Thread: What's a "good" car 4 you? What makes you WANT to buy one?

Is it just the looks?

The image?

Do you just like being seen in it (posing) while not even being interested in going fast?

Are you just rich enough to be able to just say "ah, well, I think that one looks cool" and buy it?

Or are you more like me?

I'm seriously curious about this. Because, many people just think that I'm an idiot, well, right, I am one, but they dont see the cause or rather point of my "idiocy" at least when it comes to cars.

Its actually quiet simple but difficult to explain or more precisely to explain it to non car people in such a way to make them get at least just a hint of what you're on about. I think how ever, that most people here will understand it.

For me its a package. Several things that a car has to do to me to make me want it and eventually buy it.

Here's a scenario. I call it the

"kill to thrill factor":

Somebody wants to mess with you for no good reason. He looks mean, behaves aggressively, shouts in your face that he is going to kill you.
He starts beating you. You fight back and hit him quiet well. He gets furious and pulls a knife. You dont see it coming. Just at the last moment, when the blade is just an inch off your throat, you manage to grab his hand and hold it back. You're about to get killed. You feel the adrenaline rush through your body, you shiver. But you're not the kind of person letting people scew with you this way. You know what to do. You're well trained. You disarm the guy slam him to the ground. You calm down and rather weiredly you feel good. Much better infact than before the fight. You're satisfied.

This is what a car has to do to me.

It needs to look different then all the others. Agressiv or beautiful or even both depending on the car and that point is oviously very subjective.

It has to shout at me. "I'm gonna kill you". Its gotta be loud but in an exciting way. Nothing too penetrating.

Once I got into it, it has to feel right. I dont need much comfort. I want to just approach the gas pedal with my right foot and the car sets of with a fireball behind it. Coming to a corner it has to do exactly what I'm telling it, not the other way around. When steering into the corner I want the car to start spinning and saying "Yeah, see big boy? I told you I was gonna kill you".

I want to be affraid of it. Sex and violence.

But after a couple of days I get used to the anger. I feel the blade at my throat and I'm able to keep it that inch off without having my girl to clean up the mess after. The tail steps out and lets me play with it.

Then there's the

"Balls Alert"- Fact:

You know the kind of thing.
You see a lovely woman and your balls tell you: "You wanna get in there an have a ride" while your brain tells you "Nah, better be careful...blabla".

If thats the case with a car - Its got to be a good one.

Coolness:

The coolness of a car to me consists of the looks, sound, and abundance of it. I dont give a shit what other people think about it or me. I have to like it at first sight.

Then there's the
testdrive.:

I get to drive pretty much everything through friends or people that I know who already got the car that I'm interested in. Usually I take them for a spin or tow at night or mostely on the nordschleife. What ever car convinces me there is as good as bought. Or at least it made me want one.

Of course those points are only referred to "drivers cars".
I'm also into musclecars that just need to look great and sound awesome. Or very few 4x4s.

To sum it up: A car has to entertain me. It needs to put a smile on my face every time I see it, fire it up, drive it. It's got to have personality, heart and character.

Fuel consumption? Depreciation? Automatic? Comfy?
Get the hell out of my face!

So thats it. Thats what makes me petrolsexual. Now tell me, what makes you want a car?

It's really hard to say, but it's a mixture of things I think. But I want it all.

Performance: The performance matters, but I'm also the type that I will choose a better handling vehicle over something that has an insane amount of power. Then again, if both is an option... . I do a lot of highway driving, so I'd like something that can keep me entertained on long straight roads as well as curvy ones. Balance.

Looks: A lot of cars can be panty droppers, my RL A-Spec turns heads because it's rare, but many consider it bland. That said, It doesn't need to be a showoff, but I'd rather it not be a common vehicle seen around, or at least not a common variant. As long as I like it, good enough for me. If it's shiny and an uncommon, the women will come anyway. There's a woman for every car.

Interior: I need to be pampered, and if it doesn't have a decent stereo, decent seats and a decent dash, I'm gone. Should fit and feel great. It should have some decent features that will be useful to me and that I can use. There's a lot of useless features you never need coming out now adays.

Presence: This really falls under looks, but at the same time it doesn't. I separate the two because a car that looks great may not have good road presence. The Panamera for example, isn't that great looking to me, but when you see it on the road, It demands to at least be glanced at. It just has that kind of road presence that you dont' get to see too much anyway. And even though I don't like it in general, it still awes me when I see a Black Turbo.

Sleeper Status: Cars can look good, but they don't necessarily need to be crazy. They can also have presence and be sleepers as well. The crazy SUVs running around fall into this category, same with many saloons. To the untrained eye, it's an SUV. But on the go, those things do really decently.

Price: I'll pay to play. If I love a car and insurance and gas prices are going to run me up, I'll budget accordingly. I sacrificed this once because I was getting a good deal and it's the biggest regret of my life. (Not the car in my signature)

Like I said... I want it all.

Can a fat middle aged balding guy like myself pull chicks in it?
If (Y) then buy.

But I do like your logic and reason behind it. Seriously for me, it's the whole package kind of thing. Looks, functionality, and performance. 2 out of 3 must be met.

What draws me to a car has always been how it looks from the outside.
I don't know the triggers that set off my bells but in a nutshell, the car has to look sexy for me to even want to look at it. I figure I have to look at this thing every day when I go to work and go home from work.

But in my early youth, it was being more pragmatic while being a fun car. It had to at leaset look "good" because I couldn't afford the very sexy cars like the Ferrari's of the day (308 GTB). I've had 3 VW's in 25 years.

I didn't set out for the A5 but once I saw it, I actually didn't care much about the mark up. It was the second purchase out of lust... the first was the Cobra replica (see avatar). Both cars had one thing in common: curves... sexy and fast curves.

However, there's a huge difference in the way they both drive. The A5 (for me) is the height of a luxury sedan: heated/leather/memory/elec. adjustable seats, Bose sound system, rear camera, side assist, LED lamps, quattro, etc. Nothing like my last VW (Passat).

Then there's the FFR: no power brakes/steering, no ABS or ARS, no AC, no EFI or cats, no 5mph bumpers or airbags, no stereo or adjustable seats... just a raw driving car that will humble a number of average cars I encounter on days I take it to work. It is the only car I've owned where I pay 110% attention to everything around me. It's amazing when you're no longer enclosed by all the sheet metal of a regular car. You hear and see so much more in a roadster. My rearview mirrors are a joke so even lane changes are all done by the turn of the head.

But I would never trade this expeirence for anything. I always loved motorcycles but my wife won't let me so this has been the next best thing. I know knicks been eyeing one of these too... cmon bro, you know you want one all murdered out!

Whatever is new and has a good blend of looks and performance.

I drive an SRT8 Jeep because it drinks alot of gas like I eat alot of food...

It MUST be a manual and be fun to drive. Not necessarily fast, just something that makes you smile every time you drive the car. Everything else is just an added bonus. The more character the better too.

my current car and what i look for are hypocritical at the moment... but generally I want:

performance- 0-60 in 5 seconds or less, 0-100 in 15 or less, it can handle turns are well as light to light and the suspension does not kill you whenever you hit a pebble

looks-something that I like; sleek, agressive and good paint (not rusted or scratched up)
it doesnt need to stand out nessesarily but it would be nice to know it gets attention either by looks or sounds once in a while.

price-under 80k, fair maintance costs and decent insurence (i can drive it 1000 miles and not have to worry about an engine failure or buying new tires when I come home)

enjoyment- the more i can drive it, the better. everytime i get into it, it puts a smile on my face from ear to ear and instantly cheers me up.

To this end, I now have a red c6 corvette =p
been through 4 cars, still aiming high

I like the full package really, whilst maintaining a cool factor. Not bothered about age or mileage or it breaking.

Plus look at it this way, what will a £15k e46 M3 do that a £5k e36 m3 wont ?

I save £10k by choosing a car that performs the same and is as comfy, because its older..

Mostly, I like cars that are out of the ordinary.

Anything with its engine behind its rear axle is A-Ok in my book, as is any wagon.

But I'm pretty crazy. I'm the sort of guy that likes AMC Pacers and BMW Isettas.