Autonet.ca

Many of today’s buyers probably aren’t familiar with the “it’s better to look good than to feel good” quote made famous in sketch and song by comedian Billy Crystal’s character of Fernando, which became a media sensation in the mid-1980s.

Having recently come across one of the skits at a time when a couple friends came to me for advice about what to buy, it started me thinking about what really is more important to the car buyer – good looks or good engineering? The two aren’t mutually exclusive, and there are fewer and fewer cars out there that have one without the other, but they do exist.

My friends need to find vehicles right now and since they can only afford used vehicles, they wondered to me about the reliability of various vehicles several years old. I gave them my opinion on their inquiries but also offered the opinion of good, low priced current model-year vehicles.

In both cases, the vehicles in question were past favourites, so I had few bad things to say about them, but my one main caveat was that in both cases, these cars were pushing 10 years of age, and were therefore bound to be showing their age.

Wouldn’t they rather have new vehicles, that could be leased or financed fairly affordably and whose mechanicals would be covered for the duration of the ownership experience?

In one case, it was a 1999 Pontiac Grand Am with 130,000 km for $2,500, though my friend concluded financing would still have to be arranged. I advised that a 2009 Hyundai Elantra could be had for as little as $250 per month over five years, and be under warranty the entire time. My reasoning was that it would buy time until this friend’s financial situation improved and reliable transportation wouldn’t be a constant worry.

The answer back was that as attractive as I made it sound, this person wouldn’t enjoy driving a car in which she wouldn’t be happy being seen.

A similar scenario played out over a 2000 Camry, for which I have nothing but praise. In this case, the vehicle had some 140,000 km on the odo and was going for $14,000. I told my friend that for basically the same price, he could get a 2009 Kia Rio that came with a five year warranty, which means very little outlay for maintenance for the duration of ownership. However, he decided to take his chances on the 10 year old car for his 120km round-trip commute.

I have no reason for pushing Hyundai products, except that in these two cases, the purchases come with low price tags and warranty coverage for the entire time the vehicle is residing with you. It buys time until the financial situation improves and then they might be able to buy something attractive to them, while not having to worry about major repairs that might become an issue with high-mileage vehicles such as these.

Apparently, though, good looks and badge prestige still trump peace-of-mind motoring.