What is most important to you when making a purchase?

[Offensive Threat]

I will never understand people that go into a dealership to buy a car with no idea of what they are looking for or what their budget it. Back just before I met my wife to be she and her Dad went into a Honda dealership and she bought a new Accord. Nice enough car but when discussing finances with her for the first time she didnt know if the car was a lease or shed purchased it. She just remembered signing stuff. She had to look up her bank account to see what her monthly payments were and had no idea how long they were for.

I know what model, year, options, Im looking for and the price range and always get it for less. I walked out of a number of places before i bought my last car because they wouldnt come down those last few hundred bucks to my price. They kept calling too "come back in and we can discuss it" Id say "the only thing to discuss is if you are saying yes to my price" "we can talk about it" . Went on for a week until I got the price I wanted from one of them. When you are buying a car thats a couple years old and a big seller you have all the power as there will be a large number of them available to dicker over.

Right now Id get a 2011 BMW 3 series. The prices are so crazy low since the body change. Easily under $20K for one.

[drummer4now]

I will never understand people that go into a dealership to buy a car with no idea of what they are looking for or what their budget it. Back just before I met my wife to be she and her Dad went into a Honda dealership and she bought a new Accord. Nice enough car but when discussing finances with her for the first time she didnt know if the car was a lease or shed purchased it. She just remembered signing stuff. She had to look up her bank account to see what her monthly payments were and had no idea how long they were for.

I know what model, year, options, Im looking for and the price range and always get it for less. I walked out of a number of places before i bought my last car because they wouldnt come down those last few hundred bucks to my price. They kept calling too "come back in and we can discuss it" Id say "the only thing to discuss is if you are saying yes to my price" "we can talk about it" . Went on for a week until I got the price I wanted from one of them. When you are buying a car thats a couple years old and a big seller you have all the power as there will be a large number of them available to dicker over.

Right now Id get a 2011 BMW 3 series. The prices are so crazy low since the body change. Easily under $20K for one.

Indeed..

http://www.kijiji.ca/b-cars-trucks/canada/bmw-3series-2011/c174l0a54a1000054a68

IMO I can't stand Mercedes or BMW anymore.. way too common nowadays.

Audi is fine for now.

[KansasCanuck]

I drive a 2011 Ford Ranger because it was the cheapest new car available. When buying frivolous items I always go with the method of equal time i will enjoy said item vs how much i had to work to obtain the item. 10 dollars for a 3 hour concert when I'm making 20 dollars an hour, huge win. 65 dollars for a video game I beat in an hour and never want to play again, that sucks. 25 dollars on a disc golf disc and lose it on the third throw... That's the worst.

[CALGARY!]

Are you of age to purchase vehicles? Have you ever bought one before? If so what was most important to you in your purchase?

Most important to me is that it is not a Ford, I like reliable vehicles that are easy to maintain(Chevrolets). Brand Loyalty when it comes to vehicles. I had a Ford as a teenager, two months of nothing but problems led me into GM's waiting arms and I havent left since.

[Bill Sikes]

1) Do I really need this?

2)Is it worth the price (quality vs cost)

[Wilbur]

For me, on most things I look at durability first, price is a close second. I want something that will last, nothing frustrates me more than something that breaks down before it should...I still have and use an iPod Classic for crying out loud.

[Electro Rock]

Quality, especially in terms of avoiding shortcomings that a lesser product would have.

Value, is it a worthwhile investment?

[-DLC-]

As others have said, it varies depending on the product.

If it's food related, value but quality also factors in. If I buy something cheap and it's crap, I'm not buying it again. Bought some cheap laundry soap at Cdn Tire and in the end it cost me more because it was garbage and I had to use twice as much. So you learn these things and make adjustments fairly quickly.

Value + quality for food...finding something of a middle ground. I can't afford the best of the best, but I still want quality in my ingredients. And I'm finding that it's often best to invest in quality in the long run.

For vehicles...this also applies. Buying something cheap or based on a low price can cost twice as much in the end in repair and towing bills.

I also would NEVER buy new...where you have to sign on for warranty repairs and you lose value driving off the lot.

My vehicle (knock on wood) was a steal for the overall mileage/use it had. A 2000....but a grandpa bought it to drive less than 3 kms a day (not every day either)...back and forth to his boat. His dog hated the car so he bought a brand new 4Runner...then passed away shortly thereafter. I picked it up for less than half what it would have cost, but it was virtually a new vehicle for all intents and purposes.

I want a trustworthy company too and won't support sleazeballs. I research (with a grain of salt)...read reviews, get others' feedback and opinions.

Actions speak louder than words and if the person I'm entering into a transaction with isn't providing excellent customer service prior to that being finalized, imagine what it will be like afterward. So I look for good, honest customer service.

Try to trick me into something and that'll be the end of that. I can be relentless when someone has knowingly steered me wrong. I don't like deception and lies.

[MikeyBoy44]

I drive a 2011 Ford Ranger because it was the cheapest new car available. When buying frivolous items I always go with the method of equal time i will enjoy said item vs how much i had to work to obtain the item. 10 dollars for a 3 hour concert when I'm making 20 dollars an hour, huge win. 65 dollars for a video game I beat in an hour and never want to play again, that sucks. 25 dollars on a disc golf disc and lose it on the third throw... That's the worst.

I like to do the same when purchasing for leasure.

[-DLC-]

I kind of strayed and here's my order of priority in buying products (one is highest priority):

-Price (1)

-Quality of product(1) ..tied, both are factored in for me

-Level of service (5) ...rated numerically low...but fairly significant and will be pushed higher if I notice poor service...then it becomes more important

-Follow up (6)

-Problems the product solves (2)...I'm starting to really be a minimalistic shopper and only acquire what I actually need. So I have put things back thinking "do I really need/will I use this?"

-How easy it is to obtain product / convenience (3) .... I like to shop locally and don't like to venture out too far for thngs.

-Referrals/recommendations from friends/family (4)

-Popularity (7)

[roland]

I always look for value first. I'll spend minutes/hours going around comparing things so I buy the right thing first as much as possible.

[otherwise]

I will never understand people that go into a dealership to buy a car with no idea of what they are looking for or what their budget it. Back just before I met my wife to be she and her Dad went into a Honda dealership and she bought a new Accord. Nice enough car but when discussing finances with her for the first time she didnt know if the car was a lease or shed purchased it. She just remembered signing stuff. She had to look up her bank account to see what her monthly payments were and had no idea how long they were for.

I know what model, year, options, Im looking for and the price range and always get it for less. I walked out of a number of places before i bought my last car because they wouldnt come down those last few hundred bucks to my price. They kept calling too "come back in and we can discuss it" Id say "the only thing to discuss is if you are saying yes to my price" "we can talk about it" . Went on for a week until I got the price I wanted from one of them. When you are buying a car thats a couple years old and a big seller you have all the power as there will be a large number of them available to dicker over.

Right now Id get a 2011 BMW 3 series. The prices are so crazy low since the body change. Easily under $20K for one.

I don't get that either. I saw a dealer ad the other day saying come in and we'll help you find a vehicle for you and your life. How can you not know what you need in a car??? If I ever bought a new car I would know what car I wanted going and find the lowest price in the province. (I live in sask) It's not a loaf of bread, I don't mind if it's a bit of a drive. Apparently some of the biggest dealerships are in Rosetown (pop. ~2300), obviously I'm not the only one with this attitude.

I don't think I would ever buy a fancy car though, for me I don't think it would be worth it.

[Heretic]

Quality of product.

I've been around long enough and have purchased many vehicles in my lifetime (over 20 - 11 new) to know that you get what you pay for.

[Lance Vance]

I mostly shop at Canadian Tire so obviously quality isn't a concern.

[n00bxQb]

Need/desire

Quality of product

Level of service

Price

I don't buy a lot of stuff. What I do buy, I want it to be the best that I can fit into my budget.

Well I am in the automotive industry so if you have or are going to buy a vehicle in the near future what do you look for?

Also I am curious, can you give me some examples of how you looks for different things depending on the product? For example do you look for cheaper prices on food but higher quality on clothes? Vice versa? Etc.

Quality

Performance

Level of service

Cost of ownership

Price

[aeromotacanucks]

Well I am in the automotive industry so if you have or are going to buy a vehicle in the near future what do you look for?

Also I am curious, can you give me some examples of how you looks for different things depending on the product? For example do you look for cheaper prices on food but higher quality on clothes? Vice versa? Etc.

for cars?

1) the car must be a platform I REALLY NEED. I will not but an SUV if I don´t need one and I will not buy a 1.0 car if I need a more powerfull one...

2) cost-benefit

3) tecnical data.

3A) enginering and tecnology. I like cars/engines with better tecnology...

I go deep on this. I´m the kind of guy that is capable of a 5 month research looking for all data avaliable, tecnology, videos on youtube and personal experiences...

4) durability

5) maintenance costs and maintenance avaliable in many cities in case I do a long travel by car...

6) good balance between advanced systems and mechanical systems. I will not rely my life only on a "high tech" car 100% with eletronics...

7) if I can park the car easy on my garage. including "I´m tired, it´s raining at night and I need go to the bathroom fast" condition

and I do an extensive "test-drive" including "empy" and "fully loaded" condition including "overloaded" condition with unbalanced car...

my dream is have a "full eletric" car with simple construction. I´m the kind of guy that give oportunities to new products with new philosofies. many people don´t like it but I like.

I had good experiences giving oportunities to new models that had problems to sale because the model was new and not "conventional"...

SO I bought the model, tested and approved. new tecnologies only go foward if people open their minds and give a change to them...

[Dittohead]

Most important to me is that it is not a Ford, I like reliable vehicles that are easy to maintain(Chevrolets). Brand Loyalty when it comes to vehicles. I had a Ford as a teenager, two months of nothing but problems led me into GM's waiting arms and I havent left since.

lol.

[Caboose]

I'm very particular when I purchase anything over $20.

There is nothing worse to me than having to replace a product I purchased within a year or several depending on its nature.

I will spend top dollar to avoid having to replace something.

Quality is key for me.

[Dion Phaneuf]

Quality of the product and price. By price I also mean add-ons, freebies from the dealership.

I always custom order direct from the factory unless the car I want is in stock (rare). A sales agent that is willing to complete the order to my specifications and more importantly allowing me to actually test out the vehicle is somebody I'd prefer to deal with in the future or recommend to others.

Input and opinions are appreciated. Coffee, lunch, etc...things to persuade me to seal the deal are fine too.

My preferred dealership is Porsche Centre Vancouver. Haven't really dealt with Ford (never purchased a vehicle from them) although considered the SVT Raptor a few times. Key West and Dams Ford Lincoln are good.

[Guest]

When buying a car, I'd rank my criteria as follows:

Ongoing cost of ownership - insurance, miles/kilometers per gallon, servicing, cost of parts, ease of changing battery etc

Personal requirements - number of doors, features (must have cd player, in-built sat nav and driver's arm rest), colour

Quality of service - both at point of sale and ongoing for servicing and MOT

If those three are met, and met well, then I wouldn't mind paying more than sticker price. I bought a new car in January for £500 more than somewhere else purely down to the colour (preferred blue to red) and quality of service.

But for most things I use Amazon. Convenience and speed of delivery trump cost and even quality.