[nmenon]

Voted for Reliability over Pleasure. Though an option of both say 60% reliability and 40% pleasure would be an ideal compromise for me.
Since I can have only 1 car and I will be keeping it for 10 years or more, reliability takes precedence.

[vnabhi]

I am 'suffering' with reliability from my 16-year old WagonR. It's very reliable and easy on the pocket. At the same time it is absolutely boring to drive, with zero driver involvement. My family has been commenting off late that it is time to change it. But I'm dilly-dallying simply because I foresee not problems with spare parts over the next few years.

I did follow my heart in buying the Fiesta 1.6 and the Figo 1.4 tdci, which have been reliable so far, and great to drive. Only few niggles that are known like AC evaporator coil failure, poor mudflaps, etc.

I'd anyday buy an exciting car over a reliable car. Perhaps the new Figo Sports, but my family members may not like so many Fords under the roof!

[octane_100]

I am sure given a choice nist of us would want driving pleasure, who wouldn't!! But life is also an optimization problem and we got to make trade offs. Like few commented above, it largely depends on what is the intended purpose for the car. If I have to buy one single car for all my needs, I will go with a brand like Toyota with my eyes shut. If I have a choice, then definitely something which is fun to drive but with an acceptable level of reliability.

[drmohitg]

It was reliability before and it is reliability now. My life is a complex web of work and studying and duties and presentations. Whatever free time I get, I love to unwind by driving. And a car that scores slightly less on driving dynamics will do just fine on that occasional day for me than having to take out time from work and devote it for getting untimely errors fixed all the time.

[roy_libran]

Voted for Reliability!

I used to belong to the opposite camp in the past, but ownership of some unreliable (but fun) cars, that practically turned me into a mechanic, and my growing years, make me root for Reliability now.
'Fun' is just too much headache. Just how much 'fun' can you really have in this country, with it's bizarre speed limits, non-existent traffic discipline?
My sweet spot is highly reliable, safety and 'some fun'....

[Sutripta]

Why not both?
Normally the 'OR' question should come in if one tries to do it on the cheap. However, India is not like the rest of the world.

I was quite happy with both my Honda VTec, and Alto K10.

For me reliability does not mean niggle free, but rather above a certain threshold. I should be able to live with the niggle or fault till I decide to get it rectified. The vehicle is for my service, not the other way around.

One thing of unreliability in today's complex cars is that you have to go to the ASS. Whose chief interest is in making money off you. I hate being ripped off, and having to fight it all the time.

Regards
Sutripta

[SPARKled]

Just get that Ford and you will get both. After owning 3 Fords and a couple of Uber reliable Japanese cars like the Etios and the Ritz I find my Fords just as reliable and way more fun to drive.

[blackasta]

Considering it to be a strictly either-or choice:

If I have a single car ( as I have had till now), I do not care a bit if it is bland but should be able to get me through hell and back.

The day I can afford to buy & maintain 2 (or more) cars, I would still choose a bland reliable car for my weekday office commute, reserving an exciting but maybe not so reliable one for the weekends !!

[aqualeo2040]

I am confused. A really really difficult one here GTO!

Drove the Punto from the day it was launched until the sad day in 2014 when I had to leave the country.
Came back to pick up a pre loved Altis.

I love the 140 horses with the dual Jekyl Hyde VVTI. Love the gearshift and the redlines. Heck, its comfy as hell and everyone goes ga-ga and the AC which chills.
Then I take a drive to the Ghats! Damn I miss the Punto. This car is too long, too twichy
Come back from the trip, with the last leg on some nicely laid NH/AH roads and I start feeling better. Then I walk into a Toyota ASC. I suddenly get transported into a different world: no grime, no dust, no oil covered mechanics! all a bit clinical. And finally the 5k INR Service bill every year.

So, where can I find the TRD kit for my blue whale (yeah, I call her that)?

Alternative solution:
Sparky getting 60k old and thanks to all the love from GM, convinced my "real Boss" to replace her with a Punto

There, WIN-WIN!

[Sheel]

+1 to roy_libran’s post.
Something like Mitsubishi, fun and reliable. The Pajeros are extremely reliable and fun to drive in comparison to other Japs and are as reliable if not more. I am sure similar cars would be available as well.

Same with bikes, will prefer a Jap despite others being more *FUN*

[vkr15]

The discussion is all boiling down to:-
Reliability= Boring, no excitement. The same drudgery day after day.
Driving pleasure= Rush of adrenalin, adventure, charting into the unknown.
C'mon folks, how come some of you are have become overly risk averse in your thirties and forties. I've taken the plunge in my seventies with the GT TSI( chosen over other competing hatchbacks) and thats the only car I have.
GT TSI= 2 Maruti/hyundai hatchbacks.( cost wise-well, almost).
Having said all this, to each his/her own preference. This is a fun poll. You know what I voted for.
Cheers.

[carfreak]

I voted for driving pleasure. I have gone ahead and done that too, buying the Octavia vRS.

But this is not an easy choice to make in daily life. In fact, age plays an important role too. 15 years back I would have opted for driving pleasure without a second thought. But with age, and more importantly having to stick to work commitments, I do bother about reliability more now than in the past.

But then I own a Creta too. I feel the ideal garage should have a mix of both. But if I were forced to choose one, I will always go for driving pleasure.

[abhinav.s]

Voted for driving pleasure. As someone pointed out in the earlier posts about having only about a decade or so to enjoy the IC engines, there is very little time to bother about reliability and forgoing the fun to drive factor. So my vote goes for driving pleasure!

[Mr.Beat]

Interesting topic and discussion but I am sure the results of the poll will be skewed because when it comes down to the decision-making of investing your hard earned money you will think twice regarding many factors which you won't think of when it comes to pressing a button.

Originally Posted by GTO

My pick would be driving pleasure. As an example, I'd rather enjoy the car for 357 days of the year, having it off the road for about a week, than have a car that's with me for 363 days, but doesn't bring a grin on my face. [/i]).

Again, it would also be a factor of how much unreliability can you handle and how critical is the car for your daily commute or work. If from the quoted example i feel the car gives me a downtime of just 2% and does have a competent A.S.S to get the car back up I would not consider the car unreliable. However, if the engine/gearbox are known to malfunction with the resultant high probability of being stuck in the middle of nowhere I would rather stick with reliable cars.

[pacman2881]

To me reliability is not about my car spending X% of it's life at the garage or me spending Y amount on it's maintenance. It is about my wife and kid or my aged parent getting stuck in no man's land because someone made an awesome machine that fails when it is really required to work. I cannot tolerate a car that can cause the above scenario even once in it's life time.

What is the point in owning a car if it cannot do what it is made for - that is to take you from point A to point B? Everything else comes next.

I will vote for driving pleasure the day I can afford buy more than one car- then I can have one for pleasure. I will drive it purely on pleasure rides and not risk on important trips or put my family members in inconvenient position.