[SR-71]

Interesting topic, as far as my preferences go...

What changed ?

• Moved from being a manual to an automatic aficionado
• Have started believing Crossovers are as good as Sedans if not better
• Willing to sacrifice a wee bit of power and performance in favor of car with better features, ride & NVH.

What hasn't changed ?

• Safety cannot be a compromise in favor of finance

[ThatCarGuy]

Preferences have definitely changed over the years.

• I Drive a MT 1.4 Turbo Seltos, 99% of the time it's all good until that 1% of the time when my left leg screams in Bangalore traffic, so prefer an Automatic/EV next time.
• Big fan of request sensors, where I just need to keep my keys in my pocket and access the car without any manual interventions coming my way.
• Gone are the days when we used to painfully, write all mp3’s to a CD. So a connected car for sure, where I can access my Amazon music playlist named ‘Adipoli’.
• Power seat with memory, definitely a must in the future. All bhp’ians can agree on getting the seat back to normal once you give your car for a wash or take it to the mechanics.
• Not a fan of the concept of beater car/city car/first car should be a second hand to take the newbie hits etc. Use one car which you like, use it for everything, live in it, take it to the city, take it to the mountains, take it to the seaside, be a happy single car guy (hmmm, probably Endeavor is an exception in this logic)
• No more two-wheelers, done with it.

[sunikkat]

Honestly nothing changed much for me -

• I still look for engine first and then handling and high speed stability in cars.
• I cannot live with soft suspension set up, I am okay to have stiff ride quality as a compromise. This is the only place where I am selfish and dont care much about family preference

What has changed?

• I love manual gearbox, so much that when I got a mid variant Octavia in 2016 just for MT gearbox giving up additional airbags in top end (I know its a stupid decision). But as much as I love manuals, now any car that I buy will only be AT - prefer a DSG or a good TC like in BMWs
• I strongly feel the need of a beater car (mostly hatchback) for city use, again an AT
• Over the years I have gathered the courage and started exploring more on performance upgrades - remap, suspension, alloys etc
• My primary car will only be an European, after being used to Skoda cannot think of moving out of European cars, unless something changes significantly
• When I bought my first car I was very much worried about the reliability over anything else. Now as much as I love my car to be reliable, it is not a deciding factor - I am okay to have some down time for fun to drive
• The car interiors have again become an important factor for me. It should have good quality, strongly built and preferably black

[SulemanP]

I feel our preferences change as we grow older and apparently that's quite normal for everyone...
By nature i am not a speed loving guy but inclined more towards enjoying the ride be it a 2W or 4W.
Majority of time i have spent riding a 2W, back in my 20s we had incredibly crude Enfield Bullet, Yezdi, Rajdoot for the folks who looked for more of fun and enjoyment. People looking for a decent commuter (me including) met most of their requirements in scooters like Bajaj Priya, Chetak, LML Vespa, Vijay Scooter & the likes, it was more of a scooter market...obviously i started with a Bajaj Chetak rode it for a about a year and switched over to Honda Eterno (i don't know how many of you even know the name of this scooter) reason to switch was good FE and refined ride quality it had everything i wanted those days.



In 2008 i switched over to Honda Unicorn cause of back problems and that machine stayed with me for a long time good FE, reliable & fuss free..

In 2012 bought a pre-worshipped Santro Zip drive again i was looking for a decent commuter which will take me from A to B without tantrums. Safety not considered, FE was not an issue very low running & other features were not pondered upon by me and family.

Satisfied with Hyundai's product brought i10 in 2014 we bought it mainly for refinement, FE and peace of mind again no thought about Safety, other features, powerful engines, EV was no where in the dreams forget about reality.

Then came 2019 and we bought Tiago, this time Safety was a concern and we wanted FE + Small Car + Fresh looks + Diesel. Team BHP helped me to decide on diesel engine (Tata's are very good at that).

Now in 2022, i feel i should have waited a little more and i would have gone for Tigor EV as it offers more value + Zero Emission + Excellent Safety Package + An Automatic what else you want for city commute...nevertheless in future would look for an EV

[xantia]

Being new to Team BHP (but having followed it forever), I find all threads relevant and compelling and this one particularly so. Here's my evolution.

1980s: We had a family Premier Padmini. Peppy engine. Great highway cruiser (guess I never felt that it wasn't !!). It was great driving on the Ahmedabad - Surendranagar -Rajkot stretch. 100kmph was easy.

H1- 1990s: I went through a couple of years of 100cc motorcycles as many of the TCSers going abroad for short trips would leave their bikes with me. So, the Kawasaki Bajaj, Yamaha RX100, 350, Hero Honda 4-stroke, were in the garage (landlord's) to explore everything within a 200 kms of Kalakshetra Colony. A friend's dad allowed me full use of a 1964 Ambassador. He was shattered when I complained that it does not go over 60 and he went, "its in mph, dude!!" In those days, I guess the cops were also spellbound seeing an amby going at 90kmph on beach roads.

H2-1990s: I travelled to Europe and the US, got into the rental car mode. In the LA, USA, I owned a 1979 beat up Toyota Corolla 1.8L Sports Couple, stick-shift. During a trip to SF, it collapsed while climbing Lombard Street. And in UK, I owned the Citroen Xantia - my favourite car of all time. Pneumatic shocks, a 2L engine, spacious interiors, great sound system. Our daughter, who was born at the same time, used to recognise the interiors and light up in anticipation of a drive.

2000s till date: We came back to India and went on to Maruti Esteem, Hyundai Accent, Honda Accord, Skoda Superb 1.8 petrol and now the Toyota Fortuner (2015 edition).

Preferences Now: I am a fan of torquey diesel engines. I am not a fan of high-rolling uncomfortable body on frame SUVs. I need space and comfort. My wife needs to elegantly step in and not be hauled in, especially going to weddings, I have been told.The TFort is up for sale and I am evaluating the Tucson (heart says Diesel, head says beware of NGT rulings) and the Tiguan. So, let's see where we end up!

[rajshenoy]

Definitely the preferences have evolved due to various factors such as increasing age, spending power and obviously the technological advancements

My observations
1. Transmission - I still enjoy driving manual, however it is a pain in city traffic so currently managing with two car strategy, however my future purchases will be pure automatics
2. Safety - Perhaps due to the responsibility and awareness, I definitely prefer the safer GNCAP(or equivalent) tested cars. ABS, all 4 disc brakes, EBD and other important factors. My next purchase should come with 6-7 airbags
3. Tech - Auto headlights, wipers, auto dimming OVRM, smart sensors, reverse camera, climate control, Android auto/Apple CarPlay etc are must have. However I can live without Features such as cooled seats, sunroof, ADAS etc for now.
4. Petrol/Diesel/EV - EV won't satisfy my touring needs, so I have been thinking of a single car (hybrid) or a diesel automatic as my next purchase. My usage will be over 20K kms per year so a petrol AT may be heavy on the pocket. Of course it depends on WFH culture
5. SUV/Sedan/MPV - Having experienced all the form factors, I feel I enjoy the sedans better purely from driving perspective. Not a fan of body roll and bouncy nature of Pseudo SUVs in our market.

Then there are plenty more points such as 4/5 or 7 seater etc and this debate can go on forever

[k491]

I learnt riding and driving almost at the same time 13 years ago.
I still lean towards bikes just because of sheer thrill but I do enjoy driving almost equally.

Strictly speaking of cars as time went on my preferences have definitely changed,

It's safety and performance over features for me. If the car is built well, can handle well (especially at higher triple digits), pull well, stop well, the only other things I need are working AC and a music system.

Transmission: I used to be a manual Purist and called names if anyone drove an automatic. But everything changed when I experienced the DSG, now I prefer a super slick gear box be it automatic or manual.

Car type: Hatchback > Sedan > Crossover > SUV > MPV. Hatchbacks for city and sedans for highways.

Fuel type: I've been spoilt by insane torque from the Rapid 1.6 TDI, although I've come to make peace that soon diesel engines will be stopped. I will definitely love to own performance EVs sometime in the near future.

Tech/Features:Other than performance tech other features really doesn't matter that much to me as long as the car is safe and lots of fun to drive. if the Manufacturer offers some industry standard features it's a bonus.

Safety: This is a must, the car should be safe even if the performance has to be compromised. Having seen the horrors of Indian roads, wouldn't even consider a car that isn't considered safe *cough cough seltos cough cough*

[RoadSurfer]

Here is what has changed in my @20 years of driving / biking

Cars
1. We had a Mahindra Armada when I was a kid and I used to love the commanding view and the road presence it offered. No more a criteria for me now.
2. When I bought an i10 in 2010 for my father, I was naive thinking power steering and power windows is what is important. Now safety rating, active and passive safety tools, build quality & engine are the most important things I look for even when recommending cars to family and friends.
3. I used to love accelerating and braking hard. Quick gear shifts was more important than steering feedback back then. Now I hate braking hard and drive fast only when road conditions and surroundings allow. Also, I now prefer coasting and engine braking more.
4. I was a pure MT guy and used to think, purists are always MT. I first drove an AT in a C 220d in 2007 and this reaffirmed my feelings. But boy, how wrong was I. After driving different ATs in Europe, I was sure I am not looking back. So after coming to India, I knew I will buy an AT car only and hence the Jetta. I even insisted 2 of my friends to buy any car they want but made sure it was an AT and they can't thank me enough. 1 of them was very new to driving and would hesitate to drive a MT car for even few kms. When he was buying Seltos, we had a test drive with both the transmissions and finally bought the diesel AT. Now he drives between Bangalore and Nashik more often than me.

Bikes
1. I was a rash biker during college days, have to admit that (see what age does to you). And even today, the rush of the adrenaline when on a bike gets to me. This is the primary reason I have a hesitation of owning one. I have a TVS Wego for errands, and that is what will continue to be with me for the foreseeable future. My wife wants me to have a RE or something similar, but I will stay put for now.
2. My father had gifted me a TVS Fiero F2 during my college days . Jumping from a Splendor to it, was a different feeling. I had even said this to my friends that my next bike will be a 250cc+ only. But when it was time to have a bike again, I bought the Wego mainly from practicality point of view.

So, I would like to mention that our preferences change and change for good because with age we understand the machines better and also understand our own obligations and priorities.