[museycal]

Back in 2004, in second year of college life, the Overdrive Anniversary Issue, September 2004, covered an international comparo of an Enzo, a Carrera GT and an SLR McLaren. There was a picture of these other-worldly uber-natural beauties baring their chests out. And what lay inside those hoods under covers froze my mind. Never had my teenage heart beaten faster ever before! The engines, two V12s and a V10, made me forget my syllabus, my crushes and many other magazines from the hostel dorm. I fell in love with those V formation cylinders, exploding petrol to create noises and powerrrrrrr! So besotted I was with the V engines that whenever I took part in any inter-college competitions with my friend, we used to register ourselves as V-Twin!

I dreamt of owning a V engine powered one day. And my most affordable and achievable hope for this dream was always the Honda Accord V6. Honda always offered a distinct alloy design on the V6 Accord to distinguish it from the I4 one. And whenever I see one with V6 alloys even today, I can't help but mutter to myself, someday!

Honestly, I never cared how good or bad a Honda Accord V6 is, I just knew and loved that it had a 3 liter V6. It's a race I am still running against the inflation, no new V6 Accords, BEV revolution, practicality etc., but still, new or used, someday!

[saleem_k]

Ford Endeavour is one car that I wanted to bring home sometime but Ford left me stranded. I'm trying to get a pre-owned one, inspite of the company leaving because I trust the brand's reliability and their service in Hyderabad is good. I own an Ecosport that has done nearly 93k and it has been a reliable companion in the last 6 years.

[batladanny]

Nice topic. For me, the list would be…

• Tata Tiago JTP: Almost got a decent second-hand one but further inspection revealed an accidental history. I got a Freestyle instead.
• Skoda Octavia diesel: Almost the perfect car in my books. Don't yet have the budget for a new one (and diesel is discontinued) but could consider a used diesel L&K some time few years down the line. However, with it now being 2 years since it was discontinued, I don't see myself getting a low-mileage, reliable version. It seems destined to be a what-could-have-been.

[Revvman]

For me, it was the love affair with Ford Endeavour last gen. 1st facelift 3.2 L which just never started. I absolutely adore that car in terms of it’s sheer road presence, driveability, solid 3.2L engine and features Toyota was not even considering for Fortuner at that time. Well, one after the other, other priorities kept me away from that purchase and then Ford first disappointed big time by bringing in only the 2 litre single turbo and eventually dropped the bomb of India exit. I’m still in love the new gen. being released elsewhere, but guess that’s a train already missed! So long…..

[KVNair]

Fiat Grande Punto - The affordable car that I missed, but really wanted was a Tuscan Wine Grande Punto 90HP. I had read almost all reviews on that car here, visited Concorde in 2011 to see the demo car, and around 2014 visited the Fiat Caffe in Bangalore to finally get a quote. However, how much ever I tried, I could not convince my family to back my decision to go for a Punto and eventually could not buy it.

Even now when I occasionally see a Tuscan Wine Punto on the road, it still catches my attention.

[pgoyal1996]

The Legen[wait for it]dary POLO.

Having the opportunity to learn driving in a mighty Alto Type II and then moving onto a Vento, I could never make peace with the extra efforts required by the sedan to be maneuvered.

Vento was joy to drive but, it could never match the effortlessness of a Alto.

I loved the polo for that very reason, and now that its discontinued and I was not in a position to buy it earlier, I'll miss it to the O.

[revsperminute]

The Ford Endeavour 3.2

Had no DL when it was launched and dad was least interested in choosing a BOF SUV to drive for himself.

Got the GLE at the time but man I still drool when I see an Endy on the road; or off it.

[swami69]

a BMW 320D

In the course of past 20 years, I have changed many cars and every second year, this bug of buying a "used" 320D comes, plays around for some time, then I drop it, buy something else. The main reason is the fear of maintenance expenses and shocks which might come from those. I never overcame that and this car has always eluded me.

Now, I will probably never look at this as an option at all, because, I am only interested in tall seating MUVs / SUVs. (Have a Crysta and a First Gen Thar)

Swami

[vredesbyrd]

In 2018, I bought a 2010 Skoda Superb 2.0 TDI for Swift VXI money.
Some other nice options I could have considered at that time (though used):

1. XUV500 AT (could have been a bit over the budget but man, the 500 is fun to drive)
2. 1st-gen puppy-face Fortuner 4x4 MT (total macho, especially when the bonnet is at my chin and steering wheel at my face/eye level when standing close to it)
3. Accord V6 (just didn't connect with the car)
4. Superb V6 (fuel costs, 17 inch rims and low GC made me stay away. Fuel was still affordable back then but then engine note and the strong pull made me grin from ear to ear on the Outer Ring Road)
5. 2008 E90 320d with Bi-Xenons and iDrive (Seeing the good reliability, I think this could have been a better option than the Superb but I wanted my spine to survive and also service was a big unknown)
6. Safari 4x4 MT (why didn't I think of it earlier? Oh yes, Tata service)

The Vento was a sensible purchase at least till the consulting job market stops treating non-CSE/IT engineers/MBAs as subhuman.
I probably ensure this time that a wompy-lompy (1st Gen Fortuner 4x4 AT) or a bongo (3.2 Endeavour) makes it to my garage this time.
I've just had enough of being bullied by two wheelers, cretas and random innovas going at 200km/h.

[raiuday]

I am a sucker for sedans, especially going to school during the Ford Ikon and Mitsubishi Lancer days, I always was in awe for these two beauties.

Growing up further, I always dreamt of getting myself a Chevy Cruze or the Honda Accord but Chevy's packed it's bags and the Accord is still a distant dream even with good examples in the market, owing to the need of a high ground clearance car in the family paving way to the Ford EcoSport. Can't get a second car in the garage as we already have 3 motorcycles at home and Ecosport itself is not seeing a utilization over 8k an year.

[Inquilab28]

I dont know if I can put it here, but in 2009 i was standing with a lakh of cash waiting to buy my first bullet. Bullet standard 350cc CI engine.

My dad and the showroom guys convinced me to get the electra 5s because the gears are on the left and no confusion.

I did enjoy the Electra, but i am forever in regret for not buying a showroom Bullet standard.

Now i had 3 standard bullets after that, but nothing compares to that missed out girl...i so almost had...

Wish Sid understands the emotion, and gets me one Standard 350 cc CI bullet. I will be forever greatfuk to that man and that company

[LOL_FWD]

A very particular 8th Gen Honda Civic MT - In Crystal Black Pearl, Mugen RR bodykit, Dark Satin Bronze Lenso wheels, Vernasca Cognac Interior and a Remus catback. This is still a dream spec of mine. It was like the owner somehow read my mind and modified it for me.

Back in 2017 I was offered the same when I was searching for a pre-owned "FUN" car. It was a tall order for me as the car was MH registered, enthusiastically priced and if I were to buy it, would have had to transfer and register it in KA. Sadly as fate would have it, I had to travel abroad on work and the deal fell through. Even if I would've bought it, there wouldn't be anyone to look after it as my dad cannot drive a manual. So I bought him an i10 Sportz AT instead.

I have lost the pictures which were sent to me at the time but it looked something like this -

[Vibhanshu0923]

3 affordable dream cars that never made it to my garage:

1. Fiat Abarth Punto:
   Considered it during my first car purchase when I got my first job out of college. Dropped it as it exceeded my budget and I was in a rush to get a car. Could have easily afforded this had I waited a couple of months. Not major heartache though, as I got the Figo S TDCi instead. Although I still think what owning this car would have been like.
   
   
   [Pic courtesy: Team-BHP official review (Fiat Abarth Punto : Official Review)]
   
   
2. Ford Fiesta 1.6 S:
   I still have memories of an aquarius blue Fiesta 1.6S pulling a handbrake turn to slot into a parking spot from the TV Ad. Unfortunately, I was a student back then and my father was not too keen on a sporty sedan so it never made it home. I still regularly search for used Fiests 1.6S in classifieds to this day.
   
   
   [Pic courtesy:wanderlustindia's thread on his beautiful 1.6S (Ford Fiesta 1.6 S ... Blue Beauty finally here!)]
   
   
3. 8th Gen Honda Civic 1.8 MT:
   The futuristic styling and the creamy 1.8 ivtec motor made me weak in the knees. Same story here, didn't earn back then so the car remained an unfulfilled dream. Although it is still available in the used car market, the 15-year petrol car ban in NCR has stopped me from acquiring it.
   
   
   [Pic courtesy: GTO's thread on his pre-worshipped beauty (Got my *pre-worshipped* Honda Civic)]

[behindthewheel]

For me it will always be the Tata Safari. It was love at first sight when i saw the original Safari and when it was launched as the DICOR in white shade, i was obsessed. Infact i was so obsessed that every time my family and friends saw a Safari parked in the neighborhood they would inform me so that i could go check it out. Our family could never own one because of the financial constraints.
Life moved on and the original Safari made way for the Safari Storme. Although improved in almost all departments still the Storme did not pull the strings of my heart like the original Safari did but is till wanted to own it. But as life would have it for some reason or other i could never make it mine and finally Tata pulled the plug on the Strome.
When i go down memory lane there were some more cars that i wish were mine, the Esteem, the legendary Lancer, the beautiful Opel Astra and the mighty Pajero SFX.
But as the saying goes, first love is always closest to your heart. So yes the search is still on for a pre-loved Storme VX.

[FiestaST]

Skoda Rapid Rider

In 2020, I had an opportunity to buy this beauty but I don’t know why I passed on it.
(May be I was just looking for a small hatch for city runs to replace my uber trips).

Had I bought it then, I wouldn’t be looking at replacing our Ignis in 2023/2024