Do you agree with this quote regarding how people buy cars?

[Amby 490]

And thanks for the feedback, Amby... I will be test driving it in the next few days.

yw

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

AJ, are looking to get AWD?

Yes.

[mawilson 2,133]

A lot, I'm sure.

For example, did you know that

• Chevy Malibu earned the highest possible rating in recent government frontal and side-impact crash tests — five stars?
• Chevy Malibu comes with the best coverage in America: the 100,000 mile/5-year Powertrain Warranty plus Roadside Assistance?
• Chevy Malibu had a hybrid model?

It is simply a fleet car - handles/stops like one, looks like one and for those green-minded corporate buyers, wears a Hybrid badge. Perfect for those Chili's luncheons.

And it's not on any safety list I've seen..

Huh?

[Ban Hammer 12,829]

I've always used the yardstick criteria of reliability, price (to buy, to operate and to maintain) and does it meet my needs. At one stage in my life it was vital that I could fit a 9' tent ridgepole in my car as I went re-enacting War of 1812 time period almost every weekend.

i bet you weren't playing for the us side either

[Nik+Heather 121]

When I started looking for my car, we started out with Consumer Reports "Most reliable used cars" and then filtered for price and then started looking for a car.

What I ended up with was a Mitsubishi Eclipse (actually not on the list - spotted from across the lot while looking at something else), which is a car I have drooled over for years. I see a lot of older Eclipses still being driven around, so I believed based on this qualitative evidence that it wasn't a bad decision....

That being said, the Saturn my parents bought lasted through my teen driving years before finally needing more expensive maintenance than it was worth at around 12 years old, so I don't feel like I have a belief bias.

When buying my next car I am sure that the research will go similarly, but with more requirements thrown in (due to different budgeting), and then I will pick from about 3 cars based on how pretty I think they are.

Edited July 10, 2009 by Nik+Heather