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Old 24th January 2012, 11:23   #1
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Removing the Analysis Paralysis syndrome while buying a new car

This thread (part of it was put in response to another thread, but it would make sense to buyers of all cars) is to help reduce the general confusion that prevails in the mind of everyone (including the most die hard experts) while buying a new car. Yes, novices aren't the only one who cant decide - for every reason to buy, there is a reason not to, and this goes for every car, make, model and budget!

So let's try and reduce from this confusion..

Straight off the bat, there really is no bad car or good car. It is all a factor of what you need, what you want, what you are willing to put up with, how much your budget is, and your likes and dislikes.

To be honest, even an expert will not be sure if he is buying the right car until he has had the actual ownership experience for a few months / years, when he experiences all its plusses and minuses.

The more you analyse, the more you will paralyze your decision making process. It is better to go with your heart or your head (if you're not an enthusiast) and don't think too much into the future (diesel price deregulation etc, which may or may not ever take place - things that will really paralyze your thought process).

For instance, you wouldn't be too far off the mark whether it's a Swift or a Punto, after all they have the same engine. In one you have Italian flair and design and the other is very good looking. In one you will have very good service (Swift), and in one a larger car and if you're willing to overlook the service bit, the Punto would do.

Similarly, the Rapid Diesel and Vento Diesel are similar cars - if you need a better car and can put up with not-so-good service, Rapid is a good choice. If you need brand equity, reasonably better service and can put up with higher NVH and not so good high speed ride, Vento is the one for you.

It goes on - the Honda City is a good alternative to the Vento petrol or the Rapid Petrol, as the Honda Accord V6 is an alternative to the Nissan Teana or the Superb 3.6 V6 FSI.

At the end of the day, there is no perfect car and there is no perfect choice. Every car wil have its advantages and its disadvantages. Its a matter of knowing, rather judging, what could be right for you based on what you need, want, can put up with and are willing to compromise with to get the car you need. It is difficult, let's make that impossible, to get everything right, but you would have done very well if even if 80% of your requirements are met!

Remember, there are people driving all makes of cars and not all of them are unhappy and neither are they all happy. Make your choice, go with your heart or your head (if you're not an enthusiast ) and you should be right !

Happy Motoring !
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Old 24th January 2012, 22:28   #2
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Re: Removing the Analysis Paralysis syndrome while buying a new car

I am glad that you started this thread, it is an complete antithesis to smartcat's rating thread. In case you have not seen it, do have a look there.

But I do agree, there is a great element of intuition in any purchase. Thats what makes the market so much interesting.
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Old 24th January 2012, 22:34   #3
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Re: Removing the Analysis Paralysis syndrome while buying a new car

Good thread. I agree with the concept in toto. Go by your heart or mind and buy what you want.

If you get into detailed analysis like the one smartcat did, you might end up buying something you don't really like.
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Old 24th January 2012, 23:08   #4
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Re: Removing the Analysis Paralysis syndrome while buying a new car

I was thinking of this same thing on the drive back home from work today. Due to a friend who is confused as to what car to buy - he cancelled a months-old Swift ZDi booking.
There is no car today that can be called downright bad. Each has its pros and cons. So basically it is about buying a car that meets your main requirements.

Eg. if your basic use is a city hatch, it does not really matter if it is a Swift or Punto or Jazz or i20. All will serve the purpose. But if you are a single guy who likes to visit out of the way places and go cycling there, it makes sense to maybe get a Jazz with the magic seats.

Or if the car is to be used mostly by elders, the concern should be on ease of ingress/egress rather than say looks.

If it's a family of 4 that do a long trip every month or other, a sedan makes sense for the bootspace. And ofcourse diesel. So a Dzire or Fiesta or Linea all would serve the purpose in diesel version.
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Old 25th January 2012, 07:11   #5
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Re: Removing the Analysis Paralysis syndrome while buying a new car

Totally agree with what you say.

Everytime i see a new thread on the forum from fellow members asking for opinions about which car i wonder if at the end of the discussion would they be able to reach a conclusion or would be more confused. Because depending on the numbers of responses the opinions would be varied.

Please note that i have nothing against members asking for the opinion because for some that might be the right approach. But i personally would go in with the test drives and match my requiements/budget with the options available methodology for buying the car. If i would have posted the what car question on the forum i would have never been able to buy the Vista which is suiting my requirement perfectly
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Old 25th January 2012, 07:31   #6
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Good thread.but asking to others is important when it is ownership report.example like... If someone is not aware of skoda's horrible after sale service,than he may be in trouble.(he has to ensure about service) so asking is important but you have to give weightage about that point as per your requirement.example...swift dzire has won title on our site "most ugliest boot" but for me it is not bad boot and i have booked new dzire zdi. At the same time, i cannot take risk of skoda's after service...

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Last edited by suhaas307 : 28th January 2012 at 02:39.
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Old 25th January 2012, 09:27   #7
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Re: Removing the Analysis Paralysis syndrome while buying a new car

^^^ Team-bhp is a forum of enthusiasts and so our opinions do not usually meet/match those of the general population. With respect to the ugly-boot thing itself, while the Dzire has been voted the car with ugliest boot, has it been reflected in the opinion of the general buyer ? No. Because the car not only sells well, but has a waiting list that the cars with a JLo-esque boot would die to have.

Two examples from my circle : My colleague is neither a car-fanatic nor is he ignorant about cars (having used them for decades). For him, the Dzire seems like a good option. When told about the boot, he said he does not see anything wrong with the boot to not buy the car. Same goes for my Dad who felt he made a mistake by buying the Swift and should have bought the Dzire - in his case it is a "car with boot" has more snob appeal than a hatch. Ofcourse I would not buy a Dzire.
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Old 25th January 2012, 10:09   #8
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Re: Removing the Analysis Paralysis syndrome while buying a new car

Quote:
The more you analyse, the more you will paralyze your decision making process.
While I agree totally on that point VeyronSuperSprt , but analysis is important as it might just reveal something that makes or breaks the deal for you.

It is very helpful for someone to look for the glitches and high-points of the car so that you know what to expect and are able to put up with the shortcomings without any surprise
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Old 25th January 2012, 13:27   #9
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Re: Removing the Analysis Paralysis syndrome while buying a new car

I agree. I have driven so many cars in my life - and so far, I've never got the feeling "Oh man, this car is junk". The biggest reason for this is that almost all the cars on sale are priced to perfection.

- If a particular car does not handle well, more often that not, it has good ride quality. (Eg: Vista)

- If a car does not look that good, it probably is the most practical car in the segment and priced well (Eg: WagonR)

- If a car handles well or has good interiors, it probably has other negatives like service issues or reliability issues (Eg: Fiat/ Skoda).

There is no "perfect" car.

Of course, if we were in 1970's, we had a car that suited all our requirements - The Hindustan Ambassador for the middle aged types & the Premier Padmini for the young at heart!
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Old 25th January 2012, 13:45   #10
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Re: Removing the Analysis Paralysis syndrome while buying a new car

Maybe you wanted something like this? Which lists out advantages and disadvantages?

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...car-guide.html
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...car-guide.html
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Old 25th January 2012, 16:29   #11
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Re: Removing the Analysis Paralysis syndrome while buying a new car

We should mandatorily force every Thread Starter, who starts a 'Which Car' thread, to first look at the opening post on this thread. :-)

I completely agree to what you say here, and most of the times, when my friends and acquaintances have to come to me with a 'Which Car' query, I have always asked them what is it that they NEEDED and WANTED from there first or next car purchase.

However, having said that, there are some genuinely bad vehicles, and a good analysis would stop the poor guys from spending moolah on those.
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Old 25th January 2012, 20:19   #12
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Re: Removing the Analysis Paralysis syndrome while buying a new car

Hey guys, we've been moved to the "Indian Car Scene.
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Old 25th January 2012, 20:31   #13
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Re: Removing the Analysis Paralysis syndrome while buying a new car

Given the present conditions of Indian road, the only 'must have' options i would be looking for are ABS,power steering and AC.Any other features are 'nice to have'.
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Old 27th January 2012, 20:39   #14
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Re: Removing the Analysis Paralysis syndrome while buying a new car

I know someone who has been discussing buying a car for more than 2 years. And he still hasn't bought one yet !!
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Old 27th January 2012, 21:38   #15
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Re: Removing the Analysis Paralysis syndrome while buying a new car

Veyron - a good topic for discussion, a never ending one as well - "should we follow our head/ heart & go for a car or should we discuss, discuss & discuss to come to a conclusion. Million $ question - are you buying a car which you liked or discarding a car from shortlisted probables as someone else does not like it?

Quote:
Originally Posted by dot View Post
I am glad that you started this thread, it is an complete antithesis to smartcat's rating thread. In case you have not seen it, do have a look there.

But I do agree, there is a great element of intuition in any purchase. Thats what makes the market so much interesting.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vnabhi View Post
Good thread. I agree with the concept in toto. Go by your heart or mind and buy what you want.

If you get into detailed analysis like the one smartcat did, you might end up buying something you don't really like.
I would like to put it this way.
Smartcat's great threads and fantastic excel sheets can be used by people who just wanted to look at the VFM quotient of a car and decide (EQ can never be measured and hence cannot be included in any calculations). This can also be used to rank or trim one's list and eventually chose the most relevant or strike out the low hanging ones. I have personally used this file to help a friend trim his list and chose a car (thanks smartcat).

Going by heart is one way, but some people like VFM/ ROI/ TCO etc. to be calculated and take a decision.

Quote:
Originally Posted by supremeBaleno View Post
I was thinking of this same thing on the drive back home from work today. Due to a friend who is confused as to what car to buy - he cancelled a months-old Swift ZDi booking.
There is no car today that can be called downright bad. Each has its pros and cons. So basically it is about buying a car that meets your main requirements.

Eg. if your basic use is a city hatch, it does not really matter if it is a Swift or Punto or Jazz or i20. All will serve the purpose. But if you are a single guy who likes to visit out of the way places and go cycling there, it makes sense to maybe get a Jazz with the magic seats.

Or if the car is to be used mostly by elders, the concern should be on ease of ingress/egress rather than say looks.

If it's a family of 4 that do a long trip every month or other, a sedan makes sense for the bootspace. And ofcourse diesel. So a Dzire or Fiesta or Linea all would serve the purpose in diesel version.
That is another angle to it and the Indian car scene. We normally have one car for all purpose opposed to the mentality in other countries where there is a car for every purpose. Also for us there is another angle - still car is largely a status symbol & not a necessity (eventhough this mentality is slowly changing).

Last edited by Jakku : 27th January 2012 at 21:48. Reason: spelling and grammar corrections
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