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BHPian karansm4u recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Hi All,
A few months back I shifted to San Francisco, USA for a job and planning to stay here for a longish time (keeping aside visa situations).
As with the relocation the hunt for a car needs to be started and I do not have a deep understanding of the car market here, especially during the time when used car prices have gone up too much last year and new car inventory is at an all-time low.
So please provide advice on what car to buy. Let me pen down some aspects of my personal front which will help folks to advise.
In India, I bought VW Vento 1.6 TDI back in Jan 2011. Build quality, torque, and handling of Vento was amazing. I enjoyed driving that car and continued to own it till Jan-2023 for an entire 12 years till I relocated to the USA.
Many of my friends, and relatives wanted me to change the car but I could not just sell the Vento and even now I gave it to my cousin so it stays in the family.
It was not that difficult to maintain as on yearly basis I just had to invest a few days to sort things out and I got a trusted FNG mechanic who has done regular services, suspension work and all other necessary maintenance. I have gotten its service done every 10K KM with the best quality engine oil (Liqui Moly Top-Tech or VW 505-01 grade) and stopped going to the VW service center since 2015 after my extended warranty was over.
Even after being driven for ~135,000KM, Vento still looks almost as new. So I do keep my cars for around ~15 years or more (If allowed by RTO) and take good care of them.
My wife drives a Hyundai Elite I20 Petrol and we have had this with us for 7 years and driven very less ~35K KM.
Eventually, we plan to buy two cars here.
Main: One car which would be a proper SUV that can be taken on long travels and have enough space for luggage, and camping. This definitely needs to be hybrid otherwise fuel cost of running an SUV would be too much. Possibly a 7-8 seater which gives flexibility in having more people when needed.
Secondary: Can be a compact SUV or sedan. Primary use would be local travel, kids school, groceries and smaller office commute.
After many discussions with friends and colleagues, they recommended buying the "Secondary" car first so that it will be relatively cheaper and would not create too much financial burden (especially now that interest rates are pretty high here and since I just relocated so my credit score will take some time to build). Not to mention popular hybrid cars have crazy waiting periods (~ a year or more) and too much dealer markup if one wants to purchase right now. This will also give me 2-3 years and at that time I can get my main car (a relatively costly one) as a used one so getting better value.
So with that in mind I am looking for my "Secondary" car as of now.
These are the only cars I checked online, taken test drive of several of them and will be making a decision in 2-3 weeks' time.
Interestingly this is creating three sub-categories and the summary problem statement goes like this:
From a utility perspective, a car which would be used as an only car for the first ~3 years and post that will become a secondary car with limited usage. For a family of 4 which category makes more sense?
Here's what BHPian shankar.balan had to say about the matter:
Considering your post, I believe you like keeping your cars for longer periods and you are a family of four. This works well in the US because they don’t have strictures like the ones our NGT are imposing on us.
I would suggest if this is to be your only all-purpose car in which you wish to commute as well as travel and explore, it makes the best sense to buy a nice spacious SUV. Don’t forget your kids will grow taller year by year and you don’t want them all cramped up. You will need luggage space. When you embrace the US lifestyle and see the opportunities for camping out and adventure and exploration and road trips and barbecues and sports and National Parks/ Scenic Spots and all sorts of things which are different from India, you will definitely find an SUV to suit you better.
Also, you are in the US. Car Mecca if I may. Pricing is reasonable. Fuel isn’t too frightfully expensive. USA is NOT a Diesel market so Petrol is the way to go. Great used cars are available in plenty. You’re absolutely spoiled for choice. Powerful Big cars are easy to get and easy to drive on those roads.
I would work with the Japanese brands, to begin with and consider the American ones too. I think you would do well, apart from Honda and Toyota, to consider Mazda and Altima and Acura and all. They are a cut above the run-of-the-mill. And perhaps expand your horizon a little to include Ford, GMC, Chevrolet and Jeep/ Chrysler too.
Try CarMax. They are good. You can also consider buying used from the good reputed rental car companies like Alamo, National, Hertz and all.
Wishing you all the best. Above all, enjoy your time and your new car and your new world.
Here's what BHPian vb-san had to say about the matter:
Below are my suggestions:
- Mazda CX-50: Neat little crossover, and the new age Mazda models oozes quality. And this is one brand which has not lost its mojo in the sea of technology.
- Honda Civic: The new Civic looks good and should provide a fuss-free ownership experience. I believe you even have the Civic Si there which comes with 6-speed manual (though, considering that you are based in SF, a manual transmission car will be an adventure of its own
Though you mentioned that EVs are ruled out, CA is an EV state with good charging infrastructure. And for that reason, I would suggest checking out the Tesla Model 3.
Happy shopping!
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