Community poll forum: What do you look for when buying a car?

Automobiles must above all else be suited to the owners needs. My wife's Subaru is more practical than my F150. However, my physical therapist has declared her car bad for my back. 1st a car must fit the owner, then items such as costs, reliability & handling must be considered...

What good is reliability when you hit that slippery spot on the highway and skid out of control?

Well, I'm not buying a car as yet. I still drive a (are you ready for this?) .... 1974 Plymouth Duster. I have had a lot of cars from VWs, Ghias, Thunderbird all brand new too, but when I bought this mid-size slant six on the recommendation of my father (he was one of the finest mechanics around) I struck pay dirt. I've kept it on top mechanically. I can't keep the exterior tip top due to cost, but for about 20 years of that time this car looked great. It still has a great paint job (original), and when clean and waxed it's a cutey. White top getting old. Could replace if I had help. Needs interior things. But this little "Lizzy" runs like a top. I make maybe one car payment every year or two which is great right now.

If I were to look for another car I'd really do my research into mechanical features (must last a LONG time), safety features, comfortable seating, great mileage (actually I prefer we get away from gas/oil personally). I love a good looking car and they can be had with all the features I need.

My dad used to say that a car was "to get you from point A to point B." I loved it. We always had nice cars, and he kept them in tip-top shape often restoring a "wreck" into original beauty. He really taught me the value of a dollar. I was nuts for cars as a kid. I still have that desire. If I could afford a Jaguar I might get one for the heck of it, but if it's not really safe and dependable, forget it. I've seen cars from the 1930s through now, and there have been some GREAT cars, but mainly cars stink in more ways than one. We should all vote with our "feet" and get the manufacturers to make electric cars now. Oil IS running out believe it or not. It is NOT eternal, and it's not going to "create itself" as we are using more than we should. We don't have dinosaurs (fossil fuel) dying and making oil anymore.

Probably my granddaughter who is seven will see great things happen in the auto industry. I hope so, and I know it will NOT be a gas guzzler as it will be rationed or too costly. I cannot afford today's gas prices, and I KNOW cars can be made to do a LOT of mpg and also be a hybrid so that they run on gas and/or electricity/battery power.

Where is the utility catagory in this poll?? The vehicle must be useful or have utility!

I have an exployer sport trac. I can take customer out to dinner and haul trash to the dump the next day.
4 doors make all the difference.

I have had this car since 1999 and never had it break down. It's got a 3.8L V6 with 112,000 miles on it and I would drive it from California to New York today, if I needed to. And, for whetever it's worth, I got 30 mpg driving 100+ mph (with the air conditioning running) from Bakersfield to Phoenix at night. Amazing! When this one wears out, I'm getting another one! It's comfortable, reliable, large enough to be safe with airbags, and has great gautes. I drive it everyday, change the oil and filter every 2,000-3,000 miles, and I love it!

I also look for enough seats. I have 3 children and wanted to avoid all the fighting over who gets a window seat. I started with a 5 passenger Dodge Caravan, then upgraded to the 7 passenger Plymouth Grand LE, and now have a Pontiac Montana.

Although my kids are now grown, I have grandchildren to think of, and my own mother who now uses a walker to get around. Between Strollers, car seats and a walker, I can only look at larger vans to purchase.

Gas economy is another huge concern, and the Pontiac is giving me 600km per 78 liters of gas. I can't do the math LOL

My dream vehicle (at this point in time) is the Ford Escape. I haven't done any research on the fuel economy yet, as I have to wait till I won't be hauling strollers and a walker.

self-repairability.

The ability to fix it without $1000 test jigs and the space to reach into areas without disassembling several other things first. I guess I'm forever destined to buying nothing later than '70s vehicles!

Safety should be the most important thing when buying a new or even a used vehicle. A car/truck or whatever can be replaced...Loved one can't!

I bought a Ford F-150 because of its survivability in a head on crash and its size. Admittedly there were secondary considerations.

We already see the beginning of the effect of green house gases on the environment. Ever fiercer hurricanes, due to increased sea water temperature, is just one example. We, in the U.S., contribute more to pollution (mainly from car exhausts) than any other nation (albeit the Chinesse are fast catching up). If we don't abandon NOW the current gas guzzlers and switch to environmentally friendly (and gas miser) cars - it will be too late to reverse the acceleration of global warming. We and our offsprings will suffer greatly from our skewed priorities. Sure, a reliable car is very important, but saving our environment is THE NUMBER ONE TASK at the present. Besides, cars like the Prius are environmentally friendly, gas misers AND reliable. If we all switched to hybrid cars we would cut our petrol needs by more than 50%! Not only will we contribute greatly to saving the environment but our entire foreign policies will change dramatically - just imagine not being dependent on Middle-Eastern oil!

What you say is the truth. The facts are in everyone's face right now, and let us only hope that they take what you are saying to heart when they purchase their next vehicle.Ours is not the only generation. There will be many more to come and they deserve the right to live on a planet that is not polluted to the max.

Its nice to see people that care about the environment and who know what they are talking about. It's so important for people to read and acknowledge what car emmissions do to the environment. Make sure to join The Virtual March to Stop Global Warming. The Virtual March on the internet was launched to confront
this urgent threat we all face. You can help make history by joining the march at www.StopGlobalWarming.org
http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/

Then who is buying all those big SUVs
with the big engines....they ain't selling
because they are reliable