How do you choose a car

[carEnthusiast]

Hey guys, how do you choose what car to buy?

[thatdude]

didnt we just have this thread?

[mike-r]

Impulse chooses for me, honestly wish I had a say in it.

[Dave Hedgehog]

the force

[izzzzythedog]

posted in the wrong place so deleted ? who can ever know

how?

easy , work out your exact requirements based on need , space , driving style , cost , running costs , general all round usage

now umm and arrr about what you really require and get it down to say 2 different cars , seek out any and all hunting for just that right car thats condition and cost is about right , pop off to see 1 locally and stand and stare at it for an hour trying to work out if this really is what you want and is it all that you want

finally just the right car will tumble past you and before you know it you will have reached into the pocket and paid through the arse for insurance , of course this will have zero relation to the car you have seen seeking for the last 3 months and is a completely different model and make to what you lusted after but thats life

now you will drive it and feel like theres something missing in your life and if you have just brought that car you really wanted in the first place ..... maybe next time

[Matt UK]

Some idle browsing followed by "I'm having that"

[anonymous-user]

I don't. The car chooses me.

[Dr Interceptor]

For my daily drive... I phone up the lease company, ask for the list of current offers, and pick one.

For my weekend fun, I usually find something with a large engine, high risk of rust, huge bork factor, all preferably nailed together in the midlands, or for even more bork factor, Italy. Once the ideal money pit has been located, I spend a small fortune getting it perfect, just in time to sell it and repeat the process.

[surveyor]

I look for the car that is going to cost me most amount of money to repair. That will be my baby. Again.

[m17kyu]

Browse online sites,
Watch videos (lots of videos)
Decide what petrol muncher to buy
Drive it few months then something breaks,
Go back to Sea and start process again

[kambites]

Set list of criteria.
Shortlist based on that list.
Read/watch reviews to refine shortlist.
Test drive remaining cars.
Buy the one I like best.

[Captainawesome]

I have a small voice in my head that just keeps chanting 'want it, buy it. Want it, buy it. Want it, buy it.'

My wife hates the voice.

[Dog Star]

My criteria for buying a car are
- is it convertible?
- is it pretty?
- does it have two seats?

And for a bike it's
- is it pretty?

I never bother test driving or riding either. Who cares what it rides or drives like, as long as it looks nice.

And for a girl it's
- has she got huge norks?
- will she wear pvc hotpants?

That is absolutely all there is to it. I really am *that* superficial.

[MrBarry123]

Captainawesome said:

I have a small voice in my head that just keeps chanting 'want it, buy it. Want it, buy it. Want it, buy it.'

My wife hates the voice.

Fiance in my case but I suffer from the same affliction.

[Fastdruid]

Dog Star said:

My criteria for buying a car are
- is it convertible?
- is it pretty?
- does it have two seats?

Not sure that explains the C1 which fails on all three (unless you missed "at least" out of the last point)!

[vit4]

When I bought my 156 GTA it was pretty much a case of hearing the noise that it made and deciding that it had to be mine


For sensible cars, my usual set of rules is:
- A large hatch or estate
- Reasonably economical, low-mid 30's average is a nice target
- Buy privately ideally
- Ignore mileage, and go for something that's been serviced every year.

I still don't really know why I'm currently driving a ropey Vauxhall Omega saloon bought at auction with low miles but patchy service history, but it has confirmed that my usual set of rules works .

[TurboHatchback]

I spend weeks on the internet reading reviews and statistics, researching problems and come up with a shortlist. I create a vast and complex spreadsheet calculating the costs of all the options under consideration. I then tweak the numbers around for ages until I have conclusively proved that the one I really want makes sense (even though it clearly doesn't) then buy that.

[Dog Star]

Fastdruid said:

Dog Star said:

My criteria for buying a car are
- is it convertible?
- is it pretty?
- does it have two seats?

Not sure that explains the C1 which fails on all three (unless you missed "at least" out of the last point)!

Ah, that was my commuter car - it was on one of those 99 a month leases, I was actually 75 a month in profit over using my SL just on petrol expenses alone just using it to drive to work. I would imaging wear and tear, servicing etc would double or triple that value.

[Bradley1500]

Until recently all my cars were impulse buys, not a lot of thought went into any of them other than thinking buying that particular car was a good idea at the time.

Recently though I've been looking for a new car and simply cannot make my mind up.

[GetCarter]

Charlie dog chooses mine at present. I only get a say in the marque/engine.