[Azen Valen]

We’re planning to buy a car next year, when I’d be in 2nd year of my College.
So far I’ve not been able to decide which one to buy. And I’ve narrowed down to 3 vehicles.

1. Mahindra Thar
2. Toyota Fortuner
3. BMW M340i

Our budget is 80 Lakh
Location : Bangalore

Priorities : Safety, Reliability, Performance, Ground Clearance

And here are the pros and cons, I’ve noted, personally :

With Ford Endeavor and Mitsubishi Pajero Sport out of question, Fortuner is the only option in its segment for me. It’s an SUV, so obviously I have to compromise on performance a little bit. But the practicality is insane. I can take it anywhere without worrying about terrain or the belly scraping across speed breakers. However Fortuner is quite overpriced for what it offers. 50-60L seems a bit too much. But then again it doesn’t have a proper competitor.
Then I was thinking about Mahindra Thar. It’s a lot more cheaper, but compromises have to be made again. It has a stronger road presence I presume. And again, I’d never have to worry about the terrain. At times thar feels like a Wrangler lookalike and Fortuner is way too common which puts me off. M340i would be a more unique vehicle to drive. But this is not exactly a rational point to make.
I really like the driving position of both vehicles. Something which I’d never get in the M340i.

And finally BMW M340i. We’re planning to lease it instead for 2-3 years.
It’s the most affordable car with solid performance in the market right now. The C Class and S4 are out of my budget. And the only reason I was thinking about the M340i is the performance factor. I don’t need the luxury or comfort, so I honestly don’t want any other BMW, 3 series or any German luxury car right now.
The low ride height and ground clearance would make it cumbersome to drive anywhere peacefully. Also being a BMW, I would have to be extra cautious to make sure someone doesn’t vandalize it. And obviously depreciation is another factor.

95% of the time, I would be driving the car alone. And at max I may have 2 more people. Bringing the total to 3. Fortuner’s 7 seats would never be utilized.

I won’t be owning the car for more than 4-5 years. So I would have to sell it eventually. So a lease sounds more reasonable.

Should I think practically and go for one of the SUVs? Or lease the M340i? It’s like a head vs heart thing and I know there’s no direct comparison as I’m presenting totally different points here. But I’d like to hear your thoughts, please correct me if I am wrong as well.
Thanks in Advance.

[tarunjain]

Azen, it's very difficult to respond in any meaningful manner with the information available in your post. Struggling to understand your requirements and how you arrived at these options. A structured and consistent explanation will help you get helpful responses. I would advise you to read similar posts under the "What car" section and try to rewrite your post in a similar manner.

[Turbohead]

Hi Azen,

Can you share more about your usage?
1) how many kms are you expecting to run every month/day? Traffic conditions etc
2) What kind of terrain do you usually drive?
3) What percentage of your monthly run will be in the city/highway?

[Azen Valen]

Originally Posted by tarunjain

Azen, it's very difficult to respond in any meaningful manner with the information available in your post. Struggling to understand your requirements and how you arrived at these options. A structured and consistent explanation will help you get helpful responses. I would advise you to read similar posts under the "What car" section and try to rewrite your post in a similar manner.

Thanks for the reply.
Sorry for the lack of detail, Sir. I’d try to make it more clear.

My family has been saving up money to buy a new car for me and 80 Lakh is the very maximum we can hit. But to be frank, i don’t want to spend this much already and it’d be a purely heart based decision as the 80L is already a stretched out amount.

Now what are my requirements?
Personally i only value safety, performance, reliability and practicality. Outside that i prefer high ground clearance, high riding position and the ability to go anywhere. Which all hint towards an SUV.
I’d be driving alone 95% of the time. And at max, I’d have 2 more passengers. So 4-5 Seats is the max i need.
I prefer peace of mind, so low ground clearance would always be a nuisance.
I won’t be keeping my car for more than 4-5 years.
And it’d be under 80 Lakh.
Luxury, Comfort and Fuel Economy don’t matter to me.

Looking at all this, first i wanted a Performance SUV, but all of them were out of our budget. Hence i dropped my criteria for performance and wanted to go for an SUV. Checked out the Jeep Wrangler first, however the reliability, NCAP rating and pricing put me off. Then i went for Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, but unfortunately it hasn’t received any updates for years now and i don’t hope it’d get any soon either.

Next one was Ford Endeavor. Really liked the SUV and i was eagerly waiting for the BiTurbo version to launch given that the 3.2L version is not in the market anymore. But as Ford left the country, i had no other option than to find another vehicle.

Which was Fortuner. The reason i didn’t think about it first was the abundance. I’ve seen Fortuners everywhere, it was way too common hence i wanted something that’d stand out, a rather irrational criteria. But there’s no other option now and I’ve grown over that feeling. The performance is decent for an SUV, it can take me anywhere, but the pricing is a bit of a stretch. 56-60L? It’s a lot but it’s in our budget.

Similar was the case with Thar. As i already checked out Wrangler, the Thar felt a lot like a lookalike and it’s quite common on roads. But it’s even more cheaper and serves its purpose.

That was how i came to Fortuner and Thar.

Now as i listened to my heart and started seeking performance cars. I noticed that none were in our budget. Except BMW M340i (which is around 80L, on-road in Bangalore).
It’s fast, sounds great, handles well and looks well too. Practicality?
It’d fit 3 people easily, but the ground clearance is abysmal and would put me on alert mode 24x7, to make sure I don’t scrape the underbelly.
Depreciation would also hit the car bad. Which is expected.
Chances of vandalism are also marginally high, so i can’t take it anywhere peacefully. Riding position is something i didn’t like as well.
Given all these factors, an 80L investment didn’t seem right. So i was looking to lease this car for 2-3 years.
Maintenance Costs would add up as well.

I am not interested in any other BMW or luxury car at the moment. Only reason i was looking at the M340i was the performance factor.

So basically torn up between Head - An SUV which would take me anywhere i want and costs less overall (we can save some money) or heart - M340i to enjoy a performance car when i still have the chance and sell it back to the Dealer later. But obviously more expensive and it’d almost exhaust the money allotted for a new car by us.

Originally Posted by Turbohead

Hi Azen,

Can you share more about your usage?
1) how many kms are you expecting to run every month/day? Traffic conditions etc
2) What kind of terrain do you usually drive?
3) What percentage of your monthly run will be in the city/highway?

Thanks for the reply Turbohead!

1. I’d say about 350-400 km per month and around 4000-6000 km per year. Basically most of my travel would involve :

A. On weekdays, traveling back and forth from college.
B. On weekends, I may go for a drive if I am free, so about 20-25 km on a particular day.

Which is why I wanted a petrol car instead of diesel, as mileage won’t be an issue. Traffic conditions would vary but I’d say busy traffic akin to what we see in Bangalore roads.

2. This is why I was worried about ground clearance as roads are pretty bad here. Filled with speed breakers, potholes etc. And I like traveling on weekends, so that’d be a mix of highways and bad roads. Nothing specific to say about the type of terrain.

3. City - 70-80% Travel. As for highways it’d be around 10-20%. Remaining goes for any type of adventure. Having an SUV brings peace of mind, but if I have to go for a sedan, I’d stick to just city and highways.

[androdev]

It seems like you prefer the SUV traits (high seating, high GC and go-anywhere ability). M340i type of car is meant for people who prefer low-seating, low-GC, high-revving, fast car. It's not just performance - the overall experience of driving a sedan must be to your liking in order to tolerate all the downsides of driving such a car on our hopeless roads. From your post, it doesn't look like you have the patience to baby a sedan on our roads.

Why don't you consider some performance oriented SUV/Crossover like GLA (AMG variant) or something in those lines? Don't rule out without checking them out in person. I have trouble imagining a student driving a Fortuner to college.

[Turbohead]

Skip the 340i with that kind of running. 25km run in the weekend would hardly get you out of Bangalore City which means you will never ever appreciate what the machine is truly capable of.

I wouldn't mind the Thar or Fortuner in this case since both will fetch amazing resale value since you'll only run 18k kms in 3 years. You may be able to sell the Fortuner at the same rate you bought it.

But if I were you, I would buy something that's compact, easy, chuckable and stress free to drive around Bangalore. Something like a Nissan kicks with its amazing ride quality and CVT gearbox is what I would consider in chaotic Bangalore.

But the ball is in your court.

[Sheel]

You want a car to commute / go to college, it should be something which is relaxing and that it can do the commuting run. Either an EV (Nexon) or a CSUV (MG Astor looks brilliant, so does Sonet) or a i20N Line or a Seltos.


And get something nice for the enthusiast in you like the BMW X3 xDrive30i.

[NarediAni7518]

Since your requirements doesn’t make sense for you to go for a car like an M340i given it’s low GC, then you should check out these cars:-
1. AMG GLA 35
2. X3/X4 30i (X4 LCI looks really nice and unique)
3. GLC-43 AMG - it’s a bit old but still you get a 3.0 petrol engine which Mercedes won’t provide in its successor most probably. You might get some great discounts on it as well. Do check out these 4 cars.
Also, going with something like a GLC-43 or X4 will surely create a style statement in college

[neofromcapone]

Buy the Thar or even the Nexon EV.
Invest the rest of the money.
With its annual returns do an international trip and drive the best cars in that country, eg drive the Porsche on the Autobahns of Germany, go to the US and drive the muscle car.
You get the drift.

Cheers and Godspeed

[Azen Valen]

Originally Posted by androdev

It seems like you prefer the SUV traits (high seating, high GC and go-anywhere ability). M340i type of car is meant for people who prefer low-seating, low-GC, high-revving, fast car. It's not just performance - the overall experience of driving a sedan must be to your liking in order to tolerate all the downsides of driving such a car on our hopeless roads. From your post, it doesn't look like you have the patience to baby a sedan on our roads.

Why don't you consider some performance oriented SUV/Crossover like GLA (AMG variant) or something in those lines? Don't rule out without checking them out in person. I have trouble imagining a student driving a Fortuner to college.

Precisely! An SUV offering solid performance would’ve been my first preference, but unfortunately it’s out of our budget. And the sedan driving experience won’t have been an issue for me if it wasn’t for our roads.

I’d have to check out the GLA because i was primarily looking at something which is either big and bulky like an SUV, or something whose performance is great. I should prolly drop feelings like those and make a little compromise i guess. Thanks for the help!

Originally Posted by Turbohead

Skip the 340i with that kind of running. 25km run in the weekend would hardly get you out of Bangalore City which means you will never ever appreciate what the machine is truly capable of.

I wouldn't mind the Thar or Fortuner in this case since both will fetch amazing resale value since you'll only run 18k kms in 3 years. You may be able to sell the Fortuner at the same rate you bought it.

But if I were you, I would buy something that's compact, easy, chuckable and stress free to drive around Bangalore. Something like a Nissan kicks with its amazing ride quality and CVT gearbox is what I would consider in chaotic Bangalore.

But the ball is in your court.

Thanks for the help! Yes due to a tight schedule, I’d be running very few kms every month. On weekdays I’d just go back and forth from college, which’d be around 5km of travel. And on weekends if I’m free, i may go on drives, where the average distance would be between 20-25km. Totally depends on the day, but I’m going safe and estimating at least 25km.

Personally my thought process was more like ‘if i am getting a car anyways, rather get one which also serves another purpose (like performance)’

If i think and take a decision rationally, i should definitely get a type of car as you suggested. I drive alone most of the time, drive very less and don’t necessarily need a powerful car as a college student, plus I’d save my parents money if i go for something cheaper. But my heart is still like ‘you wont get this chance again in future’. That’s why i even thought about M340i haha. The looks, sounds and performance all grabbed my attention but it’s impractical to own personally. And a huge responsibility. It’d just be a heart based decision if i go for the M340i. It’d be a really fun car to drive.

Originally Posted by Sheel

You want a car to commute / go to college, it should be something which is relaxing and that it can do the commuting run. Either an EV (Nexon) or a CSUV (MG Astor looks brilliant, so does Sonet) or a i20N Line or a Seltos.

And get something nice for the enthusiast in you like the BMW X3 xDrive30i.

Thanks for the suggestion! But I wish i could do that, I’d only be able to own one car and that should serve all my purposes. Exactly what makes taking a decision so difficult in this case. It boils down to a head vs heart faceoff. Head : ‘Get something practical, you don’t need a performance car at this age, it’d bring a lot of responsibility and money investment is also a lot’. Heart : ‘You won’t get this chance again, so use it when you can. Don’t buy a car for sake of buying one. If you are, get one which you like’.

If X3 30i sounded a little better, I’d have definitely gone for it. Because i don’t necessarily need or prefer a luxury car. Main reason i was looking at the M340i was because it sounded well, looked great and performed well too. And was under 80L. A little sportiness is what i wanted. X3 M40i checks all the boxes but i don’t think it’d come under my budget probably.

Originally Posted by NarediAni7518

Since your requirements doesn’t make sense for you to go for a car like an M340i given it’s low GC, then you should check out these cars:-
1. AMG GLA 35
2. X3/X4 30i (X4 LCI looks really nice and unique)
3. GLC-43 AMG - it’s a bit old but still you get a 3.0 petrol engine which Mercedes won’t provide in its successor most probably. You might get some great discounts on it as well. Do check out these 4 cars.
Also, going with something like a GLC-43 or X4 will surely create a style statement in college

GC is the main issue with the M340i, to be honest I’d have gone for the X3 M40i blindly if it came under our budget. But doing some rough calculations, I’m presuming it’d be in the 80-90L range after launch.
I just need to convince myself that sound doesn’t matter that much. Because that’s one of the reasons I’m so skewed towards the M340i. If i can just tweak my criteria like Size, Engine Sound, Performance etc a little bit. A lot more cars come into question.
But would definitely research more about these cars. Thanks a lot for the help!

Originally Posted by neofromcapone

Buy the Thar or even the Nexon EV.
Invest the rest of the money.
With its annual returns do an international trip and drive the best cars in that country, eg drive the Porsche on the Autobahns of Germany, go to the US and drive the muscle car.
You get the drift.

Cheers and Godspeed

That’s an interesting take, thanks a lot! I didn’t want to spend so much money on a BMW right now, because obviously there aren’t roads good enough for that here. But my heart won’t listen! Need to analyze the pros and cons better now.

[tarunjain]

Thanks for elaborating further, Azen.

Given the wide budget range and broad requirements, I will not get into adding any new options to your shortlist. There will be just too many to list. I will rather stick to what I think is your best option among the ones you have already shortlisted.

I think Thar will be the best choice given your requirements. Even though the budget may be there, buying a Fortuner or M340i will be a lesser fit to your requirements than the Thar. Given the requirements of short rides, bad roads and go anywhere capability; Thar will be the best fit.

To make it stand out from the crowd, you can spend few more lakhs on modifying it and you can be sure a lot of heads will turn. Moreover, I think this is the best phase of your life to drive a Thar. As one grows older, need for practicality increases and that is when you will anyway need to turn to bigger SUVs or Sedans.

[jkrishnakj]

Trying to figure out what car basis a budget is a tough one, and it’s showing in your spectrum - from a Thar to a M340i

You would be alone most times. It has a primary job of commuting to and from college. You’ll sell after 3-4 years. Not more than 6k km per year.

Now, let’s look at another factor - ie. College and friends. No matter what you say or resolve to do, the car will be driven by your friends sometimes. Lend once and within no time, they won’t even ask you for the keys. You’ll perhaps ignore upkeep during semester times. And after all this, you would have done about 24K km only and you’ll yearn for a new car. (Pardon me if my assumptions are wrong)

Considering all that, buy one that’s of good value for money and utility. Save the cash for future. Get a lovely luxury one in a few years time.

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

Considering all that, buy one that’s of good value for money and utility. Save the cash for future. Get a lovely luxury one in a few years time.

Very well said in my opinion. Buy a Thar, mod it spectacularly for 5-7L more and enjoy the rough and tough college automotive experience.

[Azen Valen]

Originally Posted by tarunjain

Thanks for elaborating further, Azen.

Given the wide budget range and broad requirements, I will not get into adding any new options to your shortlist. There will be just too many to list. I will rather stick to what I think is your best option among the ones you have already shortlisted.

Thanks for the input!
The sound and performance of the BMW is certainly addicting for its price and it’d stand out from the crowd as well. But what I’d lack is peace of mind due to the immense responsibility of owning one. Especially as we’re planning to lease it for 2-3 years instead of buying. And Fortuner seems a bit too overpriced for what it offers.
With Thar i should forget about performance but it’d bring an inner confidence because i can take it anywhere and the money investment is not too much either.
And your last point is correct. I certainly don’t need an SUV or Sedan at this age. I just got swayed away by this opportunity to drive something sporty because it came under our budget. Other than that, i have literally no reason to own a Sedan. I’d happily go for a Coupe if i had a chance. But price is the issue.

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

Trying to figure out what car basis a budget is a tough one, and it’s showing in your spectrum - from a Thar to a M340i

You would be alone most times. It has a primary job of commuting to and from college. You’ll sell after 3-4 years. Not more than 6k km per year.

Thanks for the reply!
If i had to summarize my preference it’d be : 5 Seater Performance SUV or a Coupe. But both are out of my budget. Hence I’m resorting to either an SUV or something in my budget which performs well.

That’s why i was thinking twice before making a decision, because from a rational standpoint, i don’t need a BMW to cover most of my requirements. It’d be just for the fun part, where i can take it out on weekends if I’m free and it’d be a head turner as well (which isn’t a big issue as majority of people would just assume it’s a 330i). Low ground clearance means panic mode every time i go on bad roads. And obviously making sure nobody vandalizes the car. Low ride height and seating position put me off as well. We would lease the car for a period of 2-3 years, which is another factor.

Thar wont sound or perform as well as the BMW for obvious reasons, but it’d cover 90% of my needs. I’d probably have to overlook the 10% because it represents a rather irrational requirement as i said - Sound, Looks, Performance. None of which i mandatorily need to drive a car. Plus the money saved can be invested somewhere else.

I really wanted to drive a sports car, but most are out of our budget. But the M340i fits in right there. That’s the only reason i was looking at the BMW. Other than that i don’t have any interest in owning a luxury car at this point, as a college student.

I’d be shifting to an apartment next year, so that’d save me a little bit i guess haha. If they ask for keys, I’d just deny. Because i know my car would never be the same afterwards (happened to one of my seniors).

Fortuner doesn’t seem like a good investment. So i’d stick to Thar and M340i now. My head goes for the former and heart for the latter. But definitely considering your suggestion!

[landcruiser123]

If the car is going to be in a crowded college parking lot, the Thar with the turbo-petrol is the only option that makes sense vs a BMW or a Fortuner. If you want something with good performance but will be innocuous, why not consider a used VW Polo GTI?

Edit: Why don't I confuse you by suggesting a used Mustang?