Whats your Automotive Deal Breaker.

"maximillious" (maximillious)
09/10/2013 at 13:16 • Filed to: None

Over the last few months I have been doing extensive research into my next car. I have found many options and many potential buys but I continue to hunt. This is because of my automotive deal breakers. For me the BIGGEST deal breaker (besides the obvious Automatic) has to do with the O-60. I will not buy a car that does not get to 60 mph in second gear. My first standard trans car was a 2001 Integra GS-r which hit 62 in second gear. My second was a 05 Civic SI and it only hit 58 mph in second gear. This was maddening to me... MADDENING!!!! After living with this for 3 years it has become a mission of mine to NEVER have to live like that ever again.

So tell me... What is your number one automotive deal breaker when buying a car. ( And it does not have to be rational, I know mine isn't)

DISCUSSION (42)

HammerheadFistpunch > maximillious
09/10/2013 at 13:18

Aside from reference times, what is it about not getting to 60 in second thats so maddening? how often do you run 0-60 times?

ddavidn > maximillious
09/10/2013 at 13:19

"At any point in this car's life, has it been smoked in?"

maximillious > HammerheadFistpunch
09/10/2013 at 13:21

I don't ever run 0-60 times. Its really not rational, but it just annoying. I enjoy accelerating quickly to my speed limit since I am not one to greatly exceed the speed limit. So the fun for me is getting there not being there. if you know what i mean

liljohnny > maximillious
09/10/2013 at 13:23

White. I hate white cars since when I was a kid my folks had a 1962 Rambler Classic wagon that was white. No power anything and steered like the wheels where held in place with rubber bands.

SkilletHead > maximillious
09/10/2013 at 13:24

Last time I bought a car, I told the salesmen at different dealerships "I want a 2 door 2 seat manual transmission sports car. The rest is flexible. What do you have?" I specifically didn't want a 2+2 seater. I ended up with a 2000 Boxster, but also test drove a few 350z's and an S2000, too.

Some guy tried to get me to test drive a Challenger - I told him it's not a sports car.

HammerheadFistpunch > maximillious
09/10/2013 at 13:25

i hear ya, but is your speed limit 60? Also, if you are slowing down at 60 to avoid speeding, shouldn't a car you have to shift at 58 be more ideal since you can hit the limiter, and then put the clutch in and coast to a nice safe, legal 60? I get where you are coming from, especially the irrational part, but seems like a strange deal breaker.

maximillious > liljohnny
09/10/2013 at 13:25

That is the most irrational reasoning and i LOVE IT! great deal breaker!

. . > maximillious
09/10/2013 at 13:25

Low quality, squeaky interior.

maximillious > liljohnny
09/10/2013 at 13:25

side note I have a friend who wont date anyone with Leopard bed sheets or that cuts coupons.

maximillious > HammerheadFistpunch
09/10/2013 at 13:27

Speed limit is 65. Usually i exercise this 0-60 on the on ramps. I will also do it on state highways that are 55, thus allowing me to slightly exceed 60 clutch for the shift and drift back down to an acceptable 5 mph over.

maximillious > . .
09/10/2013 at 13:28

Agreed! The Civic SI had these awesomely firm and comfy seats. My SVT have these squishy wannabe racing seats and I HATES THEM.

PanchoVilleneuve ST > maximillious
09/10/2013 at 13:31

Mine is very hard to practically quantify, but to me at least, it not only makes total sense it is also easy to spot.

I refuse to buy a car if I begin to doubt if anybody smiled during the design and engineering process. You know that the people making, say, the Miata or the Toyobaru were smiling all the time, it comes across in the cars, but I'd be shocked if anybody during what it took to create, say, the current Porsche lineup ever had any expression on their face other than a focused scowl.

Andrew Daisuke > maximillious
09/10/2013 at 13:33

Tan interior.

Nope. Nope. Nope.

maximillious > Andrew Daisuke
09/10/2013 at 13:38

couldnt agree more

never been a fan

Casper > maximillious
09/10/2013 at 13:39

I have a lot of deal breakers, but the biggest would have to be a lack of purpose. I don't know if I can explain it, but here goes.

Any vehicle I buy has to have a purpose and serve that purpose well. I hate these generic vehicles that people try to have fit all roles, only to be bad at everything. Examples would be nearly every SUV, most cross-overs, anything labeled "sports car" in FWD, large sedans, small vans... the list goes on and on. You either need a vehicle for a purpose or you don't. Most of the reasons people buy vehicles is "because they want it" and all the "reasons" why are justifications after the fact. They never actually see if the role the vehicle fills requires the characteristics of the vehicle, nor do they typically evaluate the negatives of the vehicle in relation to the application.

There has to be a set of characteristics that make it a good fit for it's role with a minimal draw backs. If I can't very explicitly outline the logic behind the vehicle, it's a deal breaker. If everything makes sense about how the vehicle will fill the role well with minimal draw backs, I then begin factoring the fiscal impact and projecting the "emotional" value and fiscal value over time to determine if it makes sense in the term required to pay for it's self.

maximillious > Casper
09/10/2013 at 13:41

So for example an NSX is a great sports car cuz that is what it is meant to do.
A Toyota Hilux is a great Utility vehicle because that is what it is supposed to do.

A Porsche Cayane (sp?) is a crappy vehicle because its trying to be sporty and utility and fails at both?

Amidoinitright?

Casper > maximillious
09/10/2013 at 13:46

Pretty much. I then compare the vehicle to what I need it for. For instance if I need something to move me to and from work, and do track days on the weekend, the NSX is an excellent choice. The draw backs being the availability of parts, extremely difficult to repair frame structure, etc. I would lump several "good" matches into a pile and shuffle the best options to the top for their positives, then shuffle the stack again based on draw backs/negatives. Fiscally a used NSX is a good candidate because it has already depreciated due to time, but now I have to factor the loss of value to due to miles as a DD... this puts even more negatives in it's column as it's not a "cheap" used car.

It's also why I rarely buy new cars, but am willing to spend as much on a used car. To justify something like a new Civic for the types of driving I do and where I place the greatest values on the vehicle (heavily on driving experience, pride in ownership, etc) it would be very low in those areas, so it would need to make it up fiscally. In order to justify the value I would probably have to keep the car for 10 years or more. Now, I look at the probability of keeping a car like that for that length of time, expected costs, and my "emotional" impact of having to drive it every day. Even though it makes sense in some areas, the draw backs are rather heavy for my specific application and tastes.

Grindintosecond > maximillious
09/10/2013 at 13:46

Cayane is a pandering product to people that want an SUV "because they want it" with Porsche trying to keep it a somewhat respectable P car. Purely Profiting Porsche Pandering Product.

Union of Smog Techs of CA > maximillious
09/10/2013 at 14:30

I don't have any anymore, I wasted 15 years trying to have the right car. RWD, light manual, etc.

Then I realized the roads suck so much I'd rather drive something I don't care about. Then I discovered that years of driving RWD had made even FWD kind of amusing. And that too much power corrupts, I hit 60+ in second on on ramps but then have to hit the brakes to slow down to merge with traffic! And then I lived happily ever after.

Mattbob > maximillious
09/10/2013 at 14:47

Poop. Poop is my deal breaker. If there is poop in the car, I will not drive it. You don't want to be the guy driving the poop car.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > maximillious
09/10/2013 at 15:34

Coupons? That shit is free money!

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > SkilletHead
09/10/2013 at 15:39

What an idiot, the Challenger was never a sports car. At one time a pony car now considered more of a muscle car (tho I still call them pony cars - mustang/camaro/challenger).

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > maximillious
09/10/2013 at 15:40

Foreign brand.

Throw stones all you like, but it won't make me buy a foreign car. I don't care if it was built in Tennessee or how much "American content" is in it.

Nope, not gonna happen. These didn't have to be rational, just truthful.

Chteelers > maximillious
09/10/2013 at 15:51

Uncomfortable seats. I'm gonna spend a bunch of time in there, so bad seats are an instant turnoff.

feather-throttle-not-hair > maximillious
09/10/2013 at 18:49

Oh man. You couldn't have driven my old Celica All-trac. I think that hit 58 in second.

For me, (and this came up post all-trac btw) its steering feel. No steering feel equals no buy for me.

feather-throttle-not-hair > . .
09/10/2013 at 18:50

stay so, so, so, SO, far away from 350Zs

feather-throttle-not-hair > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
09/10/2013 at 18:52

I'm AALLLMOST in the exact opposite boat. But i've come a long way, I appreciate a lot of American cars and at 31 years of age, i think I'm finally at the point where i'd actually consider a few American cars. When i was younger though, it was no way no how.

. . > feather-throttle-not-hair
09/10/2013 at 18:57

Really? How bad are they?

feather-throttle-not-hair > . .
09/10/2013 at 19:09

They're borderline unacceptable even by mid 2000's standards. Just cheap as hell materials, lots of road noise, rattles (i briefly considered upgrading my sound system before realizing that even a tiny bit more bass would drive me absolutely nuts.) A lot of the black material they spread everywhere is starting to chip where people touch it, revealing tiny spots of metallic silver all over the inside door grab handles and on the button to open one of the tiny storage compartments. Oh yeah, and it doesn't have a glovebox. Well technically it has one, but its behind the front passenger seat . So you can pick one: use of your glovebox or a passenger. But not both.

It's gotta be one of the worst interiors of any car in the past 20 years. And its not an economy car. Its only saving grace is that the ergonomics aren't terrible and that the design its self isn't super ugly or anything.

Rest of the car is cool though. gotta love RWD a 6 speed m/t and 300 horsepower.

dmtactical > Casper
09/10/2013 at 23:02

I feel this way but I deny it and as a result I've bought and sold too many cars. My ideal car would be a RWD 4 cylinder wagon with manual everything except brakes. Since the only cars like this in the US are now over 30 years old, it's just not practical to drive one, sadly. Compact trucks are the next best thing, and the two that I had were easily the most satisfying vehicles I've owned. I look forward to buying another soon and hopefully this time I won't let go of it.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > feather-throttle-not-hair
09/11/2013 at 09:24

Well 10 years ago (especially 15) most of our cars were crap lol. I've been trying to find a friend of mine a solid used ford in his measly budget (his family works for Ford he would literally be thrown out of the house -which he should be he's 24- if he came home in anything other than a Ford) and it is a tough selection. He's like well what from the early 2000s can I get from chevy? I was like.... a camaro? lol

The American brands had a rough go for a while but I stuck with them, and they have fixed it. Within the last 5 years everything has turned around and pretty much ever where you turn is a functional good vehicle.

Glad you're considering the American cars. And don't get me wrong I respect the capabilities of the foreign cars in all their aspects - performance, reliability (sometimes) and luxury.

Wonk Unit > maximillious
09/11/2013 at 10:53

#1 is Atuo tranny. I'm a philistine.

#2 is when they package options so you can only get good seats if it comes with these 5,000 other options that i really don't care for.

Casper > dmtactical
09/11/2013 at 13:24

Meh, my new DD is 40 years old this year. I just bought it and planned to spend the same I would on a newer vehicle to refresh it. It's "green" because I'm recycling and entire vehicle, and in the process going to have a car that I actually enjoy, want to keep, and is tailored to my specific driving style.

GreenN_Gold > maximillious
09/11/2013 at 13:29

Tesla Model S will do 60 in 1st gear (or 130 for that matter). If you bought one of those it would ruin you for all other cars.

maximillious > GreenN_Gold
09/11/2013 at 13:47

haha I actually drove one not long ago. They are very nice cars, I really cannot complain but I am not much of a salooooon car type of person

GreenN_Gold > maximillious
09/11/2013 at 13:50

I'm jealous. I would really like to drive a Tesla or any electric car, or even a hybrid for that matter. I've sampled none of them.

maximillious > GreenN_Gold
09/11/2013 at 13:58

I would suggest you take a trip down to your local chevy dealer and ask to test a volt. They will jump on the opportunity. Driving that car is a somewhat electrifying experience. -_- Get it?

GreenN_Gold > maximillious
09/11/2013 at 14:06

I know, I've thought about it, trust me. I could drive a Volt and a Leaf pretty easy I'm sure.

maximillious > GreenN_Gold
09/11/2013 at 15:09

Oh for sure. I only got to drive a tesla cuz i know someone who owns one and they had me run an errand for them. Needless to say I didnt object

GreenN_Gold > maximillious
09/11/2013 at 16:05

Let me guess, the closest store you could find was 20 miles away. ;)

feather-throttle-not-hair > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
09/11/2013 at 17:12

Yeah, I grew up in the 80's so my dislike of American cars didn't just come out of nowhere. The thing is, as you mentioned some American cars have actually gotten really damn impressive in more recent years.

I've never been a mustang guy, but the 5.0 is simply a damn good car. Just a great car for the money. Can't hate that.

As for your not liking foreign cars, hey, to each their own. No shame in having a preference!

maximillious > GreenN_Gold
09/11/2013 at 17:29

you know how hard it is to find a coffee shop in a big city! GOD they are so inconveniently located far out in the suburbs ;)