Factors to be considered while buying second car of the house

Do you buy it with functional considerations, or just buy the vehicles which your heart says? Are there any definite calculations and parameters checked while planning a multi-car garage?

BHPian petrol_power recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

It has become not so uncommon for families to have 2 or more cars, so I was thinking about what would be the right mix of vehicles for the majority. Maybe we can classify our requirements as city utility vs highway utility.

For city requirement - comfort, stability, convenience, driving pleasure matters to a very limited extent owing to the increasing traffic density across all cities in India, and the traffic will only go up. So I feel any car, with decent AC, can suit city purpose. Some may be wary about the size, but size does not matter once we are used to the vehicle and even parking can be managed. After all, we may be driving a 5 meter car in place of a 4 meter car, but its not a 15 meter car. So parking worries are just our mental barricades. In fact, driving a big bulky Thar may make others give way and would be better than driving small cars in the city. And not to forget the better visibility. Also, smaller colony roads have craters and may be better tackled using a high ground clearance vehicle.

For highway cruising - We take highway trips for long distance touring / trips, travelling to the native place with family, etc. Now here, since we may be sitting for hours continuously, comfort becomes paramount important. At the same time, stability, driving pleasure, engine power, everything becomes important. SUV trumps in comfort, convenience, ride quality. But any SUV/crossover will fail miserably in stability when compared to sedans. And stability is very crucial in highway runs (Moose test). Also in places like Kerala, where we still have single-lane highway without divider, we have to dart with sudden acceleration and need to have lane cutting stability. I have seen Karnataka & Kerala highways - off-late, all of them are well asphalted and do not have large craters in the highways. SUVs will help in long-distance touring, if it has 4x4, it can help in some tricky situations.

What do you guys consider when buying your second car? Do you buy it with functional considerations, or just buy the vehicles which your heart says? Are there any definite calculations and parameters checked while planning a multi-car garage? (I am not considering various brands and their service levels here).

Here's what BHPian gkveda had to say on the matter:

My considerations were very simple. One for long journey and another for city driving.

Consideration for long journey

The one for long journey should be a mile muncher. Should never get tired. Reliability should be at its peak. Should have the ability to cruise at 3 digit speeds all day long and next day morning. It should have the enthusiasm to run the same distance as the previous day without hesitation. Should never get tired or show a tiring face while we end the day. Of course, safety in terms of airbags, ABS are considered to be a given.

Consideration for city car

The one for city drive should be able to manoeuvre easily on any small road within my city, enough power, good mileage, good space to accommodate 5 people (reason for this requirement is that we are 4+2 children in our family. If we have to go together, we need a car that accommodates 5 easily and 4+2 can be adjusted). Of course, reliability is of high importance even for city drive. Safety took a slightly lower priority compared to reliability since the car was planned for city driving only.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

From what I have seen in 2-car homes, the 2nd car is either:

- A cheaper or smaller car (usually sub-4 meter) for the spouse. Used primarily by the spouse in the city only.

- Or the 2nd car was earlier the primary car, and is now used as the 'rough use' beater because the owner bought a superior primary car.

- Of course, I know of some enthusiasts who keep a passionate 2nd car. Most common is a 4x4.

Here's what BHPian Jeroen had to say on the matter:

Apart from my classic cars, my wife and I have always had two cars. Each of us has a daily runner. Her car and my car. She gets what she likes, I get what I like.

If the second car is primarily for somebody else than yourself, I think you should not get involved and let the other person decide what he or she wants. As my wife and I have vastly different preference when it comes to cars, we tend to end up with very different cars. Mine tends to be big and fast, hers small and cute.

We rarely drive each others car. She needs to go to Frankfurt, Germany, a 600 km journey, she takes her tiny cute car. I need to pop into town, 6 km, I take my big and fast car.

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