What do people look for in a car? (muscle car, vehicles, fuel)

[TamaraSavannah]

This evening, I was watching an episode of the 70's show "Search" where in "Short Circuit", C.R. Grover is driving a Corvette.

Ah, back when we were young and dreampt of what it would be like in our 20's and 30's......when we were probably more moved by how the car looked, how we thought the car made us looked, than for practical reasons.

Well, sometimes practical reasons. The first car I bought was a Cutlass Salon, a nice V8 muscle car and one of the reasons I did get it was because they crashed well........and I did lose it in a crash when it was about 7 years old, a crash I walked away from.

For my active life then, it served me pretty well and I suppose it could do my life now ........... if I hadn't transitioned over the following 8 years in a Corsica. It was falling apart after about 8 years, but there were at least two good things about it. First, it taught me to get my next car as very mission specific and very well built (the Forester). Secondly, the Corsica was wonderful for smooching.........

Now, though, when I go car looking, it's for what I need, how long it can last, and of course, what I can afford.

I suspect it is something of age and maturity. At least till we get to that age and say, "what the heck!".

[Drover]

Some people look for power.

Some people look for styling.

Some people look for handling.

Some people look for reliability.

Some people look for affordability.

Some people look for fuel economy.

Some people look for safety features.

Some people look for convenience features.

Some people look for some combination of the above.

Some people just want more comfortable transport than a bike.

[miticoman]

Car is a status symbol.. in particular for poor ppl

[ipaper]

That's going to be different for everybody out there, so I agree with Drover in post #2. For me, it was performance and handling at the front of the line.

[Miss Hepburn]

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.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by miticoman

Car is a status symbol.. in particular for poor ppl

Maybe in third-world or borderline-developing countries a car is seen as a status symbol. In the developed world, it's a workaday part of life, even for many "poor ppl."

[jambo101]

I look for comfort /reliability/economy. current car of choice an 08 Yaris sedan.

[Drover]

I look for your mom in a car.

[rbohm]

it depends on what i want the car to do. for a daily driver i want a car that is reliable, has adequate performance, good handling, decent ride, good economy, etc. basically a jack of all trades master of none.

a back up driver, should be similar but some compromises can be made, it doesnt have to have the same economy, or ride the daily driver does, so a little more performance and handling can be had.

for a weekend warrior/toy, even more compromises can be made leaning towards the performance side of things.

[GreenGene]

Performance.

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.

I don't want to buy a car, take it home, and two weeks later have to take it back to the dealer because the rear view mirror fell off

I like cars that don't gobble down gas, or burn excessive amounts of oil.

I buy cars/trucks/vans for transportation, not to "make a statement." I need the vehicles to get me from point A to point B in an efficient, comfortable manner *every time* I get into it.