[raj_5004]

This thought has been roaming in my minds for quite a while. Every individual has different priorities & needs with his vehicle. Each person judges a vehicle in a different way.

So what are your priorities when you are looking for a new car for yourself?

Mine goes like this, in the same order-

1) Brilliant engine - I feel the engine is the heart of a car. A bad heart equals a bad car! For me, a car should be primarily fun to drive. If the engine is responsive, if the NVH is low & if the throttle inputs are great, that translates into a fun-to-drive car for me. In such cases, i am ready to ignore a few other shortcomings of the car. I am not too fascinated by rev happy petrol engines who have all their power at the top end but i prefer diesel engines which has amazing torque low down in its rpm. Even in diesels, i like engine which are responsive & has no turbo lag, read mHawk!

2) Commanding driving position - Read SUVs & Tall Boys! I am 6'2" & i hate low slung cars. It makes me feel claustrophobic & very intimidated on the roads, especially on our roads where the rule is that the mightier gets the way! So, i dont like civics, esteems or for that matter any other sedans.

3) Good styling & street presence - Thats an absolute must to me! C'mon, we spend so much on a car & i dont like driving an ugly car. Of course, looks are subjective & i rate the car's looks on only what i feel & not what others say. After all, its my money & i am the one driving. For example, i like the looks of santro, i10, i20 scorpio, xylo, safari, bolero but i hate the way altis, figo, innova, logan etc looks. so no matter how capable the figo is, i would never ever buy that car.

4) Sturdiness & safety features - I love well built & tough cars & i hate plasticky japanese cars. For me, you should "feel" safe when you are in a car. Safety is not only about ABS & airbags. for me, the sheet metal of a car has more to do than airbags. a tough car can easily take more impact & it makes me feel more secure inside. Tatas, mahindras, german cars feel tough. japs feel ultra light, they make their cars light for FE which i dont like. heck, the santro feels more tough than a corolla! yes, i love the 'thud' when a door closes! Also, sturdy cars are more practical in our type of traffic where small shunts are inevitable. numerous cars have hit my scorpio from behind with no damage to my car but broken bumpers of their cars. i love it! Apart from this, i do need atleast 2 airbags & ABS.

5) Creature comforts - I like maximum bang for the buck! I want the maximum features possible in my car. I like all the electronic gadgetry my scorpio has which no other car in this class provides.

6) Seating - Seating includes the comfort of the seats, the space & the ergonomics. Now, i dont need recliners but i need ample huge seats which can easily fit my overbuilt structure! i dont need a football ground but i need enough space for my long legs to rest. I dont need everything on my fingertips but i do not like to stretch just to adjust my passenger side RVM.

Finally, the thing that matters the most is "desirability". this comes above everything in the list. when you sit in a car, you should feel that - man, this is what i was looking for, this is what i want to own, this is what i want to drive everyday! if you feel so, thats the car for you.

[n.devdath]

Interesting topic. Here are my priorities:
1. The car should be a go anywhere vehicle, in terms of GC and reliability.
2. It should have good FE.
3. It should be very comfortable inside.
4. It should be well built and feel tough. Like the Laura/Octavia, Fortuner, W124 etc. It should have that "last for ever" feel.
5. It should look its money's worth. Like the Laura, the Superb, the Scorpio, the Safari

[Lightening-Fast]

1. Should be value for money
2. Should have great handling
3. Should be good looking
4. After sales service should be good for the car
5. Lastly this is not important, but i would still be inclined less towards the most common ones on the road like Santro, Alto, Swift.

[MutantX]

1. Wonderful, slient, revv free engine
2. Advanced future proof equipment
3. The looks should be in such a way that you admire at it each and everytime you unlock your car

[reignofchaos]

Handling, power, driving comfort, safety, build quality in that order.

[vinaydas]

1)Engine owerful with loads of torque,refined.
2)Looks it should be stunning!
3)space so that a person like me(6 ft 1") can sit easily in the front and in the back with the same seat config.
4)uniqueness (this is a very difficult thing to get unless you are super rich so i tend to buy cars which high on specs but have snob brand value )
5)Handling
6)Build Quality :should be made to last.

[anup7649]

1) Muscular looks.
2) Go-anywhere attitude.
3) Easy to maintain - Service availability should be good wherever I am.
4) Suspension should be good to take any bad patches of road with the vehicle continuously zooming. (I hate to slow down in bad patch stretches for the heck of it).
4) It should have all the safety features atleast ABS(though I currently have ABS and Airbags in my SX4 ZXi).
5) The interiors should have enough space and should look roomier.
6) Atlast the showroom/service fellows should be courteous enough to offer a hand when needed without any fuss.

Anup

[rajushank84]

My priorities are in this order:
1. First of all, it should be value for the money I pay
2. Dynamics - handling, cornering, steering response
3. The steering should be responsive, provide feel and make me feel that the car is responding to every movement I make on the steering
4. Brake pedal position should be conventional and not too vertical or horizontal.
5. Sitting position - the steering should be somewhat vertical and not at 45%. I should be able to hold the steering around my chin level in terms of height.
6. Gear lever should be easily reachable from where I sit
7. Seat should provide enough thigh & lumbar support, should be comfortable to sit
8. I should be able to sit without my knees touching the dash or door
9. Engine response - the car should provide good lower end torque. It is meaningless if it gives incredible levels of power at 7000rpm. That will just be a paper figure for me. It should deliver good power and torque at lower rev levels.
10. Gearing should be linear and the flow of power when switching gears should be smooth
11. Throttle response should be good, turbo lag should be nil or minimal.
12. Good visibility all around - A, B & C pillars
13. Mirrors on both sides. Preferably electric adjustable
14. Powerful AC
15. Car should have a black or dark interior theme. I dont care about quality of plastic parts in the interior.
16. Tacho
17. Decent spec tyres, for the chassis and engine the car has
18. Should be able to cruise at higher speeds without feeling unsafe
19. Should be able to take curves at reasonable speeds without feeling nervous
20. Good braking
21. Music system
22. Good quality wipers
23. Reasonable fuel efficiency
24. Powerful headlamps
25. 12V charging point

Here's what I DONT care about
1. Rear space
2. Ride quality
3. Boot space
4. Power windows & other electrical gadgets
5. High top speed
6. Rear wiper
7. Good looks (exterior)
8. 4WD
9. Foldable rear seat
10. Alloy wheels

[TaureanBull]

1. Road presence. (SUV)
2. Off Road capability. (4x4)
3. Powerful Engine.
4. Security Features (ABS, Airbags, Immobilizer etc).
5. Alloys.
6. ACC.
7. ICE (Though have to convert to my taste).
8. Good seating comfort.
9. Boot space.

While selecting my car I wont care for few as I can get them after purchase like alloys, ICE etc.

[rohan_iitr]

I have a very unique (and strange) process when it comes to selecting cars.

I do not shortlist cars, I blacklist them. I make a list of cars available in my budget and then start knocking them out of the list one by one if they fail miserably in any of the selection criteria (mentioned below).

For me it doesn't matter how good a car performs in a particular area if it fails miserably in some other area.

I'm no auto enthusiast, I am an average Joe. I want a well rounded product - a jack of all trades.

My priorities are (not necessarily in any order):

1. It should not be a market dud. It should be a good selling (common) model which commands good resale value. Its value should not depreciate immediately after purchase.

2. It should not be a latest product. When I am spending my hard earned money on a car, I would prefer to buy a tried and tested product, rather than one whose long term reliability has not yet been proven.

3. It should not be an end of life product. While I don't prefer to buy a car which has been launched a few months back, but at the same time, I would also not prefer to buy a car which has been around for 10 years. (My ideal car would be a model which has been around for 1-2 years)

4. It should not have bad A.S.S.
a) Which indulge in shady practices
b) Which doesn't care about customer satisfaction
c) Which doesn't have a working feedback channel for complaint resolution
d) Which unnecessarily mints money from customers

5. It should be designed for Indian conditions, it should not have low ground clearance or wafer thin bumpers. I love cars like SX4 and Fusion because of this factor. Honda sedans are a strict no no for me, because of this factor.

6. It doesn't matter to me how the car performs on a race track (0-100 timings, high speed handling, tight cornering, steering feedback etc doesn't matter to me). Ease of driving and parking in city conditions is more important to me because that is where the car would be driven most of the time.

7. It should not have outdated/boring interiors. We spend a lot of time inside the car. Hence, for me, interiors are more important than exterior looks. Choice of interior colour is subjective, I prefer a combination of beige and chocholate (like in i20).

8. It should not have flimsy build quality. Poor quality plasctic parts which fall off within months of purchase are a strict no no for me.

9. It should not have poor FE. Even if you have money to afford extra fuel, I feel that driving a car with poor FE is a criminal waste of natural resources and your Dad's hard earned money (because almost nobody buys a poor FE car with his own hard earned money).

10. I would prefer to buy a vehicle from the car company which specialises in that particular segment. For example, small petrol car from Maruti/Hyundai, SUV from Tata/Mahindra, sedan from Honda/Toyota/Ford etc. This is purely my opinion. I agree that car companies may have outstanding products outside their main business area also, but I would prefer to buy a product from the car company's primary business area.

Rohan

[raghu.t.k]

1.Good powerful Engine
2.Good Road Grip
3.Good Seats, with good back support and fully adjustable
4.Good Main and auxillary headlights
5.Very good horn
6.Ability to do soft roading
7.A drivers vehicle with good response/feedback while driving
8.Good audio

[diwakarmuthu]

Irrespective of what the road conditions and the models available, my priorities would be:
1. Responsive engine... irrespective of whether it is a petrol or a diesel, it should be responsive and fun to drive. Though I like my esteem a lot, at times the desire to really push the car is not available
2. Good handling.... shouldn't really scare you when you do some fast turns and braking....
3. Styling and street presence...read SUV....when you look the car, your heart should say that you need to own one
4. Good interior ergonomics - Seating, ac controls, music controls, etc.... etc....
5. For the money you pay does it make sense to own the car you desire.....
6. Good support - Pre and post sales service

Of all the above, I think one get attached to a car only if the sales person provides a good presentation of the car. Unfortunately all the A.S.S in India to my knowledge have sales people who are not sure what the car is having