Make sure to give the vehicle a good parking test.

With auto prices being what they are, it's only natural for a potential buyer to want to get behind the wheel of a new or used vehicle and take it for a spin. But taking a car off the lot shouldn't be a pleasant Sunday drive; to really see what a machine is made of, you've got to put it to through a variety of situations and know the sorts of things to pay attention to.

Jonathan Welsh is a staff reporter for the Wall Street Journal. Here he offers his expert tips for making the most of your next automobile test drive:

• Drive for a half-hour. Before you start any test drive, make sure that you're going to be able to have the car long enough to put it through the full range of everyday driving situations. Welsh recommends a half hour as a good minimum.

• Drive it on the highway. Driving on the highway will give you an idea of how the car accelerates. Is it quick enough to get you into speeding traffic without too much heartache?

• Drive it in town. Driving in town will usually set you in stop and start driving, and will let you know how the car maneuvers in a crowd.

• Listen for noises. According to Welsh, you should use your ears as much as you use your eyes during the test drive. Does the car make funny noises? Does it squeak or rattle? Does it echo when you go over bumps? These can all be signs of trouble.

• Do a parking test. When taking a vehicle for a test drive, says Welsh, many people will forget to check out how the car parks. See how your car handles parking lot spaces, parallel parking, and going in and out of driveways. Does the car maneuver easily in and out of standard spots? Does it ride especially low or scrape on the driveway?

• Get a feel for it. When you're driving the car, make sure you pay attention to all of those things that are hard to quantify. You want to get a sense for how the car feels, whether you're comfortable in it, and if it will be easy for you to get used to driving it.