Top priorities when buying a new car...
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 2,370
From: Germany
Re: Top priorities when buying a new car...
here is an LA Times article and perhaps not totally on the same track but heres a non enthusiast look at it:
First-time buyers want it all, and get it
By Jim Mateja
Chicago Tribune
May 25, 2005
First-time buyers want it all, and get it
By Jim Mateja
Chicago Tribune
May 25, 2005
First-time buyers want it all, and get it
Even lower-priced cars are equipped with little luxuries that have become essentials.
Bare bones.
Plain Jane.
Forget the frills.
Think function — and lowest possible price.
That's how first-time buyers used to think when buying a set of wheels — and how the manufacturers and dealers reacted with the products they offered.
First-time car buyers today expect more.
"Things consumers once perceived as luxury features are now thought of as essentials, such as an AM/FM radio with CD player and six speakers that we offer as standard in our [$12,800] Spectra," said Fred Aikens, product strategy manager for Rio and Spectra with Kia.
"Try to find a kid in a car without power windows today," agreed Art Spinella, general manager of CNW Marketing Research, a firm that looks into why people buy the vehicles they do. "You can't."
You can thank parents for raising the bar.
"They [first-timers] demand more features and more car for the money because they grew up in their parents' vehicles," said Jim Farley, who headed the Scion entry-level division until his promotion this year to vice president of marketing for the Toyota division. "They've been in the nice cars mom and dad had, and they expect that in their first car. By taking on more debt, by going to 60- to 72-month financing to bring down the amount of the payments, youth feels it can go bigger and better," he added.
There are basically three ways for a buyer to enter the marketplace: buy new, buy used or buy — but usually take — a family hand-me-down.
Spinella said research shows that of the roughly 17 million new vehicles sold each year, about 26% are bought by first-time buyers. For used cars, it's about 35% of the 43 million sold. About 19% take the hand-me-down.
The high expectations of first-time buyers, primarily young people, go beyond the equipment and buying process.
"The young expect everything to work and think the car should run forever and you never should have to change the oil," Farley said. "And quality to them means how quickly the air conditioning works and how crisp the audio system is …"
They also differ from their parents in the amount of time they will spend shopping. They'll investigate vehicles for hours on the Internet, but they want to be in and out of the store in minutes. And young buyers favor a no-dicker, take it or leave it sticker.
"They see it [no-dicker price] as fair because everyone pays the same price," Farley said. "But they also appreciate it because it saves two to three hours in time, and they don't see why it takes four hours and they have to sign 25 different papers to buy a car."
Even lower-priced cars are equipped with little luxuries that have become essentials.
Bare bones.
Plain Jane.
Forget the frills.
Think function — and lowest possible price.
That's how first-time buyers used to think when buying a set of wheels — and how the manufacturers and dealers reacted with the products they offered.
First-time car buyers today expect more.
"Things consumers once perceived as luxury features are now thought of as essentials, such as an AM/FM radio with CD player and six speakers that we offer as standard in our [$12,800] Spectra," said Fred Aikens, product strategy manager for Rio and Spectra with Kia.
"Try to find a kid in a car without power windows today," agreed Art Spinella, general manager of CNW Marketing Research, a firm that looks into why people buy the vehicles they do. "You can't."
You can thank parents for raising the bar.
"They [first-timers] demand more features and more car for the money because they grew up in their parents' vehicles," said Jim Farley, who headed the Scion entry-level division until his promotion this year to vice president of marketing for the Toyota division. "They've been in the nice cars mom and dad had, and they expect that in their first car. By taking on more debt, by going to 60- to 72-month financing to bring down the amount of the payments, youth feels it can go bigger and better," he added.
There are basically three ways for a buyer to enter the marketplace: buy new, buy used or buy — but usually take — a family hand-me-down.
Spinella said research shows that of the roughly 17 million new vehicles sold each year, about 26% are bought by first-time buyers. For used cars, it's about 35% of the 43 million sold. About 19% take the hand-me-down.
The high expectations of first-time buyers, primarily young people, go beyond the equipment and buying process.
"The young expect everything to work and think the car should run forever and you never should have to change the oil," Farley said. "And quality to them means how quickly the air conditioning works and how crisp the audio system is …"
They also differ from their parents in the amount of time they will spend shopping. They'll investigate vehicles for hours on the Internet, but they want to be in and out of the store in minutes. And young buyers favor a no-dicker, take it or leave it sticker.
"They see it [no-dicker price] as fair because everyone pays the same price," Farley said. "But they also appreciate it because it saves two to three hours in time, and they don't see why it takes four hours and they have to sign 25 different papers to buy a car."
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 1,238
From: Wet Coast
Re: Top priorities when buying a new car...
Originally Posted by PacerX
That's an offset frontal - which is NOT the Federal Standard. By stiffening the car to survive an offset frontal relatively more intact, you make the car worse in the Federal Standard test, which is a full-width frontal impact.
The critical thing that is missed is the statistic that matters - deaths per million miles driven. In that area, heavier vehicles have a distinct advantage - to a point. Which then means that the tiny vehicle you are driving is a liability.
Mass is (nearly) everything in a collision and crash test ratings are designed to be independant of mass - which is why the insurance institute's and the Fed's crash test systems are highly dubious.
The critical thing that is missed is the statistic that matters - deaths per million miles driven. In that area, heavier vehicles have a distinct advantage - to a point. Which then means that the tiny vehicle you are driving is a liability.
Mass is (nearly) everything in a collision and crash test ratings are designed to be independant of mass - which is why the insurance institute's and the Fed's crash test systems are highly dubious.
And although I don't drive a 9 year old Camaro putting 490 to the wheels, I didn't exactly opt for a hubcap mobile, either.
The factory suspension upgrade, 2ZZ-GE (One in the Lotus Elise), strut-brace, brake upgrade, sport seats, performance tires, etc. make it a fun car to drive around the city. And anybody who has ever been to Vancouver knows it's hard to break 40 mph unless you're out on the track anyways.
Besides, gas is over 3 dollars a gallon here on a good day. "Performance" drivers would start getting driven by the bus!
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Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 2,979
Re: Top priorities when buying a new car...
Originally Posted by mr00jimbo
The car I'm driving isn't tiny. It's about the size of a Pontiac G6. And when you refer to "mass" you have to factor in other things as well. What about the simple physics, that in case of an accident, all that energy has to go somewhere? If it doesn't go through the car and it's crumple zones, it's gonna go through your body.
Are you seriously going to engage in this argument with a mechanical engineer (think physics... lots of physics...) who's spent much of his career working on various safety-related systems???
I know that sounds really arrogant, but it's kind of like me picking an argument about accounting practices... with an accountant who specializes in accounting practices.
Take this as gospel:
Mass is king.
Originally Posted by mr00jimbo
A guy with a car like mine said that when he got rear ended and the body shop took his car apart, they told him it was overengineered to be a lot safer than need be.
Last edited by PacerX; Jun 27, 2005 at 05:16 PM.
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 1,238
From: Wet Coast
Re: Top priorities when buying a new car...
Originally Posted by PacerX
Ok, lemme see if I'm reading this right...
Are you seriously going to engage in this argument with a mechanical engineer (think physics... lots of physics...) who's spent much of his career working on various safety-related systems???
I know that sounds really arrogant, but it's kind of like me picking an argument about accounting practices... with an accountant who specializes in accounting practices.
Take this as gospel:
Mass is king.
Try a K3500 dually diesel at 35 mph on for size some time.
Are you seriously going to engage in this argument with a mechanical engineer (think physics... lots of physics...) who's spent much of his career working on various safety-related systems???
I know that sounds really arrogant, but it's kind of like me picking an argument about accounting practices... with an accountant who specializes in accounting practices.
Take this as gospel:
Mass is king.
Try a K3500 dually diesel at 35 mph on for size some time.
Even in a Volvo being rear-ended by a Mack truck that has lost its brakes down a hill is going to hurt, but in regular circumstance collisions, it's better to have something that holds its own.
But if you want a real life example, a local Civic Si was street racing and crashed into a cop in a Crown Victoria, who died. The Civic owner was unharmed, and the damage never exceeded the firewall, even on his little stubby hood.
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Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 483
From: Far, far away
Re: Top priorities when buying a new car...
Originally Posted by mr00jimbo
That's a whole different ballpark. A military tank would destroy a big diesel pickup truck, but we don't all drive ginormous trucks, do we? We're talking about regular, civil-sized vehicles. Not everybody can afford the gas and costs to go buy a huge vehicle, so the smaller ones get the technology to compete with larger ones.
Even in a Volvo being rear-ended by a Mack truck that has lost its brakes down a hill is going to hurt, but in regular circumstance collisions, it's better to have something that holds its own.
But if you want a real life example, a local Civic Si was street racing and crashed into a cop in a Crown Victoria, who died. The Civic owner was unharmed, and the damage never exceeded the firewall, even on his little stubby hood.
Even in a Volvo being rear-ended by a Mack truck that has lost its brakes down a hill is going to hurt, but in regular circumstance collisions, it's better to have something that holds its own.
But if you want a real life example, a local Civic Si was street racing and crashed into a cop in a Crown Victoria, who died. The Civic owner was unharmed, and the damage never exceeded the firewall, even on his little stubby hood.
Would he have maybe hit...oh I don't know the drivers door of the crown vic?
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 1,238
From: Wet Coast
Re: Top priorities when buying a new car...
Originally Posted by grossesexy
Would he have maybe hit...oh I don't know the drivers door of the crown vic?
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 2,370
From: Germany
Re: Top priorities when buying a new car...
mass x force... if ur gonna get into an accedent, and u can't avoid it... get on the gas, so when you hit the other person you have less damage to you and your car... daily hint
Truth, but probably not a good practice
Truth, but probably not a good practice
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 2,979
Re: Top priorities when buying a new car...
Originally Posted by NewbieWar
mass x force... if ur gonna get into an accedent, and u can't avoid it... get on the gas, so when you hit the other person you have less damage to you and your car... daily hint
Truth, but probably not a good practice
Truth, but probably not a good practice
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