[stanjohn123]

Alright, most of us who would want to buy a car would at first look at how practical a car would be, and in this regard we would find the price of the car,its resale value, space , features etc to name a few. One most important thing here would be, to know how reliable the car would be. Yes, when we say reliable, the only cars that crops into mind are Toyota, Honda, Maruti and to some extent even Hyundai (yes, the Koreans are getting better).No one wants their car to get stranded in the middle of no where especially on highways with our families(Skoda befits this perfectly).
But practicality does have a few cons as well.In that, it is too common,everyone has it. Its usually boring to drive, not much power even if we would like to think it's on par with an M3.But then we have budget constraints and have many other investment plans.

And then there are a few of us again, for whom money does not matter and who want nothing but pure luxury. Cocooned in rich Leather, loads of hi tech features like multimedia interface,bluetooth,Xenons etc and loads of Torque and power in our cars which we can show off to our relatives, colleagues at work or even friends.When we say Luxury, the obvious names that spring to mind are a BMW, Audi , Mercs , Jags and to some sad extent even Skoda's. These cars usually as all know cost upwards of 25-30 lakhs and reaches crores and for some,yes it's absurdly a huge sum of money.But you do get your money's worth at least in terms of features, performance and those "head turns" from the public.
But luxury is not all perfect either. Their cons, Equally higher maintenance as their price tags,poor after sales service, Worst of all, very poor reliability.I mean, Audi's, Bimmers all have their share of poor reliability problems. Yes there are a few happy customers as well, but for the price that we pay we would expect Toyota like reliability and service for each and every vehicle they give us.I mean the truth is chances of a 45 lakh audi dying in the middle of the road seems very high compared to a Toyota and I think a lot of people will agree to that.

Anyways assuming that you had enough money on hand to buy a budget practical or an expensive luxury vehicle,which one would you choose. You can also name the car that you want. But keep in mind it is a car you would like to own and are concerned about reliability and hassle free experience.

According to me, I'm predicting a huge margin for practical votes as we Indians are totally value conscious and bang for the buck mass. But then again there are always enthusiasts who live by the edge and dont care about such things as reliability, but just fun to drive and head turning vehicles. Let the Poll Begin !!!!

[stanjohn123]

I chose luxury, but i am honestly worried about reliability and maintenance costs. That's just me trying to live the moment.My choice would be a BMW X6. Although I know how miserable Bimmers are at reliability, they are still some of the best vehicles to drive around.

[airbender]

Voted for practicality. But I prefer both combined together.

[ghodlur]

Voted for Practicality. For me the vehicle is a means to get from point A to point B - practical purposes. If it comes with a certain amount of luxuries and affordable to me I would not mind. Most of the cars these days being practical do come with essentials luxuries and still worth their money.
Too much luxury IMHO is a waste of money and mostly unsuitable to India roas conditions.

[karpusv]

Voted for practicality. I am a driving oriented person and most of the driving time, I try to learn what my car is saying, though I can accept some basic comfort (read luxuries like Power Windows ... etc.)

I'd rather have a straight vertical wall for a dashboard with all buttons plonked on it.
I might even opt for a rollcage in my car (kidding)

But, I think I have my preference straight between Luxury & Practicality.

My 1st Car is a M800 (72k kms+). My 2nd is a Logan1.5 dCi (35k kms+)
That might justify my vote.

[jkdas]

Your poll is basically cheaper vs premium ! Edit the brand names!

Is a 3 series practical at 30lac vs 20-22lac for a Superb/Accord?

[raj_5004]

voted for luxury. if i have made that amount of money to spend, i would rather spend it for my passion, which is cars!

i would buy a bimmer, but not to show off to relatives & friends as mentioned, but to experience the sheer driving pleasure!

[mxx]

Luxury, when I can afford it.
Till then, have to stick with practicality, no choice.

[Mi10]

On an average, i spend max of 1.5 hours a day in car. So i prefer a luxurious house than a luxurious car.

Voted for Practicality

[MutantX]

@Mi10 - yea you are right. Doesnt make sense in getting an audi for 50/60 lakhs if you are earning just a fraction of that . But some people can afford to buy! because they already have a roof that is worth millions

[ramzsys]

Luxury, if it is built over practicality. In this case, it is better to leave out the brand names.

[vinaydas]

How about practicality and luxury at the same time (read Lexus LS460)

[Dr.AD]

Practicality and luxury need not be mutually exclusive. Even within luxury vehicles, there are some very practical ones and some others which are not practical. Also, just because some vehicles are cheaper, does not make them more practical, and vice versa.

So if I had enough money, I would go for a luxury vehicle which is also practical :-)

[vc.vinay]

I believe this can be a perfect example of Maslow's hierarchy moving from practicality to self Actualization.

IMO luxury makes sense when you can afford it

[stanjohn123]

Originally Posted by jkdas

Your poll is basically cheaper vs premium ! Edit the brand names!

Is a 3 series practical at 30lac vs 20-22lac for a Superb/Accord?

No its just Practicality Vs Luxury if you had the money. From your above eg. supposing say you have exactly 35 lakhs. You could choose Chevy Cruze,Superb, Accord , BMW or even an Audi. Practical people would in this case opt for an Accord or Cruze. People who want only Luxury would choose from the other 3.