I really need to look into buying a car soon. In the past I've usually either known what I want (never anything under 20 years old) from the outset and bought the first halfway decent one I saw or just had some car fall into my lap. I've never really put much thought into buying a car before, but this time I need to be somewhat sensible.
I'm older than ever before now and have less free time than ever before so I think there would be some benefit to buying a new or newish car. I'll have to get a car loan (another first for me) this time so I think I'd do best to take some time instead of running out to buy the first thing I see.
Anyway, features that I want:
-small size, preferably low and short wheelbase, but not narrow like a motorcycle
-rear wheel drive
-steering wheel that isn't too [censored]ing far away!
-rack and pinion steering
-two doors
-power windows
-manual transmission
-simple controls for everything
-power disc brakes all around
-rated for fuel economy 14MPG combined or better with 30 MPG reasonably achievable in mixed driving
-not designed to turn into a pile of rust before it's properly broken in - no Nissan will be considered
-comfortable to rest upper arm along the top of the door (window open) with hand on A-pillar
Features that I ought to have even though I'd rather not have them:
-automatic transmission (sometimes I can't use my right arm)
-HID headlights because I am getting old and will eventually find them useful
-a trunk or cargo area large enough to fit a small human or large dog into comfortably
-plenty of headroom
-AWD
Features I'd like to have - shootin' for the moon here:
-a gasoline engine with plenty of low end grunt
-enough power to keep the wheels spinning until at 60MPH
-not white, black, or red
-ashtray
Things I'd like to avoid if doable:
-large rear seats. No rear seats would be even better
-electric throttle
-power steering
-top of roof is higher than my bottom ribs standing next to it
-ABS
-jiggly ride
Possible deal-killers:
-FWD
-Touch screen anything
-Volkswagen
-gas/electric hybrid
-a mushy ride
-rotbox
-steering wheel is hard to reach
Expected usage:
Most of the use of the vehicle would be for commuting. I have a 2 1/2 hour commute. The first half of the commute is stop and go with higher speeds, while the return trip is mostly sustained lower speeds. I almost never carry passengers as passengers tend to leave scratches, stains, cracks, dirt, and smashed interior parts and they complain too much.
I'm older than ever before now and have less free time than ever before so I think there would be some benefit to buying a new or newish car. I'll have to get a car loan (another first for me) this time so I think I'd do best to take some time instead of running out to buy the first thing I see.
Anyway, features that I want:
-small size, preferably low and short wheelbase, but not narrow like a motorcycle
-rear wheel drive
-steering wheel that isn't too [censored]ing far away!
-rack and pinion steering
-two doors
-power windows
-manual transmission
-simple controls for everything
-power disc brakes all around
-rated for fuel economy 14MPG combined or better with 30 MPG reasonably achievable in mixed driving
-not designed to turn into a pile of rust before it's properly broken in - no Nissan will be considered
-comfortable to rest upper arm along the top of the door (window open) with hand on A-pillar
Features that I ought to have even though I'd rather not have them:
-automatic transmission (sometimes I can't use my right arm)
-HID headlights because I am getting old and will eventually find them useful
-a trunk or cargo area large enough to fit a small human or large dog into comfortably
-plenty of headroom
-AWD
Features I'd like to have - shootin' for the moon here:
-a gasoline engine with plenty of low end grunt
-enough power to keep the wheels spinning until at 60MPH
-not white, black, or red
-ashtray
Things I'd like to avoid if doable:
-large rear seats. No rear seats would be even better
-electric throttle
-power steering
-top of roof is higher than my bottom ribs standing next to it
-ABS
-jiggly ride
Possible deal-killers:
-FWD
-Touch screen anything
-Volkswagen
-gas/electric hybrid
-a mushy ride
-rotbox
-steering wheel is hard to reach
Expected usage:
Most of the use of the vehicle would be for commuting. I have a 2 1/2 hour commute. The first half of the commute is stop and go with higher speeds, while the return trip is mostly sustained lower speeds. I almost never carry passengers as passengers tend to leave scratches, stains, cracks, dirt, and smashed interior parts and they complain too much.
