Sell Me A Car-What Should I Buy

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by PSUSkinsFan21

Well, I was just responding to your comments that the rakings weren't reliable because they didn't address long term durability. Would you prefer I stick to discussing my former 2001 Stratus? Ok, I never had a problem with that.

And again, I don't think it's fair to say Toyota and Honda have been owning GM, since GM is comprised of Chevy, Pontiac, Olds, Buick, Saturn, Saab, GMC, and Cadillac. And many ratings, just like anything, are completely subjective. Just because a Motortrend editor likes the layout of a Camry's dashboard doesn't mean I will. Reliablity? Ok, they've beaten out some of GM's line. Performance? Don't think so. Features for the same price? Not from what I've seen. Again, just because you value certain things and discount others (like performance) doesn't mean it's a verifiable fact that Toyota is better than Pontiac. It means it's your preference.

We're having trouble here because of our difference in focus, I think. When I talk about ratings, I'm talking about the scientific tests that are done which measure the reliability of a car. Those ratings are as objective as it gets, they simply measure the frequency and severity of problems.

But there are ratings done where people are basically writing their opinions of a car's performance. And you're right, those are subjective.

That's my fault, I wasn't clear. Again, as you can see I'm focusing on how often a car breaks down and how costly it is to fix. Because the 2nd most important thing to me when it comes to cars is money (second to safety); what does it cost to buy, what does it cost to finance, what does it cost to fix, what does it cost to fuel. But we're clearly different, performance is more important to you than reliability. And that's cool.

Step one for any car buyer is to figure out what kind of driver they are. You and I definitely have a feel for that at this point.