[anubhav7286]

I have been in the exact same dilemma. I have been delaying my car purchase for over 6 months now because I can't figure out a car I want.

The budget I have is about 40 Lakhs, I don't mind spending lesser than this. My preference is an SUV with enough features and premium feel for the near 40L tag (Hard earned money, extremely high taxed individual here). Also being my second car (Swift being the first), I want some amount of boasting value as well.

1. VW Tiguan - Test drove, liked the drive, the interiors were drab, at 37L on road, it didn't feel much premium than the Taigun. Also with similar sounding names, I had to explain to most ppl that the two cars are different by almost 20L.

2. Skoda Kodiaq - Enjoyed the drive, but the car was never available and the horror stories of Skoda kept me away.

3. Tata Harrier - Mental block against Tata from the Indica days. Was awed by the interiors and the extremely good dealer experience. However can't get the Tata mental block out of my head (I belong to Jamshedpur, the home of Tata, block is even higher with so many Tata vehicles running around). Also zero boast value

4. Mahindra XUV 700 - Test drove, didn't feel as refined, interiors have pockets of cost-cutting and Mahindra rough DNA. Wait period added to turning this down

5. Kia Seltos - Bad dealership experience, dirty old vehicle for test drive, this was a straight no

6. Jeep Compass - Almost booked the Model S 4*4. Enjoyed the drive, the interiors didn't feel as premium, was pricier but the capability made me inch towards it. Researched, read up horror stories of Jeep owners and didn't turn up to book the car. The dealer being pushy in delivering the vehicle on the day of booking made me suspicious as well.

7. Hyundai Tucson - Currently researching, this looks fabulous, haven't yet heard anything negative on this one. Have sat in the same vehicle in US on a 200KM journey and enjoyed the ride. Looks like this will be the one for me, unless I again read up something negative or Hyundai comes up with some absurd pricing.

[fhdowntheline]

In my view, the Tiguan is the best, but still over priced. It is however almost an Audi Q series car by another name. The Compass would be next only because it is smaller in terms of cabin and boot space. The diesel AWD Tucson would be an interesting choice and perhaps match or exceed the Tiguan AWD capability.

[Hickstead]

Originally Posted by anubhav7286

5. Kia Seltos - Bad dealership experience, dirty old vehicle for test drive, this was a straight no

I am surprised to see Seltos in the list and no C5 aircross. Not sure whether you have driven Citroen's offering. If not, this will be a good option to consider after an extended test drive. In the list of vehicles you have mentioned, Tucson should be a good option too. Thanks.

[sedanlover2021]

As a 5th Gen Honda - City owner with 15K on the ODO and an owner of a KIA seltos and frequent driver of the Tata harrier (BIL owns it), Please close your eyes and just buy the City. You will not regret it.

[silverado]

Yes over- analyzing confuses a buyer and you can end up buying wrong thing out of desperation.

I have never over analyzed during my vehicle buying times.

Nano : It was the only car with AC that i could afford and in 2011 it was like taking a calculated risk with TATA.

Baleno : I only had i20/Jazz and Baleno to choose. I choose the car which is the most peppier to drive.

TVS wego : I was clear i was never going to buy Activa, or for that matter any Honda scooter.

The reason people over analyze is because they are not clear in head about their requirements. In todays Youtube world, narrowing down your choice of cars should be easy.

But we are humans and everyone has a different way / methods to buy things and cars are things at the end of the day.

[Aanchal Kaushik]

Excessive researching is not bad for buying a car but after that coming down to no conclusion is definitely not a great thing.I feel once you know all the pros and cons from your research, just take a call overthinking can really make you more indecisive.My father in law has been wanting to change his car since two years and have not been able to do it because of contemplating to much.So go for your favourite pick and yes its your hard earned money, so you need to do the basic research.Between Tata Harrier is a great option.

[anubhav7286]

Originally Posted by Hickstead

I am surprised to see Seltos in the list and no C5 aircross. Not sure whether you have driven Citroen's offering. If not, this will be a good option to consider after an extended test drive. In the list of vehicles you have mentioned, Tucson should be a good option too. Thanks.

Citroen doesnt have an extensive network of dealership. There isnt a Citroen dealer in my state. The nearest dealer is about 500KM away. Also, back to the research point, havent read a lot of positive reviews on Citroen, sales numbers are abysmal as well.

[bhphog]

An IC engined car has about 30,000 parts and about 2,000 moving parts.
A machine will have components going wrong time and again.
And there is no issue that can't be fixed in a machine.

Take your call based on car's ASS, availability of parts after you shortlist a few.

Try looking the EV way, close to just 50 moving parts.

As for the reading, read the forums with a pinch of salt.
A lot of people in the forums went gaga over the i20 n-line, but hardly any ownership threads can be seen.

[ppc_rgs]

Knowledge is power. Not just buying cars, it is always better to understand the pros and cons and take informed decision. Informed decision does not mean it is perfect. It is about knowing what we are getting into. In life, we need to give something to get something. All we need is to be sure whether what we are getting is worth (tangible/intangible) more than (or equal to) what we are giving, based on available information at that time of decision making. Rest is not in our control.

Cheers.

[rohantn]

https://auto.economictimes.indiatime...984?redirect=1

Perhaps the above newspaper article will give some clarity regarding Honda's continuing presence in India...

[John s]

I am also in your situation. I dislike SUVs for their driving dynamics (unless it is true SUV not Pseudo), huge fan of sedan. If there’s an option between the Mazda CX-9 or Honda CRV or HRV or RAV 4, Nissan Quashquai available in India, I would have bought one of them without thinking much (appropriately priced overseas as compared to India).

In India, we have very limited options.

Jeep (one of the most hated cars in Australia),
Fortuner (way expensive for what it offers),
Skoda and VW camp - Germans are known to be expensive
Hyundai is unappealing (there is class action suit going against Hyundai in Australia)- Tucson is not value for money.
Mahindra/Tata - famous for niggles (attested by many of my friends)

I had high expectations from Toyota- Suzuki joint venture - was considering buying, if it was Yaris Cross. Unfortunately, Hyryder ‘s interiors are borrowed from Brezza/Baleno . Grand Vitara is nothing but rebadged version of Hyryder.

I saw new Brezza, for me interior plastics, seat design, layout looks so less sophisticated compared to SCross. For some reason I felt claustrophobic.


Looking at the sedan market -

I don’t want to buy Skoda or VW cars for obvious reasons: maintenance and reliability issues
Hyundai Verna - safety issues.
Ciaz - it does not appeal to me even though it is VFM.
Honda city - I had decided to buy the 4th gen city manual - but the news / speculation of Honda shutting shop did deter me from booking. It ticked many boxes for me, reliable, good safety standards, value for money. I like the design of 4th gen as compared to new city. Not a huge fan of latest stuff. For me, sun roof is actually a nuisance. Less tech the better. I do note many issues raised including reduced quality compared to previous models, etc but still.

FYI- I get opportunity to drive newer vehicles every year with added active safety features overseas. At least for me, newer tech have not added much to my driving experience. I thought I was getting deskilled with those added features.


For my wife, it was easy. She wanted from Maruti’s stable -
Easy on pocket
Can be repaired anywhere
Good resale
- (one of automobile engineer recommended SCross for its design, driving dynamics, almost similar to the model sold overseas etc. He was upset that Indian customers were not appreciating such a well-built car)
Scross was easy choice - we bought Scross even when we knew it was getting discontinued.

My sister wants to buy a car - her needs are a Sedan, at least 1.5 litre engine (preferably non turbo, 4 cylinder).

She has zeroed on the Ciaz for the following reasons:
It is from Maruti
Value for money
Good resale value
Easy maintenance
Good mileage
She is also not a fan of latest stuff.

After going through this thread, It helped me to decide. I may just buy Honda city 4 gen ( silver or grey ) before it gets discontinued. I am listening to my heart

Thanks for all the inputs.

[.HEM]

"Too many cooks will spoil the food"

I will apply this saying here, excessive research will always lead you to a dead end. If you like a car read about it, if the car checks most of the boxes in your list of goodies, close your eyes and buy it. We cannot predict the long term reliability of a car in one year of use. I still see people driving their 2002 Skoda Octavia.

[SatishChour]

My 2 cents when buying a car is simple,

• List your requirements
• Short list a car matching the requirements
• Go for a test drive.
• Find out the bad bits ( read Team-Bhp review )
• If you can live with the bad bits, then go for it.

I have bought 3 cars so far. My filters varied each time,
For example: When buying my 2nd car, Tata Hexa XTA, my requirements were,

1. 7 Seater
2. Automatic
3. Spacious
4. Good Ride Quality
5. Under 20L

Only 2 cars at the time were available with these filters - Hexa and XUV500. A quick test drive of both gave a clear winner.
The Team-Bhp reviews are always a boon to help identify the good and the bad bits, in case you missed them in your test drive.
As many fellow BHPians have already said it, no car is perfect. We need check if we can live with its short comings.

[svmvale]

Originally Posted by Mumbaiker

This comes from my current experience.

1. Honda City - read the news/rumour about Honda shutting India ops. Well, I will wait for some time and then decide what to do.

2. Skoda launches Slavia - Oh, its a Skoda. What about the after-sales? What about DSG issues and niggles, AC / EPC issues in Taigun? Test drove this. Very bad experience at the showroom. Dropped there and then.

3. Honda launches eHev - Oh, Honda still has something to offer for the Indian market. I test drove it and liked it. Pre-booked and am waiting forever for the red colour to show up. Now I read that there might be issues with the display going forward (conking off/bubbling/unusable).

3. Volkswagen launches Virtus - Love! What a beautiful piece of art (looks are subjective). Pre-booked because it seems to be what we need. Then read read read - AC issues, DSG problems in long term. Other niggles and not really up to the mark after-sales. *sigh*. We still didn't cancel the booking and waited for the test drive. Test drove the vehicle and found the AC insufficient in both 1.5 and 1-litre. Automatic start-stop is too aggressive. Canceled the booking.

4. Tata Harrier - Boy, has this been my dream car (wife doesn't really like SUVs)! But I read and found so many issues including engine replacements, steering wobbles, idle vibrations and other niggles with the infotainment.

I am now thinking if I should stop reading/researching about the cars and just go with my heart.

Your choices of cars are a list i am considering to replace my 5yr old Vento TDi DSG with. I am super happy my car now.

Virtus is definitely much better put together than the Slavia. Having test driven the Virtus 1.5 DSG & 5th Gen City Zx CVT - definitely Virtus DSG is a hoot to drive - my head still says City is also well put together and at 4L cheaper is better value for money.

As my dad keeps telling me, Too much of analysis and data only gets us confused. Need to see what appeals to the heart and the budget is ok with the head - then go ahead and take the plunge.

[any23]

The only way I can buy a car of my choice is - "Eyes closed and listen to what the Heart says".
Over analyzing anything in life complicates the matter, no matter how much mind and thoughts one puts in a decision in present, one just can't control the future, it will unfold in it's own way.
By going through reviews and views we are living the world of someone else's imagination and experience, we must thrive to have a experience of our own - clean, unbiased, uncluttered.