[Aditya]

Here at Team-BHP, we often suggest waiting for a while before buying a freshly launched car model. We recommend waiting for the "Version 2" of a new car so that the company gets some time to iron out the niggles that may arise in the "Version 1" of a car. Nobody wants to be a beta tester for the manufacturer. However, there are some drawbacks to buying a Version 2. Let's have a look at the pros of buying version 1 and version 2 of a new car.

Pros of buying a version 1

Get the latest offering in town:

It is always exciting to own something that is newly introduced in the market. Many people take a sense of pride in saying, "My car is from the first lot". You will also get a lot of attention from others who are curious to know more about your latest acquisition.



Benefit from introductory prices:

Most cars are launched at an "introductory price", which is lower than the intended price. This is to attract more people to the showrooms and secure as many bookings as possible. This price is increased after a month or two. It is then hiked regularly - sometimes multiple times a year and those buying the car a year later end up paying a lot more. Buying a vehicle at the introductory price helps you save some money.

Get the latest set of features:

A new model is generally equipped with the latest features in the market. This is done to make the car more attractive to buyers compared to the established players. They may be deleted from the car at a later stage to keep the price from rising too much. For instance, the Honda Jazz came with a magic seats option at launch but was discontinued after a while. Then, the second-gen Mahindra Thar got manual lumbar adjustment at launch but was removed after some time. So if one is looking to get the latest set of features possible in a car, get version 1 of the car.

Get an exclusive variant:

Some manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz launch a "Launch Edition" of certain models. These are limited in number and offer more exclusivity compared to the regular variants of the car.



More powerful engines:

Some cars are available with bigger and more powerful engines when they are launched. For instance, cars like the Maruti S-Cross and Toyota Innova Crysta came with higher capacity engines at the time of launch (1.6L diesel & 2.8L diesel respectively). After a while, these engines were discontinued. Later buyers were forced to opt for the 1.3-litre and 2.4-litre motors which had lesser power and torque.

Pros of buying a version 2

Avoid niggles and issues:

One of the biggest cons of buying a version 1 car is the threat of niggles and other issues that pop up. You essentially become a beta tester of the product. We have read innumerable horror stories of cars breaking down, some on the day of delivery itself. No cars from Tatas to Toyotas are immune to niggles when new products are launched. Many of these cars repeatedly visit the service centres to solve issues. With version 2, these issues are mostly ironed out, ensuring that the car buyers have a more pleasant ownership experience. For instance, the second-gen Mahindra Thar's suspension was really bouncy when the car was launched. With time, Mahindra softened it a little and made it liveable.

Get a clearer picture of ownership experience and reliability:

Buyers of version 1 of a car will not have enough information on the long-term reliability of a product. Waiting for version 2 will give a better idea of what a car is to live with. Team-BHP ownership reviews give you all the information that brochures don't. Information like real-world fuel efficiency, necessary upgrades and essential accessories among other things are something that you get to know about from other owners. This helps buyers to be more prepared for the ownership of the cars.

Feature additions:

Sometimes, manufacturers add features to a car some months or years after the car is launched. Version 1 buyers lose out on the new features. For instance, the Harrier, Tata added one of the standout features that customers look for. The version 1 Harrier did not get a sunroof, but the version 2 Harrier got a panoramic sunroof.



Avoid long waiting periods for some cars after launch:

If a product does much better than the manufacturer expects, it will command a very long waiting period. The Mahindra XUV700 and second-gen Thar are examples of such cars. The price, features and status associated with these cars offered, drew massive crowds to the showrooms. The company was not producing enough to meet the number of bookings it had garnered. This led to very long waiting periods. Waiting for version 2 of a car might be advantageous as the early rush is avoided and a quicker delivery is possible.

Get discounts:

When a car is launched, it is not likely to be offered with any discount. However, if a car does not do too well in the market, its price is slashed to attract customers. The Maruti Jimny is a recent example.



Would you buy version 1 of a car and deal with all the niggles and issues that crop up and live with them or wait for version 2 and buy a car which might have also lost some of the features the launch car had?

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line.

[MotoBlip]

Personally, my decision to buy a car at launch depends on the manufacturer. If it's Maruti, Hyundai, Toyota, or Honda, I wouldn't hesitate. However, for brands like Mahindra or Tata, I'd prefer waiting at least 3 years to let them address any initial issues before making a decision.

[sreejithkk]

When 2nd gen Ertiga was launched in November 2018, I booked the same on the launch week, and got it delivered by early 2019. I was following this car, when it was launched in Indonesia. However if it was a Tata or Mahindra car, I might rather wait for at least 1 year. So to me, it depends on the manufacturer. For Japanese and Koreans, I would rather trust the car from the 1st version itself, but for Indian manufactures, I would wait for an year.

[Vik0728]

Voted for Wait for Version 2

The automotive industry is one of the biggest and most competitive industries in India. Many international manufacturers have failed miserably to crack the code and ran away with their tail between their legs.
At the same time, there are numerous foreign manufacturers who are consistently giving our desi honchos a run for their worth.

Through all this, is the biggest purpose of an automobile manufacturer - Month on Month numbers or volume. This is what results in many (if not most) of the half baked products with the Version 1.0. Almost always, the Version 2.0 or later iterations seem to have an offering that is close to perfection.

To name few Tata, VW, Royal Enfield, Mahindra, Honda. Version 1.0 from these manufacturers seldom had the VFM offering that the later iterations gave.

[anjan_c2007]

A buyer must always target the version 2 or later versions, rather than jump and book or buy the immediately launched car. At times, circumstances compel the buyer to shop for the version 1. I read what Aditya has carefully jotted down with his long-long experience in the field.

Yes, with the version 1, we must avoid becoming the laboratory pet, guniea pigs with we being the lot, based on whose feedbacks the OE may look into niggles. Tata and Mahindra are known since the last few decades as the OE's launching cars and then tackling issues based on feedbacks and grievances.

For instance, the first generation Scorpio was well known for the wrong reasons for its rear suspension, that made it unstable at higher speeds. They took more than five years to overcome this niggle.

Another factor, apart from what Aditya has jotted is the car's public reception with the pre-launch media hype created by OE's that enthuse buyers, who simply go gaga over the fact that such a car is being launched. And post launch, despite the bookings of several thousands and sometimes lakhs, the car fails to match its buyers expectations. Cancellation of bookings also by the thousands and maybe lakhs follow and the earliest buyers of such cars bear the brunt of ownership of such an over-hyped car, soon gone kaput. Examples are many starting from the Fiat Uno to the Maruti Jimny over the decades. For two wheelers the 100 cc, LML Vespa XE launch of around 1982 is not to be forgotten. Even there was some hype for the Hyundai Santro to be relaunched about 8 years ago. The company could do nothing to recreate their late 1990's hype and magic for the oldest Santro with their calling it the "tall boy" and tagging King Khan as their lucky mascot. The new Santro came and soon disappeared.

Hence, its always advisable to wait for the carmaker to improve upon their Generation 1 launch, though many would prefer to grab all those factory fitted bells and whistles and get joyous over the introductory prices. There are times when a car is urgently needed at home and thats when one is also tempted to grab their machine from the first few lots.

[Shreyans_Jain]

Totally depends on the manufacturer and the car in concern. I’d not be too concerned about picking up a mass market Maruti, Hyundai, Honda or Toyota. Simply because exceptions aside, they sell products based on the same set of proven underpinnings and with time tested powertrains. So, there is minimal risk is surprises and unknowns.

I’d like to wait for 1-1.5 years with a brand new Tata or Mahindra or any car that brings in new technologies for the brand (things like DCTs, direct injection, EV etc). Here again, there can be exceptions for genuinely world class global products like Hyundai Ioniq5 or Kia EV6 or cars like the new Nexon EV 3.0, which is essentially a thorough facelift of the proven Nexon EV Max.

[mgastor2022grey]

I'd say wait for the version 2, though it completely depends on the manufacturer and the car.

For example, I bought one of the first few batches of the Astor (within 5000 cars delivered) and I must say, the car is super reliable (touchwood) for a first batch car and there are no quality issues, nor any problems. However, they do miss out on some features that are expected in a V2 car, such as ventilated seats and auto-dimming IRVM, which are expected to be fixed in the V2 by MG.

I must say, it is best to wait for the V2 batch, as the manufacturers will address the major concerns and provide an overall better product (Example: Kia Seltos, Tata Safari). However, it might vary with the manufacturer. A facelift might not bring major changes and just be merely cosmetic or very minor which is negligible. (Example: Mercedes AMG A45S). In that case, waiting for the V2 generation is not very advised, especially when we know that the changes are just cosmetic.

[silverado]

The two brand new cars i bought were version 1.

However i waited a fair bit before buying them.
Nano was launched in 2009, i bought it in 2011

Baleno was launched in Oct 2015, i bought it in June 2016.

I read all the reviews, got a general feel whether they had any niggles or not and then went ahead.
I didnt care about the early bird discounts, so didnt rush to buy them.

Its not an easy question to answer, when you are in market to buy a car you go ahead and buy the best selling best available car that ticks all the boxes for you. In this scenario you will only wait for version 2 if the 1st version has been launched long back and the new one is just round the corner. Or buy version 1 if its sold for a good discount when ver 2 is about to come.

[IshWish]

Would wait: Skoda, VW, TATA, Mahindra, Renault, Nissan, MG.
Would go ahead: Suzuki, Honda, Kia, Hyundai, Toyota.

P.S. These are my personal views and no offense to any car owner.

[Kosfactor]

Voted Yes!

Given my long association with Team-BHP, I now have that confidence.

With the current Emissions regulations, Safety regulations, high taxes, input costs etc OEMs are indeed burning the midnight oil before bringing something to the market (mostly).

I will happily pick up Maruti , Hyundai \ KIA, Mahindra , Toyota if in the market for it. I am aware of the Jimny as well as the Hilux having to be sold with discounts recently but then if something that is overpriced and also has low demand - someone did not do their homework well, usually an exceptional case.

[The Rationalist]

We bought 2 Ford's the same month it was launched. It was a need, so had no option. Maybe we were lucky that there wasn't any big issue. But if it is a want no harm waiting for a sorted out one. There's also a question whether the said manufacturers will be ever able to bring out a sorted out one even after the first few years!

[shankar.balan]

I had the V1 of the Maruti 800 DX Mpfi 5 Speed.
Then V1 of the Hyundai Santro DX
Then V1 of the Bolero Sportz.
And the V1 of the Skoda Yeti.
And the V1 of the new Thar.
I have no problem doing this if I want/ need the vehicle badly enough. No regrets so far Touch-Wood!

[travelwriter]

I voted for "Depends on the brand."

I would go in for VW vehicles without hesitation. I would not mind going for some other brands like Honda or Toyota but I know they would be priced unjustifiably high.

Brands like Suzuki, Hyundai and Kia - I would not prefer since I feel they focus more on comfort features and bling rather than driver preferences.

I am not able to talk about premium cars as I am neither their target segment nor do I see myself spending half a crore on a car. Ever.

Travelwriter

[shancz]

Voted depends on the brand but accidentally
Version 2 is what I would aim for or about an year down the line with no major issues reported.