[TheVegabond]

Hello team,

Team-BHP forum page is showing more than 20000 active petrolheads online on a Saturday evening. I, being one of them is thinking - do we not have anything else to do! But then we do what we love to do - read through threads endlessly and make our own opinion.

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 of the cases becomes a benchmark and you start looking for a new car which can enhance your ownership experience. So what are the things BHPians look for when upgrading their cars?

Cheers!

[Researcher]

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:

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

[TheVegabond]

Originally Posted by Researcher

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:

Thank you Researcher, you have covered a lot of ground with the real life examples.

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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Better safety - we are becoming more aware about the safety features in the car and it has started affecting our buying decisions.
4. Social ego - you might necessarily have to buy a better (read bigger) car than someone specific in your social circle.
5. 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.

[MSC]

My steps of searching for an upgrade.
1. The first and the foremost rule, Don't go for affordability Go for practicality. While I may be able to afford a 40L SUV, but what's the use when it will never go out of municipal limits? You don't take a Ferrari or Lamborghini for a Leh or Spiti drive. Similarly buying a 7 seater for a family of 3/4 is sheer wastage of resources. The current Covid scenario has made everyone think about resource saving ( read savings).
2. Safety. A big yes.
3. Fuel efficiency - A car with efficiency a bit on lower side will be manageable rather than having a fuel efficient one which keeps flying on every pothole and speed breaker.
4. It doesn't matters if the car is one day old or one decade old, you must be able to make you, smile every time you see it washed and shining to it's glory or whenever you step out after a drive.
5. "Bling". - who won't want a car which excels both in safety as well as bling.

[achyutaghosh]

I am planning an upgrade in the next 12 months. What i would look for in the change-

1. More space- Preferably 3 rows of seats, as we now have a pet and would like to travel with him.

2. More safety- My current Compass has 2 airbags. I would like to have curtain airbags too in the next upgrade, on top of the current set of safety tools.

3. 4X4- Now that international travel will be relatively lower, we plan to explore India on wheels. A 4X4 will be helpful in many situations.

4. Automatic- Will prefer a torque converter over a DCT. Too many incidents of DCT/DSG failures. Torque converters are rmore reliable, plus the gap is narrowing i feel, between modern TCs and DCTs

5. Petrol power- While the electric revolution is still some time away, given my running volumes and NGT, i would prefer a more powerful turbo petrol as compared to my Compass

6. Build quality- This is an underrated factor for most, but i like well built cars with simple yet high quality interiors over features and gizmos.

[saikarthik]

First thing, I would search if there are other BHPians selling their cars and choose from the pre-worshipped list if any car checks all the boxes of my requirements.

[Shreyans_Jain]

BHPians, just like other car buyers, will choose whichever car they think best meets their requirements. They will however be a lot more aware of their options and their pros and cons. They will be more likely to make an informed decision after objectively considering their options instead of relying on herd mentality choices or the salesman's pitch or simply picking up what their neighbour or chachaji chose. They are also more likely to be appreciate the sheer value of pre loved cars and be open to considering them for their upgrade.

To sum it up, a BHPian driving an Eon may choose to upgrade to a Baleno. He will be making an informed decision if he feels the Baleno is best suited to his needs. He would have made that call with full knowledge of the peppy and frugal engine and good space and also of the flimsy build, mediocre part quality and questionable safety. The difference between a casual buyer and BHPian is simply in the quality and depth of analysis done for deciding on what to buy. An informed buyer will invariably be happier and more satisfied with his purchase.

[Chugh_H]

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.

(Source: TBHP review)

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.

(Source: TBHP review)

4. Decent looks
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!
(Source: TBHP review)

7. 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.

[gkveda]

In my view, upgradation is not matter of grey matter. It is matter that belongs to heart. Some corner of the heart starts eyeing on a car that "it" wants. Then, brain starts working on substantiating the reasons to support heart decision. Some times, it goes to the extent of criticizing the car that served well for several years with out trouble. Few times, the criticism would be true as well. As time goes, the brain develops the reasoning so strong that it convinces everybody in the family and finally succeeds.

Few reasons brain searches for upgradation are

1. More space
2. More seating capacity
3. More engine capacity
4. Ground clearance
5. Safety
6. Ride quality
7. Comfort
8. Some additional Features
9. Out dated technology
10. Traffic conditions (reason for going to auto gear)
11. Increasing Repair costs in current car(this may be true as well)
12. Security features
13. Off-roading capabilities.
Etc
Etc

While most of the above points are true, the point that I am making is, it is not the brain that initiates the thread. Heart is the main source of trigger. Brain just follows the instructions from heart and works to substantiate hearts requirement.

[kosjam]

After going through the whole comment list, I feel I am the odd man out when I say, that for me, techno innovation is important. While that has never been a reason for purchase in my family, (I live in a joint family) it has always been the reason for all the cars lined up in my Khayali Pulao Garage!!!

As a natural consequence, the next car in my sight is the Nexon EV or the Altroz EV. Why not the Hyundai Kona or MG? Well the former is too cramped and not VFM, and the latter is Chinese. For me that is a deal breaker, even though I know it is brimming with features.

Comparing the Kona to the Nexon, agreed that the Nexon is more or less the same size as the Kona, but then at just two thirds the cost!!! And since beauty is subject to the eyes of the beholder, for me the Nexon hands down beats the Kona in the looks department...

[TheVegabond]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

BHPians, just like other car buyers, will choose whichever car they think best meets their requirements. They will however be a lot more aware of their options and their pros and cons. They will be more likely to make an informed decision after objectively considering their options instead of relying on herd mentality choices or the salesman's pitch or simply picking up what their neighbour or chachaji chose. They are also more likely to be appreciate the sheer value of pre loved cars and be open to considering them for their upgrade.

To sum it up, a BHPian driving an Eon may choose to upgrade to a Baleno. He will be making an informed decision if he feels the Baleno is best suited to his needs. He would have made that call with full knowledge of the peppy and frugal engine and good space and also of the flimsy build, mediocre part quality and questionable safety. The difference between a casual buyer and BHPian is simply in the quality and depth of analysis done for deciding on what to buy. An informed buyer will invariably be happier and more satisfied with his purchase.

Beautiful! This sums it up pretty well when it comes to differentiating an average car purchase versus BHPians doing their things.

This is the kind of thought process that I unknowingly applied when purchasing my first car. The so called expert advice was to go for Santro/WagonR if not Eon/Alto, not that any of these is a bad car but thanks to endless readings on this forum, I knew what I wanted in my car. The result - I am happily holding onto my car for 7 years and almost 1 lakh KMs.

Sure enough the time might not be too far for an upgrade and that's why this thread, but till then I am more than happy with the decision I took 7 years ago.

[vinya_jag]

For me:

1. An even better Driver's car
2. Lighter yet safer
3. Bigger Engine, yet more fuel efficient
4. Better interiors, better sound insulation
5. Better brand image
6. Better resale Value

[MaheshY1]

It depends on the situation, budget and options available in the market at the time of upgrading.

For me, when upgrading from WagonR LPG to Beat Diesel my requirements were:
- highway worthy engine
- decent highway manners
- comfortable for long driving
- Low fuel costs
- reliable powertrain
- power steering

The Nano AMT was not an upgrade but an addition to meet the needs the Beat wasn't meeting:
- automatic
- compact-er
- good ground clearance
- good FE, low maintenance
- spacious for 4 adults (for occasional use)
- as cheap as possible

For my next car, I'm guessing I'll need an EV to further cut down on the operating costs.

There's a clear first-mover advantage with buying EVs. I was on the first-mover train when Freecharge launched, when Paytm launched, when Paytm launched mall, when Paytm launched groceries, when Paytm launched the direct UPI, when Google Pay launched. I have to say, just being the first mover, I must have used more than 10k of their customer acquisition budget by doing things I'd have done anyway.

The same goes for EVs. Sooner or later the government is going to realise that EV owners are:
- buying subsidized cars (cars are taxed like sin goods)
- using subsidized domestic electricity
- paying no taxes on fuel (fuel is taxed like alcohol or cigarettes - super sin goods)

Still, under international pressure, the country has to show some initiative to go green.
Soon, these subsidies will go away and EV owners will get taxed for driving as they're causing a huge drag on the economy (from upfront, fuel and electricity subsidies - direct or indirect.)

I'd want to make the most of it while I can and recover my EVs cost before the reforms.

These are my reasons for considering an upgrade to an EV as my next car. Unfortunately, I don't need a car at least for the next 3 yrs or so.

[GoCool]

Things that i looked for when upgrading from my decade old humble i10
1) Bigger vehicle.
2) Better engine.
3) Better Safety and build quality.
4) Comparable reliability, service and maintenance cost.
5) Modern features such as Android auto, Apple car play, Electric ORVM, Panoramic sun roof, electric adjustable seats, ventilated seats, better sound system, Ambient light, Rain sensor, rear AC vent etc.,
6) A different colour than existing car.
7) Better ground clearance.
8) Better or modern look and more fun to drive.

[neoonwheels]

Over the years, the criteria have changed and currently as I am in market for a new car, I am looking at (In that order):

1. Safety - Paramount now. I go for top end models and would love to have 5 star product with 6 airbags to boot
2. Automatic (No AMT) - City traffic moved me to ATs and DSG has spoiled
3. Ride and Handling - Dont want a race track car but something which has predictable handling
4. Sales and Support - This is important to keep the car for long term if required
5. VFM - Who does not love bang for the buck