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What is your priority in purchasing a car/truck/vehicle?

What are your top priorities in buying a car/truck/SUV?

  • The cost of buying the vehicle

    Votes: 34 61.8%
  • Fuel economy and/or how green the vehicle is

    Votes: 31 56.4%
  • How much/how many it can carry - big is better

    Votes: 4 7.3%
  • Luxury/comfort

    Votes: 14 25.5%
  • Performance - ie powerful and fast

    Votes: 22 40.0%
  • Country of origin/brand

    Votes: 9 16.4%
  • Safety of driver and passengers

    Votes: 18 32.7%
  • How the car looks - cute, sharp, prestige

    Votes: 17 30.9%
  • Length warranty

    Votes: 10 18.2%
  • Multi-use capability (4 wheel drive etc). both as car/truck etc

    Votes: 16 29.1%

  • Total voters
    55
I am all about function over form.
I have had very good luck buying used cars (and trucks),
but that market is becoming less of a good deal.
In the past, I used a simple formula.
Select a vehicle/year that is roughly at the end of the payment cycle.
Select a vehicle/year that consumer reports list as better than average reliability.
Look at the brand lot where the vehicle came from (i.e. used Ford on a Ford lot)
Try and find one that came from that dealer.
Have a trusted Mechanic check it out.
The idea on the dealer lot, is that someone bought the vehicle, made all the payments,
and liked the vehicle/dealer enough to go back and get another.
It also takes advantage of the fact that many people get a new car itch as that last payment is coming up.

We go to both extremes. If for utility that is ALL we care about. If for personal and pleasure usage, we want it to about form in terms of reflecting the opinion we have of each other and ourselves. What you drive is a bit like what you wear - it tells about you. Plus there is the question of the quality of life for the time spend in a vehicle as that becomes your environment.

For utility/work vehicles, we singularly care about function - meaning cheap but good running beatup old trucks. We don't have to worry about dinging them up or keeping them clean - just keep 'em running and drive them til they drop.

But for personal use, we go for unique, powerful and impressive. Thus our trucks, other than not wrecked, are about the cheapest around and we buy them for $2-3K. But our personal use vehicles are rare, "status," and very poor fuel economy monster-power machines ranging for a 600 hp prototype Italian 4x4 designer SUV (of a defunct company) to 800 hp Mercedes. We buy all vehicles used and generally at very low prices even for being used.
 
Should have added reliability. That's a major factor. That's why I bought a Corvette instead of a BMW or Audi. Reliability, cost of maintenance. Also because I wanted a 2 seater, and the other companies offerings didn't have the same daily usability as the Chevy offering.

I agree with your analysis. I used to disfavor Corvettes, but they are very reliable, lower repair/maintenance costs, far more customization options, and by far the most performance bang for the buck. The Z06 put Corvette back into the true performance car league and the 2014 at a mere 3100 pounds should be a real screamer. If Corvette does put a 700 hp motor in their ZR1 as is rumored, with that low weight and without the mechanical drain of all-wheel drive it will definitely be in the super-car category able to go up against even the best of the Italian mega-costly exotics.
For old muscle car performance combined with excellent handling and braking, a used late model Z06 Vette is by far the best deal out there. And try pricing performance mods to a Vette compared to a BMW or Audi, even if you can find parts options for those imports. Plus the Corvette has vastly more potential regardless of $$.
 
anonymous polls suck

I buy the lexus brand for several reasons

1) my first lexus, the cheapest one at the time (ES 250) I bought new and put 265K+ fairly trouble free miles on it

2) the service department is near and helpful

3) I might buy a mercedes based on the facts you set forth though
 
This thing did not do well at all. The lack of ruggedness and a V8 compared to standard pickup trucks had a negative affect on sales. This truck was never taken seriously be real truck owners or professionals.

While those sloping side beds increase gas mileage by 1 mpg, that design is absurd, as is the 6 foot long and narrow beds.

The standard for a pickup bed was the same for decades - to able to hold a 4X8 sheet of plywood flat and close the tailgate. If a full sized truck can't do that, it's a failure in my opinion.
 
anonymous polls suck

I buy the lexus brand for several reasons

1) my first lexus, the cheapest one at the time (ES 250) I bought new and put 265K+ fairly trouble free miles on it

2) the service department is near and helpful

3) I might buy a mercedes based on the facts you set forth though

The downside to Mercedes is maintenance - and Mercedes is in a class action lawsuit for it. Mercedes will not release their codes to anyone - so all servicing, even oil changes, have to be done at the dealer for most models - because other locations can't turn off the engine warning/oil change light. That also, for some models, will cause the computer to downgrade motor performance under the premise that the oil has not been changed so the motor needs to be protected. Mercedes overall terribly price-gouges on parts and repairs.

I do think Mercedes is the finest cars on the road. They don't go with gaudy interiors or plastic like Cadillac, they are built like tanks, and ride excellently. For what it matters, they are the status car, but without extreme body styles to try to show it off. But they gouge on maintenance and repairs, which you can be locked into. I hope Mercedes loses the lawsuit demanding they release maintenance codes to other repair and oil change shop companies.
 
The downside to Mercedes is maintenance - and Mercedes is in a class action lawsuit for it. Mercedes will not release their codes to anyone - so all servicing, even oil changes, have to be done at the dealer for most models - because other locations can't turn off the engine warning/oil change light. That also, for some models, will cause the computer to downgrade motor performance under the premise that the oil has not been changed so the motor needs to be protected. Mercedes overall terribly price-gouges on parts and repairs.

I do think Mercedes is the finest cars on the road. They don't go with gaudy interiors or plastic like Cadillac, they are built like tanks, and ride excellently. For what it matters, they are the status car, but without extreme body styles to try to show it off. But they gouge on maintenance and repairs, which you can be locked into. I hope Mercedes loses the lawsuit demanding they release maintenance codes to other repair and oil change shop companies.

interesting, I did not know that
 
From 16 to 30 will it,
1. Light the tires from 30 mph.
2. Will tow my toy trailers.
3. Will it/can be made to run 3ft of mud then cross a canal.
From 30 to 40 will it,
1. Get me to work on time.
2. Not break the bank.
3. Not look goofy.
From 40 to 50 will it,
1. Start every morning.
2. Not look goofy.
3. Make it to Key West and back ok.
But a buddy just bought a new 911S, so I am jealous right now. May need to upgrade the stable. LOL
And must be 'merican and GM.
 
I never thought my wife would be into materialism and showing off, but she is. She was razed a lot in high school for being the perfectly good and prudish person attending religious schools and even college - predicting she'd never accomplish anything. However adults, particularly seniors, love her and she is very well known and popular, almost like a town mascot in this small city. But now she has a huge house and a huge piece of waterfront land filled with very flashy boats and vehicles we buy used for pennies on the dollar - but people don't know that.

An acquaintance friend of hers dating back to her youth really went off on her over the '05 AMG/Renntech Mercedes CL65 she got me, that she had completely body disassembled, some body customization done and OEM color showcar quality repainted. She has a total of less than $35K in it. But it looks better than new, very sharp. That friend had gone online to see what such a car in it's form costs new. About a quarter million with those mods new. The woman though she had paid that much for it.

So the woman out-of-the-blue - with I and her husband in the room - suddenly just went off on my wife. She said my wife is "greedy and always showing off how much money" she has - going on to say that it is because she married an "ex Chicago gangster who probably got all his money selling drugs" and adding "and now he's in law enforcement and I don't even see how that's legal with his record!" (I have no criminal record and never sold drugs.)

My wife has a long fuse, but a short one when it comes to criticizing her family, which includes me. This was her response, pretty much word for word:

"I bought that car for my husband with my money. Rare, unique, tremendously powerful, sophisticated, elegant, sharp looking, providing extreme safety, unmatchable performance, the finest ever made and modified to perfection for which women such as you envy for but will never have. SINCE THAT IS WHAT MY HUSBAND IS, then that is the car he should have too.

YOUR HUSBAND DRIVES A KIA. I could go just over to the state highway right now and see 3 dozen exactly like it. It is weak, boring, generic, cheap, can't perform and within a few years won't be worth the price to maintain it, for which you will trade it in on another KIA, just like you traded in your last husband for this one. Or just maybe he traded you off because he tired of driving and being married to a KIA."


Although that woman started it, she just shouted back "I can't believe you said that!" and stormed out - a success since my wife wanted her to leave anyway. :lol:


If a person shops around and is willing to do a minor repair, you can buy a super car for no more or even less than a new low-grade car. You'll get just as many miles out of it and you'll have all that super car provides. New cars are now so pricy and so depreciate in value so fast, it makes little sense buying a new car or truck. The only advantage of buying a new car is that they are the easiest to finance, while super used car buys generally require all of it in cash. Not having money can be very expensive in the long run. We finance nothing.
 
1. Cost has to be a factor.
2. An investment in technology that will eventually defund terrorism targeted at American citizens from all sources, not just our money
3. Defunding dictatorships that control the US economy including setting fuel costs from US friendly western countries
4. Defunding nuclear proliferation
5. Helping my fellow American realize their attitudes toward alternatives have in many cases been based on false understandings
6. An investing in petroleum-free automotive technology that will contribute to rapid and ongoing improvements; particularly with respect to driving range, vehicle size options and costs
 
Some people see the vehicle they drive as an extension of themselves. Just as a person's body houses the essence and personage of a person, the vehicle they are in becomes like their body too - in both form and function to themselves and to others. Thus, what car/vehicle they are driving is a very serious decision meriting great consideration akin to a person having the ability to pick what body they have. A curious perspective.
 
Cost, fuel efficiency, comfort, performance, how it drives.
 
From 16 to 30 will it,
1. Light the tires from 30 mph.
2. Will tow my toy trailers.
3. Will it/can be made to run 3ft of mud then cross a canal.
From 30 to 40 will it,
1. Get me to work on time.
2. Not break the bank.
3. Not look goofy.
From 40 to 50 will it,
1. Start every morning.
2. Not look goofy.
3. Make it to Key West and back ok.
But a buddy just bought a new 911S, so I am jealous right now. May need to upgrade the stable. LOL
And must be 'merican and GM.

If not the latest generation, used Vettes are surprisingly cheap right now. If you want power, go for an early model Z06. About 400 hp, 3500ish pounds. Figure about 15K for a decent one. Add a trailer hitch.
Example:
Chevrolet : Corvette Z06 in Chevrolet | eBay Motors

Or supercharged and performance tricked out:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Procharged-Z06-/151143211600?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item2330d66250

You could get that for less than the price of a new bottom-of-the-line Kia. And it's likely leave your pal's 911 in the rear view mirror with about 600 ponies under the hood. Parts are cheap. 1.5 million Vettes have been made and hundreds of companies make parts.

OR if you want a back seat and have about $12Kish for a project car (to buy and restore):
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1968...7419128?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item3cd722c9f8

I'd pick off an different LOW PROFILE manifold and lose the hood scope, add a 454 emblem, lose the vinyl top, get AC in it, obviously a paint job, I'd go with different wheels and redo the interior. Basically all that can be bought used and cheap on ebay. For about $10 to $12K total including buying it you'd have a real classic muscle car that would only go up in value with time. It could tow anything.

$5800 for a not-wrecked 4 speed, 12 bolt rear big block '68 Malibu is a steal. That guy has NO clue what it's really worth. Being pre-computer, carberated and generic GM mechanically, that is a CHEAP EASY project car that ANY shade tree shop can work on. Hundreds of companies make parts for it - cheap.
 
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Ebay is an excellent place to find fantastic deals on older cars. There are people who need money NOW! in small towns, cities and rural areas all over the USA who don't have the few hundred dollars to fix the brakes or a/c or put in a new clutch - for which they throw it up on ebay for whatever they can get, often having no clue what's worth. But beware. Pictures ALWAYS make cars look better than they are and figure problems not mentions. HOWEVER, for pre-computer and carberated cars that are USA built, there are NO real mechanical challenges and both used and after-market parts are plentiful and cheap, plus any shop can work on them.
 
Cost and reliability are my top priorities.


I also like a good stereo system.

Not wrecked, starts and runs, working a/c and a good stereo meets all the basic needs of transportation in my opinion.
 
This thing did not do well at all. The lack of ruggedness and a V8 compared to standard pickup trucks had a negative affect on sales. This truck was never taken seriously be real truck owners or professionals.

Yeah, I like Honda, but I'm not a fan of Ridgelines.
 
I'm not particularly worried about cost, I want it to be comfortable and filled with creature comforts as well as relatively fuel efficient (the last car I bought for my wife, we sacrificed some fuel efficiency so we could have all the bells and whistles). Ultimately though, it just has to be a car that you want to get into every day and that's not something on the list.
 
I'm not particularly worried about cost, I want it to be comfortable and filled with creature comforts as well as relatively fuel efficient (the last car I bought for my wife, we sacrificed some fuel efficiency so we could have all the bells and whistles). Ultimately though, it just has to be a car that you want to get into every day and that's not something on the list.

A lot it depends on usage. Some people NEED a truck and can only afford 1 vehicle. If a person commutes a distance to work and limit budget, an economic car makes sense. If a person has the bucks and can afford creature and pleasure comforts, then that makes sense. A person who feels a duty to the planet in a green sense should buy accordingly etc.

Work vehicles are just machines to me. Whatever cheapest and easiest gets the task done. For personal use, I prefer large, heavy, powerful and attractive vehicles. But I do not need or even want new vehicles.
 
A lot it depends on usage. Some people NEED a truck and can only afford 1 vehicle. If a person commutes a distance to work and limit budget, an economic car makes sense. If a person has the bucks and can afford creature and pleasure comforts, then that makes sense. A person who feels a duty to the planet in a green sense should buy accordingly etc.

Work vehicles are just machines to me. Whatever cheapest and easiest gets the task done. For personal use, I prefer large, heavy, powerful and attractive vehicles. But I do not need or even want new vehicles.

I bought two new cars less than 2 years ago, I'm not in the market for a while, especially since my wife's car has done less than 15k since we bought it. However, I don't use a work vehicle, it's all for personal use and transport and I don't find that I need a truck that often and if I do, I can just rent one.
 
price, cost of ownership, resale value, and eye appeal
 
A lot it depends on usage. Some people NEED a truck and can only afford 1 vehicle. If a person commutes a distance to work and limit budget, an economic car makes sense. If a person has the bucks and can afford creature and pleasure comforts, then that makes sense. A person who feels a duty to the planet in a green sense should buy accordingly etc.

Work vehicles are just machines to me. Whatever cheapest and easiest gets the task done. For personal use, I prefer large, heavy, powerful and attractive vehicles. But I do not need or even want new vehicles.

me too, I bought one of these in 2010 even though I have a company car that I drive. It should last me a long time as it only has 23k miles on it now. Nothing beats a truck.
 
longevity/dependability and maintenance costs.
 
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