hey all, was just wondering what attracts everyone to the cars they own/have owned, would be interesting to see what people first look for when buying a car.

LOOKS - do you buy a car purely on what it looks like

RELIABILITY - do you go for a car that has good reliability

PRICE - do you go for the cheapest car of the class your looking at

RUNNING COSTS - insurance, fuel, tax, repairs, tyres

PERFORMANCE - for what the car can do

RESALE VALUE - what you can get back for it

BRAND - do you buy a car soley on the make

OTHER - please state

i think for me , its the best balance of everything you stated and whether it actually does the jobs i need it to do, for instance , can i get my dog in it.

my car has to be practical as we collect stuff for work sometimes , and stupid running costs put me off , a mate has an evo 8 and its brill but too dear to run for me.

the octy seems to be the best all round for me that i have had for a while , but life changes and i may need to change it soon due to work needs c'est la vie

speaking as a 19 years old its gotta look the part. then everything else follows that. i dont think you would look at a car would you if it looked manky haha

Wheels, seats. engine that sort of stuff.

Not bothered about name, looks or resale value. Has to be fun with decent running costs.

cant actually vote , its all those things combined in the right mix that makes me buy a car.

Wheels, seats. engine that sort of stuff.

Not bothered about name, looks or resale value. Has to be fun with decent running costs.

next time i go looking for a car im taking you with me!!! i see how a lamen like me could slip up on that one haha

cant actually vote , its all those things combined in the right mix that makes me buy a car.

i know its a mix of all things, what is the one particular one though? nobodys going to go to a forecourt and say "where is your ugliest, most expensive, car that will break down as soon as i get out the dealership":rofl:

i picked reliability coz im not a very good DIY'er where cars are concerned, someone with abit of mechanical know how that doesnt need to think more on reliability lines may choose looks though... you get what i mean:confused:

next time i go looking for a car im taking you with me!!! i see how a lamen like me could slip up on that one haha

Can you tell i'm bored Anyway I opted for performance as its the starting point.

cant actually vote , its all those things combined in the right mix that makes me buy a car.

It's an 'X-Factor' thing with cars. I didn't like the Mk1 focus until I drove it.

I never would have considered an Octy until I saw the ad with a VRS in Race blue face on.

But you also have to look for good engineering.

I'd love an Alfa but I can't afford to be fixing a car all the time.

i know its a mix of all things, what is the one particular one though? nobodys going to go to a forecourt and say "where is your ugliest, most expensive, car that will break down as soon as i get out the dealership":rofl:

i picked reliability coz im not a very good DIY'er where cars are concerned, someone with abit of mechanical know how that doesnt need to think more on reliability lines may choose looks though... you get what i mean:confused:[/quote

no its the mix that makes it work for me , would love an evo but running costs stopped me , fancy a boxster but not practical enough , its the overall balance that sells cars , if you just want a sports car an estate even a fast 1 wont work and speaking from lotsof experience , i do this based on the performance say , then 6 months later need to get rid because its not doing something else.

the vrs ticks all my boxes which is very rare for me, mind you i may possible be a grown up now so thats colouring my outlook , when i was younger i just did it on impulse and did the thinking later, and jac has an imput too , she doesnt much care what it is as long as i'm happy , but i need her to like it nevertheless

being a good diy'er isnt the same as fixing something that keeps breaking , unless your an alfa owner i suppose, messing with a car is good , trying to start the **** when your already late is just bad.

i suppose this is why there are so many variations available on even the same model , never mind the vast number of different cars themselves.

Practicality.

Yes, I know............

Something cheap to insure! (18 year old).

I've always set myself a minimum level of economy and performance and a maximum price.

Using all three against the list of cars on sale in the size I want tends to narrow this down a lot and then I start looking at the other factors.