Narrowing the Auto Search
I've been reading and talking to friends as I narrow my search for a new car. The least helpful
suggestion so far was to buy a golf cart and stick a pirate flag on it.
I've got a better idea of what I want, now:
- My base price range is $25,000-$30,000. After getting carried away with
optional equipment, my absolute price ceiling is $35,000.
- I want a boring 4-door sedan with a comfortable back seat for hauling
around friends (and some day, I hope, children).
- Safety is a priority. I want all-wheel anti-lock disc brakes and
driver, passenger, and side airbags. I've never been in a car accident,
but I've almost been in several. If I'm finally caught
off-guard, I intend to survive.
- Another safety feature I require is OnStar
(or a similar competing service) because it
can alert emergency services even if I'm incapacitated in an accident.
- I'm a twenty-something American male, so I want something decently sporty.
At least 200hp and 200ft-lb, and it needs to feel good during the test
drive. Unfortunately, I can't quantify "feel good" so it won't help me
narrow the field before test drives.
- Heated seats. Even though it never gets all that cold in Oregon, I've
fallen in love with butt warmers during my trips back to Iowa.
- The car must be quiet. The main road to Portland from
here, Hwy 26, is an extremely loud road. I want to be able to carry on a
conversation without shouting, or listen to music without cranking it up.
(Yeah I'll probably crank it up anyway, but I want to know I don't have to.)
These features would be very nice to have, but not deal-breakers:
Things I'm not interested in:
- Great gas mileage. I only drive ~3200mi/yr, so I don't care.
- Dashboard navigation system.
- Sunroof/moonroof.
- Towing.
I hope these things narrow the field substantially. Now I'll go wading
through the options…
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