Monday, August 9, 2010

It's car shopping time

I'm going to be doing something a little different on this blog for the next two weeks.

The time has come for me to buy a new car, and I'm going to chronicle the process here. Other than a few cursory web searches I haven't started the process yet, so I'll be using this blog to talk about the marketing, the products, the sales and the overall shopping experience.

I figure the first thing I should do is determine what I need from my new car.
  • I don't have kids at home anymore, so happily I can cross minivans, large SUVs and full-size sedans off the list.
  • I do a significant amount of driving to visit clients in cities like Milwaukee, Chicago, Minneapolis, Madison, Indianapolis, and Detroit. Thus having something that's comfortable for six-plus hour drives is a must.
  • I will easily put 30,000 miles on my car every year.
  • I do a little entertaining so having something that seats four adults comfortably is probably a good idea.
  • In case you're not aware, it snows in Wisconsin and living somewhat off the beaten path presents some challenges.
  • I grew up in Detroit and still have a lot of friends in the auto business there.
  • I've been known to haul a few plants and bags of mulch in the spring.
  • The other cars in my stable are a Volkswagen Cabrio and a 1968 Volvo 1800 (that needs a little work).
  • I love to drive. Given the choice between driving and flying, I'll drive.
  • I like to drive fast. Especially on one of the many great stretches of winding road in the Wisconsin countryside.
So, I guess this is a starting point. Tomorrow, the first draft of a long list of cars that I'll start researching on the internet. Suggestions and comments are welcome.

2 comments:

  1. I'm looking forward to this. I car-shopped for about a year, finally decided on a Ford Fusion in April, came back to the dealer to sign the 0 percent interest deal on a Monday only to find out they'd canceled it. So then I decided to stay in my Honda Civic which currently has 125,000 miles on it.

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  2. I have a Prius and I love it. You might too. The technology is phenomenal. Comfortable ride. Seats four nicely. Great mileage. Bullet-proof build (regardless of recent reports).
    Good luck. I will enjoy reading the process!

    Kurt

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