[Cyborg]

In my opinion the concept of this poll is flawed.

It may be seem simple to tick a box or a radio button in a poll or discussion, BUT, when it comes down to practical life/rational thinking there cannot be *ONE* deal maker which could contribute to a buying decision.

Think about it guys - there would always be a combination of factors which would/could lead to a deal.
There can be *ONE* deal breaker as someone has mentioned earlier though - that is possible.

[HammerHead]

Cannot be just *ONE* at least for me!!

It has to be a mix of Safety, Build Quality, Handling, Ride quality, Space & Looks among the items listed. Engine, Equipment, Reliability, FE & Interiors may take back seat.

[blue_pulsar]

GTO, I believe there has to be many things a car has to do right for a person to buy it. There are some areas a person is willing to compromise. There can be one-deal-breaker.

E.g. I love cars with powerful diesel engines. But whats the use if it handles like a boat?

Also depends on the money you pay. You cannot expect everything in an alto. But the same shortcomings in a segment higher will look glaring.

[Sutripta]

Unreliability is a deal breaker. I expect my cars to be reliable. Just as I expect it to have four wheels.
The other dealbreaker is a bad HVAC.

Beyond this, it is a matter of horses for courses.
For my city runabout, nimbleness, then FTD. Luckily I have both in Alto K10. And in winter, the M800 5 speed.

For highway travel, safety then usable accomodation. Luckily again, I have the best (nonexotic) diesel engine in the Fortuner.

Other things being equal (which never is), it would be the FTD index. Which is a mix of various separate characteristics.

Sutripta

[poloman]

The thread should have discussed the "Top ten deal makers". For me
1) Budget
2) Looks
3) Handling
4) Brand
5) Build Quality
6) Safety
7) Driveabilty ( Engine+good gearing)
8) Space and interiors
9) FE
10) A.S.S
I feel the Engine topping the polls also is skewed. If true we should have seen TSIs, Tjets etc dominating the forum in ownership reports.

[guyfrmblr]

Its engine and ride quality. Also interiors as I drive almost 80 kms a day and my car is like a second home for me. So I do care a lot about interiors.

[MaserQ]

Ideally, it should have been a list that could be ranked in order of priority. Most buyers look at the overall package these days and yes, sometimes there is that one deal maker/tie-breaker that could does tilt preference in favour of a particular car. My top 5 would read safety, handling, engine, looks and reliability in that order.

[Trident]

It is the Engine, Safety and Reliability for me.

[envyravi]

In my case it was the rear leg space. I was bent upon buying Punto but the cramped rear leg space broke the deal and I ended up buying Figo Tdi Titanium instead. On hindsight a wise decision, touch wood no issues so far with Figo and I am loving every Km i drive on it.

[CoolFire]

Somehow, I can't (now) stand a car which doesn't handles well. So its handling for me. Of course the engine shouldn't be too bad either. But handling is one segment where cars vary by a huge margin today.

[romeomidhun]

55% people think engine / reliability is their top-most priority. So there is no surprise in Maruti selling about 50% cars in India!

Moderators, please add 1) Mileage 2) A.S.S in the list.

[vigsom]

for me Reliability must be tops ; that's why I am a Japanese fan.

Of the four cars I have owned so far,the engines have been great only in two.

All cars served my purpose and never never let me down enroute

I judged reliability from the general health of the cars' electricals and mechanicals.

[Aroy]

Handling is important, especially if you love driving fast, but the handling has to be mated with an engine powerful enough to enjoy handling! So in my opinion both go hand in hand.

[StarrySky]

When I bought the my car, I bought it because I like most of the things about it - and most of them are in the poll options. The other contenders had one or more deal-breakers (Polo - price, rear space; i20 - did not like the steering feel).

But I think there can be *ONE* deal-maker, just as there can be *ONE* deal-breaker. When it comes down to choosing one car among two or three that you have short-listed, that's when the deal-maker comes in.

Usually it's the price. Or just some feature which is there in your personal favourite among the contenders.

[akj123]

Since a car is the 'medium' to transport me and family, topmost priority for me is safety. Was not so aware earlier, but thanks to team-bhp, I now look at things like EURO NCAP ratings and would simply not buy a car which is not listed there. Preference would be for 5* cars only.

My hope is that some day we will get the same spec cars in india, as the ones submitted for these tests. Don't know why manufacturers skimp on those and don't provide atleast a top-end version which has all of them.

After safety, next is 'reliability', which for me means not being stuck on the road, minimum visits to A.S.S beyond those needed for scheduled services, and a good road-side assistance for those unfortunate days when problems do occur.

Next comes comfort for driving and passengers - so this includes sufficient space for passengers and luggage, ride quality, comfy seating and features (like power steering/windows etc).

Probably I'm one of the few bhpians who doesn't care that much for engine - as anyway I tend to drive slower now and don't mind others overtaking me in city/highway.