So, I'm just wondering what influenced people's decision to buy the car they currently own...for example...

Did you instantly like it and buy it with your heart instead of your head?

Did you buy it purely on practicality of running costs/space?

Did you want something equivalent but more expensive and had to settle for it?

Just interested lol...

 

bought mine due to only family sized car 60+ claimed mpg petrol car( dont like diesels) and £20 car tax. as opposed to previous car 20-25mpg and £300 tax. needed to save money as didnt have spare cash after bills. 

so bought with my head, wanted to keep my mazda or change it for civic type r or nissan 350z. 

I've only ever bought one car.  I bought it in 2006 when I was living in the southwestern USA.  A car is an essential thing out there.  With the lack of MOT-type oversight (yay freedom!) and stories of post-Katrina "lemons" on the market I decided to buy new for peace of mind.  I didn't want the car to break down when I was in the middle of nowhere in 40C heat.

I wanted something small with a manual gearbox.  In America this limits your options!  I went hunting for something Fiesta-sized.  The Ford salesman had never heard of this model (me: "I think it might be Ford's best selling car in Europe?" Him: "Sorry, Sir, I've not heard of it").  I hunted around and I ended up buying a Mark 1 Focus for a very good price due to the favourable exchange rate at the time and that the Mark 2 had already been released.

Why?  It sounds silly but I remembered a Jeremy Clarkson review of the car in which he said that it was basically a solid car for the money which did what it said on the tin.  That was good enough for me.  I put 30K on it in five years.  As it was mostly just me in the car the inside was pristine.  It was serviced as per schedule (plus the 3 monthly oil changes as favoured in the USA) and thanks to their habit of rotating tyres I had to replace them all in one go.  Other than getting the CD player and indicator stick replaced under warranty I had no problems with it.  I don't even recall having the brakes replaced.  I kept every invoice and receipt and when I left the USA I sold it to a retired lady who had never driven a "stick" since the 1970s but liked the car so much she bought it and arranged for driving lessons.

Since returning to the UK my cars have been hand-me-downs (thanks Dad!) or inherited.  If I never have to interact with a car salesman again then I will die a happy man.

 

For me, it was pretty much the newest I could find in my price range.  Plus I didn't want the blue, because every ST Fiesta you see on the road is the blue, so it was either the red, orange or black and the one I have popped up.  Got the branch next door to my work to get the car down from their other branch 50-60 miles away.  I test drove it and picked the car up the next day.  Simple, swapped out from an Ibiza FR to the ST.

I chose my Fiesta because I wanted something with good mpg but also wanted a sporty look with a bit of power (hence the 140 ST-Line) and I liked the colour (deep impact blue). 
I also wanted/needed something smaller than a Focus or equivalent because my drive is weird (L shaped) and I have to share it with my neighbour so larger cars are harder to park. To park my car I have to reverse down the drive and do a tight 90 degree turn, then squeeze through a small gap at an angle between the neighbours car front end and the house wall and then straighten up again. 
I did used to like driving big cars like the Vauxhall Vectra or Ford Modeo because they were comfy, spacious and had power (and made me feel bigger than I actually am) but now these small engined cars can produce a lot of power (my fiesta has more hp than my old 2l Mondeo and 1.8l Vectra) and are more fun to drive. 
I couldn't afford an ST or equivalent, nor could I justify lower mpg and higher insurance costs from an ST, Civic or other hot hatch. 
The ST-Line was a perfect compromise. Good mpg, sporty looks and good handling with cheaper insurance. 

I went  Grand C-Max on a practical level its easy to get in and out of, the mondeo was to low to get into and had 185k on it so time for a change , budget wouldnt runt o an S-Max and a Kuga had less interior space, its not a bad car the 1.5 tdci is a great little engine, im a little dissapointed with economy at an avg of 48.7 when my mondeos have normally got 52 mpg i dont do much town driving mainy A and Motorway and i dont hang about. 6 months on its done 12568 miles, resonambly happy with it not a comfortable as a Mondeo but has got better as the seat have formed to my shape, does me and the dogs ok on trips to dog shows.

All i have to say is i had a 2009 corsa design which was becoming a pain so spotted mine and just loved it.

I wanted a 1.6 and fuel didn't bother me as only do local driving and being a Titanium and with a lot more toys it ticked a lot of boxes,it was very low miles and mint with 1 keeper.

I test drove it and that was it and was amazed how it stuck to the road like on rails,my corsa was like jelly so i had it a week later and 4 years on trouble free withonly 28k on it

on a 2011 plate and nothing to make me sell it,i think the chassis on Ford make people make the choice as they hold the road great.

So not the Fastest but nippy......old engine setup(which i prefer as no turbo)......m.p.g ok but not the best but does me and its a ...Ford.......with toys galore....

Id say with me I wanted a mk6 fiesta but couldn't get it as a first car due to insurance. After a year and a half of owning my Peugeot 107 (which was a fun cheap to run car) I started to look at fiestas again. 

 

Started looking at mk6 fiestas and came across a zetec s trim. As soon as I saw that I compared it to an ST. Looks near enough identical exterior wise excluding the wheels, badges and rear diffuser not having a exhaust cut out. Looked at the engines and saw that it some come with a 1.6 diesel engine which is claimed 72mpg and £30 tax. After that I just wanted one. Looks sporty and cheap to run. Got mine 2 months before my insurance renewal for my previous car. I wasn't happy with the car but that was mainly due to the previous owner lieing about things. Do enjoy it now though 

My wife and I sat in a brand new Fiesta ST in the showroom 4 years ago when I picked up my previous Fiesta Zetec and I've wanted one ever since. The ST ive just bought was the perfect spec and has hardly been driven.

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