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What to look for when upgrading cars

2nd August 2021, 17:57 by Rahul Nagaraj

Your first car, in almost all the cases becomes a benchmark and you start looking for a new car which can enhance your ownership experience.

BHPian TheVegabond recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

This weekend got me thinking about what people look for when they upgrade from their current car. Mind you buying a new car for first time or purchasing a second car (while still keeping your first car) is a totally different affair IMHO. Here, I am specific about when you plan to let go off your first car and are truely looking for an upgrade.

In such a scenario, your first car in almost all the cases becomes a benchmark and you start looking for a new car which can enhance your ownership experience. So what are the things you look for when upgrading their cars?

Purely from the upgrade perspective, what I am looking for is, what are the factors that affect your final decision. Few points that come to my mind (no particular order) are:

Better engine and performance - having driven your current car for a number of years you would be looking for your new car to give you more pleasure behind the wheels.
More space - Sure the bigger the car the bigger is the hassle to drive it in city traffic. You would also need adequate parking space. But with the increase in the number of family members one would mostly be looking for a car with more space than the one they are currently driving.
Better safety - we are becoming more aware about the safety features in the car and it has started affecting our buying decisions.
Social ego - you might necessarily have to buy a better (read bigger) car than someone specific in your social circle.
More features - The only thing that matters to my 6yrs old daughter is the sunroof in the car. For many of us most of the good to have features from past years have now become must haves.

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

I witnessed a few car upgrades and changes in the past 5-6 years for different reasons. Some were due to changing requirements and some were due to the itch to change:
Need for convenient automatic for the city: Due to issues with hired drivers back in 2017-18, I convinced my parents to try driving an automatic for their pure city usage. Our 2001 Alto was not really due for a change as it was running well, but we started scouting for an automatic in the range of 5-20 lacs. Yes, this is not a typo. We were flexible as long as it suits us. After lots of test-drives from Altos, Celerios to Brezzas, Cretas and Hexas, we finally got the Baleno Alpha CVT as it had the ideal dimensions for my parents' use, smoothest transmission, good feature list and good support from Maruti, where Honda did not even respond with a test-drive for the Jazz.
Need for a safer car with modern features and preferably an automatic for the highway: I got a 2008 SX4 ZXi back in 2017 for my highway travel. For the roads I traveled on, I am surprised it has survived without any under body damage apart from minor hits at times. So I started looking for another pre-owned car since 2018 which ideally should be a body-on-frame having a better safety credential and with more factory features (music through USB, bluetooth telephony, reverse camera with sensors which sounded luxurious coming from a 2008 car and seeing our Baleno). I tested a lot of Stormes, Pajeros, Fortuners and Hexas, but was unable to end up the deal for some reason. The search ended in 2021 when I got a 2017 Hexa XTA at a price too tempting for me to refuse.
Need for smaller car: In 2018, a cousin needed to replace his 2010 Swift Dzire ZDi that had run close to 2 lacs with something a little more manageable in traffic. At the showroom, he was looking at the new Dzire but was not happy with the light build compared to his first generation. He checked the Brezza ZDi+ AMT parked nearby, was happy with the size, build and height. There was only one piece left on 31st December 2018 and he bought it immediately with quite some discount in addition to avoiding the price hike the next day.
Need for a larger car with better spares support: Another relative got a used Corsa few years back. Then he got married, had kids and finding the spares for Corsa were starting to become a difficult task. After searching for a 7 seater, he ultimately ended up with a pre-owned Mobilio as it was a better deal with more space than a first generation Ertiga.
Need for change: A fellow I know had a pre-owned Alto. He used the same for a year before upgrading to a pre-owned Cruze. He was all happy with the car except the higher running costs and spare prices compared to the Alto. After using the same for a year and a half, he replaced the same with a pre-owned Eon a few months ago, which cost him more than the selling price of the Cruze! Had I not been looking for a body-on-frame, I would have sold my SX4 to get the Cruze and still saved north of 6 digits at the price he was selling! Now he seems happy with the cost of ownership, but again misses the comfort and stability of the Cruze. I am waiting what his next purchase is, a few months down the line. I have had long conversations with the fellow, trying to inject some logic and financial sense. But alas, his appetite for change defies all logic. The amount he has lost on those sales would have got him a new Alto.

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

I keep asking this question to myself every eleven days.
My current drive is a 2018 Ford Ecosport and 1st gen Figo was the only car in our family for good 7 years. What I definitely know is that I cannot buy a Suzuki product. Anyway, they don't offer anything that would be a real 'upgrade' to Ecosport.
Sharing below a list of things I'd look at when I replace my car.
1. Ride and Handling.
Here's a friend's compass. If anything could really make me happy after the first gen Figo, it's this car. I love how Fords, Fiats and Europeans tune their suspension. I don't make outstation trips as often as my friends, but when I do; I want a car that gives me confidence. A car that handles well + ghats / hill stations = smiles.
2. Steering wheel.
Again, Figo really spoiled me. There is no better car than the Figo if you'd like to have fun at moderate speeds. I absolutely despise the electric steering wheels we get today, but I guess that's the best we can do. If I ever get an option to buy a car that offers a pure hydraulic unit, I'll be ready to pay a premium or I'd be okay to make compromises in other areas. I will upgrade to a car that has a good steering feel & feedback, and goes where I point it.
3. Steering wheel (again!), instrumentation, and lights.
These are items directly in my line of sight every time I drive, non-negotiable features for me - all buttons should be backlit, the steering should be good to hold and see, and the speedo console should be designed well. A lot of people praise the instrumentation design on current gen Creta. But I don't like it one bit. I love the dials on Kushaq, old school tachometer and speedo, what a classic! I also like the instrumentation on 5th gen city, Seltos and the newer and expensive VWs / Audis / Skodas.
4. Decent look.
No brainer. The new gen Creta isn't for me. EcoSport is okay.
5. Alloys
Getting aftermarket alloys is a task. I'd love it if my next car has a decent set of shoes from factory. But it's really easy to please me on this one, I like almost everything that has a hint of black and chrome.
6. Good build quality outside, interiors put together tight.
Yes, I know it's not related to safety. But I still like heavy doors and the thuds. And rattles? No. Please god, no!
7. Others: Besides these points, I'd also appreciate if my car is smart or clever in performing little tasks. If I engage reverse, ORVMs tilting down a bit and rear wiper getting activated, that's thoughtful. My Ecosport doesn't have a separate warning light for low fuel or high engine temperature, the two signs are white lit in general, first one turns amber and the latter glows red when they want to talk to you. What a waste of money this is, but I appreciate the thought. One touch up / down on all four power windows, warning on MID for sunroof, bonnet or boot and also the ability to remote close all windows / sunroof via remote key / app would be nice to have.