factors when buying a car

[studentdriver]

Hi, im currently doing a project for one of my classes and as part of the project i have to make a survey based on what factors people find most important when buying a car. So i was wondering, out of the ones listed, what factors do u guys consider the most important when buying a new car?

The choices are price, appearance, performance, practicality, reliability or other.
If you choose "other" please elaborate.

Also just base your decision on your current situation. Like me being a student i would say price would be most important.

And also i know all the factors are important but choose the most important because for the project we're trying to determine which cars are the best based on these factors, and what we want to do is weigh each of those factors based on what you guys voted on.

Thanks

[studentdriver]

come on people i think we can do a little better than 3 votes lol... i need this for school so any input would be helpful


thanks

[Boomsly]

I'm a student too in grade 12 graduating this year and I currnetly own a slow as hell 2.2L cavalier. Selling it for $5000 cdn. and yes Price is a BIG factor for me when buying a car got mine cheap and put a bundle into it getting it to where it is now, on the road that is, lol. anways now that I have the first car nearly out of the way I'm looking for something with more power, speed, and overall performance. Kinda leaning towards a 95-98 subaru impreza but there still a bit too pricey. but overall I'd say performance is my number 1 important thing on my list.

[ra227]

I figure price, I'm a student too.

[curtis73]

Although price is important, I chose other. When I buy a car, I have an itch. I don't look for cars that provide a certain reliabilty or a certain look, its just that when I get passionate about a car (most often a project) I find a way to get it. But the first factor is by far just the itch. Last year I had an itch for a huge station wagon that was pre-smog, so I researched and found a 73 Impala station wagon that was low mileage, a fair price, and satisfied my craving. Other times I just want a worthless rusty project for $300 so I can build it myself. On the other end of the spectrum, one of the cars we have is a reliable Tercel that my wife picked out.

[frazbombe]

i think you should have another option such as enviromental impact or fuel economy

[vintweed]

Price is always a factor. I've owned 8 cars, and the most expensive of them has never been over 5500. My boyfriend bought a 02 Focus SVT brand new. By the time he's done paying it off, it will be close to 34000 dollars cdn. Nice looking, driving car. Has 170hp and six speed trans. BUT..has had more freaking trips to the dealer then i have with my cavalier. 4 recalls that have needed fixing a few times. A piece of felt fixed the throttle linkage so the car wasn't so sluggish off the line. As of tonight. The 6 in dash cd player is broken. This has been replaced 4 times under warranty, but alas...were at 80000kms in the thing and the warranty expired. He ripped the heat shield off today to kill the rattling. Cut part of the plastic inner cover in the front wheel well cause the 17" rims are rubbing. And changed the inner tie rod not too long ago. I have a 300 dollar tempo, and 450 dollar civic and a 200 dollar olds. (Yah, I'm a tomboy) After the repairs on this ford, and 600 dollar per month car payments, I don't think I'd ever pay over 10000 for a car. My cheap cars are all road worthy with a maximum investment of 500 bucks... I had an 89 probe i paid 5000 for in 98. Bought it with just over 80000 kms. Junked it in 02 cause the timing belt broke at 420000 k. hmmm, what would you choose?

[fredjacksonsan]

I think the response matters according to where you are in life. Early on, you want something but price is a major factor. When you're 50-60, you get what you want, regardless of price (within reason)

My first car, had "the bug" as Curtis said. Wanted the old car I saw on the lot, and it was in my price range.

Second car purchase (after 1st one totalled by idiot driver) was driven purely by economics - it was $100 from a high school auto shop. (and held up better than the 1st car, different story)

Cars after that were purchased according to price and reliability.

Most recently, vehicles have been purchased by utility, reliability, and price.

[fredjacksonsan]

Guess what I'm trying to say is that IMO it's not just one factor that drives a purchase, but several depending on the individual buyer. For example... Price? There's Yugos out there but who wants one. Performance? Can't afford the Ferrari. There are plenty more examples.

[Dr. Love]

I would say other: uniqueness. I want a car that sets me apart from the rest. For example I wouldn't buy something like an Accord because they're just way too common and I don't want a zillion other people to have what I have.

Price used to be a big factor when I was younger but now that I'm making a bit more money price doesn't matter as much.

Appearance is also a factor, I don't want it to look bad.

Performance is of course a factor, I want something with jet-like acceleration and great handling.

I'm not sure what practicality means, since different people mean different things when they use this word.

I don't care too much about reliability. Maybe I would if I was buying a used car, but I always buy new in which case reliability doesn't matter because of the warranty and I always trade it in for a new one before the warranty runs out.

[LancerZero]

Price is a factor, because I'm in college.

Appearance is a factor, because I don't want to wince every time I walk to my car and think to myself, "I have to drive that?"

Performance is important - but I don't necessarily mean speed. There's much more to driving than going in a straight line. The first car I had that worked was a 1996 Plymouth Neon Highline, and it was slower than molasses flowing uphill. Not really, but it was sloooooow . . . but it was fun to throw around. I drove that thing hard, and it wasn't half bad.

Reliability is very important to me, which is why I'm selling my Malibu and wondering why I bought it in the first place. I'm no mechanic, so for me a broken car = lots of hard-to-find money spent on repairs.

Practicality means "does the car do what you need it to do?" For instance, a Crown Vic would be horribly impractical for me, because I rarely have more than one other person in my car, and not often even that. A coupe would work fine for me, but not for a family of six. It's important to me because I don't like inefficiency. I don't need all the space in my Malibu, which is one of the other reasons I'm selling it to buy a compact.

[TakaCar]

All of them somewhat play an Equal role for me but the most important is reliability. I mean lets say its winter, when you wake up in the morning and its -20C/-4F outside, you want your car to start right so you don't have to stand at the bus stop freezing your fingers off

[D_LinK]

What class is this for? I am doing sortof the same thing in my marketing class.

[DigitalQuirk]

It's actually a combination of things for me.

Obviously, price is a big consideration; I, like many others, will only buy within my price range. However, there are a lot of cars that fall within what I can afford.

The next thing, then, is appearances. I have to like how the car looks. There are lots of good-looking cars out there in the range which I can afford, so the next thing is performance and features.

Performance is important, but only to a certain extent. Most of my driving is in stop-and-go traffic, with weekend excursions down stretches of hilly, sometimes twisty highway. I don't spend my time at a drag strip, and I don't engage in illegal street racing. I do want handling for the twisty roads, I do want power to handle the hills with passengers and luggage in tow with ease, and it is nice to have enough off-the-line snap to put boy racers in their compact 4 bangers in their place. However, I also like my features. I got to have air, cruise control, power sunroof, ABS brakes, traction control...all the goodies that makes a car easier to drive and more enjoyable. Though I know how to drive stick quite well, I do prefer a good 4 speed automatic since my Monday-Friday is in stop-and-go city traffic.

Of course, the car needs to have good reliability. Lately, the top two for reliability have been Toyota and GM. Still, I'm a firm believer that how well you maintain your car goes a long way in how reliable it is, and wouldn't count out a Nissan or a Dodge product if it met other criteria.

Lastly is fuel economy. I want to pump regular octane, and I don't want to be spending all my hard-earned money on gas. Though I do make good money, so I don't need the most fuel-efficient car in the world, but the money I don't spend on gas I can spend on other things, like putting a roof over my deck.

So really, there's no one main factor that I use to determine which car to buy. It's a combination of factors, and quite frankly, I find it very diffiult for me to buy a new car because I am so choosy and have unique tastes.

[highRoller88]

im also a student grade 12

i think it is obvious that having a practical is number one. if a person buys a practical car (a car that fits their budget and performance needs) then they will be much more happier with their purchase.