[Dieseltuned]

The first car we bought was a WagonR VXi in 2012, as a typical middle class family we went straight to the nearest Maruti showroom and looked at WagonR and Alto. I had very little knowledge about cars back than, so we test drove the Alto and the WagonR and as expected the waggy came out trumps in terms of space and interior quality over the Alto. No other cars were considered at that time.

Fast forward 10 years in 2022, we were looking for an upgrade and this time I took a look at multiple options:

TATA: (All TATA cars were dropped from the list after reading a lot of negative reviews from existing owners).
1. Altroz
2. Nexon
3. Harrier
4. Punch

VW:
1. Taigun (Felt too much of hard plastics in a car costing north of 1.5 million rupees)
Virtus was just announced and not available for TDs yet.

Skoda: (We liked the Slavia, but the Honda won purely on the factor of reliability)
1. Kushaq
2. Slavia

Maruti: (No Maruti car felt like spending north of a million rupees due to poor interiors)
1. Ertiga
2. XL6
3. Ciaz

Mahindra: (Did not test drive this one, rejected primarily due to looks and lack of boot space)
1. XUV300

Kia: (I personally loved the Sonet, but was apprehensive about the build quality)
1. Sonet
2. Seltos

Hyundai: (Just had a dekho at the nearest dealership, 120 was too cramped at the back , no body in my family liked the looks of the new creta and venue and Alcazar with 7 seats was not our requirement)
1. i20
2. Creta
3. Venue
4. Alcazar

Trust me, I drove my folks nuts back at home

and Finally Drum rolls :

Honda :
1. City (Loved the roomy interiors and oodles of space, a lovely engine and honda's reliability won the day)
2. Jazz
3. Amaze

and finally after 6 long months zeroed in on the Honda City 5th generation ZX MT. Was holding on for the Hybrid city's pricing but that went way over budget so petrol it was.

Regards
Diesel

P.S :: We have retained the WagonR. A faithful companion for more than a decade now.

[travelwriter]

While I had made up my mind on a VW or Skoda (having owned a VW earlier), I wanted to try other cars just to satisfy myself that I have done a thorough job in selecting my next car.

I test drove
Hyundai i20
Skoda Rapid
VW Vento

I had also driven a Creta and a Verna but they belonged to a friend and hence not a typical test drive.

The final decision boiled down to either Vento or Rapid. Skoda lost out on three counts:
1. There was some difference in the way the cars behaved to my driving style and I somehow preferred VW to Rapid.
2. VW looked better to me with its subtle designs and lesser chrome (I hate chrome).
3. VW sales was more responsive as Skoda people were busy selling Kushaq which had hit the market just then

I wanted to wait for the Virtus but the wait seemed to be endless. In hindsight, I am glad I bought the Vento and did not wait for anything else.

Travelwriter

[sam264_2000]

Voted for 2 cars. My current ride is 5th Gen Honda City ZX CVT. The other 2 cars I evaluated and test drove were 2020 Hyundai Creta SX (O) Diesel and Petrol AT and Kia Seltos GTX+ Diesel AT. My TD experience is documented on https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/what-...ta-seltos.html (Upgrading from a Tata Zest - City or Creta or Seltos?)

[dipdawiz]

Voted zero, no other car was test driven for this selection. In my life I just bought 2 cars. For first one, had two contenders to choose from but for current one, it was zero.

Current one, KIA Seltos was the only car I test drove or went to showroom to check. First took test drive in Dec 2019 with no intention of buying any car; then in Jun 2020 before paying booking amount and taking delivery. I was so sure about it, did not even visit any other brand till the PDI done. Eventually I test drove other cars, but just for mental satisfaction and push from others; I was very clear about my requirements. But it was 2020. This day, I would have had a hard time on fixing on a car suitable for me.

My first car was Ritz, selected between Chevy Beat and Maruti Ritz. That was height of t-bhp influence. I selected Ritz without even a proper test drive on any of the cars, was convinced by reading review here.

[livetodrive]

I am a confused person while choosing between options, be it food, phones, cars or anything else.

While buying Compass, it was a gradual transition in terms of budget. In 2020, during peak Covid, slowly but steadily I test drove and considered below cars before graduating to Compass:

1. Ford Figo Freestyle TDCI: Booked but cancelled due to price bump.

2. XUV300 Diesel: Negotiated and almost booked. But missed it, few things like spongy brakes and small boot were concerns which turned me back. But a great car no doubt.

3. Newly launched Duster Turbo Petrol: Test drove and immediately proceeded to book. Cancelled the deal due to unnecessary handling charges which I did not want to pay.

4. Nissan Kicks Turbo Petrol: Sibling of Duster waved off the handling charges, but why I should pay more for the Judwa brother?

5. Other cars test driven but not considered: Venue, Seltos, Creta

6. Cars which I wish could have test driven (& might have considered): Mahindra Thar 4x4 Diesel Manual, Force Gurkha

[bullitt1]

From 2008 when I bought my first car, I have always owned the one I wanted with no alternatives considered. They were Ikon 1.6, Fiesta 1.6 and now Compass 2D MT. However, the cars I regret now owning are Ecosport, Cruze and Endeavour.

[Gokulakrishnan]

Voted 3.

Back in 2011, when I bought Alto, no other option was considered.

My current primary car is a Swift. Along with swift other options I considered were Tiago & Baleno.

[RaiVW]

I unable to vote hence mentioning my thoughts here.
I was in the market for a new ride in mid 2022 with a budget of 30L- 50L. I did not want a sedan as it had its own challenges specially in the waterlogged roads of Delhi NCR. So SUV it was.
Hyundai Tucson - loved the drive but unable to convince myself on spending so much on a Hyundai.
BMW X1 - Interiors felt cramped and model was definitely outdated.
Audi Q2 - it was a hatchback on steriods
BOF SUV’s - Fortuner / Gloster / Alturas - not considered as it was no pleasure driving them with a heavy foot. Too bouncy to drive.
Jeep Compass - Took multiple test drives and finally heart rang the bell .!! JC it is. As I am from Delhi NCR this was probably going to be my last diesel so went ahead with S 4*4. Love the dynamics and brings a smile on my face everytime I drive it

[SolitaryRabbit]

Unable to vote yet so sharing my thoughts. Zero cars.

I love sedans and I knew I would get a manual as my family already has automatic cars and I don't feel engaged enough when I am driving the Automatics (though they are a blessing in Bangalore traffic). Only SUV/truck I liked was the Isuzu D Max which my family didn't approve so sedan it was. Finalised a budget I could lose in 10 years and wherein I didn't have to take a bank loan. I loved the Octavia and the City but the Octavia was out of budget and with dad having a Honda City earlier it was a no brainer that it would be the Honda City 1.5 Petrol ZX manual. Only concern was the colour as I didn't like any of the colours offered by Honda. Went for red and currently converting it slowly to a RS replica (got original RS badges from Honda Singapore and rear diffuser, front grill, halogen lamp cover from Honda India).

[Jaisalmeriya]

3 is my magical number.

Did multiple test drives of the Thar, XUV700 and Scorpio N (in that order of choice) before zeroing on the Dark Edition Harrier XZA+.

Thar lost out on practicality (will swap with 5-door Thar as soon as it launches), XUV700 on the feature deletions, price increases and delivery timelines and ScorpioN due to the variant mix.

The Harrier has been a good steed so far with ~7500 Kms in 3 months. Finding excuses for long drives ever since the beast came home.

[GoBabyGo]

Currently own Honda City VMT 2018 (iVtech) - Hello, I am very particular about the look & feel of the car I own. My first step for buying a new car is to see the car practically on road, how it look. I prefer to see the car running on the road, preferably in multiple colours before I go to showroom for test drive. Next aspect is comfort for me & my family. I am 6 ft tall, my wife 5.6 ft & my daughter is 5.7 ft. We are well maintained slim family. The other most important factor is engine & gear box combination. I prefer a reasonably powerful petrol engine. I prefer to zero down to 2 or maximum 3 options. When I was looking for new car in January 2018, I saw Hyundai Creta EMT, Ciaz Delta MT & Honda City VMT. Creta was my wife's default choice but all black interior was big let down for my wife & daughter who were sitting in back seat when we did our test drive. Between the Ciaz and City, there is absolutely no contest, it's Honda City, if you have budget.

I am now looking for a new car (to buy in April 2023) for maximum 20 lacs onroad Delhi. My first choice is MG Hector 2023 Smart Pro MT or XUV 7OO AX 5 MT or Honda City ZX MT (or VX CVT). I have seen XUV 7OO & Honda City multiple times on road in multiple colours. XUV 700 is excellent, Honda City look below average (rather meh) and I am yet to see MG Hector 2023 on road.

[DicKy]

'81 Cressida- Dad did check out a used Jeep Cherokee (XJ), but due to obvious reasons bought a '81 RX60 Cressida. Spend almost 3/4th of the buying price to bring it to showroom condition and boy didi it serve us well.

'91 Omni- After a slew of bookings and cancellations (118NE, Sumo, Jonga, Armada etc...), dad bought his elder brother's Omni. Though he was apprehensive of the missing bonnet and light build, he bought it for the multi purpose nature, RWD and the fact that the dicky cannot be opened from inside (so that the kids can be dumped there). Bought, restored at MASS, slapped on some low profile wider radial tyres and it was good to go.

'04 Indicab- None. Cheapest diesel at that time. But I was on cloud nine when dad announced we were going to buy an Indica, as I was an Indica fanboi then. Dad was not here for delivery and when he did see it, he was disappointed with the power, the wavy build quality and the fact that it was FWD.

'09 WagonR- Went for a maroon coloured Alto LXI, and I had given up on convincing my parents to go for a used Baleno/ City. My kid bro and me were checking out the SX4 and artistically evaluating the Ritz rear end design. Turns out there was a WagonR lying near the Alto and the easy ingress/egress made my parents book the WagonR. Same story, dad ended up driving after delivery (why TD a cheap Maruti, you know what you can expect, he said) and he couldn't stop complaining about the horrible gearshift quality.

'16 Etios- We had no inclination to buy a car, but dad wanted to buy a car. Went to Toyota on the notion that we would be visiting and TDing Fords and Hondas afterwards, ended up booking the Innova Crysta and buying an Etios. I did take a pretty harsh TD of the Etios, and couldn't really find a rational reason not to buy it then.

2020 onwards- Truth to be told. Have TDed everything from the Qute to the XUV700. We are confused on what to buy that I am tempted to start a new thread on the 'What Car?' thread. A local runabout or an additional car or a do it all car or something that will spark dad's interest for driving again. Have TDed the following ones in price order: Qute, Alto K10, Eeco, Celerio, WagonR, Ignis, Freestyle, Punch, Magnite, Amaze D CVT, Brezza, Ecosport, Nexon, XUV300, Rapid 1.0 TSI, ScorpioN, XUV700. And the showroom visits/checking without TDs will stretch the list even further. Mum is taunting us by saying that excessive TDing is jinxing us from buying a car.

Now waiting to see in person and TD the Jimny.

[ssoni.1411]

Originally Posted by Aditya

How many cars did you consider before buying your current one? How many did you test drive?

Attachment 2412104

Honda Civic image courtesy: spadix

Whenever one buys a car, he / she considers various options before getting home the "chosen one". After all, if it's the only car in your garage, it has to excel in multiple departments. It can't be good in just one or two areas.

In my own case, back in 2015, before I selected my current car (9th-gen Toyota Corolla), I considered 6 cars in total. Here's a look at the list and the reasons for me dropping the other cars from it.

Fiat Linea 1.4 T-Jet:

This was my first choice. I loved this car for its looks and road manners. In the past, I had driven this thing hard in pouring rain and it cornered like it was on rails. The turbo-petrol used to go like stink too. But, the T-Jet was difficult to come by in the used car market, the NA petrol was not really exciting and the interiors were not as spacious as the size of the car would suggest. Then I was worried about Fiat's reliability and the company's long-term plans. After a long search, I found one and test drove it. It wasn't in great condition. So, I dropped the idea of getting a Linea.

Ford Fiesta 1.6 (6th-gen):

I believe that Along with Fiat and Mitsubishi, Ford made the best driving cars in the sub-BMW / Jaguar category and that made the Fiesta a hot favourite of mine. I had driven the 6th-gen Fiesta and loved its driving dynamics. Unlike most people, I loved the Fiesta's looks too. However, this was not a very successful car in India, so good examples were hard to come by in the used car market. There were a couple of nice examples available, but they were out of my budget. Again, like the Linea, I was worried not sure about this car's long-term reliability. I test drove two cars - a petrol and a diesel, but the petrol was run a little too much for my liking and I didn't want a diesel. So the Fiesta had to go off my list.

Honda Accord 2.4 (7th-gen):

This was the second Accord to be launched in India. It had a spacious cabin and boot. It offered good performance and like other Japanese cars, I was sure it would be reliable too. I had also wanted an Accord for a long time. However, there were two problems. The first and smaller one was that the cars available in my budget were too old. The second and main problem was that the Accord was more than 4.8 metres long. The only car in my garage could not be so large. I test drove two cars for the heck of it. Both were rather good but I had already made up my mind not to buy one.

Honda CR-V (2nd-gen):

This was the first CR-V that Honda launched in India. I have always loved the CR-V. The performance, comfort and reliability it offered pulled me towards it. However, the car had been out of production for a very long time period of time and I was worried about getting spare parts in the years to come. It also had a rather large appetite for petrol. Hence, without test driving even one car, I dropped it from my list.

Honda Civic (8th-gen):

The third Honda on my list and the one that ran my final choice very close was the Civic. It was the right size and the futuristic looks and interior were just "WOW!" It had decent cabin and boot space and a great combination of performance and reliability. The enthusiast in me liked the Civic’s sports car-like low seating. Sadly, that was the car's undoing. The low seating was not suitable for my ageing parents. With a heavy heart, I had to drop the Civic. I test drove two cars - both were good and within budget.

Toyota Corolla (9th-gen):

This was my final choice. This car is the jack of all trades and the master of two - interior & boot space and you guessed it, reliability. It is more than adequate in all fields that a family man would consider while buying a car. Of course, it has flaws, but they aren't serious. Over the years, it has been a great friend and even now (it will be 17 years of age in August), it is ready to take on any road trip like a boss. If our laws permit, this car will outlast me. Read my Corolla's ownership review at this link.

So, BHPians, whether you bought a new or old car, do tell us how many cars you considered and how many you test drove.

Let us know why you rejected the other cars & why you chose your current car over them.

This thread made me relive all the TD vehicles and their performances. Since it was the first car in our family, our priority was High Ground clearance, Feature Loaded and hassle free ASS. Hence we only considered Top or Second Top Model. We were flexible with either of Diesel or Petrol as running was not much.

Tata Harrier: My dad and I have been a fan of this since we saw the Dark Edition. Loved the performance and high seating position. But rejected it after reading about all the niggles on Team BHP, the OTR price for top model was around 25 and it had a heavy steering for Mumbai's traffic conditions.

Mahindra XUV700: The day this car had launched, it just made me wow. Brilliant Design with a competent engine. But the waiting period and niggles had us reject the car. Also it was a petrol guzzler and I didn't want single digit FE

Hyundai Creta: This was one of the top contenders. It was feature loaded and Hyundai's hassle free ASS and resale value was an added advantage. It's waiting period was quoted close to 6 months and then the reports of Facelift coming up hence we kept this on hold.

Kia Seltos: I loved the design and stiff ride quality. But family prefered the softer ride of Creta. Plus the accident images of Seltos been cut into two halves had us rejecting it.

MG Hector: I didn't like the use of so much technology inside the car. The tablet like infotainment system was buggy and I was not sure about the ASS of the car. The engine felt very incompetent compared to the massive size and weight of the car.

Hyundai Venue: This was the final car in our TD list. I personally liked the front grill. It gives a much more muscular look than the previous gen Venue. Also the black and beige treatment in the interiors gave it a refreshing touch. It was a min creta and was saving me a lot of money. The family also felt it was perfect for city driving conditions and it fits in our tight parking spot. Plus I will be the only one driving and hence needed a peace of mind in Mumbai's cumbersome traffic. Booked the petrol as the difference between it's diesel and petrol variant was 1.5 Lakhs.
Hence we booked the SX Petrol MT. The only complaint I have is they have not given Rear wiper and washer and no auto dimming IRVM in the SX variant. Come on Hyundai!!!
Apart from this the car has been perfect to drive. The clutch modulation has to be one of the highlights and the steering is very light and practical.

[PetrolRider]

Before getting my black beauty 2018 model Hyundai Verna, went through a rigorous test ride episode.

Family, especially my late father wanted me to own a sedan (Dad couldn't own one considering the sub 4 meter garage we have at our native). I did have a soft corner for cross overs which was (even is) the thing then.
All test drives were by me with my Dad, wife and son in back to test real-life situation. We tend to keep our cars for long, so everyone's comfort was unavoidable.
So, here goes my list:

Ford Ecosport:
Loved it the way it drove. Grinning from ear to ear after drive. But after a 5 KM short drive, wife was about to vomit, son somehow shifted form back seat to the lap of SA on front and my Dad lost his stick somewhere. Discarded with a heavy heart for lack of rear seat comfort.

Honda WR-V:
Couldn't drive for 2 KM as it felt like seating on a hammock. My wife could count the rib of my spine in the back seat. Be warned, I am heavy and overweight. Rejected.

Honda City:
Loved it. Rear passenger loved it. Only the bare bone model was under my budget. I had a plan to not to buy under any loan, hence had to Discard.

Maruti Ciaz:
Okish driving experience and could afford the top-end in auto in my budget. Came with the famed Maruti service and excellent resale value. Rear seat base was less and curved towards the doors. This caused 3 abreast on long journey a bit uncomfortable. Hence Discarded.

Maruti S-Cross:
The runner up. Did 3 test drives with family and a longer one too. Never felt like a Maruti form any angle. Every-body loved it. Only issue was the Diesel, if you see my handle, how could I ever have a diesel? Still loved the experience. Missed.

Hyundai Verna:
Driving suits my style. 1.6 petrol has the grunt for quick highway overtake. Balanced suspension, enough bling for the buck. Came in BLACK. That's how I got the black stallion.

Skipped without Test:
The German twins. Then, coming form 9 years of excellent Nissan service experience, couldn't dare the future royal treatment.

All other compact cross overs and tall boys in the 1 mil rupees range, also known as "Mixer Grinder" by home ministry for obvious reason (back not suitable for people with motion sickness).

[Vasanth]

Honda Brio : Options considered - 4 (Hyundai Eon, Datsun Go, WagonR, Celerio)
It was to be used as a beater car alongside Honda City (sold 7 years back)
Datsun Go was the only car which impressed us with driving experience. Rest were mediocre.
Honda’s Brio was totally evaporated from our minds due to its poor sales, only to realise later.
Booked the Brio without even test drive. It’s 8 years now. And it still drives like it did on Day 1. Silky smooth engine, brilliant gearbox and steering wheel. We cannot think of any other replacement for this car even this day.

Mercedes CLA200 : Options considered : Audi A3, Audi A4. (B8 generation 2015)
Did not test drive both. Audi A3 was a compelling product.
The A4 was being offered 10 lakhs discount due to launch of B9 generation in the coming months.
Just one visit to the Mercedes Showroom, a glance at the Jupiter Red CLA, the Audis were gone from our minds. Those frameless doors, 3 pointed star, took our breath away. Decided then and there, Mercedes it is!

Toyota Innova Crysta : options considered - 1 (Toyota Hyryder)
The 5 seater crossover costs as much as a base model Crysta. We are also planning for long distance cross country journey in the future, for which Innova is the best vehicle to haul. We did drive to Shimla from Kerala, in our Mercedes, it was totally perfect except for the ground clearance.