Why did you buy your car?

af_thefragile

Just wondering why did you buy the particular car you've got?
What made you chose that over the other cars out there.

I bought a Ford Puma cuz I didn't want any other generic Micra, Yaris or Fiesta like hatchback. I wanted something sporty and fun. Something I could keep for a good few years, fixing it and improving it with new parts and slowly building it into a track car.

So what made you buy your car?

mp22

The wife!

bongi69

MK4 Golf:

Its the perfect size of car for me right now, was looking at Fiestas and the likes and they were to small. Can fit quite alot into the car once the seats are folded down, and when they're up the boot is ample for normal needs.

Availability of parts, the car is quite common, and if I ever needed anything from a scrap yard could probably get it easy enough. Had to get a new sump recently and only had to ring 2 local scrapyards to get one.

It was good value, and was the best I could get for my cash.

itarumaa

Volvo S40,

it was cheap car and owned by co-worker. Also I knew the previous owner and the service status of the car etc. Also 4 star safety rating and 2-liter engine tempted me. Not my dream car tough.

Lex Luthor

Needed an estate cos I need a flat loading boot cos my back is a bit dodgy and I need a bit of space and estates are handier than hatchbacks. Diesel cos I do miles for work. Legacy as I liked the way it drives/looks & the AWD. Subaru cos I expect it to be reliable.

ottostreet

i had another bmw 318is and loved it, regretted selling it, so i got another one. driving that one for the moment!

sudo911

Bought a Volvo V70 and love it.... 3rd Volvo so far and not a single problem with it. Used to have Mercs & BMWs, but so prefer the Volvos.... get all the extras, electric sunroof, electric seats, heated seats, leather, and the sound systems are excellent!

Got the 2.4 D5 diesel - 700mls on a full tank, and loads power/torque. :cool:

_Kaiser_

VW Passat (06/B6) - 2.0 TDI (140 BHP) DSG

- Needed something diesel and automatic - the DSG is a fantastic gearbox! - for all the mileage I do

- Needed something with a bit of room in the back and the boot (huge boot!)

- Wanted something that's be comfortable to spend most of the working week in, and she is. Great sound system as well (I like my tunes )

- Fuel efficent too

- Plenty of power for the N/M roads she spends most of her life on

- Its a lot bigger and looks better (IMO) than the equivalent A4 I was also considering at the time

Nissan doctor

I've been big into Nissans and Skylines in particular for along time so(although this is my 5th skyline) I decided the new model Skyline 350gt would be something very different and very rare here in Ireland.

the_syco

Honda Civic Saloon, for one reason: I could fit in it. Probably get a Mondeo for the next car...

supersaint3

It's different, it's an Alfa, and it's imo one of the best looking things on the road!!

:cool:

I suppose I also wanted something bigger, with a good bit of mid-range poke, still a diesel, economical, and not a run of the mill mondeo, 3 series, a4, avensis etc

B00MSTICK

FTO

In no paticular order:

Rare enough
Sweet looking IMO
Slick handling
200bhp
2 litre Mivec V6 @ 8500 RPM sounds nice
Insurance was decent @ €1600 for a 21 year old male but has gone up dramatically since

Triangle

The Engine Sound
The Driveability
The Shape
The Uniqueness

It was a no brainer after looking for a replacement for my last car for over a year. Saw this one day and fell in love with it.


Rx-8

bmw535d

535d

cos it won engine of the year 3 times in a row:)

power

fuel economy

nicer sound than say an s320 v6 in a merc

reliabilty

brand

looks

people remark it way more than say a brand new avensis/accord

SV

RS Clio 172

because I'd kill myself if I owned a boring car.
drove a passat tdi for a day once and was so glad to get out of it..as for the nissan almera 1.5..eughhh

unluckystar

Golf gt sport

Always liked golfs but never thought i could afford one! wanted something sporty!

SV

unluckystar wrote: »

wanted something sporty!

so why'd you buy a golf?

Eric Cartman

Kia Sorento :

Needed a commercial jeep , it was big, cheaper than most other jeeps in poverty spec and could be found very easily in auto with every extra on it in the UK , bulletproof reliability and overall nice to drive and nice to look at.

tossy

Vw Bora Bought it for the power,the sound and the grip.

unluckystar

SV wrote: »

so why'd you buy a golf?

could ask you the same about the clio

RobertM

Alfa 156:

1.Despite everyone saying about their reliability, I just went for one. Since I was small I remember saying " Someday I will own my Alfa" so I did.

2.She's been good to me so far and no issues whatsoever.

3.The looks.

4.I love it. :D

TheBazman

535d. Got it for the big power and torque step up from the 520d

SV

unluckystar wrote: »

could ask you the same about the clio

don't think you know your stuff

Victor_M

My first car was a brand new Puma for the same reasons as the OP stated, great car, superb handling, never caused a seconds problem, all the while drooling over the E46 M3, which I eventually bought after going through 3 of it's inferior siblings, having a serious love affair with the M3, have it 4 years, have 2 baby seats in the back head yelling at me to get something sensible, heart is telling the head the STFU! (until I can afford an E93 M3)

Marty McFly

A cl7 honda accord type s

1. I love the styling of it,
2. Its a honda there known for there build quality.
and
3. The 2.0L petrol engine just enough grunt for me and prob wouldnt get insured on a bigger enigine yet.

colm_mcm

Bought the Avensis because of the quality and fuel economy and ease of resale
Bought the FTO cos I love the way they look and drive, the V6 MIVEC and because I had them before.
Bought the Shogun because I thought I needed a jeep and for the money nothing came close in terms of towing ability and reliability.

Damien360

Bought an 07 avensis because our scenic was a ball of crap costing us a fortune. We wanted reliability and that is exactly what we got. Also should say that toyota were the only ones giving us a good trade for our scenic.

-Corkie-

TheBazman wrote: »

535d. Got it for the big power and torque step up from the 520d

Yes they are a fantastic drive i seriously considered one last year as the 7 series is ugly.. I got an A8 tdi instead i love it its like driving an army tank on soft pillows as opposed to tracks:)

TheBazman

The A8 would definitely have it trumpted for comfort

bazz26

Bought an S40 because of the amount of spec you get for your money second hand. Also comfortable, solid on the road and I never owned a Volvo before.

colm_mcm

Ah you had a Focus before Bazz

bazz26

colm_mcm wrote: »

Ah you had a Focus before Bazz

Yeah but they are two opposites of the same spectrum. The Focus is more sporty to drive where as the S40 is a more comfortable refined cruiser.

colm_mcm

Agreed, had an S40 for the weekend and was impressed by the quality of it. Prefer it to the Focus TBH.

bazz26

colm_mcm wrote: »

Agreed, had an S40 for the weekend and was impressed by the quality of it. Prefer it to the Focus TBH.

My only regret is that I didn't wait for a 2.0d. The 1.6d is oddly tuned by Volvo and would not pull the skin off a sausage.

colm_mcm

I had the pleasure of the 1.6i........


Maybe a remap would improve things somewhat. I think you can get up near 130hp.

bazz26

colm_mcm wrote: »

I had the pleasure of the 1.6i........


Maybe a remap would improve things somewhat. I think you can get up near 130hp.

Yeah, I'm looking at that but it is proving impossible to find a reputable place on my side of the island. Don't go to the Pale that much these days.

colm_mcm

Well the journey home will be a lot quicker


thread officially derailed........

VolvoMan

bongi69 wrote: »

MK4 Golf:

Its the perfect size of car for me right now, was looking at Fiestas and the likes and they were to small.

As you'd expect them to be, because they're from a class below. It's like comparing a Polo to a Ford Focus.

unluckystar wrote: »

could ask you the same about the clio

I don't mean to be rude, but I found it hard to see how that retort made sense

mumblin deaf ro

Focus - needed a versatile all-rounder for the family car and I like the way it drives. Also got a good deal on an 06 when i was expecting to buy 05 or older.

Saab 900 turbo - classics are a personal thing.

Lex Luthor

Nissan doctor wrote: »

I've been big into Nissans and Skylines in particular for along time so(although this is my 5th skyline) I decided the new model Skyline 350gt would be something very different and very rare here in Ireland.

jealous

supersaint3 wrote: »

It's different, it's an Alfa, and it's imo one of the best looking things on the road!!

:cool:

I suppose I also wanted something bigger, with a good bit of mid-range poke, still a diesel, economical, and not a run of the mill mondeo, 3 series, a4, avensis etc

Lovely

Heroditas

colm_mcm wrote: »

I had the pleasure of the 1.6i........


Maybe a remap would improve things somewhat. I think you can get up near 130hp.

I drove one of those last weekend - the 1.8.
Awfully loud, no power and not a comfortable ride.


Anyway, bought my own car last year (523i) because it was going for a bargain price and was a nice step up from my previous A4 1.8T

T83

Can I join in?

My Mitsubishi Mirage because it was my first car and I wanted a coupe
My Polo GTI because I wanted a fast little hatchback
My MKIV Golf GTI because I wanted a slightly faster hatchback with more room

.....and now my new Aygo because I'm unemployed, planning on going back to college, and havent really been affording the upkeep on the GTI since being let go; tax, insurance, and petrol were killing me and the Aygo wont cost much as a runaround for the next 4 years.

R.O.R

Bought my Accord for what appeared to be a bargain price (June 2008 - how wrong can you be?). Full Honda Service history, 1 lady driver, and in very good condition.

Interior is nicely laid out and very comfortable, and the 2.0i petrol engine is the best 4 pot I have ever driven. Only non-turbo engine under 2.0 I would consider.

Most importantly, after being let down numerous times by my Octavia (bloody VAG parts), I needed something reliable and this has never so much as missed a beat.

Don't love the car, don't hate the car, beginning to get the itch for something different now it looks like the job is a lot more secure.

mike65

It was big and cheap.

Voodoomelon

BMW 728i

Boyhood dream, every since Tomorrow Never Dies I wanted one. Always liked big saloons, never liked small cars or even sports cars. Love the luxury, refinement, road presence and of course the classic look of the E38, it will never age.

I choose my particular one as it was a genuine Sport, light coloured interior, full history, 69k miles and the right spec.

Went for the 2.8 as any V8 was €1000 more a year in insurance. I find it hard to find any car I like more, if I was offered a brand new 5 series or even a 911 or the likes for free I genuinely wouldn't take it over my E38 (would sell them for cash :pac:).

supersaint3

Lex Luthor wrote:

Lovely

Cheers man!

GTE

I had a budget of 2500 euro.
I found a diesel would be better for my needs.
I needed an estate for drums/sound equipment.
I needed a reliable car.
I needed a car that if it did go wrong it could be fixed reasonable easily in terms of availability of parts.
I would prefer a well maintained car that had fundamental quality in terms of build and interior.

I ended up getting a year 2000 VW Golf estate with the TDI engine.
It was in my budget.

It had, from research, one of the better diesel engines of the time.

It had a good sized boot, not the biggest in the class and you need to put the front seats forward slightly to put the back seats down (Im a tall guy) but it still could carry all that I need it to.

The particular TDI engine was the most reliable one of the bunch, although not as powerful as later generation. Despite some little bits and bobs that go wrong that can be a right pain cause they did go wrong, they can be fixed with a bit of DIY like the rear window washer.

Golfs are common and with the Skoda, Seat, Audi network finding a place or a mechanic who knows the car should be easy enough.

The interior on this particular car was in very very good shape, as was the body work and despite what people say about the Mark 4 Golf being less reliable and of a lesser quality then the Mark 3 its still has a good fundamental quality.

Money was important also for obvious reasons. I could have gone for a Focus TDCI but I read of expensive problems and it was more expensive in the first place.

challengemaster

99 almera 1.4 hatch

Seemed like a logical step from a punto (1.2L >> 1.4L)
Got a bit more grunt, and a bit more room
Shouldn't really affect insurance too much
Getting pretty much the same mpg, for a bigger, more powerful car
Nissan engine - just about indestructible
Plenty of options to modify it easily without looking like a plonker
Got it very cheap
Really comfortable

and I've only had it about 2 weeks...

EPM

06 Leon.

I wanted something safe and comfy with a good spec. Had a 1.4 focus so wanted a 1.6 for a small bit more poke and cheap insurance. Scoured the country to find the exact colour and spec I wanted. Found it in the local dealer after trying everywhere else first. I knew it would never be the most reliable but apart from an air con compressor under warranty the only problems been a well known dodgy gearbox. All fixed now and car runs and looks like new. Only problem is it's now parked up on my parents driveway indefinitely...bugger...

Matt Simis

BMW 850CSi V12 5.6l

Wanted a

- manual
- fast coupe
- wanted something that would have been stupidly expensive new
- something uncommon (genuinely uncommon)
- wasnt convinced the newer 645Ci had enough meat under the hood
- wanted something to work on and fix up
- they cost like half the price in the UK than they do in Germany
- one of 160 units!

ToxicPaddy

Audi A6 1.8T Saloon

- Last car (Mondeo) had served me well but failed the NCT by .5% on emissions
- Went looking for a decent size saloon/estate as I'm 6'2 so had one of the following in mind:
* A new model Mondeo Diesel
* Audi A4 Avant TDi
* Passat TDi
- Saw this one instead and took it for a test drive, fell in love immediately, 01 with 42k on the clock, full Audi service history, AA full check came back spotless with no issues at all so bought it there and then..

Don't regret it to this day, very comfortable to drive, nice bit of power without too much temptation to go mad, lovely to drive on all types of roads and still looks good despite being nearly 10 years old.

At current prices €90 to fill the tank is a little over the top but luckily I don't do a huge amount of driving and when I do its down the country at a decent cruising speed. So its nice to have the power under the right boot when required..

Tox