[Chetan_Rao]

I don't really understand the point of the German trio releasing their hatchbacks in India at all, if they aren't interested in giving us anything close to resembling a hot-hatch. Under-powered engines, lackluster accessories/options and a 'take this or that, can't have it all for JUST for 30 lacs' approach. Really disappointing.

[suhaas307]

If I have 30 lakhs to "blow" on one car, it would be

- Mini Cooper S (R56)

OR

- Mercedes Benz A-Class



On the other hand, if I have 30 lakhs to spend, I'd get the following:

- VW Polo TSI (10 lakhs + 2.5 lakhs worth mods) for the city.

- Renault Duster 110 / Nissan Terrano 110 (15 lakhs) for the highways.

- Royal Enfield Continental GT (2.5 lakhs) for the weekends.

[dark.knight]

The given budget is a lot of money so if I had that to spend, my decision would be obvious and it won't be such a crazy choice once the reasons are outlined.Buying a regular brand's flagship model would be o-k but it will never have that presence/appeal or experience of a luxury brand. So thats out. With the skyrocketing prices, luxury brand's entry models are priced well above the given budget so they are out as well.

There are 1 of 2 things inherently wrong in most cars. Either they have squidgy driving characteristics or have an incredibly boring design. Some cars have too many curves while some have all straight lines (yawn). Some may drive well but have a boring/poorly designed interior. India is slowly growing wrt knowledge of cars but due to this, fans of each brand take sides and bash others for either safety/build quality/looks/features or driving dynamics. Even the flagships of affordable brands are not spared. Somehow there is this one-upmanship when it comes to cars in that price range.

There is one answer to mitigate any such attacks on your purchase. A used 2010-11 -320d/320i, as per what I've seen the prices range from 17-24 (negotiable 5%) depending on variables. Whatever amount is saved can be put away for future maintenance/insurance/extending warranty. Resale after 2 years at the worst could be 1/3rd less which isn't so bad considering :

- Great styling, still looks modern today and has the right mix of curves and lines. Interiors are luxurious with clean well laid out controls.
- Build quality is unquestionable, so is safety.
- Driving dynamics, it can drive circles around other so called "great driving" cars. BMW defines cornering and feedback. Hydraulic steering is a bonus.
- Presence, well as long as the angel eyes are visible people know what is approaching.

The only thing going against this decision is dodgy resale of a 2nd owner car/cost of repairs which can easily hit 6 figures if something goes wrong. That is why it is important to buy at optimum price and reserve the rest of the 30L budget as contingency.

[joe_antony]

I have a different combination to suggest a Cruze and Yeti. I love both these cars for their bold design.

[WorkingGuru]

If I had 30 big ones to *Blow* on cars, I'd spend

• 10L on renting supercars,
• 17L on Aria Pride 4x4 for my long drives,
• 3L on Turbocharged Nano-Twist for my city run-abouts.

[alexpaul]

I guess by now you must have made choices Nakul.

Since long term ownership, reliability and cost of maintainance is the preference that you have mentioned I would like to suggest you
1) Toyota Fortuner / Innova
2) Hatchback from Suzuki / Honda /Toyota stable. (Probably you can look at a decent sedan - ie. "New Honda City" incase you prefer Sedans over hatchback

Over and out.

[jvm_1986]

If one is open for a car + bike combo, a Pajero Sport and a Triumph Bonneville would be a great combo

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Audi A3 or whatever entry level Audi I can afford whenever I reach that level.

Because- For a peaceful family life, wife has demanded she needs 1. Own house 2. An Audi before I can start buying things as I like.

And no, it's not any other brand- only an Audi would do!

[VW2010]

It will be an used Jetta from MKV series, an used R1 and definitely 2 leica lenses for the lust of all three things that keeps me "DRIVING"

In reality i would actually invest or start something on my own for that money so i can get out of being employed in my life and be an employer. It can be as simple as a boutique shop.

[Lobogris]

I would buy a slightly used Jetta/ Civic/ Vento etc. for around 5-8 lacs and invest the remaining 25 lacs. As long as my car looks good and has the rquisite safety features, there is no point in spending more than necessary.

[ahmad.007]

Before beginning, excuse me for the long post and the typos.


For the maths one can get 14-15 nanos :P
Thats a lot of metal for the money.

But on a serious note,
2 cars for 30L=>

1) A workhorse/cheap to run/compact hatchback plus an SUV would be a good preposition.
Although we have a lot of choices for a compact hatch/sedan, the options for SUVs are a bit tacky as XUV is not niggle-free, and other SUVs are well above 22-23 lakhs. If one is ok with saving money, crossing fingers and going for the XUV (which is not a bad car!) then the decision is easy. But if one wants to get a reliable SUV, then Fortuner, though reliable, is not exactly luxury, Santa Fe is even more expensive and others can be taken to account, though are not favorites right now.

2) A workhorse/city car + a Luxury sedan (No, not your audi or bimmer)
This, here is my personal favourite combination. One can get a Swift Zdi, Polo (The '14 model is already 90 ps, and GT TDi would be overkill, though GT TSI could be an option considering the DSG) oran i20 if one needs pampering out of the workhorse. Even a swift dzire will be a good choice considering vfm preposition. For the luxury sedan, one can have the new Octavia, Elantra, Jetta/Passat(mid variant), or a Cruze with that Jaguaresque grill. The options are many.


1 car for 30L=>
This is where the torque of the heart overtakes the bhp in mind. In India, when you spend 30L on a car and not bring The Rings, or the Blue Propeller or the Trident home, its a taboo. For 30L you can get the base variant of 320d I guess (really not good with car prices, they keep increasing all the time) or an A4 or a C350.
When someone like you is asking for an opinion on how to spend 30L cash on cars, you surely must have other cars for your other stuff. Hence, if I already have all my cheap to run cars at home and I am going to flipCARt, my pick would be the Audi Q3.

Why Q3? because because... Audi+SUV.
Why not X1 then?? because because... Truck type Noisy+ low GC for an 'SUV'+ my uncle's X1 stalled in 200-250 mm water and my Beat D went to the rescue+ not an Audi

On some wild thought safaris, I lean towards a Camry Hybrid, just love the car, but then brand comes into play. All the best, make a good choice.
Summary->

Polo TSI/ Swift Dzire/ i20/ heck even Ecosport!
+
Jetta/ Cruze/ Elantra/ XUV/ Passat
+
Duke RC 390 (special appearance :P)

OR

Audi Q3/ A4/ BMW 320d



Personally, since I'm moody and I don't care so much about the hooplah surrounding the german brigade or big brands I would pick
Polo TSI/TDI+ Cruze (that stonker engine bro)+ Duke RC 390.

[nakul0888]

I have made up my mind on the matter though.
If it was my 30 lakhs, I would try to get maximum bang for buck out of it.

My first choice would be a big, reliable luxo barge with lots of road presence and comfy ride- A used Accord. I am expecting the price to be around 10-12 lakhs. (max)

Then something with raised ground clearance when going gets rough. But needs to be comfortable so as not to be a pain- A used Honda CRV, preferably the older generation whose styling is much more pleasing and whose value should have reached rock bottom now. I think it would be in the same region as the Accord. 10 -12 lakhs (max)

I think the balance 8-9 lakhs can be spent on a Polo GT TDI, can't it?

Surely No A3/1 series can provide this much value for the said money.

[//M]

For a sum of 30 lakhs, I would pick up these:

1. 2015 Indian Scout
2. Volkswagen Polo TSi
3. Mahindra Thar CRDe

[DudeWithaFiat]

These for me:

All of them are pre-owned .

1) 3 Litre W124.
2) W123 (300D preferably, but I can live with 240D too)
3) W126
4) Restore my Premier Padmini.
5) A used Mistubish Pajero.

I'm done.

[ajaypjayaraj]

1) Octavia Elegance 1.8 TSI AT
2) Mahindra Thar CRDe

This might slightly over shoot the budget in certain cities, so I wouldn't mind getting a well maintained used Thar 4x4.

If anything still remains from the 30 lakhs, will look into some mods for the above accordingly.