Do you choose the family car - or does he?

Dh cares about cars, I don't. The last time we bought a car he came up with a list of cars he wanted, I said 'No dh, I am pregnant. We need a car with five doors. No dh, that Mazda RX8 does technically have five doors but it still will not do.' Eventually he found an estate car he liked and bought it.

Now we live somewhere where car ownership is, in my opinion, ludicrous. So he says 'cars are very cheap here you know', and I say 'Parking isn't'.

So in summary, the advertisers are right in our case. However we have never lived anywhere where driving the car was a part of our everyday lives.

'Oh, and it is more likely to be me, not DH, who hankers after the sporter two seater '

that would be DH,I am more of a pick up / dodge girl

Eleanora - I am extraordinarily sexy, as is my dp

If we had lots (and I mean lots) of money we'd be a bit more bothered. But we're not prepared to spend the equivalent of a year's salary on a new car so whatever looks OK (or rather we're told is OK by bil/friends in the know) when it's time to buy is what we get. Beggars can't be choosers and all that.

cakeywakey - I would love a bright orange Volvo! Although I doubt I'd be able to park it...

I narow it right down then giveDh flexibility within that

Not that there is much LOL

ATM I adore our Mitsibushi (old space wagonenot 4X4) and really its going to have to be something similar, can'tabide Galaxy type cars formyself so they are out.

I think my criteria narrowed it down to three LOL buyt I drive it themost,he has acommuter car and he chose a SMART and rankly he is welcome to it

LOL!

I bought and paid for the family car while dh was away on business. I was very pleased to pick him up in our new car! He had to guess which car was ours....

i did it all by myself

I pick the one I like, then we test drive it, then I convince DH it's the one we both want

Although while I say I choose, he probably says he chooses. I guess in that case it depends on whether the advertisers listen to me or him...

Me all the way.

Salesmen often comment on my extensive knowledge of the range, models, mpg, NCAP stats etc. I often know more than them! I'm not a petrol head, but I do like to research my purchases

I chose our car.
DD2 chose the colour.
DH did all the donkey work

I don't care much about cars, but I know what I don't like. So DH comes up with suggestions and I can shout him down. I also say in advance that certain makes/models are a definite no-no before he starts looking. At least, that was the case 7 years ago when we last bought a car. In the end it's just down to finding something that's not too much of a wreck, but that is still affordable for us.

We do masses of research, talk about it in mind-numbing detail, do test drives of various contenders .... and then dh totally ignores my views and buys something different altogether.

In fairness to dh though, after making awful choices of 2nd car in the past year (the sports car with only 2 seats, a pointless 2nd estate car that is too long to fit in the only place we have to park it) he is supposedly letting me choose its replacement. We've narrowed it down to 3 contenders but we can't agree on which one to go for.

To add to my post: once we have decided on te car I am happy to let DH take over regarding finding it, ordering it, sorting out finances, etc. I can't even remember the last time I test drove a car!

Perhaps I'm as assertive on the car front as I am after the time my Dad came home from a car-buying expedition in a bright orange Volvo Estate . We called it the Oranjeboom. Mum never let him buy a car on his own ever again. I would never let her pick me up from school in it Perhaps I'm still mentally scarred, but just didn't realise!

oh good otterinaskoda, does our lack of interest make us unsexy in some way?

We do what Eleanor does pretty much.

I imagine if we were buying something a bit newer it might be different but seeing as he has to drive the thing everyday he'd get more say than me. I drive the crappest of our two cars but that's because I have far less distance to travel. Seems fair.

DH cannot drive, so the final decision always rests with me. We decide a budget and broad requirements, then I research cars and usually narrow it down to 2 or 3. DH loves a spreadsheet, so he works out the running costs, depreciation etc for each model, I test drive them then I choose based on all the information.

I would say that most dealerships are fine with a woman - lots of the salespeople are savvy enough to ask who is going to be driving the car, and thereafter direct their attention to me - BMW surprised me by being particularly good at this (that would be me suffering from stereotypical thinking rather than them, then ).

There was one salesman who only spoke to DH - DH wandered off with DD2 in her carseat in order to force the salesman to speak to me, which he did. DH then came back and the salesman turned all his attention to DH again! I told the manager of the dealership at a later date that this was one of the reasons we had decided against buying their car...

Me because there isn't a he. DD gets a say in it though. She wouldn't want to be seen in something uncool.

Fraid your sources are right in my case.

DH has always chossen my car for the last 15 years or so. in fact he bought me one as a surprise birthday present !

I'm more than happy with his choices. He's very in to cars and drives a porche useless family car so he is very keen to be driving a weekend car he likes.

I have no problem with this

the only advertising that would work for me is 'look here is a car that isn't full of electric shite that will break all the time and starts without fail unless you are stupid enough to leave the lights on all night which is unlikely cos the car will shout at you if you attempt to leave the car with the lights on.'

we ask the man in the garage adn he tells us what to buy, or my bil or anyone in fact who gives a shite about cars cos we don't

I did the research but we chose it together and he went with my dad to buy it.

It may not be the same in all relationships, but I am happy for dh to go and get the car (which I have chosen) as he is a more hard-nosed negotiator than me.

Have 2 cars. He chose his car, but with input from me (i.e. last car was automatic, which I loathed, so this one manual). The bigger car is mine and I'd say that I chose it really, though with input from him.

If either of us absolutely vetoed the other's choice then that would be it.

I suppose you'd call my car the family car, as is the one we tend to use when is all of us. So it was really a joint decision but with me making the final choice.

I have decided what car we are getting, but dh will be the one to test drive it, and if he doesn't like it i will do more research.

he bought our last one and it is crap!