How I Choose A Car

"Justin Hughes" (justinhughes54)
12/22/2014 at 21:38 • Filed to: car buying

I've been called a car slut by many people on many occasions. I've had more than a few, and most have worked out well for me. Knowing this, my non-gearhead friends will often ask for my help or advice when shopping for a car of their own. Here's how I help them, and myself, choose the right car.

I certainly don't claim that this is The One True Way. I've ignored this process myself at times, like when a friend or connection has made me an offer so good I couldn't refuse. But generally speaking, here's how I, personally, go about it.

What are your needs and wants?

Forget brand names. Forget your absolute "need" for a Ford Excessive to take your kids to school. Let's identify exactly how you use your car, and what capabilities you require from it. Lots of space? All weather capability? Sure, an SUV might make sense. Commuting in a big city with tight streets and no parking? Probably not so much.

You could get a car that fits your use case perfectly, but that you absolutely can't stand. We want to avoid this, because a car is a big purchase, and you shouldn't spend good money on something you don't like. All of your cargo and passenger needs could be met by getting a full size van, but unless you're a professional driver or a crack commando unit sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit, you probably don't want to drive one every day.

My girlfriend, like many people, hates minivans. An AWD minivan would fit her needs, as a mother of two living in snow country, quite well. But she hates them, and much prefers SUVs. REAL SUVs, with actual off-road and towing capability. She's had boats before, and may again one day. We've used her Jeep Liberty as a rally sweep vehicle before. We were also among the few who did NOT get stuck in the mud at !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! this past summer.

If money was no object, you could buy a truck to haul stuff, a luxury car for road trips and to impress people, a small hybrid to save gas and impress other people, and as many fun sporty cars as you want. Here in the real world we don't have that option, so cars end up meeting a variety of needs all at once. Some of these could directly conflict - a sporty car with great handling that can haul the family and the camper, for example. So you need to decide which of these is most important, and prioritize your needs. The last time I was shopping I'd narrowed my choices down to the Subaru BRZ and Ford Fiesta ST. I chose the BRZ because I prefer a true, purpose built, RWD sports car to a FWD econobubble that's been converted into a sporty car (admittedly a very good one), and because the larger cargo area and usable back seat of the FiST wasn't necessary to fit my cargo needs. I actually brought my recurve bow to my BRZ test drive to make sure it would fit, because I do a bit of archery and that was important to me.

I've swapped a number of Facebook comments with rally driver and drifter !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , who also narrowed down her recent car purchase to the BRZ/FR-S and FiST, but chose the FiST for herself. Considering that she rallies a Team O'Neil Fiesta, it made sense for her to stick with what she was most familiar with, despite enjoying the FR-S. She also had a good hook-up on winter wheels and tires through !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

It's also important to consider options. Keyless entry may be nothing more than a convenience to some, but it's very important to my girlfriend for getting her kids into the car quickly and efficiently. A stereo with certain capabilities is a factor, but don't skip a car just because it has nothing more than a tape deck. With an adapter you can pipe your phone or music player through it, or it's often quite easy to replace it with a stereo that does fit your need for iPhone integration, for instance. Some, like a stereo, are easy to add. Others, like a sunroof, are possible but more difficult.

What is your budget?

This is usually the most limiting factor in the decision. It would be great to walk into a dealer, plop down a few tens of thousands of dollars, and drive away with the perfect car with no miles and a full warranty. Some people can do that. But most of us need loans, or to buy a used car for less money.

A new car drops a lot of value the moment your plates go on and it rolls off the lot, so it's not a good investment. I suggest looking for a lightly used or still new previous year model that the dealer wants to get off their lot because they haven't been able to get rid of it. Let someone else take that depreciation hit for you.

(Full disclosure: I totally disregarded my own advice and bought a brand new BRZ. I've never bought a new car before. I probably never will again, for the reasons I stated. But yeah, I did it.)

Many people I know have either less money and/or poor credit, and can't afford a new or lightly used car. When price is very much an object, you take your list of requirements, then find the best car you can afford to fit those needs. A new Camry may be out of reach, but there's a seven year old Accord on Craigslist that might work. You may need to be more flexible about meeting your needs, particularly if you're in a hurry. You may have to settle for a FWD Saturn, Escort, or Civic wagon, rather than holding out for the RT4WD Civic wagon you really want - or, as I once did, settle for an automatic when I really wanted a stick.

Or maybe you already have a daily driver, and are looking for a fun or project car on the side. You can really lower your standards in this case and just go for something cool. Right now, a friend of mine has an Alfa Spider in good shape available for $1000 that I would snag in a heartbeat if I had a garage to keep it and wrench on it in. Two of the three Miatas I've had have fallen into this category. If you break it at the track - or, if it's an Alfa - you still have your other car to get to work on Monday.

Use your connections

Don't be shy. If you have a friend who sells cars, either professionally or privately, ask them to hook you up. I couldn't have gotten my second car, a lightly used 1995 Mercury Tracer, without family connections at the dealer and the bank. But I had both, and got it cheaper than a lesser equipped Escort.

Has a friend of yours been talking about getting a new car? Do you like their current car? Offer to buy it for the however much the dealer will give them for trade-in. It doesn't cost your friend anything, and you get a good deal on a car whose history you know. (Of course, you wouldn't want to do this if you know your friend has beaten on or neglected their car...)

Even if you have no direct connections, ask around - maybe a friend of a friend does. Post on Facebook, on Oppo, on LiveJournal (why yes, a few people actually still use it). I once got a free Civic wagon from a friend of a friend. I didn't get a discount from free, but because of that connection she let me drive it home on her plates, since I didn't have a set at that time. I promptly returned them to her. Every little bit helps, even non-financial help.

Be open to alternatives

By now, with your needs and budget defined, you can start to identify specific models that will work for you. Here is where you can get a little more selective. If you hate American cars, cross them off the list. If you refuse to get a Subaru with a 2.5 motor that'll eat its head gaskets for breakfast, cross it off the list.

You can scan the ads for these particular models, compare pricing, and so on. But it doesn't hurt to scan through the ads with no filters for something you might have missed. You might find a super good deal on a nicer car than you've considered. Or maybe you hate Fords, but that garaged Explorer with a full service history is $2000 less than anything else you've seen. For a good deal, consider looking past your prejudices.

Remember my girlfriend, who needs a real SUV? After considering her needs, her budget, and my connection to an old friend who runs his own !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (he's the one with the Alfa Spider I want), she's buying a 2003 Ford Focus instead. She's getting it from someone I trust, and who has been servicing this car under previous ownership for years. He just did a lot of work on the car before putting it up for sale. After looking at the Focus, she realized that there actually was enough room for everything she needed, and that on her limited budget she probably wasn't going to find the SUV she wanted right now. So she's getting the Focus, and looking forward to saving money on gas.

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The most unusual situation happened when I was down to one car, my Miata, and looking for a hardtop to drive it through the winter. Hardtops ran from $800-1000 at the time. While randomly surfing Craigslist, I spotted a Saturn SW2 5-speed for sale for $400. I've almost never seen a manual Saturn wagon. I looked at it, bought it, and drove it through the winter instead of buying a hardtop. In the spring I sold it for $800, which would eventually buy that Miata hardtop.

Phase 3: Profit!

OK, not really. It's rare to make money on a car, especially a daily driver. But it's possible, and I've done it a few times. I've also lost lots of money when a car developed major problems and I sold it or traded it at pennies on the dollar, just to make it go away. Usually I end up somewhere in between, with reasonable depreciation when it's time to sell. You're almost going to lose money on a car, but that's the price you pay for being able to use it.

What's most important, I think, is identifying a car that will meet your needs, that you can afford, and that you'll be happy with. Life's too short to drive a penalty box.

(Photo credits: Justin Hughes, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , Verena Mei, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .)