Your automotive flavor

We thought we would take this opportunity, as we just finished our first Ready2Rumble comparison test, to discuss the idea of "automotive flavor". We first brought this concept to you in an audiocast that you can listen to by scrolling back through our Voice of Automotive declassified posts on the right of the screen. The concept, we feel, is so important that we are going to bring it to you again. Our past review picked a solitary winner from three highly competitive vehicles. In truth all three make an entirely viable choice, really you could not go wrong with any of them. We picked a winner based on our criteria, your criteria may be different, and that’s where the idea of "automotive flavor" begins. In today's market there are very few "lemons" on showroom floors. In fact good choices continue to grow with each model year. So many vehicles compete on a level playing field creating choices that become more a question of aesthetics than that of viability. Initially the multitude of choices seems like a wonderful concept; after all doesn't everyone want more choice? The problem with too many choices however is that it floods the mind with so many possibilities that you don't know where to begin. Often these multitudinous choices before you become so daunting that you either return, for better or worse, to the same dealer, and end up driving home in a 2007 of what ever you are driving now, or you continue to drive your old car until you have the time to figure all this out. So what do you do? Well with so many good choices you first must get rid of the few duds. At Automotive declassified we screen each vehicle so you don't have to. Other resources such as Consumer Reports are invaluable to getting the 411 on reliability and crash worthiness; I know that's where we turn to get such data. But even with this information how do you narrow the field to a manageable number? Well that's where you come in. The term "automotive flavor" refers to your own automotive appetite and tastes. By deciphering your auto tastes you will be able to narrow the field among like vehicles. But how do you know what your taste is? Well much like food our tastes begin when we are young. Some of our tastiest memories are regional to one part of the country or one part of the world. One person’s grits are another person’s oatmeal, so to speak. Even as young children some foods, no matter how cherished by family or community, just don't taste good to us. As we get older we begin to expand our palate beyond what we originally knew, some foods take some getting used to before we like them, such as sushi, while others we simply will never tolerate, like sushi. It really all depends on a mixture of our own unique taste buds and mind over matter, going beyond our original culinary instincts. When push comes to shove however, we all really know what foods make us happy. Approaching a vehicle purchase is very much the same. Think of calories as dollar bills. When we sit down to a meal we must measure the number of calories to level of taste to decide whether we should indulge or not. A lovingly prepared thanksgiving dinner is a no-brainer. We will, and should, enjoy every bite without a thought towards its calories. Greasy cold cheese fries at the ball park may have the same number of calories as that Thanksgiving dinner yet we hold back because they really aren't so satisfying so we save our calories for something else and settle for a turkey sandwich. Yet someone reading this might say, "What's the matter with you, greasy cheese fries are the best, I'll eat them any day". You see only you know what your taste buds are telling you and what and where you wish to use your calories. I personally would rather use my calories on a mocha ice cream soda than a lasagna dinner, that's me, that's my taste direction. In buying a vehicle you must use the same mix of childhood memories and your adult acquired tastes balanced against their cost. Someone may have memories of their Grandfathers Cadillac and as an adult when it comes time to indulge they head over to the Cadillac dealer: while someone else has memories of tooling around with their dad in an MG that they spent weekends working on together, so a sports car like a Miata becomes the reasonable choice. Even on a budget these tastes become apparent, the same price can buy a pickup truck or a convertible, a luxury flavored car, or a sports oriented car. It is critical to look into your memories and your current desires to formulate your flavor direction. To help the process ask yourself these questions. One, name your favorite car from your childhood, take your time, think hard. Now name your favorite car cost no object, today. Do some research if you need to, trust me it will be worth it. And lastly what ingredient is most important to you in a vehicle A, a place to escape from the hubbub, your own personal space. B, a place to hear the engine and work towards improving your driving ability with a vehicle that rewards your improvement. C, a place for your family. D, you don't care. By answering these questions you will begin to narrow your field. The categories are pretty obvious yet until you are honest with yourself you may be surprised by your answer. Lastly ask yourself exactly what you will use the vehicle for. So many have "Dakar Rally" ready vehicles that barely fit in the drive of their Cape Cod house for the simple reason of going to the train station, fooling everyone that they are actually adventurous. If you have the financial ability to buy a vehicle for such a reason, and that image is important to you then go ahead. The problem is many are talked into such purchases by dealers or acquaintances when they really don't have the extra money to burn. Know what you need and don't fool yourself into needs that simply are not approapriate.By answering these questions you should be able to form an automotive "palate" that fits you and your life. Now we at Automotive Declassified will only bring you good choices so what you need to do is look at each review and say, does that fit my automotive flavor direction. If it doesn’t, move on, if it does read on. It might seem narrow minded to discard vehicles without giving them a say, but in reality life is short and none of us have the time to test drive every good car. Stick with your criteria and you will be happily surprised how quickly the list shrinks to a manageable size. So Bonn appetite and remember in the end a good price is only as good as it fits your automotive appetite. A good price in unison with a vehicle that fits your criteria is what makes a good value, not price alone. A vehicle that makes you smile when you emerge from the mall and see it parked before you is your ultimate reward. In the upcoming reviews the pricing is very similar, so use your newly formed "taste" to decipher which vehicles apply to you.