How do you choose a new car?

[JimMIA]

I lease my cars and trade about every 3 years, primarily because I don't want to be nursing an out-of-warranty car or paying for extended warranties.

I tend to stick with one family, and for the last 10 years or more that has been GM -- mostly because of reliability, but also because of Costco discounts. And I really had 4 of the same vehicles -- one Saturn Outlook SUV and three Buick Enclaves. I loved the Enclaves (and the Saturn) for their amazing drivability and cargo space.

This last time, however, I wanted to downsize...but not too much. I found Edmunds extremely helpful for accurate comparisons -- especially of cargo space. I've used Edmunds many times and really like their "car comparison" feature for side-by-side comparisons.

I ended up with 3 choices: another Enclave, which I love; a GMC Acadia, which started out as the same vehicle, but is now smaller than the Enclave; or a Cadillac XT6 which is the same size as today's Acadia.

I finally decided on the XT6 because of a nicer interior and better discounts. It actually came to the same price for a nicer car with the discounts. Now if I can only figure out the techie stuff!

 

[Lumpy1106]

Can't go wrong with a Subaru. Parts are expensive - I will warn you about that. The service department I've found is FAR more fair and honest than other brands (looking at you Toyota and Ford).

 

[kirstenb1]

We try to buy American (yes, I understand that foreign companies have plants here, which I appreciate). We keep cars for 200k+, so I ask friends, and watch what people I really respect are buying. I look up Edmunds. We like 1 car to be an SUV with 3rd row, so that helps narrow it down.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I take a few test drives and say, "I like that one." DH is another story. He researches for at least a year, makes numerous spreadsheets and walks really slow through through parking lots and looks at the cars. He finds one he likes, researches the heck out of it, then decides he likes another one better. It's a whole thing that I try to stay out of!

DH is in car search mode right now. My parents gave us a car when DS got his license. They bought a slightly used Hyundai Tucson, then my mom decided she didn't really like it. She offered it to us for DS to drive. DH was driving an older Honda Civic at the time and decided that car would be safer and easier for DS. The Tucson has a few blind spots that aren't great for an inexperienced driver. So DH has been driving the Tucson for a few years but really wants another sedan. We have the money saved up. As soon as he gets a job (his contract job just ended), we will sell the Tucson and get him a new car. We still have the the Honda for DS to use when he's home from college. DH is currently in the midst of researching and creating his spreadsheet. I'm very happy with my KIA Sorento and trying to stay far away from his car search frenzy!

 

[Kitty 34]

Believe it or not I still ask my Dad......he always reads Consumer reports. I also drive the car I'm interested in and practice parking....back in and out to see how well I do in the new vehicle.

 

[Jroceagles]

Jeep
Jeep
Jeep

very easy! Wrangler every time!

 

[Timandalicia]

Wanting to trade in my 2014 Honda CRV for a 2021 Subaur Forester Premium.

I looked at Consumer Reports.

How do you research?

thank you!

How about take a poll? I vote great way to go.

 

[Skippy918]

We’re a Honda/Toyota family. I don’t know if we’ll ever buy anything else. We keep our cars a long time.

 

[trvlgirlmq]

I use Edmunds, KBB and Car and Driver to research.

I used to only drive Honda but my last 2 cars have been Nissan. I'm considering the new Pathfinder since it's being redesigned and the bubble look is going away.

 

[cvjw]

Can't go wrong with a Subaru. Parts are expensive - I will warn you about that. The service department I've found is FAR more fair and honest than other brands (looking at you Toyota and Ford).

We thought that too. DH drives a 10 year old Subaru Outback with 90,000 miles and the ONLY thing to ever go wrong with it was it needed a new gas cap a few years back. That car has been rock solid.

So solid that my mom bought a 2017 Subaru Forester. It has been a headache, to say the least. Always something wrong with it. She gets one thing fixed, and another problem rears it’s head. It has been small things - they key won’t come out of the ignition. It has been larger things - needing new ball bearings in the front right after the warranty expired. Now, the lift gate is torn up.

It literally is always something. So much so that my husband has decided he isn’t going to buy another Subaru and my mother won’t get another one after this one.

 

[TLSnell1981]

I have bought the same brand from the same salesperson in the same color for almost 30 years. I know what I want and how much I will pay for it. It works for me. No fuss.

 

[ronandannette]

Honestly, I don't do a ton of research; in my case the stakes aren't terribly high. I get a lease-allowance through my work and I usually turn my vehicles over every 36 months so they're never out of warranty. My main criteria is always price-per-month, to keep from going OOP. My first step is to become roughly aware of what vehicles are in my price range. Then I decide which ones I like the look of (literally). Then I go to dealerships and test-drive, but I've got a fairly low tolerance for that; it's usually about 3 models/3 dealers max. I decide on the one I want and then let my DH take over. I despise the back-and-forth sales process but he loves it. He brings the papers home, I sign and return them and then show up when the vehicle is ready for delivery. My last 5 vehicles, over the past 15 years have been 2 Saturns, 1 Dodge and 2 Nissans.

 

[KittyKitty]

I have a 2001 Honda CRV and still love it,110K mi. It has the larger windows.
I had a Forester for 13 years and loved that too. Actually I traded it because I was tired of it, it ran so good! I read something about Foresters and head gasket problems when they are over 100K miles. You might want to look into that.
I know my next car is one of those, but I don't want to pay insurance, sales tax, car tabs on new car, especially when my 2001 is still running good. So will be looking for 4-5 year old car, if I can find one!

I would talk to your car mechanic. They are experts.

Either one is going to be great.

 

[Adelle Dazeem]

With my last car, I knew it had to be a convertible. It was the whole reason I was car shopping. I drove many different ones and was settled on the convertible bug - one of my all time favorite cars when I was a teenager. DH wasn't convinced I would truly like it after a few months so he talked me into test driving an Audi. Of course, the Audi's luxury blew my poor beetle out of the water. It was more than I initially wanted to spend, but oh I loved "The Princess". Now I'm in a Tesla because DH loved his and talked me into it. I still miss my convertible, but I love my "Mahina". She is such a blast to drive.

 

[KittyKitty]

Grew up in a Ford family, but married a Jeep man.

My married 1st car was a '67 GTO...... boy have my taste changed!

 

[Disneyfan754321]

As far as the dealer go https://www.dealerrater.com/
The ratings are legit and you can get good info on how they treat people... especially pay attention to service.
I always google the name of the car and put review after it. I like seeing the reviews of people complaining about know issues.

 

[JimMIA]

As far as the dealer go https://www.dealerrater.com/
The ratings are legit and you can get good info on how they treat people... especially pay attention to service.
I always google the name of the car and put review after it. I like seeing the reviews of people complaining about know issues.

A dealer's service department is a good thing to research.

I have one Cadillac/Buick/GMC dealer here in Miami that I never even consider because of their service department. They make service appointments only to see what parts you need. Then they keep your car until the parts arrive and are installed -- which can be several weeks. They give you a "complimentary" Enterprise rental, which is never close to the quality of your car which they have sitting in their parking garage. Never again.

 

[fla4fun]

I start with what type of vehicle I want - say, small wagon, medium SUV, etc. Then I do some searching online to see what cars fit in that category. Then I take my preferences (mpg, comfort and/or safety features, etc.) and remove any cars from the list that don’t meet that criteria. That usually narrows the choices down to three or four finalists. At that point, I try to find owner forums online for those models. Owner forums are a good place to read the good, the bad, and the ugly as people ask each other about issues and give advice on upgrades. That usually narrows the choices down even more. At that point I am ready to see the cars in person and see which one is the best physical choice for me (comfort, visibility, etc.). When I am ready to buy, I ask anyone in my friends and family circle who drives a vehicle from that manufacturer for a recommendation as far as dealerships go. I got a great recommendation when buying my current car, and it was the easiest buying experience I have had (plus I love the car).

 

[DisneyHardin]

We bought a new vehicle back in September. We were planning to get rid of our Honda Odyssey and get an SUV. Before test driving, I had narrowed down my choices to a Subaru Accent and a Honda Pilot. I asked my mechanic which he thought was a better choice - he recommended sticking with a Honda because Subaru's notoriously have engine trouble at 100,000 miles. I still was kind of set on getting an Accent, so I went to test drive - after driving the Odyssey for so many years, the Accent felt like driving a truck and I just didn't like it. I was so disappointed because they are such fantastic SUVs. In the end, we ended up buying another Odyssey even though we really didn't need a van, but I just felt the most comfortable driving it.

 

[smokeyblue]

If you plan to replace it in a few years, go with the Subaru. If you plan to keep it for awhile I'd go with another CRV. If it were me and I was looking in that class, I'd go with the Mazda CX5. Super nice ride, tons of safety features and a very sleek interior and exterior.