What Do You Look For in Buying a Car?

moviequeen1

moviequeen1

SF VIP
Location
Buffalo,NY
I'm starting this topic since I'm curious what you look for in buying a car.Is it the price,good gas mileage,do you want all the 'bells&whistles'' e.g GPS,sunroof,do you stay with one particular car,buy something different when you trade it in?
I'm in the minority of a group of people who never felt comfortable behind the wheel.I know its a 'rite of passenge' when we are teenagers to get our drivers permit&then license.This 'old teenager' took the lessons,failed 3 times on the driving test. I had the bad luck of having the same tester twice,he was the most unpleasant person. Yes,there are sometimes I wish I had a car/drivers license,but after all these years,.I 'm thinking of all the money I've saved not having one. I've adapted well by either walking where I need to go or take public transportation,once in awhile ask a friend to take me someplace only if they are available. Sue
 

these days I need a car with a high seating position...easy to step in and out because I have lower back problems (my car is like a mini SUV)....I also need it to have not only a heated back screen but a heated windscreen as well...we get a lot of frost and snow here in the winter..particularly frost..so having to scrape the windscreen of snow and ice and using the blowers is a PITA..

I always buy Fords now because of the windscreen heater..most cars only have rear screen heaters..

I have no need for a sunroof... but I have to have AC... but a standard model that gets me from A to B with low running costs... and low depreciation, suits me fine.

I currently have a Ford fusion Zetec ..it's only a 1.4 engine, unlike my previous cars..but it sits at 80mph on the motorway without any problems, and is really good on fuel... Oh and the other thing is that I need to have lots of boot (trunk) space and as this is a hatchback...the back seats lie flat and gives a huge amount of space I've even had a sideboard in there...

I would definitely buy another one
 
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A Honda Accord. I bought a 2009 LX-P new. I have had it for eight years and 9 months and 110,000 miles and it has been the best vehicle I have ever owned. If and when I finally wear it out I will be looking to by another one.
 
moviequeen1 said:
I'm starting this topic since I'm curious what you look for in buying a car.Is it the price,good gas mileage....
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Sorry 'moviequeen' my preferences for what one wants will no doubt be useless to you considering of where I live the last two decades, (ie. in the city who really need 4 wheel drive). But once I bought my first Toyota I found it was a solid vehicle and never had any problems. I buy my trucks used (but must be certified) which at my dealer meant the vehicle had some of the remaining mileage and a dealer warranty. I bought the lowest mileage used one I could find and afford, preferably below 20,000 miles. When the warranty was about to expire I went back and got a second one just like the first and have it to this day. Considering the years of off-road driving in very hostile conditions I would not hesitate to buy another Toyota.

It funny that with all the trips from Alaska to PA and living in the middle of nowhere it took me moving to Texas to have my truck damaged.
 
I have been driving Toyota Corollas for some time. I always buy a demo from a dealer with low mileage. For many years I drove Fords because I worked at a Ford dealership and we were expected to drive them. With Fords they were fine until around 50000 miles and then it was always something to fix. Currently I have a 2008 Corolla with 26,000 actual miles. I don't put miles on my car like I used to, so this will probably be my last car. Each year when I go to Firestone for my inspection I am asked if I am ready to sell it since it has such low mileage and I keep it serviced.
 
I have bought various makes over the years. A Toyota station wagon, a Mazda, and my current Chevy Malibu have been the best buys for me. I look for reliability and handling.

As I live in Calif, a huge state, a car is a necessity unless you live in a city that offers local and long distant train or bus transportation. Could be wrong but I believe train and bus fares are cheaper here than most elsewhere because nearly everyone who's employed owns at least one car.
 
My '99 Honda Accord is the best car I've had. Its got over 140,000 on it and never had any serious problems

I'm thinking of replacing my other car. I don't know what to get now. I'm thinking of a hybrid - possibly a '15 Accord Hybrid. Hondas are hard to beat.
 
I love to drive and love cars! Even in Northern CA a car is helpful and sometimes a necessity, even with Uber/Lyft. One thing I noticed as my parents' generation aged, the women outlived the men and without the ability/interest to drive, declined mentally/physically a lot faster than the women who still drove and stayed active/socially engaged.

However, budget restraints mean we had to be practical about what we drove. We maintain our cars mechanically and on average keep them 8+ years. I periodically run the numbers on "lease or buy" and it always comes up 50-50; e.g., our choice. I prefer to buy, although leasing has its advantages.

This year I turned 66 so since I do 99% of the driving, I figured this was my chance to buy a more upscale vehicle. I doubt I'll still be driving in 10 yrs (altho one never knows!) but certainly we won't be taking the many driving trips we do right now.

Mileage figures are not how I pick cars. I want a car that handles very well, brakes extremely well, has decent acceleration and horsepower. I live in a hilly urban area and when we get on our closest freeway your car needs to be able to go around a 90-degree curve at 25 mph, head uphill and within 100 ft. be going at least 60 mph.

Our entrance ramp merges onto the freeway where cars are near the end of a long downhill blind curve. Even coasting, a car in the slow lane will pick up speed on this section. If you don't want to be rear-ended getting on this freeway you need to be MOVING. (Except early morning rush hour, of course - then everybody's going 15 mph).

One of our friends briefly sublet in our neighborhood. He had a Toyota Yaris (the absolutely cheapest car Toyota made) and I warned him about our freeway ramp. A couple of weeks later he told, "You weren't kidding! I thought I was going to get killed getting on at that entrance! Now I drive all the way down to the next exit because it's safer; the traffic has already slowed down so it's not so bad to merge."

Our previous "travel car" was a Hyundai Santa Fe SUV. Lovely ergonomics, great price, dependable - but underpowered (by my standards) and noisy (tiring on long trips). Occasionally we travel with friends and the Santa Fe was not quite big enough to hold everybody's stuff in the trunk.

I did a lot of research for a year, took a number of test drives, worked the numbers with our tax advisor, and finally opted for a Ford Edge Sport. Wider than I wanted, but has enough length without being too long. We factory-ordered it because in CA they always put on sunroofs, and I had no use for a $1200 option (I hate sunroofs/moonroofs). That $1200 was better spent on the Technology pkg, which has just about all the "bells and whistles" that were on my checklist.

Not my dream car, but it has all the important things I wanted, none of the things I didn't want, and I looovvvve driving it. Unlike many SUVs it's even good on curvy backroads!

Oh, and we really like the color, too:
2017-2 Ford Edge Canyon Ridge color.jpg
 
I have driven and owned all brands of cars; Buicks, Fords, Plymouths, Pontiacs, etc. I am happy with my Chrysler, it's a large sedan and I would get another one, too. I have 160,000 miles on it and it's still running. The engine makes some noise now but it has good pick up. I hope to get another one once this one bites the dust. When I get a new one I will take it to a garage to have it inspected. I look for large Chryslers now. They really hold the road in the Winter, too.
 
My last 2 cars have been Honda Accord V6's. The one that I'm currently driving has reached 87,000 miles and the only real problem has been a need to replace the steering rack. My previous Accord also sits in the driveway as I gave it to my grandson who attends a local college. It has 210,000 on it and has been an equally problem free car. The A/C quit, a few years back when we were spending one of our winters in (of all places) Florida. Had it repaired there and it's still humming. Most of the miles on that car were highway miles which cuts down on the wear and tear of stop and start in-town driving.

Our daughter has a Honda Fit that has also been trouble free.
 
I have to have a pickup truck with an extended cab. Liked the Ford F-150 until they changed the body style. :p

Other than that, I just want a pretty one in some shade of red. :hatlaugh:
 
Simplicity. As long as it runs well, I could care less about the color, style or make. I wouldn't care if I had to roll down the windows by hand.My only requirement is a good AC and heater.
 
Bought a 2012 Nissan Sentra last year with 30k on it,absolutely adore this car,32mpg,runs like a dream.
My son has purchased several cars and is friends will my salesman,he negotiated a lube for life(oil changes) and an êxtended warranty into the price...very happy
 
NancyNGA said:
I have to have a pickup truck with an extended cab. Liked the Ford F-150 until they changed the body style.
Click to expand...

I'm with you 'NancyNGA',
even though I no longer live on a dirt road many miles from town and don't haul water, fuel or lumber anymore... I could not see driving anything but a pick-um-up!

My first Tacoma at the Arctic circle

002_2.jpg

My current Tacoma pulling into a neighbors driveway back home in Alaska

IMG_7720.jpg

..and lastly with my son and I at my cabin

P1640475.jpg
​
 
Pete said:
I'm with you 'NancyNGA'... I could not see driving anything but a pick-um-up!
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Pete, I've only had two, but they span 31 years, so far. Love(d) 'em both. Just hauled off some tree limbs today, and brought back some lumber. There's *always* something you have to carry around it seems. Even if it's only goats! Ha!

truckRanger86.gif

truckF150.gif
 
NancyNGA said:
I have to have a pickup truck with an extended cab. Liked the Ford F-150 until they changed the body style. :p

Other than that, I just want a pretty one in some shade of red. :hatlaugh:
Click to expand...

Pete said:
I'm with you 'NancyNGA',
even though I no longer live on a dirt road many miles from town and don't haul water, fuel or lumber anymore... I could not see driving anything but a pick-um-up!
Click to expand...

Another vote for a small pickup truck.

I bought my first pickup in 1989 and am currently on pickup number three. The only drawback to owning a pickup that I've found is the number of calls for help moving, hauling broken washing machines and couches or brush for family and friends, things slowed down after the first six months!
 
Safety, reliability, and all wheel drive. Last one was a 2000 Subaru Outback. Sold it and replaced it with a 2013 Subaru Forester.
 

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