[adigup]

Hey guys,

As the topic mentions, we have 3 cars at home but all of us mostly just require one car everyday. It's just on some days that we take the 2nd or 3rd car out - if the 1st car is taken by someone or when we have to go out for a gathering. On regular days, we just drive one of the three cars depending on which car was driven last.

Background

We have a 2019 February Toyota Innova Crysta 2.7 Petrol ZX AT (at 35,xxx kms), a 2019 December Toyota Corolla Altis 1.8 Petrol VL CVT (at 19,xxx kms) and a 2022 March Volkswagen Taigun 1.0 Petrol Manual Highline (at 5,9xx kms).

The Innova used to be my dad's daily drive until a month back but since he's now working from home, it's mostly parked at home, or is driven once a week.

The Corolla is loved by all, it is mostly used by me when I have to go out for work or to meet friends and family or even if it's going out for a drive.

The Taigun was bought for my mom. My mom is a housewife, involved in some social and community work and prefers manuals. My mom also doesn't have to drive it everyday, so this car is used by me, my dad, my mom and even my sisters for even the smallest of the work.

Now, we are a family of 5 (me, dad, mom and two sisters - out of which, one of the sisters lives overseas and in a month, I will also shift and do not have plans to come back).

(Next year we have some stuff planned - a few family gatherings and we will be needing the cars! so, does this all make sense?)

Their worry

As I am in town, we are able to use the Corolla and when both Taigun and Corolla are busy, my dad takes the Innova. I went out of town for a couple of weeks, and in 5 days the Taigun was driven only 55 kms, the other cars were just parked. Even my dad stated that we just 'need' two cars. When I am not in town, who will drive the car? Dad said that he will have to make a schedule or something where he makes sure he drives both the Toyotas on week-by-week basis. But then, does that really make sense?

My worry

Do we need a manual? Yes
Do we need a Taigun-sized car? Yes
Cool, so we are good with the Taigun.

But,
Do we need an Innova? Yes, we've had it for quite a long time. It's nice. We love it.
Do we really need an Innova? Nope, 3rd row is usually of no use at home.
Do we need the Corolla? Not sure, it looks big, it's good to drive. You get nothing like that today.

Also my worry

1. Will it be a good idea to keep the 3 cars until next year and then decide?
2. Will it be a good idea to keep the Taigun and sell either of the two cars?
3. Will it make sense to trade in the Toyotas for one 'big' / 'luxury' car for the equivalent amount of money? (Oh no! I don't think there's anything reliable in the 35-40 lakh rupees price bracket) Can we stretch the budget a little bit? Maybe, I'm not sure. There isn't anything tempting in the market!

(The car will be driven by my dad primarily)

Another problem

With the Taigun, we have had mixed experiences. The unpopular ineffective AC issue, the brake noise at low speeds and also dealing with VW service centres.

With Toyota, nothing at all. Send the cars for scheduled services and no problem at all! Another reason why my family loves Toyotas! (Have been a Toyota customer since 2013)

Cars become like family members so maybe it's nice to have a 'reliable' product. We have owned cars from Maruti Suzuki, Honda, Kia, Hyundai, Ford and Volkswagen, but nothing beats the service Toyota offers.

I am confused about what we should do, or just let things be this way.
Just to mention, the car (or cars) other than the Taigun is driven around 800-1000 kms every month (~400 in city, and ~500 on highways), whereas, the Taigun sees 1,400 kms of city driving every month.

Thank you

[condor]

Kind of tricky situation there ! 3 good cars, all fairly new.

Yes - take your time to decide. Once given, you cant get back any of them.

out of the box: when you go out, take one of the cars. Drive instead of fly. Howwzzzattt ?

[ninjatalli]

Interesting conundrum.

Are you the one responsible for the majority of the 1400 kms of driving on the Taigun every month? Would the rest of the family still see a need for a "new" car for in-city driving? If not, then let your mother (who the car was supposed to be for) have the first vote (to agree to sell the VW) as the other two are reliable workhorses. You'll face some depreciation but it should be fine if the person intended to use it is okay with letting it go.

If she says no, then sell the Corolla or the Innova depending on your family's choice - it's a seller's market and Toyotas will sell like hot cakes.

As for the functions next year, those are one-time events. Get a rental or other alternatives when the need arises.


Both on the other hand, if anyone else in your family is a driving enthusiast, then keeping a VW and a Toyota makes more sense.

[Porcupine]

Interesting situation.

I think your own post answered your question. The Taigun is new and a manual, for your mother, and she likes and uses the car. You use the Corolla, and you guys like that it looks big, is fairly fancy and easily way more fun to drive than the Innova, and will also be useful during the family festivities you have planned.

The Innova, you have no use for the extra space, it isn't fun to drive, your dad doesn't need it anymore, and is the oldest out of all your cars - which are all fairly new. Innova's sell pretty easily too.

If you don't need the space or the 'utility', sell the Innova and keep the Corolla and the Taigun.

[cs_rajesh]

Sell Taigun and that is what I would do if I had the three cars and had the same constraints. VW is not so reliable as the Toyotas. Not withstanding the non necessity of 3rd row seats, it is clear that your family does not want to drive the VW Taigun, shows the low mileage covered so far. We should drive what we like to drive and not be constrained by imaginary reasons.
Further, I would assume that expenditure is not a constraint for you and hence I would suggest that you keep your own cars and not take rental cars, due to various reasons such as high-availability constraint, health and cleanliness, ease of self driving vs chauffered ride.

[ABHI_1512]

Your post itself has all the answers that you want, probably you need to hear the same answers from members here and hence the post. I don’t usually jump into discussions where the post is about buying a new car or selling one. Because 99 out of 100 times, it’s the original thought that counts, specially in regards to vehicles. I can fairly assume that you have made a plan already about what needs to be done.

So my simple and humble take- Go with whatever your mind tells you to, since you have fairly less run and very competent products in your garage. I am pretty sure that you are going keep the Taigun and Corolla while disposing off the Innova. Either way, I see one Toyota less in your garage and I am telling that since I have gone through your post- twice !!

[adigup]

I asked a dealer, who is also a good friend, he said that Innova and Corolla each can sell for 16-18 lakhs. I know this doesn't sound feasible but will it make sense to trade in the Toyotas for a luxury or a better car in the 40 lakh bracket?

Originally Posted by condor

out of the box: when you go out, take one of the cars. Drive instead of fly. Howwzzzattt ?

I wish I could do that. I think I did not mention, but I am going abroad, to a country where they drive left-hand drive cars!

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Both on the other hand, if anyone else in your family is a driving enthusiast, then keeping a VW and a Toyota makes more sense.

Yes, my dad is an enthusiast, and that's why we have the 2.7 Innova and the 1.0 Taigun! My dad chose the Corolla over the Civic in 2019 because Corolla feels fast and it's CVT is better!
Nope, I just do 300-400 kms of the total on Taigun at max! We bought Taigun as parents needed a shorter car to drive / take to the congested places in NCR.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by adigup

We have a 2019 February Toyota Innova Crysta 2.7 Petrol ZX AT (at 35,xxx kms), a 2019 December Toyota Corolla Altis 1.8 Petrol VL CVT (at 19,xxx kms) and a 2022 March Volkswagen Taigun 1.0 Petrol Manual Highline (at 5,9xx kms).

To simplify, if I had 3 cars and had to retain only 2, I'd get rid of the most inferior one. While all the cars you have are good, the Taigun can't match the Corolla Altis or Innova Crysta. The Altis is a superb sedan that will offer you 15 years of reliable, comfortable service at the least. The Innova is like a swiss knife - a workhorse whose presence in the family will always be valued.

Sell the Taigun.

[androdev]

Keep the Corolla for sure. Even though Innova is a safe bet, it's the wrong car. Taigun is a risky one but it's the right car. Pick your poison. I would keep the Taigun given that you have multiple members including ladies driving it.

[shashi792]

Keep Innova for sure. It's a gem of a car. This is the only car currently in your stable that can lug folks, their bags, their pets, and their neighbors .

Keep: Innova for No-Nonsense Travel (Long distance, Elder's Ingress & Egress)
Keep Taigun. Only because your mom drives it. If not, this is the car to Sell.
Sell Corolla Altis. It's neither here nor there considering your needs.

[jkrishnakj]

One option that I would have recommended is to give away one car on 'Rent'. But given that all 3 haven't had too much of running and are fairly 'new' the risk of the rental car being abused is too high.

If there is one that HAS to go, then, I will give away the Altis.

[lamborghini]

Since you need a manual, the Taigun will have to stay.

So it pretty much boils down to a battle of the two Toyotas and all boils down to your priorities.

As a Corolla owner, who's driven and spent some time being driven in the Innova :

The corolla is definitely easier to drive and live with in the city, but the Innova is the one that has the ability to do long speed cruising without breaking into a sweat - the Innova absorbs the road imperfections better than the softer Corolla.

The Corolla will have better ingress & egress for the elderly, but the Innova will have the luggage space.

If you don't do much highway driving, the Corolla would be my pick to retain. The better resale value of the Innova would be in your favor.
However, if you do a lot of highway driving, the Innova could be the better choice to retain and the Taigun could be used for the city.

Third option you ask? Sell both and pick up a new SUV / Sedan in that respective budget that would keep everyone happy - Octavia, Superb, Tucson, Compass are some good options.

[adigup]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

Third option you ask? Sell both and pick up a new SUV / Sedan in that respective budget that would keep everyone happy - Octavia, Superb, Tucson, Compass are some good options.

I was thinking of the same. Germans seem to be unreliable because of the DSG. I don't want my dad to buy a headache. I really wish one of the Germans in that price bracket had a Torque Converter! Not sure if Tucson is a great car and if it really stands out, I like how the Jeep Meridian looks but people seem to hate how the space and interiors are done. Selling both Toyotas should get around 33 lakhs, and yes, there is literally nothing solid in the price range.

My dad has this 'dream' to own a BMW (The good part? They have Torque Converters), and I am not sure if selling both cars, putting extra rupees to own a BMW will be worth it (either 2 or 3 - provided we get some good discount; oh and X3 is way out of the budget but he loves it). The car will be driven by my dad only.

[Cyborg]

Simple answer, sell the Taigun!

Out of the three vehicles two are the fill it, shut it, forget it type. No prize for guessing they are your two Toyotas. Even if they are not being used much you can be sure every time you turn the key/start it, it will start and give you a trouble free and comfortable experience.

Skoda Taigun = a ticking time bomb as far as reliability and longevity are concerned. Sell it off and keep the ones which will serve you well for years to come.

Cheers

[PaddleShifter]

If you wish to sell one car among these three, sell the Innova.

Reasons:
1. Taigun is a compact car so shall be easy for all members to drive. You also say that all members of your family drive it and that you need a Taigun sized car. So do not sell the Taigun.

2. Between Altis and Innova: I would not recommend selling both and buying a premium/luxury car. The depreciation hit is too much to swap such reliable (pure Toyota genes) cars with (definitely) less reliable German one. Taigun isn’t that reliable and niggles are frequently reported by owners. So do keep one of the Toyotas with you.
3. Innova is a bigger car and you have no need for that while the Altis is also reasonably spacious for 3-4 people.
4. You say Altis is loved by all in your family. It is also an automatic just like the Innova so you need not think about the transmission preference either.