Cars aren’t rational. If they were, we’d all be driving around in Priuses, and while there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a Prius, it just doesn’t suit everyone, you know? The fact is, almost every driver cares about their vehicle in some way, from the parents who wouldn’t be caught dead in a minivan to the 20-something crustpunk who enjoys the space of a minivan for drums and stuff. We all have our reasons for spending our actual money on the vehicles we drive, so today on Autopian Asks, we want to ask why did you buy your car?
I’ll gladly go first, although I’m probably not the most rational buyer out there, for I tend to mostly buy cars on wants and have a habit of having cars find me. In the case of my Porsche, I wanted a particular Boxster with a particular set of options, and eventually, the right one chose me. Yep, it’s still brilliant, and was well worth the two-plus-year search. Now, with the 325i, things are a little more complicated.
I’ve always loved the E90, but I wouldn’t have ended up with this one if it weren’t for stupid rust belt problems. See, I used to own a relatively nice Infiniti G35, which was great until it wasn’t. Once the 120,000-mile mark was breached, the nickel-and-dime repairs just kept coming, from dampers to trim bits to fixing exhaust leaks. The natural sort of stuff you’d expect in the rust belt, and eventually, it all just grew tiresome enough that I sold the G35 and bought a BMW with far more previous owners and far more mileage under its belt that actually found its way to me through a Facebook group. So far, it’s been the more robust car, and it was a great one-car solution for when I could only have one car.
See, when you can only own one car, you need to balance your wants and needs. I wanted a manual gearbox, drive to the back, good steering, decent brakes, a banging stereo, and a zero-to-60 mph time in the rough area of six seconds. I needed space to move stuff, a rear seat for occasional carpooling and airport runs, decent fuel economy, plenty of parts support, and acceptable passive safety due to how undertrained many drivers are. The result? The sports sedan.
However, most people don’t fire the parts cannon at fully depreciated German cars, and most people don’t buy their cars outright or on their fancy either. So, why did you buy your car? Was it a great deal, did it just fit your life perfectly, was it a dream of yours? Regardless, I want to hear your rationale in the comments below.
(Photo credits: Thomas Hundal)
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2009 Nissan Xterra, Offroad package, 6 speed. I wanted an SUV to go camping, exploring, skiing. I like driving manuals, partially because it’s fun, partially because clutches are relatively cheap to repair. Can’t get a manual in a 4Runner that’s less than 20 years old and comparable Nissans are like $10k less than their Toyota counterparts and I think are reasonably similar (except aftermarket support is worse). Cheap-ish ($13k) to buy when I got it used with 115k miles on it so I don’t feel to bad about actually taking it offroad and dinging it up a bit. I like the styling.
Cons: terrible mileage, like anything with 33’s and a 2″ lift.
I took my parents with me to be the VOICE OF REASON. Dad talked me out of a V8 with 5speed because that car was fire-engine red and would attract more cops.
Opposite: Dad let me buy a 1971 Fiat 128SL in 1975. Pros: possibly most fun car I’ve ever driven. Cons: it fell apart in about 9 months.
He kindly gifted me his 1971 Hornet Sportabout and bought a Dodge Swinger for Mom and him. I won on that trade.
2017 Cadillac ATS Premium Luxury – I bought it because I wanted something sporty (it IS basically a 4 door Camaro) but something comfortable (I AM almost 50 now). The V6 has plenty of pep. The creature comforts are on point. Cue is hateful, but I use CarPlay so I don’t really have to deal with it often. Just the occasional change to climate control and I’ve figured out how to make the touch sensitive buttons behave mostly.
2020 Hyundai Tuscon – Wife’s car. She wanted something “new” but didn’t want to pay new prices. Earlier this year we found this with almost no miles at a good price and she fell in love. It’s the Ultimate so she’s not lacking for toys. She has even a couple my Caddy doesn’t have…that she likes to point out.
I wanted a manual transmission station wagon that was quick and handled good. Nobody makes them anymore. So I bought a (then) 14-year old Subaru Outback XT and through the powers and interventions of a super mechanic (Paul at Flat4Freak in Berthoud!) now have more or less the exact car I want.
Hey! Manual transmission wagon that is quick and handles good gang!
I got a 1991 Accord wagon with a 5spd, VTEC, and coilovers. Which actually doesn’t handle much better than stock, but these cars handle nice stock.
1996 Avalon: Was my ex’s mom’s car. Ex’s mom passed away, ex proceeded to drive it until she broke a connecting rod (she didn’t change the oil). I put a good used engine in it for her, she never bothered to go get it registered, so it sat, undriven, for over a year. We split up, she moved out, and left it. After six more months, I offered her cash for a signed bill of sale so I could register it, and did. I planned on selling it, but… it has been my daily beater for the last 8 months and I’ve grown to like it.
1996 GMC Sonoma: Same ex bought this for herself, then decided she hated it… I ended up driving it for awhile until the 4L60E did 4L60E things. Right now it’s waiting on me to rebuild the transmission.
2008 Kia Rondo: It’s weird, it’s roomy, it’s good on gas, it was cheap. I’ll be selling it soon. I actually bought it for the ex to drive so she’d quit driving my Ranger, when we split up, she decided to buy herself something else.
2014 Subaru Legacy: it was the only midsize sedan that wasn’t too long for the garage. Special-ordered the base model because plastic add-ons (a) are the lifeblood of Subaru dealers and (b) piss me off. 150,000+ drama-free miles so far.
2024 Subaru Impreza Hatch: really wanted a Corolla Cross (I know, we’re not exciting car people), but it’s horribly packaged – nearly RAV4-sized on the outside but feels like a Geo Metro on the inside. The Impreza has a surprising amount of interior space and undercut every trucklet and Japanese hatch by at least $2000. It isn’t a bad car, at least when the safety features aren’t trying to kill us.
I bought my car because during the pandemic the dealer was the only one around who wouldn’t mark up.
2001 Boxster S – In a lot of ways, my dream car. Cobalt blue over Metropol blue leather with blue top. Mostly analog, great online communities, makes you focus on the road at all times, but still enough creature comforts to be usable year round in southeast Texas. The one I found had EVERY feature on my wishlist, plus some Exclusive Manufactur stuff to boot. (original owner was a PGA golfer) Upgraded to a single DIN Bluetooth-capable, OEM-looking head unit and that’s it as far as aftermarket. 59k miles.
2018 Chrysler Pacifica PHEV – We have three kids. Nuf said. With a Level 2 charger at home, we average 40 MPG regularly. No FCA gremlins to speak of with ~80k miles on the clock. Perfect family car.
2016 Lincoln Navigator – The most recent purchase, my daily driver. Had a 2008 Cayenne GTS until the issues stacked up too high and had to bail. As noted above, a three-row makes sense with kids and their activities. Great highway cruiser, and saves on gas compared to the Cayenne since the 3.5L Ecoboost takes 87 octane. I’d like to get into something more engaging to drive when I can afford it. SQ7? Explorer ST? EV9?
I bought my Mach-E GT because I wanted a quick EV that wasn’t a Tesla.
I bought my YJ to build a Jurassic Park Jeep and did exactly that.
I bought my Niro because I really wanted a PHEV. At the time, the ones that were available in my area were the Niro and the Fusion. Given that the Fusion trunk was blocked by the battery, the Niro made more sense.
I just sold the Silverado, but I bought it because the Niro was in the body shop and I didn’t want to rent. So I picked something that I could use for river trips and hauling things, and it didn’t hurt that I knew I could likely get most of my money back when/if I decided to sell.
I’m strongly considering a Maverick right now to have something that’s efficient that would separate wet gear from the passenger compartment. Also because I expect the used hybrid market’s going to expand, given the new AWD hybrid.
I got my ’08 MX-5 in 2014 because I’d wanted a Miata since they came out in ’89, and after 25 years of life intruding, I was finally able to make it happen. It was used, but I splurged on a loaded GT (6MT, PRHT, LSD, aluminum trimmed dash, xenon headlights, etc…). Still love it, though driving it has become an issue due to age/ mostly injury.
We bought the wife’s RAV4 hybrid during covid because we didn’t trust the twelve year old Sorento to take us on cross country trips anymore. Not a great time to buy, but when you lose faith in your transportation, something’s gotta change. Mileage going from about 17 to 36.7 mpg was a nice benefit though.
The stories on the reacquired F150 and Fit are too long to get into here.
1995 F150- I didn’t have a car(or drivers license), it was free, it was a manual straight six. I revived it and it has been my dependable daily and work pickup for close to four years.
1991 Accord- Wanted to save some gas over the F150, wanted something faster than the F150, it’s a manual VTEC wagon, and it was $800.
1974 Jeep J10- The F150 is 2WD and I would really like a 4wd. I seriously considered swapping the F150 but this is cooler. It has the Jeep 258 straight six, BW T18 4spd manual, Dana 20 transfer case, Dana 44 axles, and is more unkillable than any Toyota. I said what I said.
2018 Ford Fiesta ST – I really wanted a manual hot hatch and I needed a new daily. The FiST was cheap and seemed like a hoot. I got mine out the door for under $20k brand new and a have enjoyed an incomprehensibly high number of giggles per mile. Despite Ford’s unfortunate reputation regarding quality it has been perfect for 6 years and 40,000 miles.
2007 Chevy Suburban – I desperately needed something that could carry lots of passengers and lots of protected gear for Scouting events as well as being 4WD for handling various bad conditions. In 2017 I picked up a well-used example and I’ve been kicking myself ever since for not pulling the trigger earlier. It is truly my workhorse for road tripping, hauling, bad-roading and very mild true off-roading, towing, etc.; in other words the ultimate sport utility vehicle in the true sense of the phrase for my purposes.
1988 Jaguar XJ6 Vanden Plas – This is my hobby car. I was originally planning to buy a true project car that needed work but this one fell into my lap in such good shape and such a nice price that I had to do it. I was also looking at sports cars, convertibles, and other luxury sedans but this red-headed stepchild of the XJ family has given me a lot of pleasure.
In a few years after SS at 70 and RMDs shortly thereafter, a Fiesta ST is currently in my cards. I don’t want to miss out like I did with the second gen CRX Si.
I bought my Focus ST to replace my rusting and ragged on Mazda3 that I had for almost 10 years. I wanted something similar sized but I wanted more power. It was between this, the Speed3 and the GTI. I had driven the GTI and while a nice car that was well-built and comfortable, it was just too numb for me. The Speed3 was a blast and a bit of a wild beast but the torque steer was insane and I hated the overall looks of the car (preferred the 05-09 bodystyle).
The ST is a great blend of comfort, practicality and fun to drive. With my employee pricing, it was cheaper than the other two as well. I still have it as my “weekend car” and I can’t find myself replacing it unless it dies.
Current car: I wanted a big diesel wagon that looked smart but I am a cheapskate. Result: Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer with steel wheels and surprisingly good OEM wheel trims.
My favourite ever car: we needed a second car and I pointed out something so ridiculous I thought my wife would say no. She didn’t and then the salesman took me sideways round a roundabout on a Croydon trading estate in the wet while I had a means of payment in my pocket. Result: Smart Roadster Coupe with heated leather seats and flappy paddles.
2017 Pacifica, I have two kids and the wife hauls alot of stuff. It’s brilliant. Used for road trips to the beach, family, wherever. It’s comfortable to drive long hours and gets good mileage on the highway. Been fantastic.
2017 Ram 2500, I tow regularly over 6klbs, and my old 1/2 ton was long in the tooth. Plus we knew we were getting a camper. It’s a gasser with the 392. Great truck, not a daily. Used for truck stuff usually 3-4 times a month.
2000 4Runner, needed something cheap and reliable with 4 wheel drive for work. Picked it up, rust free, 262k on the odometer nothing wrong with it. It goes off road for work all the time. It’s amazing and slowly making me a Toyota fanboy. My daily and we use for all sorts of errands and small trailer stuff. Have had it for 4 yrs now. The other two I bought 1-2 yrs old used and everything is paid for.
I have motorcycles, but that’s another post…..
I was looking for another CTS V Sport and couldn’t find one I liked. My buddy is a VAG nerd and convinced me to look at S5’s. On paper they’re down on power, but in the real world they’re excellent performers. I researched the B9’s and came to the conclusion they’re quite reliable. Plus liftback, AWD, and a turbo V6 that loves mods. I drove one and fell in love. It ticked all the boxes, and some additional boxes I didn’t even know I wanted.
We bought an Odyssey ten years ago because my wife totaled our Volvo. I was sad to see that car (an XC60) go. But I’ve never owned a car that has performed so well and aged so gracefully as the Odyssey. If if weren’t for scuff marks in the back, you could convince me it was nearly new. It drives like it is new. Yes, we had to pay through the nose for the timing belt replacement, but if that’s the price to pay for a car that has performed so well, I can live with that. It’s only had one other major repair and that was when my kid accidentally opened the powered sliding door into a tree that was growing on the curb when we parallel parked it. Not her fault. Not a fault of the car (though the cable that opens the door was a bit thin–think 2mm tops). But don’t do this, btw, it was an $1800 repair and took weeks to get the parts.
I bought a Mazda 6 as a second car for my commute just looking for a cheap sedan. It is now almost nine years old. It is still going strong just got its first major maintenance since we’ve owned it (I did all of the regular maintenance)… it got new belts. It needs new front struts. It is a joy to drive if a bit underpowered. It disappoints in gas mileage. But otherwise it is a great car. My only other worry? Sealed transmission… so who knows how long that will last?
And our newest car is a Tesla Model Y Long Range Dual Motor. We love it. It has a few minor flaws but honestly I can’t get over how much I enjoy it. I am now an EV convert. I may buy a “fun” manual ICE car but otherwise I’m done with ICE only cars–either BEVs or PHEVs only. To wit: the other two cars used to need to filled with gas 2x a week due to our commute/work schedules. Currently both of them have gone two weeks without a fill-up. Our Tesla charges from the sun much of the time–we have Solar PV. I really feel like this is awesome, near zero emissions life.
My latest car purchase was mostly pragmatic. The Mazdaspeed 3 I previously had was getting to the age/mileage where I thought it was going to require some mechanical attention, plus my job changed so I was only driving to the office twice a week and I felt bad about letting a cool enthusiast car sit and collect dust. I already have a muscle car and a lifted SUV in my fleet, so I decided I should have one “reasonable” car.
Bought a 2015 Mazda 3 2.0L 6-speed as the replacement. Had a couple minor dings and bumps so I got it relatively cheap. Gets 30+ MPG no matter how I drive it, 40+ if I’m cautious, and with the Mazda suspension and 6-speed trans it’s still kinda fun to drive, if a bit slow.
2004 Daihatsu YRV Turbo – a bit quirky, with overpromising looks and underdelivering performance due to automatic transmission.
To be fair, it’s weird (to the point that the first question I hear all the time is „what is this?”), kinda shit but tries to be cool. Just like me.
My current ride: 12 Wrangler sport 2 door. Dozer color, that school bus not quite yellow not quite orange but somewhere in between. My previous car had died (a new Beetle, never accuse me of being smart) and I was looking for a pickup or a Jeep XJ on the classifieds. Learned to drive in my dad’s 72 C-10 pickup, and I missed it but there was no way I could afford a good version of one of those. I’d sent my wife some Craigslist and Autotrader things, but then she sent me the listing from one of the local dealers.
30k miles. 6 speed. 2 door. Soft top. Not a basic color.
I texted her back “I wish” and she texted right back. “We can afford it.”
Test drove it in the rain, because VA weather. Been a while since I’d driven a stick, but it didn’t take long to remember. When we were test driving it she said “we can take it down to the Outer Banks and drive it on the beach.”
That did it. Bought it the next day. Is it practical? Hell, no. Is it fun? Absolutely. It just fits me. Is it clean? Nope, it’s a Jeep. Have I taken it offroad? Yeah, and I found out where my wheeling limits are, but it was fun. Doors off, top down, Jeep therapy. Just makes me happy. Best part of having a convertible (still miss my decrepit Saab 900 convertible) and sort of having a truck. Would I buy a new Jeep? Nope, can’t afford that. But I don’t ever want to get rid of it.
We got the Mazda5 because we had wanted one for years and it was great while it lasted. Unfortunately an idiot in a pickup ran a stop sign and totaled it , and then our Saturn grenaded its transaxle so we had no cars in March of 2017. This is why we have the Mazda CX-5 because the 2016s had good deals. For the most part we don’t regret it although my wife complains about visibility.
The other vehicle is a 2002 F150 I bought because we had some money, I wanted a truck after 15 years without one and wanted one that could tow a respectable load. We settled on the Ford because it was a much better drive than the Chevy we had checked out, and several sellers had flaked. Other than 4 weekends of epic wrenching to replace the heads it’s been great.
1971 MGB GT – I have wanted one ever since I was little. I had a Miata that I wanted to sell, and I was looking for something pre-1980 to use in classic car rallies in Oregon (which I never got around to doing). I never really cared for MGB roadsters, but when this GT came up for sale cheap, I bought it the same day it was listed.
1989 Chevy K1500 – Every time I’ve had a truck in the past, I’ve sold it because it was a lousy daily driver. So I decided that I should look for a truck to just use as a truck. I had a list of requirements: full-size, long bed/standard cab, manual transmission, and air conditioning. When I spotted a good-running former Forest Service truck that ticked all those boxes and also happened to be 4WD, I knew it was meant to be. Then I ended up dailying it for a year anyway…
2004 GMC Yukon – My wife, much to her surprise as well as mine, has become a fan of body-on-frame SUVs. Her first was a ’96 Ford Explorer, which served her well for eight years, but then became too costly to keep on the road. It was replaced by an Infiniti QX4, a nice truck, but fussy and never felt quite “right” to her. She wanted a Cadillac Escalade; I suggested we look at Tahoes and Yukons as a cheaper and simpler alternative, and here we are. Apart from a few electrical gremlins and some idiotic aftermarket wheels I still need to replace with stock-sized ones, it has been a good choice.
2013 Chrysler 300 – I didn’t pick it; I inherited it. But I can’t think of anything I’d replace it with. My dad chose it because he loved his ’06 300 so much, and he was a Mopar guy from way back anyway.
I got my wife’s 2006 jeep comander when she got a new car. The transmission and transfer case was going bad. She borrowed it and realised how bad they were getting so she told me to get rid of it. That week I got my then new 2012 Wrangler that I love and still have.
2016 Mazda6: Bought new in October 2015. Lusted after the 2014 Mazda6 as soon as it was unveiled in 2013. Had a 2008 Mazda3 hatchback that was doing fine. My wife and I decided to try and have a baby, and I quickly realized how smöl the Mazda3 was when it came to handling bulky infant seats. Voila. Perfect excuse to get that Mazda6 I always wanted. Traded in the 3 and I still have the 6 now. It has 84,000 miles and hauls my wife, myself, and my two kids quite well.
1990 Pontiac Sunbird: I had a 1995 Chevrolet S10 4×4 that was doing its best to actively fall apart despite not really being rusty. The exhaust was in pieces from a former owner’s hack job, the ABS system was dead and impossible to fix despite many attempts, the tires were mismatched, the A/C died, etc. I was tired of it even though it was a “spare” vehicle. I decided I don’t need the utility of my own truck as I can always borrow my grandpa’s seldom-used Tacoma if I need a truck. So, I put the S10 up for sale and started looking for something odd and obscure from the 1990s that would give me nostalgic vibes. Enter Sunbird. It wasn’t the Beretta or Corsica I was looking for (I basically grew up in a 1991 Corsica and a 1992 Beretta was my first car in 2006), but it had 56,000 miles and was rust free in like new (but dirty) condition. It’s now my weekend car/garage queen.
As fellow Beretta owner who had a best friend with a Corsica BUT always liked the Sunbird better than either, you’ve got my enthusiastic thumbs up!
I know a guy with a Sunbird–it was his college car. He never got rid of it because it always ran, or when it died, it was always easy to repair… once when on a trip with him it literally blew a gasket and it added 90 minutes to our trip to find a place with a replacement, spend < $200 for it, and install it. I thought that was hilarious. He now has his kids driving it. It’s easy to spot because it’s Turquoise and it has a bent bike rack from when he accidentally drove into the garage with his bicycle still on it.