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I guess what I look for changes a little with each vehicle I buy. Boiling it down, it more or less comes down to my ideals for comfort (interior comfort, ergonomics), ride and handling dynamics (smooth with good bump isolation, while being good on turns and in transitions), adequate power for my tastes (generally at least a V6 or turbo 4 these days), distinctive styling and a color I like.
To each his own. I look for a car with a manual gearbox because I can't take automatic seriously. However, the clutch has to be good for daily use. Not too heavy and not too rough. Plus, manual makes driving just feel better in general for me. It makes running errands a fun affair rather than a burden. Even in heavy traffic, I still desire a manual.
The car also has to have strong low end torque because I love how it makes navigating through traffic a breeze.
I also look for something with minimal road/wind noise and vibrations while driving. Trust me, this makes a huge difference for long road trips.
A car that's stable is also a huge plus. I don't want a car that feels like it's going to tip over when I'm merging onto the highway or going around a curve at 30 mph.
I'm single now but if and when I have a family, I will most likely go for a manual wagon like a VW Golf SportWagen rather than the typical automatic gearbox, ready-to-tip-over Ford Edge or Nissan Rogue.
I honestly can't bring myself to care for resale value.. I know that a Toyota will hold it's value better than a VW, Audi, BMW, but I want to drive the car for so long that it won't even make a significant difference at the end of it's time with me.
As long as it has the characteristics I desire and as long as it doesn't look like a baboon's butt, I'm happy.
I also prefer Japanese (for everyday practicality/reliability) and German vehicles (for simple yet high quality looking interiors/overall design/utilitarian interior layout) but I won't entirely turn my head away from an American car if it has potential for me
I look for a car I can pay for up front as no car payments are coming with the used cars I like.
Big. I like used American GM boats with V8s. I like manuals trans but the big boats have TH400 or 4L60 automatics. MPG...more like MPH. How fast can a 2.5 ton car go? Big leather seats. Cadillac and Buick put out the best interiors in the mid 90s My car has what equals to be two leather sofas inside. Something you don't need to worry about with big cars is "safety". Anything you hit will be destroyed and when driving you are pretty safe unless T-boned by a school bus, dump truck or 18 wheeler.
Tonight I was at the home of an older guy who passed recently and a super clean 71 Camaro is still sitting in the garage. He was the original owner.
I look at reliability most...I hate going to a mechanic.
Second protection in an accident .
Then, fuel economy.
And always 6 cylinder, here in the mountains.
What vehicles don't need maintenance? And i never heard of ANY make/model that don't have some form of mechanical issues during ownership. Lastly nobody knows what make/model is most reliable.
And by that I don't mean fastest off the line, or top speed, or other high school stuff.
I mean that things on the car *work*, and continue to work for many, many years. Ever notice how many relatively new cars are on the road with a headlight or taillight not working? I have a car now with 139K miles on it, and I've never replaced any of the lights, interior or exterior. It's a simple thing, but I take it as a sign of quality.
that's not performance. that's reliability. you used the wrong word. performance actually does mean top speed and other high school stuff (you still need to provide your own blonde).
In my next car I'm looking for safety, reliability, affordability, fuel efficiency, and not thinking it's ugly as heck. After that, a cool color would be nice.
Cost, price to run, ability to carry lots of stuff, easy to work on. Could care less about what it looks like.
I can appreciate nice cars but I have hobbies and sports I prefer to spend my money on.
If it wasn´t for needing to carry lots of stuff and pull a trailer sometimes I might just have a motorcycle and take the train when the Weather was too bad. Looking to buy a VW T3 or T4 Bus for the weekends and a scooter or small commuter motorbike for the rest of the week.
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