Priorities while buying a car

[gemithomas]

Which would be your highest priority while buying a car.

[reignofchaos]

My priorities are:

Performance (Engine and Chassis Balance, Corner carving ability, high speed stability etc)
Ride Comfort
Available Features

[K a s h]

1) Space (legroom)
2) Build quality
3) Price
4) After Sales Service

[androdev]

hmmm.. without ranking (order of importance), this poll will be misleading. safety is not listed :-) all points are important to me except maybe "friends/relatives opinion" (own opel and skoda) ;-)

[sukiwa]

My priorities:

Ride Comfort
Features
Number of service centres
cost of maintenance
fuel efficiency

[prabuddhadg]

My priorities:
1. Engine performance
2. Ride
3. Stability at speed and around corners
4. Ease of maintenance
5. Fuel Efficiency
6. Looks and features


The last three are difficult to arrange and may change when I am in a different frame of mind, but the first three are in that precise order.

If the engine is responsive, that makes my day. In addition, if I can travel in comfort without feeling too distinctly, the bumps on the road, nothing like it. My highway driving is less, so, stability is the next quality I look for. The rest have to be present upto a certain qualifying level. These features never make or break a deal.

[finneyp]

My priorities:

1. Features Available (Value for Money)
2. Ride comfort
3. FE
4. Manufacturer Brand name

[shatrughna]

My vote goes for value for money- though I didnt buy in real life- Laura else would have been sold 1 more. The choices list was not big enough as it exxcluded the priority I have in mind- an all rounder car with decent performance, must have features and of course availability of service centres.

For me- today- an automatic transmission is the most important priority and nothing else matters( except after sales service).
1 option, good that is not there - else I guess everyone would have ticked is - need and affordability.

[supremeBaleno]

Reliability. Period.

P.S. : Don't see reliability in the list.

[GTO]

Great idea for a thread! A similar thread existed before, but I dont think it had a poll or was near as comprehensive. We can allow this.

My priorities:

1. Engine power and outright performance.
2. Handling, braking, steering and fun-to-drive nature.
3. Looks.
4. Long-term reliability.
5. Depth of engineering.
6. Brand, trust and commitment.
7. Safety equipment and standards.

I usually don't consider ride comfort as an absolute criteria for buying a car....its usually the head over the heart. No surprise then that three of my four current cars (C220, OHC Vtec and Classic 4x4) aren't exactly the best to be driven around in. But boy, are they satisfying to drive.

Neither do I calculate VFM or fuel-efficiency. Cars are one area of my life where I splurge.

However, safety has become an obsession in recent times. Henceforth, any cars that I buy must rank highly on the safety factor.

[ram_hyundai]

Whenever i start thinking of a car i form my own opinion on it first.The opinion of friends are received and weighed against mine and i reach the result.Almost all the points mentioned here are a concern for me while taking such an important decision.
ram

[VBV]

Safety is another factor I would consider high. The average speed on Indian roads has gone up high.
Another factor is "How late is the car in its lifecycle"? This is likely to affect its resale value. And of course, resale value itself is another criteria.
I have a strange criteria, and its completely subjective. I hate if India market is treated different from other countries. So I need to know the differences b/w the global model and the Indian model. If the difference is not high or if the India is ahead in model launch plans, the car gets a higher weightage.

VBV

[Alfa_Kilo]

Off road ability, utility and...
Well, thats it, my first vehicle has to be a hardcore offroader. Planning to buy an ex-army MM550XD/B later this year.

[asr245]

Originally Posted by VBV

Safety is another factor I would consider high. The average speed on Indian roads has gone up high.
Another factor is "How late is the car in its lifecycle"? This is likely to affect its resale value. And of course, resale value itself is another criteria.
I have a strange criteria, and its completely subjective. I hate if India market is treated different from other countries. So I need to know the differences b/w the global model and the Indian model. If the difference is not high or if the India is ahead in model launch plans, the car gets a higher weightage.

VBV

Car which is not par with global models gets a big thumbs down. Also manufacturers who think we are stupid enough to not notice "technical" features. e.g. Maruti GV with rear drum brakes!! same for ford endeavor!!
The NHC VTEC has rear discs at half the price!

Back on topic- safety, performance, availability of spares and service centres. No ABS/airbags and spare parts availability have kept me away from the Palio 1.6!

[mail4ajo]

I feel this poll would have been better if an priority order has been incorporated. Like a weightage for every factor. Say example FE is 1, service center is 2 and likewise.

Why I am saying is because a person chosses a car not for just one factor but for a combination of factors. He will have certain priorities on his mind and would have mentally assigned weightages to them.

We will be able to determine which factors are most pressing when buying a car. Manufacturers use these methods in end user surveys to understand buyer behaviour. I have done it myself in my MBA project for Hyundai.