Am I the only one who gets the "what car should I buy" question, which is completely ignored?

(rant)

Several times a year people get funneled my way via my various social groups. Everyone knows I'm "a car guy" and therefore knowledgeable about cars. I ask what kind of car they NEED (not want) and what kind of money the have. I then come up with a few reasonable and attainable options. Sometimes I even send them Craigslist links to cars they should call about...

...but they almost never follow my advice.

Typical late Saturday afternoon phone call from acquaintance: "Hey, I got a new car! I looked at one of the cars you sent me but this seemed like a better deal. I can't believe I got an Audi for only $2,800!!!...."

Right. So that dependable car you wanted for your teenager and only had $2k to spend just went from a Toyota Corolla with decent miles, to a older used German car with HIGHER miles and a deferred maintenance list a mile long....

Another bought a used BMW X5 after asking me endlessly about Honda CRVs.

Another ended up with an Acura Legend with high miles and barely any maintenance records. Well over 150k on the car with the original timing belt in place and a check engine light. Ticking time bomb and unregisterable in Georgia in its current state. Definitely not the Saturn I had sent her to look at.

At this point I think I'm going to type up a "Slefain's advice for car buying" document and just email it to people who ask. They will still ignore it and go buy a Range Rover with a leaking suspension "but it isn't a big deal, it pumps right up when you crank it" and I can wait for the inevitable phone call asking why their mechanic is screwing them over.

(rant over)

Same.  I've had family and friends ask my advice over and over. Exactly once has my advice been followed up on--because I found the car and helped arrange the purchase.

Over and over again.

My mother learned her lesson after buying a passat that started eating coil packs.

I've resorted to just asking then what they want to buy and telling them why that's the right choice. We all end up happier.

I have had some luck convincing folks.  It’s hard for people to be told what they don’t want to hear.  

This isn’t really a surprise when you think about how folks spend 45k without any research at all.

84FSP said:

I have had some luck convincing folks.  It’s hard for people to be told what they don’t want to hear.  

 

This isn’t really a surprise when you think about how folks spend 45k without any research at all.

GAAAH! That was the one two weeks ago. Dude is damn near broke. Has $3k to spend and needs a work truck. He's an electrician, his tool box is not that big and could easily fit in the trunk of a even a compact car. Nope, needs a truck for work. I ask him how often he tows (never). I ask him how often he has to haul around equipment or even large work supplies (never). I tell him he doesn't need a truck, he needs a dependable sedan, or possibly a minivan. I send him CL links to decent vehicles which include Toyota sedans, older Chevy trucks, a Tahoe, and a Sienna.

Saturday evening text phone call: "Hey I found a truck! The dealer worked with me and since I had $3k to put down, they got me a good monthly payment."

It took me a few minutes but I finally got the price out of him. He dropped $45k on a USED Chevy truck that if he was honest with himself, he doesn't even need. I just shook my head ruefully and congratulated him on his new purchase.

When people ask me what car to buy, I say stuff like "everything from the last ten years is really dependable".

1. Because I know next to nothing about less than ten year old cars.

2. Because I know they want something already and I don't want to rain on their parade.

3. Because it's at least 10 years newer than any of the junk I own so it had better be dependable comparatively. 

The older I get the more I realize that car buying is a zero-logic game. Oh well.

Btw when I read the thread title I thought you somehow posted the elusive "what car" thread that gets no responses.

Yup, the last one went too look at a clean 84 ltd for a summer cruiser and came back with a rusted out s10 because he couldn't wait for the ltd owner too get home. I've pretty much givin up on helping people find cars. My sister is by far the worst person for this.

In reply to Robbie :

Yeah, me too. I'm like, this the GRM. We GOT to have an opinion.

People don't want an answer to their question. They want you to confirm what they already believe.

While the Skoda may have been an awesome deal, coming with a parts Skoda should have been their first clue.

"Buy a Prius"

Brian said:

"Buy a Prius"

Is that the "answer" in an alternative universe where cars are only appliances?

I remind them that "Car Guys" are the wrong people to be asking this question; we are way to emotionally involved in our own car niche to be able to offer unbiased advice. I can easily point to my fleet as proof of this.

From there I tell them that any 5 year old or newer, drivable car that they can afford to buy for cash, is the correct answer. Pick a color you like. And no I wont go with you to look at it.

Pete

My Brother: "Hey, I need a newer vehicle. I want something 5 years old or less, under 60k miles, that gets good fuel economy, is reliable, and can be found for $10k or less"

Me: "Check out these Corollas, etc."

My Brother: "How about this Scion Xb?"

Me: "Fine, but it's more or less just a Corolla with a hatch that gets 35% worse fuel economy."

My Brother: "Yeah, but Mom drives a Corolla, so..."

Me: "Ok then, a Kia Soul has the funky looks of the Xb, gets better fuel economy than the Xb, and will still have some factory warranty left in your price range."

My Brother: "Yeah, but I'm not a Hamster."

I don't follow my own car advice most of the time.  *advises self to buy nice reliable nissan* hey look at my new mini Cooper!

My sister is officially the worst about this.

She has asked me 6 times what to buy and every time I've steered her towards a Tahoe for her vet practice.  She's bought a Santa Fe, a 4Runner, a 4Runner, a Sequoia, and RX400 hybrid, and a 4Runner.

She now works for a large vet practice that supplies her with a work vehicle.

A Tahoe. 

Floating Doc said:

Brian said:

"Buy a Prius"

Is that the "answer" in an alternative universe where cars are only appliances?

Pretty much.

Some used to ask "hey, I know you got a screaming deal on that (random oddball car), how did you do that?"

The answer is: I fixed it up. The non-running car with a supposedly nuked engine that I got for $68 required me to spend several days bringing it back to life, using not only my massive tool collection, but a few animal sacrifices to JoBu. I always offer to help them with their new automotive hobby, but most of them change their mind when they realize the money saved was balance by sweat equity.

It happens to experts in every field. My wife the Veterinarian is so frustrated by the family members who go see "that vet on TV" rather than take advantage of her expertise. 

I've also given up on advising my mother on cars. When she recently bought a convertible for her retirement gift to herself, I was not surprised to see it's a high miles stick-shift Chrysler Crossfire. Just said "congrats! Enjoy it!"

Every damn time. 

I can't remember which editor it was, but about 8 years ago this topic was the subject of an editorial piece in Road and Track.  The editor decided that instead of asking people what they needed from the vehicle they were about to purchase he would start asking them who they wanted to be.

Subsequently the question only had three answers:  3-series, 1/2 ton truck, camry.

I've given car advice to people and had it taken, and had it ignored.  Generally, I don't get too invested in it.

My basic advice is to start by asking what kind of vehicle they want, not what they need it to do.  Then I ask them why they want that particluar kind.  If the reasons why they want it actually point to some completely different vehicle, I will tell them that, and why.  But I also tell them a few things to watch out for in the kind of vehicle they said they wanted in the first place.

I think they have all finally seen enough of my pile of useless scrap to know that I actually don't know anything.

Yup. All the time. Makes you wonder why they even ask in the first place, right?

My in-laws are notorious for this. Twice, they asked me, and twice they went and bought something else. First time, MIL asked about buying a car after their other daughter totalled their early 2000's Impala. I mentioned all sorts of cars, and they ended up with a new (at the time) Aveo sedan. It was abysmal, they hated it, and when that was taken out by a plow truck in a parking lot, they asked again. I mentioned all the same cars again (Corolla, Mazda 3, etc) and what did they buy? 

Another new Aveo. 

Next time, at least they can't buy another new Aveo.