I drive a “nice-ish” car (Volvo SUV - last one was XC90, now that kids are gone an XC60). I say nice-ish because my son informed me once that a Volvo is NOT a nice car 
-It has the more powerful engine and heated seats (those are the options I really care about, but it has lots of other things I didn’t know I couldn’t live without until I got them - like the no-key required entry and auto open back).
-It gets washed about once a year whether it needs it or not. That’s usually the only time the windows get washed too, but occasionally they need to get done more often).
-It gets serviced regularly, usually at the dealer (I guess I lied above - when I take it in for service they often wash it, so maybe it does get multiple washes per year.
-The inside always has lots of stuff floating around - umbrellas, multiple jackets, stuff to return, paperwork from work (when I worked). Nobody would call it pristine and some would call it downright messy. BUT it’s not “dirty” if that makes any sense.
I must have AWD, even though we don’t get that much snow, and I try not to go out in the snow.
I drive a Subaru Outback, higher trim line because I want a fully adjustable drivers seat that is heated. Plus, I want heat/AC in the back seats. Lots of high end options come standard, but I really don’t need them. Never use the sunroof. I do like the eye sight camera in front and would get that again. We live in the snow belt so the car gets washed frequently in the winter.
All that said, I still miss my Honda Odyssey, but never liked the new styling that came out about 2008.
We’re the buy one-year-used and reliable then drive it 'til it dies kind. I don’t care how often it gets washed, but the inside must be immaculate – never anything left on the seats, floor, or dash. Brand and color are unimportant. Must have A/C.
My must haves:
AWD (we live in a northern state and are skiers)
Heated seats (see above)
Memory seats/mirrors (we are down to one car and H is over a foot taller than I am)
Roof rack/hooks to shlep the kayak
We never leave anything out on the seats/dash/floor either.
Have only bought new once. I have no ego tied to my car. I need it to reliably get me from Point A to Point B. That’s all.
I bought another late model odyssey when my youngest (4 and 5) turned 17, they were so mad. This in my fourth, I’m not ready for a SUV. My husband is driving my old odyssey, when it gets towed away for whatever reason (last 2 were cars for kids), he’s getting a late model smaller SUV with AWD (we’ve never had a vehicle good in the snow). We get our vehicles serviced by a local mechanic, no dealership, my husband is very hard on them (I swear he goes off roading, but nowhere to do that in our NE NJ suburb). He absolutely does not care what he drives and the kids hate to drive his vehicle because the inside is a mess.
I drive a lot - long commutes and lots of road trips. I buy new reliable cars but have never spent more than $27k all in for a car. I drive each one until it dies. I get a free car wash with an oil change at the dealership every 3 months. I don’t otherwise wash it. And I basically live out of my car. I have extra work shoes, tennis gear, flip flops, cycling gear, swim gear, other gym gear, jackets, sweaters, you name it.
Must haves. It must start when I turn it on and stop when I hit the brake. I want it to be reliable. A good heater and A/C is a must.
Prefer to have - my latest car has heated seats. I do love them. And good usb chargers.
We (knock on wood) haven’t had much trouble buying new cheap cars, base models, and making them last 13-15 years. We’ve had more issues with the used ones we bought but still make them last 15 years. I had a 98 Chevy lumina and now a 2013 sonata (purchased summer of 2012)
With only two kids, we don’t need a big car. My Lumina/Sonata was the road trip car. I fit everything in the trunk just fine.
H washes them somewhat regularly, and waxes them twice a year. We don’t have a garage - never have. I care more about the inside. I hate the dust. With all of the kids’ activities, the cars were never perfect, but fairly neat. No food containers! The kids always kept their seat pockets full of junk - rocks and stuff. Now that they are grown, it’s easier to keep it neat.
I own a 10-year-old Subaru Forester Premium with manual transmission onto which my husband felled an alder while I was chaperoning a high school away trip.
I’m utilitarian. Does it do what we need? Our last two have been Ford Escapes - titanium version. One was bought two years old off lease, the other new.
We compared several other vehicles of its type before buying the new one because we’re open to who makes it, but Ford was the only one with decent towing capacity as well as a good safety record and we liked our “used” one, so Ford it was. No regrets.
Deal breakers for us are good safety records and a back up camera. We want the vehicle to give its life for us if needed and we like being able to see behind us - though that part doesn’t work nearly as well when we’re towing for obvious reasons.
I have a Tesla Y. It replaced a Ford Edge Sport and before that, I had a GMC Terrain. Before that, I had a series of high performance sedans. The Tesla is a driving experience unlike anything I previously owned. Silent, instant power, faster than anything I have previously owned (and most cars currently on the road). I charge it at home and haven’t been to a gas station since last September. Right now, virtually all the EVs on the road are Teslas. My prediction is that 3 years from now there will be a slew of EV Fords, GMs, Audis, Volkswagens, Porsches, BMWs, Volvos, Jaguars and other mainstream brands and that this will begin the phaseout of internal combustion cars. I will never go back to an internal combustion vehicle.
I drive a boring Subaru Outback. I wish I could drive my cars forever but lately deer have been a wrench in my plans.
I just had my car detailed. Looks and smells like it was on a car lot. Highly recommended
I just bought a Buick Enclave. It’s my ‘You Survived 20+ Years as a Military Spouse’ present.
Even though I’m a foot and a half shorter than DH, he’s always had a small-ish sedan while I drove the big SUV/Minivan/crossover b/c I’ve always been the one hauling kids, groceries, gear, etc.
My cars have also been nicer than his, although he’s really jealous of my new car now. DH sees cars as tools to get from A to B only, while I’ve always wanted more upgrades. He’s slowly coming around to my way of thinking.
I definitely wouldn’t ever buy a car that didn’t have cross traffic and blind spot warning. I can’t even begin to count how many times that’s saved me in parking lots!
Dh also doesn’t keep cars nearly as clean as I do. I clean the inside usually once a month… wiping down surfaces, vacuuming, etc. I get it washed as it needs it, but usually at least every month or so. My new car has all weather liners in all 3 rows, plus cargo. So easy to either wipe them down, or pull them out and hose them off!! I will definitely be springing for the liners from now on.
I like my zooty cars but I don’t do high mileage so I keep them for like 8-10 years. Currently driving a 2015 BM convertible. My husband has the “workhorse” SUV that we use for all the family driving, etc. Mine is the fun runabout. Not a car snob as in I don’t care what people drive, and I don’t care what people think of what I drive: it’s not a “status” car, it’s a “I love driving this” car. I am considering a Tesla for when I buy my next car so @MichaelNKat - interesting to know what you say about it’s performance! I guess there might be a new model out by the time I’m in the market. I would love a tesla convertible to come out…
Cars are fun. Currently have a Tahoe and love its size and safe feel on the road/highway. However, its size is also the source of its cons: hard to fit in seemingly shrinking parking spots, and not fun to drive per se (but comfortable), and I feel horrible about its environmental impact.
So…Ive been slowly checking out Tesla (two friends both bought one in last few months and supply me with weekly f/b), and inquired about a Ford Mach EV (which looks great, as well as its nice rebate).
And, DH is hoping that the rumor that the F150 EV will be able to serve as a generator is true.
Our current cars have only 60,000, 22,000 and 8,000 miles each, so while we are not in the market soon, if rebates continue, we may make the move sooner than later.
On cleanliness: DH washes our cars weekly. Waxes them once a month. And cleans inside as needed. If it was up to me, it’d be much less often. But he likes clean cars. It’s good therapy for him. Yes, I’m lucky. (He also likes to power wash, haha!)
ED: yes, I have to have lots of features. Auto seats, lane keeping, vibration alert when too close to smthg backing up, back up camera, heated rear defrosters, leather, etc.)
I drive a Subaru Forester. We tend to buy lightly used and nicely loaded - certified usually for the extra warranty.
I am picky ! I need to love the color. No to white cars. I like a small SUV -no sedan, NO van. Leather is a must because I want to easily flea. It. Heated seats are now a must. Love my sunroof and use it. Love the free car washes at the dealer but also wash it on my home in the summer and at a car wash occasionally in the winter.
I had a hybrid car before the Subaru and liked it but it was more basic otherwise. I’m pretty sold on my Subaru and hope to drive it (approaching 100k miles) as long as I reasonably can.
We tend to buy new, lower trim, that fits our purpose. In our state, we pay property tax annually on cars, so it makes sense to drive beaters. One car is a 16 year old Sienna, beat up, but still runs fine, and a new one would cost over 30K, so we keep it. Another is a 3 yr old Hyundai sedan, lower trim, bought new. The kids are driving 10 and 15 yr old Toyota sedans handed down by relatives. Our attitude is that the purpose of the car is transportation, and that’s it. As long as it’s reliable and appropriately safe, we keep it. No status whatsoever associated with our cars.
I have a 2018 Honda Civic that was bought one year used and my husband drives a 17 year old Nissan Altima, purchased at 14 years old. His is never ever cleaned, inside or out, and no one is allowed in it but him. The rest of the seats are used for piles of work clothes and various other work crap that never comes in the house for some reason. Mine is cleaned inside once a month or so, and I do my best but it’s obvious it’s not a professional cleaning. I run through a car wash maybe 3-4 times a year. My car is always messy though, with dance and school stuff constantly cluttering it up. Neither of my kids drive. When my husband’s car dies we will not be replacing it- we will share, and our next move (first without kids) will have a priority of at least one of us being able to get by without a car at all for regular tasks.
@SJ2727 I have the Tesla Y Long Range, Dual Motor AWD. In the world of Teslas, it is hardly the fastest but yet does 0-60 in 4.1 seconds. Other models are 1-2 seconds faster. Passing on the highway is instantaneous and you really need to pay attention lest you find yourself doing 95 mph. It’s a very different experience - no downshifting to pass, no engine or exhaust noise. It’s like turning up a rheostat knob on dimmable lights. Instant turbine like responsiveness. Then there’s one pedal driving taking advantage of the regenerative braking so that you rarely need to use the brake pedal. Modulate the pressure on the accelerator and the motors brake the car while putting a charge back in the battery. Most Tesla owners report 100,000 miles or more per set of brake pads. I could go on and on about all the cool features of a car that is in many ways a computer on wheels but I don’t want to sound too much like a fanboy, lol.
I am a car guy. Grew up with car magazines, and still get three of them delivered home each month. They often arrive the same time as The Economist for that week, but the car magazines get read first.
I have owned a number of sports cars over the years. In my younger days, I used to make mechanical changes myself to the suspension, tires, exhaust, and engine software upgrades. Now I am too old to do the work myself and pay others to do it for me.
We currently have four cars for three drivers in my house. My two cars are a Tesla Model 3 Performance (my digital car), and a classic Porsche (my analog car).
Now that my kids are in college, my ideal home would have two bedrooms and a six car garage but my wife keeps telling me that’s not reasonable. Sounds perfectly reasonable to me.