[GTO]

With a boost in the overall Indian economy, auto sector & finance availability, an increasing number of 1st generation entrepreneurs & corporate customers find the 30 lakh rupee Germans (C Class, 3 series & A4) within their reach. Earlier than they expected too! Fact is, the average age of these first-time luxury car customers is tumbling in India.

However, I'm still not convinced on the overall package offered by the entry-level Mercedes, BMW or Audi. Allow me to explain:

The Good: Badge, build quality, safety, performance & dynamics. All of them are also satisfying to drive.

The Bad: Cars like the Skoda Superb & Honda Accord defeat the entry Germans on comfort, equipment (Superb especially) and are, arguably, as safe. The Germans are also much smaller; it's funny to see the rising corporate star being chauffeured around in a cramped 3 series. Further, the Germans suffer from poor reliability & astronomical upkeep costs, especially over a longer ownership period.

My take : If you were to take away the prestigious badge, these cars would lose 50% of their sales. Overnight.

How would you, as a BHPian, spend your 30 lakh rupees?

Option A : A brand new C Class / 3 series / A4

Option B : A used E Class / 5 series / A6

Option C : A cocktail of cars!

Personally, & having been influenced by friendly Mod MPower, I am increasingly tilting toward Option C. My ideal 30 lakh garage would be:

- A pre-worshipped Civic (8 lakhs) OR Octavia vRS (5 lakhs)
- A Jeep or Gypsy (4 - 6 lakhs)
- A pre-worshipped liter superbike (5 - 7 lakhs)
- A Classic W124, W126, W111 Mercedes or similar (3 - 5 lakhs)
- A beater. Say, a Manza or Innova for the family runs & rough use.

This way, I have a garage that includes many fun-to-drive vehicles, as well as diversity & practicality. Heck, if I had space only for 1 car, I'd buy a 2 year old 530d. As a petrolhead, I can think of far better ways to spend 30 big ones than on a new C or 3.

There's plenty of petrolhead cars you can buy for 6 lakhs (link to thread), and you can also include new enthusiast cars like the Linea T-Jet (10 lakhs), VW Polo 1.6 (7 lakhs), Vento diesel (10 lakhs), Laura 1.8 TSI (15 lakhs), Chevrolet Cruze (15 lakhs) and more in your list. If you choose option C, fill your list up anyway you like, as long as its equal to 30 lakh rupees.

Adding a poll too. Do elaborate on why you chose the poll option you did.

[aryashiv1]

MY Cocktail of cars will be:

Skoda Yeti 18 L
Honda Jazz 7.5 L
Hyndai i10 4.5 L

Skoda Yeti will serve for long trips, Jazz for weekends (as can be as good as a sedan) and i10 can be for every day use.

[noopster]

No contest for me: if I get a decent pre-worshipped 5-series, I never need another car in my garage! Though in all honesty I would probably keep the Swift for city runs or when I miss a small sleek beauty!

Though- come to think of it, I *might* opt for the Superb DSG and with a little left over, get a used Jazz to replace my Swift!

[aargee]

Voted C.
I like to have cocktail of cars + motorcycles (definitely). And, I love to have full fledge garage (20 X 15) with lot of ventilation, Wurth/Craftsman tool racks (tools worth atleast 3-5 Lakhs), tiled floor, double celing fans. That's the retirement life I'm dreaming!!!

My dream of cars would be...
Zen carb & Rx for working
HD XR1200 R/FZ6 for personal use & riding pleasure
Innova for family use

[Alter_Ego]

I chose option C.

My cocktail would have the following:

Obviously a used Endeavour(9 Lacs)
A used C class(12 Lacs)
A used Super bike(3 Lacs)
A sporty hatch like a SRV for daily office trips(6 Lacs)
provided I have saved some extra money as all the vehicles in my wishlist are biggest guzzlers of all time I guess.


Wow never realized that so much can be had in just 30Lacs.

[shankar.balan]

If I had 30 lacs to spend exclusively on my garage, then I would spend it as follows;

1.Skoda Superb (pre-owned pre- 2009 model) - 10 lacs.
2.Modded pre-owned Gypsy OR MM550 XDP with upgraded suspension, tyres, quality cabin and mod -cons - 6 lacs.
3.An old well-kept convertible-top Standard Herald/ Gazel - just for fun - 3-4 lacs.
4.First class general maintenance set up at home itself with special wet cleaning and dry cleaning facilities - say around 2 lacs.
5. I would keep the remaining money for spares, maintenance and running costs of my "stable".

[NevGin]

Low mileage 320d with a 3 year BMW secure package in place or bought seperatly + Add a 4 to 5 Lakh car (used/new)

[nkrishnap]

I would look at a preworshipped 5 Series. Voted for the same.

[androdev]

I have been on the look out for a used A6 (pre-facelift) but hardly any choice in Bangalore!! One of those times I wish I were living in Delhi :-)

Btw, my choice is used E/5/A6.

[Akshay1234]

Im sorry but it would only be one car for me. If I have one nice car sitting in my garage I would not be able to convince myself to use the inferior car.

New - Skoda Superb 3.6fsi 4x4
Used - BMW 530d (2 year old) or Audi A4 3.0tdi (1 year old maybe?)

Now if only this actually happens in the coming year

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by NevGin

Low mileage 320d with a 3 year BMW secure package in place or bought seperatly + Add a 4 to 5 Lakh car (used/new)

I second that. There is no bigger feeling of happiness than driving a brand new car out of the showroom. Used cars are after all USED cars!!

[theragingbull]

For me, it'd be a used Accord V6 (10L) and a new Fortuner(20L). Fulfills all the needs in a city like Bombay.

For those thinking about keeping 4-5 cars in the garage, where would you park them? One parking space itself costs upto 5lakhs in Bombay!!

[crazyro]

I would go for a brand new 3-series. I would always prefer a brand new car over an used one. Voted for Option A

[GTO]

Two more killer 30 lakh options:

- New Fortuner + Vento or Tjet
- Laura TSI + new Gypsy + used Superbike

Originally Posted by aryashiv1

MY Cocktail of cars will be:

Skoda Yeti 18 L
Honda Jazz 7.5 L
Hyndai i10 4.5 L

Skoda Yeti will serve for long trips, Jazz for weekends (as can be as good as a sedan) and i10 can be for every day use.

Neat garage. But why have two hatchbacks? You could easily fit a C segment sedan instead of the Jazz.

Originally Posted by noopster

Though- come to think of it, I *might* opt for the Superb DSG and with a little left over, get a used Jazz to replace my Swift!

Can't argue with that. Got a uber-luxury car as well as a chuckable daily driver.

Originally Posted by aargee

I like to have cocktail of cars + motorcycles (definitely). And, I love to have full fledge garage (20 X 15) with lot of ventilation, Wurth/Craftsman tool racks (tools worth atleast 3-5 Lakhs), tiled floor, double celing fans. That's the retirement life I'm dreaming!!!

Neat!

Originally Posted by Alter_Ego

A sporty hatch like a SRV for daily office trips(6 Lacs)

You are being generous! A used SRV can be had for 4 lakhs. Tops.

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

An old well-kept convertible-top Standard Herald/ Gazel - just for fun - 3-4 lacs.

Agreed. We need one classic vehicle to have fun with. I have my nostalgia in the Jeep.

Originally Posted by androdev

I have been on the look out for a used A6 (pre-facelift) but hardly any choice in Bangalore!! One of those times I wish I were living in Delhi

Don't sweat, I'm sure there's many 525s or E280 CDIs around?

Originally Posted by akshay1234

New - Skoda Superb 3.6fsi 4x4

Sweet car. Beats the C, 3 & A4 on practically every parameter!

For those thinking about keeping 4-5 cars in the garage, where would you park them? One parking space itself costs upto 5lakhs in Bombay!!

No problem with parking here. Have capacity for 8 cars.

P.S. In the time that I finished a Marlboro & came back, there's like 9 replies! Aren't you guys supposed to be working!

[aniketi]

Very good thread (IDea) ... I chose option C. I will definitely go for mix of cars & bikes. My garage will have -

1 Pre-worshiped Honda Accord (Black for sure) - 6-8 Lacs
2 Brand new Punto Multijet (white color)- 7 Lacs
3 One MUV like Innova or Scorpio - 10 Lacs
4 Bullet Classic (Red color) - 1.5 Lacs

Balance money for all fuel bills & maintenance