[carthick1000]

TL;DR version

1. Safe, utilitarian and reliable - Tesla model 3
2. Fun and reliable - A roadster, preferably used MX-5 ND (in the cards for future when needed)

Long version

Safety, utility, fun and TCO matters in our choices.

Before pandemic related lockdowns and WFH started, my wife was just preparing to start her business and we were thinking of having a second car dedicated to her use. But then due to me working mostly from home office and my car used very scarcely, we dropped the plan of a second car. She is using mine, if she needs it. For shorter trips (<10km), we both have our own bicycles and it works pretty good. In a year or two, if at all, I have to work from office, we have to think about 2nd car. Usually we shortlist few cars when we buy and based on which one fit both our needs the most, we go with that option.

[armaan_singh]

For me it's always been simple :

1. The car that one takes to the good places, i.e client meetings, visits to high end hotels etc, unfortunately in my line of work, people genuinely judge you based on what set of 4 wheels you step out off. So this simply needs to be flashy, and preferably a sedan. Fuel efficiency and almost anything else take a back seat.

2. The car for everything else, and that means everything from in city drives to super long journeys. So this is the car that has to be reliable and offer decent FE as well.

For the 1st category I purchased a pre owned Civic, and for the 2nd category I purchased a top model Spresso. So far both serve the purpose perfectly well.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by armaan_singh

F

The car that one takes to the good places, i.e client meetings, visits to high end hotels etc, unfortunately in my line of work, people genuinely judge you based on what set of 4 wheels you step out off.

Out of curiosity, do you mind sharing what line of work you are in?

Thanks

Jeroen

[TejasKinger]

We've been a 2 car household since 2003 or so. Here's what our garage has looked like over the years.

The first car has always been the primary car, and the second one is the secondary car.

2003-2007: Ford Ikon, Maruti 800
2007-2014: Mahindra Scorpio, Ford Ikon
2014-2018: Mahindra Scorpio, Hyundai Grand i10
2018-present: Hyundai Creta, Hyundai Grand i10

The primary car was always more for weekend outings, road trips, and office runs.

The secondary car was always for school runs, grocery runs, errands, used by the driver (when we had one for a very short time).

While the secondary car might seem like the "beater" it is still cared for and maintained in pristine condition.

The purchase of the second car has always been governed by city-friendly size and budget. Keeping in mind Bangalore's growing traffic, we are planning to replace our second car with a pocket-friendly automatic too.

[atnyia]

Sometimes we ponder buying another car for wife or short distances. I usually look for something that is super easy to drive, park and easy to get in or out.

For my wife, it will be her first car and I am not able to think beyond a used Nano AMT or WagonR 1.2 Auto.

[Rakeshmbalaji]

We recently upgraded to a two car household, our earlier all in one drive used to be the glorious Swift Petrol. However with a new addition in the family and growing consciousness about more safety oriented aspects for highway driving (thanks primarily to the countless hours on TBHP), we added the new City CVT to our parking last month.

The primary considerations were the safety features, seating comfort, ride quality and space on offer with other modern day common bells and whistles included. I definitely vouch for the sleep inducing ability of those amazing rear seats while someone is cruising you around at 90-100 on some of Karnataka/TN’s stupendous highways People from Bangalore can relate to that Sleep Like A Baby poster on the KSRTC long distance Volvos when they were introduced.

For those days where a bit of gud’ old in gear acceleration and chucking is needed, the Swift will continue in its pristine avatar for at least a couple more years in addition to trekking drops and city runabouts.

Thanks,
Bala

[AKSarkar1]

I think in our family it has always been a uniform choice- either sedans or SUVs. My family and I primarily work for the government and that implies that we have little to no time for 'road trips' or going out of town. Majority of my daily commutes start from the suburbs and takes me to South Bombay.

Over the years, I have noticed that hatchbacks and smaller cars are unable to cope with the potholes and construction on Mumbai roads while SUVs are a pain to manoeuvre because of their sheer size. The sweet spot, in this case, are Sedans. Sedans are large enough for the daily chores and more importantly powerful enough to have a little fun on the days where I drive myself!

Therefore, my garage consists of mainly sedans while Fortuner sits quietly in the corner.

[fiat_tarun]

Both my parents & me have had a 2 car garage for sometime now.

My dad loves his WRV i-DTEC which is the primary car (the only sub. 4m SUV/Crossover that would take a golf kit in the boot at the time!) and used for the longer trips out of the city while mom's Tiago AMT is the city car. The consideration for the second car was that it had to be a small car under 7 Lakh. While an automatic was not a must have, it just made sense considering the convenience it offered.

My garage has the Ecosport S TDCI as the primary car and my wife drives an Alto AMT (O). The Alto is used only within the city and will stay that way. In this case, the need was for a automatic and with a budget of ~5L there weren't many options. It's a nice little car for the city and I think Maruti has the best AMT tuning of them all.

[Big Smoke]

We have been a two car family for the last 6 years. Prior to that, running was barely 5000 km a month, and we used to happily manage with one car.

While having two cars, the chief considerations are-
(1) Purpose.
(2) Budget.

In our case, one car had to do 75-85 kms daily, over a mix of bad suburb roads, expressway & city. The other had to do 42 km daily purely in the city. But we had a measley budget for the second car.

We initially started this routine with a Maruti Dzire VXI (which was our erstwhile primary car) & bought a used Maruti Ritz LDI. The Dzire did the city commute, while the Ritz did the longer commute.

We used the Ritz from 2016 - 2018, then replaced it with a new Ford Aspire Titanium TDCi in Dec 2018. It continued to do the longer commute.

This combination continued until the lockdown in Mar 2020. Our cars sat at home for 3 months straight. But as things opened up slowly, our long standing plan to replace our 12 year old Dzire started coming to the forefront.
So we just wanted a better, more "premium" car than the Dzire & Aspire. And since the Aspire was here to stay, buying an SUV was more appealing.

So we ended up purchasing a Harrier XZA+, since we had a decent budget. We sold the Dzire. Our requirements have changed drastically, with one car doing 10000 km a year, and the other doing 6000 km. Due to this, fuel efficiency is not as big a problem as before, and hence the part of budget and purpose, both are sorted.

[Altocumulus]

Whenever we had a 2 car garage it was mostly always a big car and a small car. Mainly because the smaller one was convenient for city runs and the larger one for weekend fun and expressway runs.

However now the requirements have changed. I generally work from home, even before the pandemic and wife doesn't drive. So the current garage of Duster 4WD and a Rapid Tsi AT covers all requirements, uses and scenarios for me.

For city and expressway runs, it is the Rapid Tsi, Fast, fun, safe and convenient. Did I miss fast ??

While weekend, hills and long distance runs, including my Noida - Kolkata - Noida drives, it is the duty of the Duster 4WD. Fast, convenience of a 4WD when required, super comfortable and safe.

[MCR]

I sold the Verna Diesel last year since I predominantly started working from home. We bought a Grand i10 Nios for my wife which is a perfect city car.
We plan to buy a "Fast & Comfortable" highway car soon, technically our second car of the household. I have two parking slots available at my Apartment complex, so parking is not an issue.
Right now the contenders are :

1. Kia Seltos GTX+ Manual
2. Hyundai Creta SX(O) Diesel Manual
3. Honda City ZX Petrol Manual
4. Hyundai Alcazar SX trim - Whenever its launched
5. Mahindra XUV 7OO - Whenever its launched

[Vasanth]

Our priorities are similar to other BHPians.
A small car for city runs - Honda Brio
It is small, nimble, easily maneuvarable also comfortable.
We can do long distance but not for a vacation. The boot is dismal and road noise is excessive.

A long distance mile muncher - Mercedes CLA 200d
The long distance car is strictly used only for highway use. We rarely drive inside the cities. It is a pain in the ass. It is low, long and wide. And also nervous all time, as bikers and rickshaws cuts in between with zero road manners.
While out on highway , we can do a 1000 km a day without getting tired.

[anoopGTkrish]

In a similar situation myself. Currently in the need for a second car. It was just myself and the wife here in Bangalore and we were quite content with our one primary all rounder (Ecosport 2018 Petrol). Now with a baby on the way, wife is looking for a second car for herself. Instantly realized our interests when it comes to cars are quite different and its best to let the user decide which car to buy.

Being a car-guy, I suggested a used GT TSI but she was clearly not interested. She wants a comfortable, spacious, automatic which is easy to drive and maintain and is also cheap to own. Realized its best to let her decide and is now taking her through Cars 24, Carwale & TBHP classifieds to explain all the options available.

[Ritzvxi]

We maintain 3 cars:

I drive the Jazz (2 years 12K KM), the Ritz (9 years, 1.1L Km) for the spouse and the WagonR (6 years, 60K KM) is for parents (100% driver driven).

The pandemic has ironically turned out to be a sort of blessing as the Ritz and WagonR have hardly been is use in the last year. Hopefully, this helps increase longevity of all the cars in the garage.

If and when (2-3 years), we decide to make changes to the garage, I'd like to replace the Ritz with small automatic hatch (hopefully a Brio replacement from Honda or Grand i10 NIOS/ fingers crossed on availability and reliability of an electric hatch).

OR

Replace the Ritz and WagonR with a reliable automatic 6 seater (something like an Ertiga but with a cap of around 15-20 Lakhs) to take care of scenarios where the family travels together and something to handle the village roads.

[quattroa4]

Go for Nexon EV as the second car , it's worth it .