what do you look for when purchasing a new vehicle?

[BigAl3]

what do YOU look for when purchasing a new vehicle? brand reputation, price, mpg, warranty, interior/exterior styling, comfort, etc.. i know EVERYONE on here has certain things they look for more importantly than others, so this should be interesting...

[Gimics]

New as in off the lot or new as in new to you?



I`ve never purchased an off the lot car.. but in used vehicles I`d go for



1. Style

2. Maintenance

3. MPG



You can`t just buy for one reason ... and with used cars theres usually quite a plethora to select from. If you can bare to drive it, it should be drivable. And if your not the handy type, it should be reasonably fixable.

[Kriminal]

1. Style

2. Bodywork condition

3. Oil leaks !

[Titania]

1. Handling

2. Practicality

3. Style

[kkreit01]

1. Price (unless you are extremely wealthy, price range is usually most important)

2. Features

3. Reputation

4. Style (although most new cars look nice -- there`s only a few real fugly ones)

[noooorb]

price, reliability, performance

[Sherman8r44]

1. Price

2. Safety

3. Steering/handling/brakes

4. Reliability Reputation

5. Styling

6. Power

[tod071]

1) Consumer Reports

2) Interior looks (ie: cup holders, ipod integration, a place for coins)

3) Is this model used as rent-a-cars

4) Looks



Honestly, that`s what I look at. Most cars nowadays, within the same price range, all have the same stuff. To me, it boils down to what car looks best to you and does the interior fit your needs.

[David703]

price

reliability

looks

[Grimm]

I also haven`t bought a new car yet. But I first pick the styles of cars I like; then I hit MSN Autos, Edmunds and any forums I can find for the few I like to see how reliability ranks for each. Then from there I look for the best price/condition I can among all the cars I still have on my list basically looking for the best deal I can find.

[Accumulator]

Besides all the obvious looks/comfort/performance/reliability stuff related to the specific vehicle, I give some thought to where I`ll get it serviced. This includes things like not washing/marring it and listening when I tell `em to torque things properly, *not* lube hinges, etc.



One of the primary reasons we have Audis is the way Stoddard Imports treats us- picking up the cars at the house, leaving nice loaners, and *NOT* messing up my vehicles when they work on them.

[searchaad]

spammer banned

[RTexasF]

No particular order really:



1. Fits my needs & wants

2. Fun to drive

3. Reliable

4. Looks good (always in the eye of the beholder)

5. Five or six speed stick or no sale

6. Sizable trunk

7. Four doors & seats four real adults comfortably

[simracer]

Gotta agree with the above post to a certain extent.



I`m probably most limited by price, but after that, it`s a combination of performance and overall driving experience.



I tend to gravitate to vehicles with four doors. Formerly had several Ford Taurus SHOs and now the 328i. Don`t know why. Maybe the fact that it was fun to have a grandma car that would hang with a Mustang GT. Not to mention the fact that insurance can sometimes be less expensive and the doors aren`t so long which is a bonus when you`re sharing a garage with a Dodge Grand Caravan.



It`s gotta have a stick unless it just has massive amounts of torque and a very well matched automatic.



To a certain extent, I also factor in reliability, parts cost, and online forum activity which is beneficial since I try to do most of the maintenance myself.



And though it isn`t a dealbreaker, I may also weigh in how favorably the car is classed for autocross purposes.

[BMW335i]

1. Power

2. Style

3. Road feel (sound deadening, steering feel, stability at high speed, handling)

4. Space

5. MPG (pretty low on my list)

6. Comfort

7. Character, soul. (gotta have a car with `soul`)

8. Grin factor