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Just wondering what motivates people to buy a new car. If your current car is lacking in some respect -- reliability, features, etc? Changed lifestyle? Just tired of it?
If not now looking, what motivated you last time you did trade up? Me, generally I don't start looking around until trips to the repair shop shart killing me.
I want to get a new car. Mine is a 2015 Hyundai Elantra 1.8L purchased new. Am able to delay getting new car because I can use wife’s Kona. I hate seeing her trying to get out my Elantra. She can easily get in and out her Kona. I use to drive her to doctors appointments in my Elantra. I now drive her Kona for these appointments if she is unable to drive because of health or having taken certain pain medications.
We moved to a state where driving on the highways is absolutely insane. My old car was too slow and had me feeling unsafe. I upgraded to a car that’s faster than 99% of gas cars. Problem solved.
I usually keep a car for many years. I am very good with preventive maintenance and I like to do most of the work myself. I take pride in keeping my car in top shape.
Two years ago I decided to 'upgrade' and traded in my beautiful 'cream puff' 2006 (sporty) car for a 2000. My main motivation was that I decided I wanted to 'get with the times' and have a vehicle that had (just about) all the bells and whistles of the 'newer' technology and safety features. There was certainly a learning curve with all these newfangled things, and some of them I thought were really excessive and unnecessary. But now that I've figured out how to use these new features, I will say that I am happy with most of them, and believe that they are worthwhile. Here are some of these 'newfangled' features:
1 - Adaptive Cruise Control - I discovered this on a rental a few years ago and liked it from the get-go. YES, there could be a downside, but like everything else - if you know how it works and use it properly it is a very useful feature. I use it all the time!
2 - Parking (assist?) - When you park your car and you get within inches of the wall the display will beep and show you a visual of appx. how close you are. Helps prevent you from actually hitting the wall !
3 - Heated seats - Never thought I'd want it. Ya know...on a blistery cold day when you put your fanny down on a cold seat, there's something nice about it warming you up fairly quickly with this feature!
4 - Kick-to-open rear hatch - Without touching the rear hatch, you simply kick your foot underneath the rear bumper quickly, and the hatch will open itself. Same for closing. VERY useful when you come to your vehicle with handful of packages or when you take out stuff using both hands.
5 - Lights and warning in side-view (outside door) mirrors - alerts you to when a vehicle (or oncoming) is getting kinda close. A decent safety feature.
6 - Lane assist warning - let's you know when you're getting too close or over your lane line. Sound beeps and/or steering wheel shakes. Another decent safety feature I use all the time.
7 - Current road speed limit displayed on dash - I really like this one. It detects the current posted speed limit and displays it on your dash. I try to not speed and so this is good for me.
These are just a handful of the new features I have that I am happy with.
Me, generally I don't start looking around until trips to the repair shop shart killing me.
I was talking to my brother who reached 200K miles and 17 years in his Honda Accord. He said the repairs weren't killing him financially, but it was exhausting breaking down and being towed and trying to get to work on time.
He just traded it in for a new Honda Civic Sport as it was basically the same size as his old Accord. He will probably try and drive this one until retirement in 16 years.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Our newest is an Outback for my wife. She was retiring and didn't want to be driving a 7 year old Ford Escape and worry about more recalls and a lot of repairs, so we decided to go for the new Outback while I was still working and we could afford it. Often though, it's the practicality that motivates a new vehicle. For example my first new car was a 1973 Pinto Squire Wagon. I traded it in at only 28,000 miles on a 1974 Ford Courier, because I decided that I needed a truck as we were new homeowners, and liked to go camping. With the camper shell on it, we went all over the Sierras and Rockies, to the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.
My motivations are twofold: I get a new car when I want to reward myself and/or when I want the safety upgrades that one gets with the newest technology.
My 2011 Outback Limited (with the relatively rare six-cylinder engine) was rock-solid reliable (the only repair in 11 years was the replacement of the windshield washer reservoir, under warranty), and it was still extremely comfortable, as well as powerful. But, because (as my mother used to say) "There are no pockets in burial shrouds", I decided that I deserved a new car, and--for the first time in my life--I would reward myself by buying a luxury car.
So, I traded-in my stalwart Subaru for a new Lexus NX 450h+ plug-in hybrid. I really like this car, especially its advanced safety features, its great ride and handling, its awesome acceleration, and--of course--the fact that I have used only 11 gallons of gas in 1,500+ miles of driving.
Last edited by Retriever; 01-11-2023 at 08:10 AM..
After watching a video describing the Tesla safety features, I want one. Safety to me is the number one priority, above style, comfort, performance, and driving range. The Tesla has most of that. Waiting for them to come down to $30K or thereabouts.
I traded a 1999 Ford Escort Wagon on a 2006 Ford Focus Wagon. I was tired of the transmission always shifting up into a gear that would not allow it to continue to accelerate, requiring a full-throttle downshift. The 2006 Focus had ABS and traction control (The Escort had neither). I had decided that these were a must for any future vehicle.
I had grown tired of getting stuck in my driveway with only FWD. The smallest, cheapest 4WD vehicle was the Toyota Tacoma. When I found out the Regular cab was going to be discontinued after 2014, I bought a 2014 in the fall of 2013. The next 2 winters were brutal, not only requiring 4WD, but also the 9" ground clearance of the Tacoma. I replaced the radio in the Tacoma, first with a used factory HD radio, and then later with a used factory HD radio with navigation. I then decided that any future vehicle would have 4WD or AWD, HD radio, and navigation.
I had planned on keeping the Tacoma longer, but when I found out the optional direct injection engine in the Buick Encore would be discontinued after 2019, I bought a 2019 Encore with all the options. The Tacoma was $10,000 more than I had previously paid for a vehicle, and the Encore was another $10,000 more than that. The direct injection engine and Buick's QuietTuning technology were big factors in my buying decision. My last vehicle with decent performance was a 1997 Pontiac Grand Am with the quad 4, while my last quiet vehicle was a 1978 Chevrolet Malibu. The Encore is as quiet as the Malibu was, and as quick as the Grand Am, while getting 2.5 better mpg. The Encore is not as quick as the Grand Am from a standing start, though, as it takes a second for the turbo to spool up.
I only have 13,000 miles on the Encore, so I'm in no hurry to trade it in. If GM continues on its suicidal quest to only produce electric vehicles, then perhaps I'll trade the Encore in on the last of the Buick Encore GX models.
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