[s.wadhwa]

Dear fellow Team BHPians,

Firstly this is my first post here. I would like to thank the moderators here for accepting me and making me a part of this very knowledgeable and passionate community.

I am going to take an important decision regarding buying a car in the Rs. 50 lakhs range and needed some advice. I have never spent such an amount on a car before, so need to be sure. This is one of the few forums I trust and have followed when I purchased my earlier cars too.

I want the following:

1. It should be subtle and not attract attention, while at the same time being classy and luxurious.
2. It should be a family car and offer safety.
3. Value for money and easy availability of spare parts at cost effective prices. FE should be decent and should not pollute the environment.
4. Rarity factor. I somehow see too many BMWs, Benz and Audis on the roads - and they tend to attract attention.

Is there anything else I should know about such an upgrade. My most expensive car till date has been a Honda City.

Thanks a ton. Look forward to some feedback.

SW

[supremeBaleno]

Man, that surely is some upgrade - from the City to a 50L car.

[akshaymahajan]

With a 50l budget for a luxury sedan, Value for money and easy availability of spare parts at cost effective prices is kind of out of question.
And with Audis, Mercs and BMW's out I doubt you have a lot of choices one of them being the Volvo S80.
If you are open to SUV's then get a Freelander 2.
What type of thing do you have in mind because frankly when one buys a 50 lakh car the three main contenders are the three above mentioned brands.

[Games Goblin]

I agree with akshay. A volvo s80 passes all of the requirements put forward by you. Just make sure that there is a dealership and service center within your city.

[cruiser@0523]

If you are looking for something subtle, look no further than the Volvo S80 , excellent car, does not lack any of the goodies provided in mercs and bmw's. Plus satisfies your main criteria very very well i.e least attention seeking car in the segment, unless you drive by a Tbhpian.

[Ricky_63]

Originally Posted by s.wadhwa

Dear fellow Team BHPians,

Firstly this is my first post here. I would like to thank the moderators here for accepting me and making me a part of this very knowledgeable and passionate community.

I am going to take an important decision regarding buying a car in the Rs. 50 lakhs range and needed some advice. I have never spent such an amount on a car before, so need to be sure. This is one of the few forums I trust and have followed when I purchased my earlier cars too.

I want the following:

1. It should be subtle and not attract attention, while at the same time being classy and luxurious.
2. It should be a family car and offer safety.
3. Value for money and easy availability of spare parts at cost effective prices. FE should be decent and should not pollute the environment.
4. Rarity factor. I somehow see too many BMWs, Benz and Audis on the roads - and they tend to attract attention.

Is there anything else I should know about such an upgrade. My most expensive car till date has been a Honda City.

Thanks a ton. Look forward to some feedback.

SW

Originally Posted by akshaymahajan

With a 50l budget for a luxury sedan, Value for money and easy availability of spare parts at cost effective prices is kind of out of question.
And with Audis, Mercs and BMW's out I doubt you have a lot of choices one of them being the Volvo S80.
If you are open to SUV's then get a Freelander 2.
What type of thing do you have in mind because frankly when one buys a 50 lakh car the three main contenders are the three above mentioned brands.

Originally Posted by Games Goblin

I agree with akshay. A volvo s80 passes all of the requirements put forward by you. Just make sure that there is a dealership and service center within your city.

The 50L car you want which does not attract attention is the 4.2 petrol S80 VOLVO, as suggested by the others, or get the XC90 4.2 - most wannabes would not "know" that a VOLVO costs what it does.

It is an understated car / SUV

Else go for some car which is NOT 50L. Why do you want to spend 50 & not let people know that you have ?

Honestly - I am a little confused.

All the best for you purchase.



Cheers

[anekho]

Originally Posted by s.wadhwa

1. It should be subtle and not attract attention, while at the same time being classy and luxurious.

Volvo - S80 or xc90 should meet your requirements. I personally love the understated yet classy looks. Besides, Volvo have the most incredible front seats - by far the most comfy!

Originally Posted by s.wadhwa

2. It should be a family car and offer safety.

Nowadays, at that price range all cars are equally safe. However in most books Volvo is regarded as the pioneer of car safety. The xc90 can seat 7 and is a great family car - I have been in several and it's really practical. The S80 makes as a good family car too, but if boot space is priority - look the xc90 way.

Originally Posted by s.wadhwa

3. Value for money and easy availability of spare parts at cost effective prices. FE should be decent and should not pollute the environment.

Pricing wise I guess the Volvo's undercut their German competitors. No clue about the spares and stuff - this you should check with your local dealer.

FE is good in the diesels but the petrol V8's offer more fun
The V8 is marvel, extremely smooth and good power delivery - if I'm not mistaken, it is the most compact V8 in the world! Specially designed by Yamaha as Volvo needed a transverse V8 and all the normal V8's were too large too fit in the engine bay.

Originally Posted by s.wadhwa

4. Rarity factor. I somehow see too many BMWs, Benz and Audis on the roads - and they tend to attract attention.

Check. Volvo's aren't common on our roads and generally don't turn heads as much as their more aggressively designed German counterparts.

If you want a more stylish looking Volvo, perhaps you should consider the soon-to-be launched XC60 - a really neat SUV (competes with the X3, Q5).

Another possible candidate could be the VW Touraeg.

[reignofchaos]

How about the entry level Jaguar XF? Its easily the most beautiful looking sedan with that classy understated elegance.

[Anand123]

I don't think you really need to buy a 50 Lakh car. Moreover, I don't think that 10Lakh car to a 50Lakh car is a sensible upgrade.
I'd suggest you to get a Superb. It will serve most of your requirements.
Let me ask you one thing. Why do you wan't to avoid any public attention? Are you a wanted person? (just kidding).
Still, if you are so particular that you want to spend 50Lakh, get the Audi A6 3.0 tdi quattro. Its not much common as Mercs and BMWs. Volvo S80 must be your last option.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by Ricky_63

Else go for some car which is NOT 50L. Why do you want to spend 50 & not let people know that you have ?

Honestly - I am a little confused.

One of the reasons could be that the thread starter doesn't want to attract wrong attention, which I feel is quite justified these days.
Yes, the S80 seem to fit the bill very well.

[somspaple]

Originally Posted by s.wadhwa

1. It should be subtle and not attract attention, while at the same time being classy and luxurious.

4. Rarity factor. I somehow see too many BMWs, Benz and Audis on the roads - and they tend to attract attention.

first thing: welcome to forum Mr. Wadhwa

and about your requirements: your above two points conflict each other. anything rare is bound to attract attention.
one of the options apart from the other suggestions by fellow tbhpians is if you care only about luxury ride and nothing about show-off or brand: buy an Innova or Endy and soup up the internals completely and ride with air-suspension etc.
all the best.

[AlokSriva]

Let me not get carried away and think differently since you seem to have somewhat contradicting needs (moolah should not reflect in your ride)

How about Toyota Prius? Have a look if it matches each/most of the requirements

Originally Posted by s.wadhwa

1. It should be subtle and not attract attention, while at the same time being classy and luxurious.

For an average joe, it would still be a Toyota.

2. It should be a family car and offer safety.

You bet, it does (not withstanding the Prius recall - you can anyway get a a clarification from Toyota Bharat on this)

3. Value for money and easy availability of spare parts at cost effective prices. FE should be decent and should not pollute the environment.

You would be proud of your carbon footprint!
Additionally, you can put the money you save in an FD and the interest would take care of the operational and maintenance costs.

4. Rarity factor. I somehow see too many BMWs, Benz and Audis on the roads - and they tend to attract attention.

A hybrid would give you a rare exclusivity in Indian market.

Now, at the risk of stirring a hornet's nest - Volvo as a brand has a very bad reputation of failed electricals globally. Also, I am not sure why would someone (even with a unique requirement like yours) actually buy a Volvo of all brands at that price in India!!
Flames - bring 'em on

[ajmat]

A Nissan Teana might fit the bill but best only if you are being driven

[s.wadhwa]

Thanks a lot for the warm welcome and wonderful feedback. Here is what I feel:

1. The reason I don't want to attract attention is personal. I would not want to speak about it in public. Someone here figured it out correctly though.

2. At the same time, I want to enjoy a small part of my money. I'm not too keen on taking an Innova and making modifications to it. I somehow am more comfortable with it being from the manufacturer. Why not enjoy life and make the upgrade, when it is possible? Some years ago, I upgraded from the local train to a car - and not to a bike.

3. A rare car which is not known by everybody, might not put you in the club of 'rich'. BMW,Benz and Audi are the cars the people think and say 'rich'.

4. Thanks for the suggestions on the Volvo, but somehow it doesn't appeal to me, but I checked out the Jaguar XF. I love the way the Jaguar XF. I'm assuming the spares must be available in India easily as it is now owned by TATA. I would like someone who owns the Jaguar XF to give me some inputs. What price range is it in and how is it to be owning one? I would be driving myself, so guess the Nissan Teana is not for me.

Hope, I have been able to explain my point of view and look forward to your inputs.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by s.wadhwa

It should be subtle and not attract attention, while at the same time being classy and luxurious.
2. It should be a family car and offer safety.
3. Value for money and easy availability of spare parts at cost effective prices. FE should be decent and should not pollute the environment.

Ideal upgrade for you within the 20 lakh segment : Honda Accord & Nissan Teana. If you are open to SUVs, check out the Nissan X-Trail. It's a well-engineering diesel SUV that'll give you car-like road manners, punchy diesel + excellent automatic gearbox, decent room (not overtly spacious at the back) and Jap reliability. Neither of these three cars will be too attention grabbing.

In the 40 lakh range, you could consider the Volvo S80, or even the Audi A6. The A6 won't get you attention and is a safe competent luxo-barge (just what you want??). However, its due for replacement with an all new generation soon. Do remember that, if the E Class & 5 series are "everywhere", its because they are truly amazing cars. Don't let the popularity of a car dissuade you from buying; They are amongst the finest examples of automotive engineering.