How fussy are you when buying a new vehicle?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Triple_Se7en

$50 Site Donor 2024
Joined
Dec 4, 2004
Messages
14,055
Location
1/2 hr N.E. of Detroit
I told my dealer salesman I have seven important questions, prior to looking at our Kia and Hyundai.

1) Can I get my hand down into the engine - in a few places, to change things like hoses/clamps, sparkplugs, cables, hoses........etc.
2) Can I get the battery out, without taking 2-4 other items first?
3) Is the oil filter a canister or spin-on?..... I hate canisters.
4) Is the oil / filter change relatively easy?
5) Does the drivers seat go back far enough?
6) Does the dash - the part that's right in front of my drivers face, have a large half-moon plastic that sits above the rest of the dashboard and obstructs my view?
7) Does it have automatic headlights?..... a must-must have.

What must-haves did you insist on, when buying your vehicle?
 
Well, I do have my own criteria which does include OTD price when things start to narrow down between competing models.

*Comfort-and not just for me but my passengers as well.
*Quiet & smooth riding.
*Good fuel economy that is at/near top of segment.
*Good view outward in all directions.
*Ease of general maintenance & repairs.
*Reliability reputation and resale value is lower on my list but is still important. Mainly because anything that I'd buy is pretty good anyway. I'm not buying highend vehicles with terrible reliability & poor resale.
*And though convoluted infotainment systems & the new sweet of safety systems are difficult to avoid, I am all for them but rate lower in my criteria.
 
Last edited:
Does it have a spare and a jack? (Cans of glop are a no go.)

Does it have a CVT? (CVT's are a no go.)

Does it have a turbo? (Turbos are probably a no go.)
 
1) Normally Aspirated Engine
2) Longitudinal Engine
3) RWD or AWD/4x4
4) Manual or if it must be a slushbox then one whose clutch packs aren't made of of glass and which has the ability to manually hold gears.
5) OEM engine parts are commonly available online and ideally shared between a few models.
6) High quality aftermarket parts are also readily available.
Leathers nice, but that can always be added down the road.
 
Great thread.

In current times I research the vehicles on the internet including discussion forums of the particular brand and model and YouTube videos of reviews and driving tests.

Personally, I make sure the car fits me. I check the engine bay but that's a habit going way back. There is not much I can do anymore either because of technology or my age.

Fuel economy is important. I went through the 70's. No matter what the price of gasoline is, any savings is real money in the pocket.

Automatic transmission since my wife drives as well and she doesn't drive stick.

As I've gotten older, comfort is higher on the list now.


Finally, since I did live through the Malaise era and saw and dealt with the junk coming out of Detroit at the time, my preference is Japanese. I've had absolutely no issues with any of my Japanese vehicles compared to US domestic made ones. That's my personal view only.
 
bought the last new car in 2011 that was my wife"s ford focus that's what she wanted ,checked the track record on those cars at the time and pulled the trigger..
 
Two main items:

1) A very comfortable seat
2) Excellent driving dynamics, including a responsive go-pedal (I'd call it a throttle, but some cars vary the flow of electrons)
 
My "must haves" can vary greatly depending on the deal.

I typically go for late model used that have hugely depreciated. It's just gotta be the particular style of vehicle I'm after.

Not interested in anything German/European simply due to lack of local repair options, should it be something I can't do myself.

No sunroof.
 
Last edited:
Triple, 5 of your questions are completely subjective, so of course any dealer can give you a yes on those. Stop answering your questions before giving them a chance to answer, make them "yes or no" questions, and then ask the dealer to prove all the "yes" answers. You'll get better answers this way, including on whether or not the dealer is going to take you seriously once you're an owner, based on their level of thoroughness and attention to your needs prior to purchase. Here's some example answers to your questions the way they're worded (parentheses are what's said in their heads LOL):

1. Sure, my hand fits in all those places (but yours may not!)
2. We offer free battery replacement when you buy the battery at our dealership.
3. Let me ask the service tech.
4. Sure, it's really easy, (our resident high-school dropout) porter does them in about 25 minutes, all day long.
5. Sure the seat goes back far enough. My wife (who is only 5'3") can't reach the wheel or the pedals with the seat all the way back.
6. Nope, nothing obstructs your view over the dash (when you raise the seat high enough).
7. Yep! (You just leave the headlight switch in the "on" position all the time, and whenever the key is on, the headlights are on.) Bingo!
 
Originally Posted by SubieRubyRoo
Triple, 5 of your questions are completely subjective, so of course any dealer can give you a yes on those. Stop answering your questions before giving them a chance to answer, make them "yes or no" questions, and then ask the dealer to prove all the "yes" answers. You'll get better answers this way, including on whether or not the dealer is going to take you seriously once you're an owner, based on their level of thoroughness and attention to your needs prior to purchase. Here's some example answers to your questions the way they're worded (parentheses are what's said in their heads LOL):

1. Sure, my hand fits in all those places (but yours may not!)
2. We offer free battery replacement when you buy the battery at our dealership.
3. Let me ask the service tech.
4. Sure, it's really easy, (our resident high-school dropout) porter does them in about 25 minutes, all day long.
5. Sure the seat goes back far enough. My wife (who is only 5'3") can't reach the wheel or the pedals with the seat all the way back.
6. Nope, nothing obstructs your view over the dash (when you raise the seat high enough).
7. Yep! (You just leave the headlight switch in the "on" position all the time, and whenever the key is on, the headlights are on.) Bingo!

crackmeup2.gif
 
My '17 Soul is a better all around car than my totaled '14 Encore. However, I miss tire pressure indicators, OLM, hands free phoning, texting, etc. However the two things that I had to have on any car were a rear view camera and blue tooth. The thing that bothers me most with the car is that I can't hear the turn signal flashers-- guess I'm a deaf old geezer. The Encore's flasher was easier to hear and it would ding at you if you ignored it for a couple of minutes.
 
My wife said it must have AWD, backup camera, power seats.
If it does not feel good and have good dash lay out when I sit in it, moving on.
 
I let my wife buy the Camrys. Told her not to buy a V-6. They've been nearly perfect appliances, mine is even white. I miss the driving feel of a well sorted BMW 528e, but not the wrenching and general car crawling necessary.
grin2.gif
 
I'm 'way too fussy but I'm also too "frugal". This unfortunately leads to disappointment. I wish I could have bought the sport variant of the BMW 340i 6MT 4dr when it was available, and then been wealthy enough to fuel it and maintain it with abandon over many years of ownership.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top