[sgm]

Originally Posted by poloman

Now come, my dilemma. I will call this the 'great Indian middle class guilt or remorse' when one spent huge amounts on depreciating assets.

Getting something that keeps you happy is quite critical. I have been through this and this "guilt" made me buy something which was a compromise. What happened next was, I ended up spending again in a very short span to get what I really wanted. This happened twice with my automotive purchases

[moongazer]

Originally Posted by poloman

So, am I doing the right thing by spending such a huge amount on a car which may be higher than what you spend on your child education. You can do so many great things with that kind of money. Also the
huge carbon foot print of a massive diesel SUV worries me. Sadly no other current car excites me or I don't consider those upgrades worthy.

Shall I wait for a better EV option or listen to heart and buy the Fortuner?
I am thoroughly confused on the road ahead. Hope to get some advice from fellow members.

Yes, you will forget most of these once you start driving the car. I went through something similar too. But my budget cap was much smaller at 36L for the car though, that was a lot of money for someone coming from middle class. I kept asking my wife whether I should cancel my Tucson booking until the day I got the car. But she was positive about the purchase since both of us loved it during the test drive.

The car will bring a smile to your face every time you drive it. There is also something else that you haven't mentioned, highway drives with your kid would be far more safer on the Fortuner(unless you do crazy speeds). There won't be any more back pain from long drives either.

I am not really a car fanatic, but after ~3k kilometers I feel that the Tucson(Diesel) was the best purchase in my life.

Attaching a few photos from last week when we went sightseeing to help with your decision.

[Blessings21]

Hi Poloman,
I can thoroughly understand your thought process of 'the rush' that anyone feels while buying something to that of the 'just another one' - contented feel after buying & using it. This trait comes with time to people who have seen a lot in their life - particularly the middle-class who aspire right from their school days for a chocolate, colourful pencil/eraser, a sharpener-with a case; for a cycle with a straight handle-bar, a particular type shirt or a jean, sports shoe and once you grow-up – branded clothing, a bike, hatch-back, sedan, big, bigger & goes on. So, we are used to that feeling of aspiring for something, waiting for that considerably, and then achieving/getting it (delayed by certain time-period) and accepting the fact that ‘nothing great about it’ feel at the end-of-the-day (after using that for couple of times). Crux is – we have seen disappointments, and it doesn’t bother us; this mental balance gets extended to all feelings including excitements and make us humbler (like you stating that anyone with 25 years in IT will be same as you. In my opinion it is not true, we can discuss it separately ��). This trait can’t be changed now - so we shouldn’t weigh this more.

All through our studying phase, the thought that got registered in our mind is – our family has financial constraints – right from the age of say 5 or 6, we have experienced it. This is the reason for the ‘safe and happy’ feeling that we have now - when we see huge amount of corpus in our bank accounts, financial investments etc. We intend to keep seeing that, because our fears are build from the early stage of our life. We know the pain and fear that it brings if we don’t have that and how it can put our dear ones in trouble.

Now let’s come to the second part of – ‘family vs me’. In a typical middle-class upbringing, we have seen repeatedly our father and mother sacrificing their basic needs or restricting their purchases to save some money for giving us the best education, food, shelter etc. This traits of theirs defines our thought process of analysing any spend that is substantial (its subjective – based on the income of every person). So, we intend to give importance to the happiness of each person in the family (son, daughter, wife, parents) to that of ours – particularly in a car buying scenario where the rest of the immediate family will not understand the enthusiast in you. That is the reason why we keep comparing the cost to that of initiatives that brings happiness to everyone in the family – like that of a Europe vacation, bigger house etc. If anyone is hard wired for this feeling, they will happily sacrifice their aspirations for the wellbeing of their family. Letting go the decision of buying a 50 Lakh car won’t hurt them.
Financial perspective – the third part – since I started my career as a Relationship Manager before 15 years in a leading bank with Investment advisory as a major task, I completely agree with @Yashg on the calculations. With 50-50 split or 60-40 split of cash + loan – the interest that you pay for a 5-year term can be easily earned by investing in a few more SIPs by being stringent in a few areas of your life. Being a Toyota – Fortuner. it will definitely fetch you a good amount while you replace it for a big German in future ��.

So, my two cents are – check with your family, and find out if they love the car and feel happy about you buying the car for the family, and not just for the enthusiast in you. If so, you can happily go ahead and buy - as you are financially well positioned to afford and can still keep your financial stability intact.

I was in a similar dilemma last year. But, went ahead and upgraded from my 10-year-old Swift VDI (ABS) (98.5k KMs done) to a Jeep Compass (Night Eagle Diesel) (booked in 2020 Dec and took delivery in12th Jan 2021) after assuring that everyone in the family is truly excited about the Jeep Compass like me. I have done 14k KMs - so far, and thoroughly enjoying the uniqueness and solid built of the car.

[poloman]

"Head over heart, Practicality over sheer road presence, Comfort over charm, Family over masculine pride"
The decision was much simpler in the end. With a twist in the tale, I booked a pearl white Innova Diesel ZX AT.

Test drove only Fortuner, Innova and Safari. Me and family unanimously were impressed by Innova in terms of simple layout, minimal but useful features, comfort on long drives, attention to details

Fortuner was still pulling strings in my heart. But it was easy for me to let it go.
I was very particular about automatic this time. It was too much to stretch it beyond 45L for Fortuner. 'Over priced' is an understatement considering its features.
I found spending that much on a diesel fuel guzzler is not a wise decision in 2022.
Most importantly I felt it lacked space from inside.

Innova has much better layout, space and comfort. My daughter felt at home in the Innova middle row captain seats. I could manage the car just like my Polo in the city.
Safari was rejected due to lack of space and top end pricing was very close to Innova top end. XUV 700 exterior design was not to my taste. So did not even bother to test drive.

So booked a pearl white, Innova Diesel ZX AT. Delivery is promised some time in March.

When it comes to finances, I decided to go with a 60:40 cash: loan split to avoid huge burn in cash. Some of it can be put to better use. I will be left with around 15L from the budget by opting for Innova. May be I can buy a SUV with a lower footprint like Jimny or an EV in the future if there is an itch for a car with better carbon footprint.

Thanks every one for your valuable feedback.

[d3mon]

Originally Posted by poloman

"Head over heart, Practicality over sheer road presence, Comfort over charm, Family over masculine pride"
The decision was much simpler in the end. With a twist in the tale, I booked a pearl white Innova Diesel ZX AT.

Wrong choice, IMHO.

The total ownership cost delta between these 2 cars is probably 1-1.5L per year over the next 10 years. I could be wrong - I haven't done the math. But your posts clearly show that you don't even need to do this math.

You need to be able to reward yourself for the hard work you put in over your entire career to be in this position today. Of course, at the end of the day cars are just material possessions and only a small part of our overall happiness quotient. But if you don't even choose to spend on the things that you can afford to buy, you are starving yourself of well-deserved happiness & choosing to settle for no reason at all.

[pjbiju]

Originally Posted by poloman

"Head over heart, Practicality over sheer road presence, Comfort over charm, Family over masculine pride"
The decision was much simpler in the end. With a twist in the tale, I booked a pearl white Innova Diesel ZX AT.

Test drove only Fortuner, Innova and Safari. Me and family unanimously were impressed by Innova in terms of simple layout, minimal but useful features, comfort on long drives, attention to details
...

Should I say almost the "same pinch"? I was watching this thread quite closely. I went through the same dilemma myself and we have reached the same conclusion. At the end of the day I think the best decisions are made when the head and heart work together. The head is the devil's advocate that brings in some much needed logic to our decisions enabling us to enjoy the decisions of the heart without having to feel guilty about it. Wishing you a wonderful time with your Innova Crysta in the years to come.

[poloman]

Originally Posted by d3mon

Wrong choice, IMHO.

The total ownership cost delta between these 2 cars is probably 1-1.5L per year over the next 10 years. I could be wrong - I haven't done the math. But your posts clearly show that you don't even need to do this math.

I am sure the choice would have disappointed many. But life is all about compromises and making wise decisions out of the available scenarios. It is not always about affordability and aspirations but practicality as well.

The ownership delta cost will be much more than 20L due to incremental cost in insurance, running costs, parts etc. As you mentioned I was not much bothered there. But Fortuner was not simply worth 46L. The butchness and social differentiation were there, but in a city like Bangalore it is drowned in sea of Fortuners and other premium cars.

But the main driving force behind the decision was superiority of Innova in terms of comfort and space. No car south or even slightly north of 50L can match it in this aspect.

My heart still skips a beat looking at a black Fortuner. But as I mentioned I never take my cars for off-roading. So did not want Fortuner to end up like a tamed elephant in your garage.

Originally Posted by pjbiju

Should I say almost the "same pinch"? I was watching this thread quite closely. I went through the same dilemma myself and we have reached the same conclusion.

Most people in our age will end up with decisions like these. It is a case of collective wisdom impressing upon the wilder aspirations.

[lapis_lazuli]

Congratulations to you and the family. Head wins!

The Innova is by no means a meh car, and I am sure it will serve you and your family well over the years to come.

OTOH, with the money you saved, could you not get an used German or an used Fortuner? Just asking.

[poloman]

Originally Posted by lapis_lazuli

OTOH, with the money you saved, could you not get an used German or an used Fortuner? Just asking.

One of the reasons for quick decision making was the worst experience in used car market for Fortuners.

There are hardly any real owners in the online market places. Dealers were expecting more than ex-showroom prices for 3-4 year cars. Most cars have suspicious history. They treat you with contempt. I am not the type who gets desperate and fall in to this trap.
German Luxury car, no chance. I don't want any white elephants in the garage.

I may go for a small lifestyle SUV like Jimny if at all it is being launched. As of now I am content with Innova and Polo in my stable.

[jkrishnakj]

Congrats Poloman. The Crysta will serve you very long miles. Bests to you.

Let me say this, the luxury car itch will come back. You’ll probably find it coming in the next couple of years. And it’s good, because you’ll do stuff to get the luxury one. It’ll keep pushing you, the universe will conspire to that positive outcome. Look forward to that thread that’ll come up from you in a couple years. ��

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by poloman

But the main driving force behind the decision was superiority of Innova in terms of comfort and space. No car south or even slightly north of 50L can match it in this aspect.

Congratulations! Innova is an excellent choice which will keep you and your family happy and comfy on long drives and bad roads. Which variant did you buy?

[vijaykr]

Many congratulations and wishes for many years of safe drives. I stay very close to a Toyota showroom and most times I go past it, there's either an Innova or a Fortuner ready for delivery. The 'heart' days are when I think it's best to indulge and go with the Fortuner, but most days it is the 'mind' which nudges towards the Crysta.

You're right about the comfort and the space in the Crysta. It's much more practical as well for my requirement though my wife is not convinced about lugging the 3rd row everywhere mostly empty.

All the best to you and I'm sure your decision will work out well in the long run.

[yashg]

Originally Posted by poloman

"Head over heart, Practicality over sheer road presence, Comfort over charm, Family over masculine pride"
The decision was much simpler in the end. With a twist in the tale, I booked a pearl white Innova Diesel ZX AT.

Congratulations and another great car from the Toyota family. Innova has majestic road presence and very close to the Fortuner IMHO. Finally what matters is whether you are happy with the car. Awaiting the ownership review.

[dearchichi]

Originally Posted by poloman

"Head over heart, Practicality over sheer road presence, Comfort over charm, Family over masculine pride"
The decision was much simpler in the end. With a twist in the tale, I booked a pearl white Innova Diesel ZX AT.

Congratulations Poloman. Here's wishing your family and you many years of driving pleasure with the Innova.

Quick question: I have been waiting to get a MUV/SUV to replace my 2006 Tata Safari that I sold in 2020. But, I wonder if going in for the Innova now gives me any premium for the time I chose to put such a purchase off hoping to pick up later models with better features.

Is there any real difference between the 2022 Innova and one that retailed say 3 or 4 years ago, apart from cosmetic changes?

New releases these days tend to be loaded with several more safety and novelty features that is hard to ignore (XUV 700 and Carens being the obvious examples).

Thanks.

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by poloman

I booked a pearl white Innova Diesel ZX AT.

Great choice man.

An incredibly practical car/van/truck or whatever one would want to call it. Toyota continues to jack up the prices with every iteration and people happily pay for it too, knowing the Innova doesn't really have a competition in terms of the frugality and reliability. And resale too whenever you'd think of it. Wishing you loads of happy miles with it.

Some folks like Sankar and brraj have given performance upgrades to the van!