford Focus SE | Small Sedan | 20,280 | 0.52 | 68 | 2 | 1.30 |
| Ford Fiesta SE | Small Sedan | 16,595 | 0.47 | 61 | 2 | 1.25 |
| Volkswagen Jetta SE (2.5) | Small Sedan | 20,300 | 0.54 | 60 | 3 | 1.24 |
| Volkswagen Jetta TDI | Small Sedan | 25,100 | 0.50 | 68 | 2 | 1.18 |
| Chevrolet Cruze LS (1.8) | Small Sedan | 18,375 | 0.57 | 67 | 1 | 0.96 |
| Chevrolet Cruze 1LT (1.4T) | Small Sedan | 20,530 | 0.60 | 69 | 1 | 0.91 |
| Nissan Altima 2.5 S (4-cyl.) | Family Sedan | 23,970 | 0.59 | 91 | 4 | 1.75 |
| Kia Optima LX (2.4) | Family Sedan | 21,885 | 0.58 | 81 | 4 | 1.73 |
| Subaru Legacy 2.5i Premium | Family Sedan | 23,830 | 0.59 | 83 | 4 | 1.73 |
| Ford Fusion Hybrid | Family Sedan | 32,360 | 0.63 | 84 | 5 | 1.70 |
| Honda Accord LX-P (4-cyl.) | Family Sedan | 23,730 | 0.56 | 80 | 4 | 1.62 |
| Mazda6 i Sport (4-cyl.) | Family Sedan | 22,035 | 0.58 | 73 | 4 | 1.60 |
| Hyundai Sonata GLS (2.4) | Family Sedan | 21,800 | 0.56 | 89 | 3 | 1.58 |
| Ford Fusion SE (4-cyl.) | Family Sedan | 23,625 | 0.57 | 76 | 4 | 1.55 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LT (4-cyl.) | Family Sedan | 24,115 | 0.57 | 74 | 3 | 1.48 |
| Kia Optima SX (2.0T) | Family Sedan | 29,050 | 0.72 | 84 | 4 | 1.43 |
| Ford Fusion SEL (V6) | Family Sedan | 28,400 | 0.67 | 80 | 4 | 1.42 |
| Nissan Altima 3.5 SR (V6) | Family Sedan | 30,335 | 0.69 | 93 | 4 | 1.42 |
| Hyundai Sonata Limited (2.0T) | Family Sedan | 28,090 | 0.66 | 89 | 3 | 1.39 |
| Honda Accord EX-L (V6) | Family Sedan | 28,695 | 0.67 | 90 | 3 | 1.36 |
| Mazda6 s Grand Touring (V6) | Family Sedan | 30,790 | 0.74 | 81 | 4 | 1.34 |
| Ford Fusion SEL (V6, AWD) | Family Sedan | 30,055 | 0.71 | 75 | 4 | 1.32 |
| Subaru Legacy 3.6R Limited | Family Sedan | 30,094 | 0.71 | 88 | 3 | 1.29 |
| Chevrolet Malibu LTZ (V6) | Family Sedan | 28,045 | 0.67 | 83 | 3 | 1.20 |
| Chrysler 200 Limited (V6) | Family Sedan | 27,825 | 0.70 | 52 | 5 | 1.20 |
| Chevrolet Impala LT (3.6) | Family Sedan | 28,995 | 0.67 | 63 | 3 | 1.05 |
| Lexus ES 350 | Upscale Sedan | 38,615 | 0.77 | 91 | 5 | 1.45 |
| Acura TL (base) | Upscale Sedan | 36,465 | 0.75 | 82 | 5 | 1.41 |
| Lexus IS 250 | Upscale Sedan | 33,734 | 0.75 | 84 | 5 | 1.40 |
| Infiniti G25 Journey | Upscale Sedan | 34,225 | 0.73 | 86 | 4 | 1.37 |
| Lexus HS 250h Premium | Upscale Sedan | 38,939 | 0.75 | 83 | 4 | 1.36 |
| Acura TSX (4-cyl.) | Upscale Sedan | 29,675 | 0.67 | 84 | 3 | 1.35 |
| Infiniti G37 Journey | Upscale Sedan | 37,225 | 0.79 | 95 | 4 | 1.33 |
| Toyota Avalon Limited | Upscale Sedan | 35,485 | 0.73 | 86 | 3 | 1.27 |
| Hyundai Genesis 3.8 | Upscale Sedan | 39,850 | 0.78 | 92 | 3 | 1.22 |
| Volvo S60 T5 | Upscale Sedan | 35,100 | 0.76 | 77 | 4 | 1.18 |
| Nissan Maxima 3.5 SV | Upscale Sedan | 33,700 | 0.78 | 83 | 3 | 1.17 |
| Buick Regal CXL (2.4) | Upscale Sedan | 28,840 | 0.65 | 77 | 2 | 1.14 |
| Lincoln MKZ | Upscale Sedan | 37,160 | 0.80 | 77 | 4 | 1.12 |
| BMW 328i | Upscale Sedan | 39,175 | 0.79 | 77 | 3 | 1.10 |
| Audi A4 Premium Quattro | Upscale Sedan | 35,895 | 0.76 | 76 | 3 | 1.08 |
| Ford Taurus Limited | Upscale Sedan | 34,980 | 0.78 | 73 | 3 | 1.07 |
| Buick Regal CXL (turbo) | Upscale Sedan | 32,135 | 0.71 | 79 | 2 | 1.06 |
| Mercedes-Benz C300 Sport | Upscale Sedan | 37,325 | 0.83 | 77 | 3 | 1.04 |
| Volkswagen CC Luxury (2.0T) | Upscale Sedan | 32,680 | 0.73 | 82 | 2 | 1.04 |
| Saab 9-3 2.0T | Upscale Sedan | 31,615 | 0.70 | 69 | 3 | 1.00 |
| Buick LaCrosse CXS (V6) | Upscale Sedan | 37,555 | 0.81 | 74 | 2 | 0.82 |
Executive Summary
The executive summary is a brief description of your business report, allowing readers to
- understand the problem/opportunity that is being analyzed and reported on
- see the findings and insights that help you solve the problem/opportunity
- learn the strategy you recommend the company follow
The executive summary is very important in a business report - it provides a snapshot of all the details shown in the full business report.
Title
Introduction paragraph
Please give a brief overview of the topic
Question 1
A portion of the Excel output follows.
| Regression Statistics | |||||||
| Multiple R | 0.8707 | ||||||
| R Square | 0.7580 | ||||||
| Adjusted R Square | 0.7485 | ||||||
| Standard Error | 0.0520 | ||||||
| Observations | 54 | ||||||
| ANOVA | |||||||
| df | SS | MS | F | Significance F | |||
| Regression | 2 | 0.4325 | 0.2163 | 79.8884 | 1.93001E-16 | ||
| Residual | 51 | 0.1381 | 0.0027 | ||||
| Total | 53 | 0.5706 | |||||
| Coefficients | Standard Error | t Stat | p-Value | ||||
| Intercept | 0.5231 | 0.0144 | 36.2479 | 4.48609E-38 | |||
| Family-Sedan | 0.1189 | 0.0185 | 6.4157 | 4.55557E-08 | |||
| Upscale-Sedan | 0.2303 | 0.0184 | 12.5400 | 3.33718E-17 | |||
There appears to be a significant relationship between the type of car and the cost/mile. Approximately 75% of the variability in Cost/Mile is explained using the Family-Sedan and Upscale-Sedan variables. Note that for a small sedan, Family-Sedan = 0 and Upscale-Sedan = 0. Thus the estimate of the Cost/Mile for a small sedan is .5231. Note that the Cost/Mile increases by .1189 for a family sedan and .2303 for an upscale sedan. Conclusion: smaller cars have lower five-year owner costs.
Question 2
A portion of the Excel output follows.
| Regression Statistics | |||||||
| Multiple R | 0.9671 | ||||||
| R Square | 0.9353 | ||||||
| Adjusted R Square | 0.9286 | ||||||
| Standard Error | 0.0720 | ||||||
| Observations | 54 | ||||||
| ANOVA | |||||||
| df | SS | MS | F | Significance F | |||
| Regression | 5 | 3.5967 | 0.7193 | 138.8089 | 2.4970E-27 | ||
| Residual | 48 | 0.2487 | 0.0052 | ||||
| Total | 53 | 3.8454 | |||||
| Coefficients | Standard Error | t Stat | p-Value | ||||
| Intercept | 1.3710 | 0.1397 | 9.8163 | 4.6315E-13 | |||
| Cost/Mile | -2.2659 | 0.1938 | -11.6894 | 1.2003E-15 | |||
| Road-Test Score | 0.0111 | 0.0013 | 8.4774 | 4.2227E-11 | |||
| Predicted Reliability | 0.1662 | 0.0104 | 15.9306 | 8.5542E-21 | |||
| Family-Sedan | 0.0228 | 0.0380 | 0.5996 | 0.5516 | |||
| Upscale-Sedan | 0.0681 | 0.0537 | 1.2682 | 0.2108 | |||
Question 3
Family-Sedan and Upscale-Sedan are both not significant. The Excel regression output corresponding to a model using only Cost/Mile, Road-Test Score, and Predicted Reliability follows.
Question 4
| Regression Statistics | ||||||||
| Multiple R | 0.8667 | |||||||
| R Square | 0.7512 | |||||||
| Adjusted R Square | 0.7309 | |||||||
| Standard Error | 0.1397 | |||||||
| Observations | 54 | |||||||
| ANOVA | ||||||||
| df | SS | MS | F | Significance F | ||||
| Regression | 4 | 2.8886 | 0.7221 | 36.9806 | 3.07225E-14 | |||
| Residual | 49 | 0.9569 | 0.0195 | |||||
| Total | 53 | 3.8454 | ||||||
| Coefficients | Standard Error | t Stat | p-Value | |||||
| Intercept | 0.1719 | 0.1840 | 0.9341 | 0.3548 | ||||
| Family-Sedan | -0.2499 | 0.0582 | -4.2948 | 8.24809E-05 | ||||
| Upscale-Sedan | -0.4553 | 0.0576 | -7.9090 | 2.63274E-10 | ||||
| Road-Test Score | 0.0112 | 0.0025 | 4.3800 | 6.23668E-05 | ||||
| Predicted Reliability | 0.1701 | 0.0202 | 8.4018 | 4.67372E-11 | ||||
This regression output shows that the size of the car, as represented by the two dummy variables, is also a significant factor in predicting Value Score. But note that in part (1) the estimated regression equation shows that there is a significant relationship between Cost/Mile and the two dummy variables representing size. So, once the effect of Cost/Mile has been accounted for, any effects that might be due to size have already been incorporated into the model.
Conclusion and Christian Perspective:
Reference:
Andreson, D.R. (2020).Essentials of Modern Business Statistics with Microsoft Excel.Mason: South-Western.
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