What do you look for while buying new car?

First, I set a price and look at all cars available in my budget. Then I weed out cars I don’t like the looks of. Then I research safety and gas mileage an how many recalls have been made on that make.

For me, my second to last car was a Honda. I got a good price on a new Civic from a salesman who was a friend of a coworker. For this past car I bought in Spring 2015, I knew already that Honda was reliable and efficient. It also has a good reputation. Compared to my previous cars which had been new Nissans, the Honda was way better. The Civic, which is almost at the bottom of the line of available Honda models, was better than my Sentra, which is also almost at the bottom of the line of available Nissan models. So I felt Honda was the way to go. I wanted something that might be good in snow, based upon our last winter in the Northeast. So I went and looked at CRV. My one requirement was I had to be able to afford it. I went with a “middle of the road” new CRV.

I find SUVs are easier to get in and out of rather than a car that’s low to the ground, like Civic. CRV holds more things which is essential when I travel with my child or want to pick up something at Home Depot.

CRV is more expensive than Civic but it works for me.

The only cars I will buy these days are “new to me”, not necessarily “new”

In cars what I look for is reliability and good gas mileage at a decent price. In the past I have mostly owned Toyotas and been extremely happy with them on both counts. I tend to drive my vehicles until they no longer run; not sell them every two years for the newest and latest gadgets so I need one that stays together.

Last time we looked for a car (2009/2010) the SmartCar was getting about the same in-town mileage as the Corolla and slightly better highway miles but the Corolla was much roomier. Since most of the driving would be in town we saw no advantage to paying the extra bucks for the SmartCar and when we went out of town we would be better off with the extra space the Toyota offered and thus willing to forgo the few extra MPG.

Safety has never been something I was overly concerned with figuring most had passed the safety ratings tests.

Style has never been in the forefront of my mind when looking at vehicles (although it does play a factor) and so many of the cars look so similar. Sometimes I feel you are looking for which one has the chrome in the places you want it.

And I have tried not be be brand specific although, in the end, it seems like even if we have not ended up with a Toyota they are always in the running.

When we bought our last car, my wife printed out the specs for about 35 cars. I went through them, throwing out those that didn’t fit my needs, like headroom (I am 6’2), bottom clearance (we had a bump in the driveway, and I didn’t want the car scraping each time we parked there), cost, and such. That lowered the list to 3 or 4 cars, which we test drove. I checked websites to see what the common complaints were, and decided on the one we got.
After using the car a few months, I wished I had gotten a model year newer, but am very happy with it.

I live in a snowy climate. I wanted a car with AWD or 4 WD that got reasonable mileage.
I tend to keep my cars until the wheels fall off. I wanted a car with the least amount of “Tech”. Anything cool we see today will be a fossil in 4 or 5 years and a source of failures in 6 or 7. (I was recently in a friend’s 12 year old car that had an integrated GPS – a $2000 option at the time. The maps were hopelessly out of date and the display was a joke.)
I compared the Subaru Forester and the Chevy Equinox. The Chevy had all kinds of swoopy controls and gadgets and a gorgeous display but it took forever to figure out how to adjust the climate control or the radio. The Subaru was simple. Knobs where they ave been for 20 years. I went with the Subaru.

I care about only one thing – that the car be a Toyota Prius.

In order
#1 Quality/reliability
#2 Safety Rating
#3 Style/Design/Comfort
#4 Performance
#5 Price

I am driving the Ford Taurus SHO and that car fits all my criteria and then some.

If it says Pussy Wagon on the side…just kidding, it’s good for morale you know.

• Automatic transmission.
• A familiar dashboard that doesn’t look like an airplane cockpit. No video screens. No voice.
• A simple design, without spoilers, sunroofs, moonroofs, Marsroofs, or any other weird features.
• Four doors.
• Reputation for reliability.
• Price.
• And color.

With any luck, my first and last (2012) new purchase will last me for as long as I can drive. It’s a 2013 Toyota Corolla, light blue, and I’m perfectly satisfied with it, except that when I try to change the radio volume, I usually end up changing the station instead. That’s it. No problems.

I have never owned a new car. It really depends on what you will need it for but it will all come down to utility, dependability and price.
For me it’s a base option, four wheel drive, six cylinder truck with a king cab and manual transmission. My last one did not even have electric windows.

My ‘must-have’ list focuses on…

Auto. Is it an auto? I can’t drive a manual.
Price. Can I afford it?
Style. Do I like how it looks?
Safety. This is very important to me. Does it have the safety options I want included or are they available at a reasonable cost?
Seats. Are they comfortable? Some cars look nice but the seats are horribly uncomfortable after a while.
Space. Can I fit my suitcases in the boot? As much as my husband has tried to train me to travel light, it’s a lost cause. We invariably have two large suitcases going and three coming back. Not all cars have sufficient space for our baggage.
Sufficient seating. My husband would be happy with a sporty car that will fit two people. I like my children. So I want enough room for them to fit in the back if we all go out together.

Functional
Automatic transmission
Within my price range.

Bonuses:
Lots of cargo space
Good gas mileage
A popular model, so finding a competent mechanic is easy.

I just bought a Taurus station wagon. My mechanic can take it apart and put it back together in his sleep.

As an extra bonus, it’s also pretty.