[Reinhard]

How do we quantify or gauge "reliability"? There is no guarantee that even a bullet proof Toyota will not fail. No machine can be made fail-proof. Ask NASA, ISRO who make the most expensive ones.

Reliability when buying a car is exactly like the sense of security when locking home while leaving for office I feel. When one wants to break-in - that flimsy padlock will last about 10 seconds. It can never be guaranteed.

Driving pleasure is something that can be experienced immediately in moments behind the wheel. I'll always put my money on what I can experience. Not what people say or what is only a "perceivable" factor.

Call me "Mr. Glass is half Empty" but I always think about the little chance that even if I buy a Toyota, I'll be the one in millions who gets the lemon.

[iliketurtles]

A car sans character is little more than an appliance or tool in my eyes, and so it's driving pleasure over reliability for me any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

The car gods blessed me with a Jetta, and I thank them (and of course, the kind folks on Team BHP) for nudging me in its direction over the Octavia TSI. The Jetta itself has been very reliable, and barring the fact that it hasn't got the extra 2 cylinders I crave, I can think of no reason why I should sell it anytime soon.

To each his own. I can see why many opt for reliability over the more exciting option, but that's not my cup of tea. I think it was Clarkson that once said a car with foibles is more human and instantly relatable, and it's a sentiment I can agree with. For instance, just recently the Jetta's door handles are showing a few signs of aging and need to be greased for smooth operation. How adorably human and middle-aged is that?

Fun FTW, every day, all day long.

[panky12345]

Coming from TATA background.. now graduated to Honda and MS. Reliability, for me, is paramount. Cant afford to get stranded in the middle of night in peak B2B bumper traffic

[Tanveer_2558]

Driving pleasure for sure!

Who actually know's what car is going to breakdown when & where? Just because some brands are not as reliable as the Toyota's that does not mean ill keep driving a car which i don't like driving & Just so that the chances are pretty less for my car breaking down in the middle of nowhere?

Frankly, I have been contacted by several people in the past many years who have owned several different brands including the the highly rated reliable ones in the night asking for help as their car's have broken down & well one thing was almost common in all those people, They don't maintain or look after theri cars like they should

Ill take my chances & drive a car which pastes a smile on my face every time ill drive it, Anyways anything and everything in the world includes some % of risks, From driving, Business, Day to day duties, Anything!

[ampere]

Reliability of course !

As far as driving pleasure is concerned:

Well.. Driving is pleasure!! Isn't it?

[Karthik Chandra]

I have voted for reliability.

When it comes to driving pleasure, it depends on how one defines it.

For some, its raw power, for some, its lightning fast gear shifts, for some its how the steering connects with them, for some, its how grippy the car is in corners, for some, its a combination of all these

For me, driving pleasure is

# Driving a safe car (relatively). I drive a car with only 90 horses but knowing that it is solidly built and has ABS with EBD & 6 airbags gives me pleasure.

# Driving a car with zero turbo-lag and one that can move around town in 3rd/4th gear with the engine spinning @ 1100 rpm.

# Driving a car with maximum warranty possible (within budget)

At times, driving the Eon during office commute gives me pleasure for the way it can squeeze through traffic and move ahead.

So, it all depends on how one defines driving pleasure.

On the other hand there cannot be too many definitions for Reliability. It will be more or less the same for all of us.

Ampere has put it aptly,

Originally Posted by ampere

Well.. Driving is pleasure!! Isn't it?

It is

[Moto_Hill]

Driving pleasure for me

A lemon can come from any stable. Modern cars are very less likely to fail, provided they are taken care off and small issues are not left to become big. We, BHPians, are proactive and that further reduces the chances of a car giving troubles.

Having said that, I recommend Hyundai over Fiat to 8 out of 10 people.

[Durango Dude]

Originally Posted by madmaxvistian

I've voted for the driving pleasure over the bullet-proof reliability as there is no other option for a mix of both of them. It doesn't hurt to have a bit of reliability.

Honestly there is no point of owning the car just for the sake of reliability if there is no driving pleasure at all. Eg. While I would love to drive the Honda 1.5 petrol which is actually the blend of both these factors in consideration, I would still not averse to choose a Fiat 1.4 T-Jet for the sheer performance & pleasure of driving in spite of all the sales & service issues.

I've driven both. It would suffice to say that the Honda is way ahead of the T-Jet, in pleasure, driveability and efficiency.

[agbenny]

My vote goes to Driving pleasure. I owned a Scorpio (and a Royal Enfield Thunderbird) for 6.5 and 7 years respectively.
While the Engine and gearbox reliability was OK with both - Both suffered serious issues. Scorpio has several niggling electrical issues, ABS issue and faced even a breakdown.

But, when I turn the ignition on, I forget them all - as I enjoyed each and every rides from short to long distances.

[Ram_NP]

For me reliability is paramount as do not want to get stranded in middle of road.

A lazy afternoon drive with family is what gives me driving pleasure.
Also with roads improving in India (specially national highways), the drive on highways gives me driving pleasure even with a small car like Santro.

[rrsteer]

Since one of our cars has to do over 3k kms every month, I can't help but prioritize a reliable car for such usage. And the car we have has won me over so much with its reliability and sense of certainty, that I tend to give prominence to reliability over other parameters.

[StarrySky]

I guess nobody would buy any car with a reputation of being extremely unreliable, no matter how good it is to drive (when it works). So the real question is would you be willing to risk a bit of unreliability for a car that you prefer, for whatever reason, over a car/brand with a reputation for good reliability?

Speaking for myself, when I bought my first car, I chose a Punto over Swift/i20 because I liked it better when I drove it (rock-solid stability, feeling of being in a tank etc).

When I got my second car (on lease), the final choice was between Skoda Octavia and Toyota Auris. Went with the Skoda, again, since it felt better to drive (DSG over lousy CVT). I have to admit that reliability was much less of a concern in this case as I was only leasing the car.

So, I guess my view on the subject is clear

The Punto did not not ever leave me stranded on the road during my ownership and it did not have any major issues either. The Skoda has also not given me any trouble so far. The automotive gods have been kind to me. So I haven't spend a moment thinking that I should've got that Swift/i20/Toyota Auris instead, whereas if I had bought any of those cars, I would've spend many days wondering, "What if?"

[petroguzzler]

I guess choosing between the two has to be done on a case to case basis. A one size fits all assumption might be misleading. For example, someone buying a VAG car with the 7speed DSG would have to anticipate reliability issues much more than someone buying a similar one with the 6spd DSG or a manual gearbox. Similarly, when shopping between petrol and diesel premium germans, one can safely assume that the latter would be lighter on the wallet and be easier to use and maintain and offer a better resale value.

[lancer_rit]

If one loves driving and cars, driving pleasure and comfort are a must have. That has to be combined with decent reliability.

My Lancer probably combined both to very high degrees, great handling, ride and gearbox and never broke down (knocks on wood) in 14.5 years and 151k km, driving in all kinda of roads, Hills, forests, mud roads etc all over South India.

I hope the Superb will turn out great fun and also reliable, touch wood. MT should help compared to DSG, and provides fun while increasing reliability.

[silverado]

For me its reliability over pleasure. If you have money to buy multiple cars you can have best of both worlds, but if its one single car than I will personally go for reliable car.

How many times specifically for those staying in cities do we get to enjoy that driving pleasure? I would say not much.

Driving pleasure would excite me for first few months, but ultimately its the reliability and economy of maintaining a car which will give me more satisfaction and peace of mind.

I would like my friend to own a car which gives driving pleasure to me