# DEBATE -What's the deciding factor for you when buying a car?



## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

Buying a car whether it be a new or used one, it should be an enjoyable experience but what would be the deciding factor for you before you sign on the dotted line?


----------



## Kimo (Jun 7, 2013)

I'm more looking for history and how well it's been looked after

Seeing as I'm spending my hard earned I don't wanna buy something that's been used and abused


----------



## Westonp (Dec 30, 2015)

Great question

I hate wasting money, (unfortunately I'm an accountant) so for me it's getting a good deal. 

Unfortuantely I can change my mind so many times on the other factors, I.è. Fuel economy, sports car, looks, extras etc I drive myself and the salesman mad.


----------



## mac1459 (Aug 25, 2011)

could tick more than one box ,main reason is i want that car , in fact the next car is already chosen


----------



## muzzer (Feb 13, 2011)

Running costs, i do roughly 30k mileage a year and seeing as i dont get paid the 'average' wage or even close to it, running costs are the main factor


----------



## SteveTDCi (Feb 8, 2006)

Kimo said:


> I'm more looking for history and how well it's been looked after
> 
> Seeing as I'm spending my hard earned I don't wanna buy something that's been used and abused


So you would buy a hire car ?

To be fair I would buy a hire car there is nothing wrong with them. What do I look for in a car ? If I like how it drives and nothing else really.


----------



## Fuzz573 (Sep 18, 2013)

Years ago I would have said looks and performance but now it's safety and reliability for me


----------



## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

mac1459 said:


> could tick more than one box ,main reason is i want that car , in fact the next car is already chosen


What car is that fella?


----------



## alan hanson (May 21, 2008)

Deciding factor i guess is a financial one for me, all apply and contribute but effectively the costs have more of an impact on everything else in life than the others which us why i chose what i did over others options ultimately - all being said of course only applies to those who have to watch the funds


----------



## R7KY D (Feb 16, 2010)

First I'll usually go for how many miles it's got on the clock 

It could be the greatest car ever made but if it's got tons of miles then it won't be coming home with me


----------



## bradleymarky (Nov 29, 2013)

Will the Wife drive it !!!


----------



## Willows-dad (Jul 12, 2012)

A mix of looks and performance to pick the car, then a lot of other factors finding the right one.


----------



## robertdon777 (Nov 3, 2005)

Car I have now - Cheapness, both to run and Lease.

Mrs Car - Space, Comfort, Brand

Cars I've had before though would be most of the reasons above but usually I go on what buys me the most $$$$ for my budget that will be reliable, easy to maintain and goes ok.


----------



## turbosnoop (Apr 14, 2015)

In no particular order - price, mileage, looks, performance, running costs, reliability. I could almost get a spreadsheet out and score potential cars when I'm considering changing my car. Mpg is more important than tax group as over the year normally poor mpg can cost more. But I like hot hatches so its a case of is it worth putting up with that cars mpg for everything else it offers? Yes or no. Also I'd rather buy a car with poor mpg that is reliable, than one with good mpg that is unreliable. Its easy to pull in and fill up on fuel compared to arranging to get your car into a garage and get alternative transport when your car needs fixing. Both cost money. Camchain is normally more desirable to me than a cambelt, assuming there are no common chain issues on the car I'm looking at. I might consider a 200 bhp n/a car over a 200 bhp turbo as I don't have to worry about having a turbo.


----------



## Kimo (Jun 7, 2013)

SteveTDCi said:


> So you would buy a hire car ?
> 
> To be fair I would buy a hire car there is nothing wrong with them. What do I look for in a car ? If I like how it drives and nothing else really.


I wouldn't choose one as first choice, however if there was a hire car that had been well cared for and the common faults sorted vs a car that had high miles, no history and the owner hadn't sorted common issues then yes I would


----------



## Bero (Mar 9, 2008)

Mix of performance and value (price when considering mileage, condition, options etc)


----------



## Kiashuma (May 4, 2011)

As long as its under 1k and goes, no rust and not too filthy then all good.


----------



## justina3 (Jan 11, 2008)

I think its impossible to put just one tick against this very good question, everyones circumstances are going to different, being in the motor trade one for me that isn’t on your list would be depreciation, wrecks me paying retail for anything then watch the value just dwindle away.


----------



## Kimo (Jun 7, 2013)

justina3 said:


> I think its impossible to put just one tick against this very good question, everyones circumstances are going to different, being in the motor trade one for me that isn't on your list would be depreciation, wrecks me paying retail for anything then watch the value just dwindle away.


That's the reason I won't buy new or finance/lease

Pay more money for a car that's gonna be worth fa when you come to sell vs buying a car that's already lost the first big chunk

No brainer for me


----------



## justina3 (Jan 11, 2008)

Kimo said:


> That's the reason I won't buy new or finance/lease
> 
> Pay more money for a car that's gonna be worth fa when you come to sell vs buying a car that's already lost the first big chunk
> 
> No brainer for me


We are in the minority that's for sure, even some of the big auction houses are starting to offer credit options.


----------



## Andyg_TSi (Sep 6, 2013)

Never bought a brand new car, my current car was 2 years old when I bought it.

For me, it's all about the condition 1st (full service history/bodywork condition etc) - inspect and ensure its how it's been described etc

Then it's down to my tick list of 'wants' in the specification the car comes with EG - bluetooth/nav/leather etc.


----------



## 182_Blue (Oct 25, 2005)

The poll needs multiple options


----------



## Bero (Mar 9, 2008)

justina3 said:


> We are in the minority that's for sure, even some of the big auction houses are starting to offer credit options.


New car buyers have to be the minority here. More people buy a second had car than a new one!


----------



## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

Value for money for me. I'll buy a car which costs more but there's a balance between what I'm getting and the price. This is the reason I have a Lexus at the moment. For the money I get a lot of kit, reliability and excellent build quality. I don't expect anything less otherwise the car is going back.


----------



## justina3 (Jan 11, 2008)

Bero said:


> New car buyers have to be the minority here. More people buy a second had car than a new one!


that would be an good poll


----------



## Natalie (Jan 19, 2011)

On previous cars I've already had in mind what I want, so it's been the car that has the best history that I've chosen.

As my latest car was new this didn't apply, so I bought it on looks/ styling I guess.


----------



## Alex_225 (Feb 7, 2008)

I couldn't see an option for 'Does it make up for the size of my genitals' so I opted for the performance/drive option. 

Having driven French hot hatches for so long, I can honestly say that how a car drives and feels has been higher up on the agenda than anything like fuel economy or build quality. Of course I like gadgets and luxuries but for the main part I want a car that makes me smile. 

When buying my Saab it was all about fuel economy and being cheap to run so that has been a consideration for me. That kind of went in hand with comfort as well since I use it for motorway runs. 

Now I've got the CLS63, it kind of offers a bit of everything. Looks good (I think), has the brand image, build quality, engine and performance, mega comfy as well. Ticks a lot of boxes so I'd say a bit of most of those options comes into it in some way for me.


----------



## BerkerCELIK (Jan 10, 2010)

Not only the one stated above in the poll , but a combination of some sort. As an example for me the price/engine/economy/comfort/build quality combination!


----------



## Bero (Mar 9, 2008)

justina3 said:


> that would be an good poll


Surely that doesn't need a poll? At the end of a cars life it has had more than 1 owner (in the overwhelming majority of cases).

Say the average was between 3 and 7. One person bought it new but 65%-85% of the owners bought it 2nd hand.


----------



## 330CDT (Jun 14, 2015)

Doing near on 25k miles a year, for me it's a weigh up between performance and economy. I have always loved cars and driving, so buying something really mundane just wouldn't be an option.

Hence my username  (330cd M Sport)

Pretty confident I couldn't get something better for what this car does. MPG and 'fun' factor wise. (including value for money and depreciation)

Oh, and first thing I look for when buying a car is the owners forums, dig out all the common problems and faults. Upon buying, if you can find an enthusiast owner you are onto a winner.

Mileage doesn't tend to bother me providing it has been looked after well. Always buy on condition and history opposed to mileage, but somewhere in the middle is ideal. :thumb:


----------



## LSherratt (Dec 27, 2011)

Power/engine size is always my first factor closely followed by service history.


----------



## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

To be honest, the criteria has been different each time I've bought a car. For example, my latest (MK7 Golf GTI), I wanted a bit of performance in something I could use everyday, was reasonably economical but didn't need to be too practical (which is why I went for a 3 door).

Next car, now we have a 4 month old baby, practicality has shot right up the list. I'm doing more miles with work but economy doesn't really bother me too much, so I'm still going to stick with the correct fuel (petrol of course), but mid-30's is realistic.

As I say, criteria has changed a lot for me so if there was an option that said 'depends on the time in my life' - I would have selected that, however, most important at the moment is the engine/drivetrain.


----------



## PugIain (Jun 28, 2006)

My main criteria are 3/4 years old, big, French with reasonable mileage


----------



## suspal (Dec 29, 2011)

I voted engine,drive and performance what is missing is safety in the poll,however imo a little of everything is important when making a decision to fork out that amount of money.


----------



## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

suspal said:


> I voted engine,drive and performance what is missing is safety in the poll,however imo a little of everything is important when making a decision to fork out that amount of money.


Option 3 fella, reliability and safety, you must of missed it. :thumb:


----------



## Pip66 (Dec 17, 2014)

Having a V8 Discovery, leaves MPG out for me !!!!! :lol:


----------



## mt8 (Jan 7, 2011)

For me, I have a budget and get the car/ options I want whilst staying within that budget, as in life generally I don't always get what I would like.


----------



## Bero (Mar 9, 2008)

PugIain said:


> My main criteria are 3/4 years old, big, French with reasonable mileage


In interesting reason, and maybe the 1st time a country was mentioned in the thread. Why is French a requirement? Or does that play into the value aspect. i.e. you can buy a lot of big French car for not a huge amount of money after 3-4 years?


----------



## PugIain (Jun 28, 2006)

Bero said:


> In interesting reason, and maybe the 1st time a country was mentioned in the thread. Why is French a requirement? Or does that play into the value aspect. i.e. you can buy a lot of big French car for not a huge amount of money after 3-4 years?


Yah. Example, my 508 GT. Top of the 508 range, over 200bhp, lots of leather and trinkets. £30k brand new.
3.5 years and 50k miles later I pay under £9k.


----------



## 330CDT (Jun 14, 2015)

PugIain said:


> Yah. Example, my 508 GT. Top of the 508 range, over 200bhp, lots of leather and trinkets. £30k brand new.
> 3.5 years and 50k miles later I pay under £9k.


So it lost £21,000 in 3.5 years? Well.. it is French.  :thumb:

Saying that, they sure know how to make a hot hatch.


----------



## PugIain (Jun 28, 2006)

330CDT said:


> So it lost £21,000 in 3.5 years? Well.. it is French.  :thumb:
> 
> Saying that, they sure know how to make a hot hatch.


Yep. That's why only mental people buy big French cars brand new.


----------



## possul (Nov 14, 2008)

For my latest car, Mazda 6 MPS 

Performance, but also rarity. Isn't another in site around my area (that I know of yet)

After seeing the results, people who put engines, drive and performance should post up there car!!


----------



## 330CDT (Jun 14, 2015)

PugIain said:


> Yep. That's why only mental people buy big French cars brand new.


Very good point indeed. Or any new car for that matter haha.


----------



## mac1459 (Aug 25, 2011)

Soul boy 68 said:


> What car is that fella?


the new MX5 2.0,then the new RS focus


----------



## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

330CDT said:


> Very good point indeed. Or any new car for that matter haha.


True enough, but there are some huge discounts available buying brand new. VW knocked £6k off the price of my brand new GTI which negates most of the depreciation in the first couple of years. I would have been stupid to buy a used one with that kind of offer on the table. Advantage is I could choose exactly the spec I wanted.


----------



## Rayaan (Jun 1, 2014)

JBirchy said:


> True enough, but there are some huge discounts available buying brand new. VW knocked £6k off the price of my brand new GTI which negates most of the depreciation in the first couple of years. I would have been stupid to buy a used one with that kind of offer on the table. Advantage is I could choose exactly the spec I wanted.


Does depend on the car though. Some manufacturers don't give huge discounts but have high depreciation

Also new models don't tend to have discounts but they still depreciate unless it's highly desirable


----------



## Natalie (Jan 19, 2011)

JBirchy said:


> True enough, but there are some huge discounts available buying brand new. VW knocked £6k off the price of my brand new GTI which negates most of the depreciation in the first couple of years. I would have been stupid to buy a used one with that kind of offer on the table. Advantage is I could choose exactly the spec I wanted.


I saved a massive amount on my Polo GTI too so like you most of the deprecation covered by that.


----------



## CoOkIeMoNsTeR (Mar 6, 2011)

Ignoring the cars cars I bought to sell on and the 'I just fancy one of them' purchases there are a few things that I consider.

Will it fit us all in it? Obvious really but I don't mind getting creative; I used to get a medium sized Dog, a 5 month old baby and the Boss and myself in a DB9 

My next consideration is a comfy seat to cosset my back and it has to be automatic as well so a good gearbox is essential.

Once that's established it really boils down to a rather unique feeling. Do I like it? It doesn't have to be fast, it doesn't have to be economical. It has be make me want to drive it. I've had enough boring cars now to want something different. It has to have character and that's something I find a lot of modern cars lack, particularly if you spec an auto box.

If it's for Boss Cookie, can it withstand her total disregard for mechanical sympathy? Is it strong? If yes she can have it. Thus she has a Volvo


----------



## Kriminal (Jan 11, 2007)

I've gone for build quality.

The 1st thing would be looks. But if it's gonna rattle and shake after a years ownership, I ain't interested.


----------



## Toolslinger (May 18, 2013)

Went for engines,drive and performance,there needs to be an option,whatever puts a massive smile on you're face.


----------

