I have been wanting to pen this down for almost an year now. I wanted to tell the world about the rollercoaster ride of how I went back and forth, and back again on multiple choices, how my search criteria constantly evolved, how I found joy in the emotional storm of searching the perfect car, and how I realised - Its mostly about the journey, and only sometimes about the destination. After multiple rounds of procrastination, I finally got time and will lay out the entire story. So buckle up - Its going to be a long ride.

Prelude

Before we begin, it is important that you understand the background of this story. I come from a backward village of 70 huts and pukka houses, where you have to walk kilometres to find a hospital or a school. This is important because everyone either rides a bicycle or a TVS XL 100 moped and a car is not considered a necessity but rather a status symbol and a big one at that. If someone buys a car, it means that they have made it in life and the news will spread like wildfire.

During Covid, our family decided to build a house in the town 20 kms away. Everyday, we had to travel twice: once in the morning to water the bricks and once in the forenoon to oversee the works. I was working remotely (my company was based out of Bengaluru) and I wanted to learn how to drive a car. So I started convincing my dad that we buy one. Given that this was a big deal at my place, my dad was hesitant. His first question was “What would people think?! We are not that wealthy”. He was also against it as he has invested the entire family savings on the new house and another investment at that point of time didn’t make sense. And we didn’t have a proper shaded parking space. I kept on pestering and finally he agreed, on 2 conditions:

1. It has to be a used car with a budget of not more than 1.25 Lacs.

2. I have to bankroll the car purchase as our family’s savings was put on the new house

The Zen Life

I was very happy when dad agreed. I started scrolling through multiple ads in OLX in our area. Most of them were from dealers and we wanted to avoid buying from a dealer. We took a family friend who knew about cars and test drove multiple cars, but most of them were not even decent and needed significant work. After a few weeks of shortlisting, we found a listing which was decent enough. It was a 2004 Maruti Zen LXI Petrol which was retrofitted with an LPG kit. The car had been through 5 owners already and we would be the 6th one. But the exteriors and interiors were decent, and one of the owners at some point of time had shown some love to it. He had fitted alloy wheels, AC, stereo, powered windows, remote lock/unlock system and leather seat covers. We were happy with the car during the test drive. The tyres would last only 5k more kilometres. The owner was quoting Rs. 1.30 Lacs, which we knew was a bit high for a car that old, but most of the used Marutis were going around that range anyway. We paid the amount next day and brought it home.

My younger brother and I had a driving license but we did not know to drive a car properly. We practically learnt driving in this car. We started driving around 40kms everyday and we loved the car. No power steering? Yellowed headlights with no visibility? Seat belt didn’t work? Notchy gear shift? We didn’t care. We just wanted to drive and drive and drive. In next 12 months, we drove more than 17k KMs.

We did periodic maintenance every 5k KMs in a trusted FNG. That is when the car started showing its age. Every service came up with hefty bills. In the first service, we changed tyres, buffed up the headlight cover and changed the wipers. Second service was mandated by a small accident while my brother was driving, which resulted in dented front left quarter panel and broken ORVM (fortunately no major injuries to anyone). In the third service, we found out that the petrol tank was rusted and the entire fuel lines are blocked. Also, we had to refill the AC refrigerant gas every few months. We were never able to identify where the leaks were. Couple of times, we were fiddling with the after market key fob that came with the car, and the battery died the next day. We were not able to find out why and had to literally push the car to start.

Enter Spinny

Post Covid, work from office became mandatory. Without me and my brother at home, no one was there to drive the car. Since the driver side seat belt was not working (and couldn’t be replaced since that part was not available), we were not able to drive it to Bengaluru too. In the third service, the mechanic also mentioned that we will need to change the timing belt in the next service. So, with fond memories and heavy heart, we had to sell it off.

With the Zen gone, it became apparent to us that car is more of a necessity now than a luxury. We needed it for multiple long trips to hospitals and to & fro trips from Bengaluru. After reading multiple threads in Team-bhp, it made so much sense to buy a used car, especially as a near first time buyer. Also, I came across an article which stated that Spinny’s NPS score is more than 70, which for me, coming from a tech based B2C company, was a big deal. They must be doing something right, right? So I kept on checking their app for good deals.

The first thing that I realised - Finding a good used car is hard. I wanted my car to be registered in Karnataka, since I would be frequently travelling back and forth across the border, and didn’t want any regional tussles to affect my vehicle. My initial budget was 5-6 Lacs. But at that budget, I couldn’t find any decent cars. Either the cars were too small or too old or too run down. I wanted my car to be less than 3-4 years old, with decent feature list and with minimal mileage. The cars which I wanted were retailing at around 7-8 Lacs, which was pushing me towards a ‘New car’ category. I didn’t want to look on OLX or elsewhere as I didn’t know Kannada and didn’t have a reliable mechanic with me.

Searching for a New Car

When realisation dawned that I will have to spend 7-8 lacs for a decent used car with my desired feature list, a question just popped - ‘Why don’t we buy a new car?’. I listed down what I’m actually looking for in a new car. Some are heart throbs and some are logical needs. My new car:

1. Should have decent interior space

2. Should have reverse camera and Apple car play compatible infotainment system

3. Should have automatic climate control (I know - the heart wants what it wants)

4. Should have push start and key less entry

5. Should be automatic

The last one particularly was based out of how easy it was to navigate in busy traffic. Even though the features were decided, I still couldn’t decide the car. Mind you - this was all before I even took any test drives. It was still a fight between the right and left side of the brain. This was how the conversation looked like:

‘At 8 lacs, you can get a decent Swift.’

‘But everyone has a Swift. You shouldn’t get another tin can.’

‘Okay, how about Baleno? It has decent feature list and nearly everything you want.’

‘But not every day you are going to buy your first new car. You should put in couple of lacs extra and get a higher model.’

‘But for 11 Lacs, you can get 4th gen Honda City! No, We should stick with Baleno. It has everything we need!’

‘But…but…but City is a city is a city!’

Basically the left side wanted Baleno and the right side wanted Honda City. I even listed down the pros and cons of each.

You can see how, despite shortcomings, I have written the plus points of Honda City. With this in mind, I went home for Diwali holidays. I was determined to test drive and book before coming back to Bengaluru.

Test Drives - Choice Paradox

When I told my relatives about the plan to buy a new car, they were excited and every one had their own opinions. Some wanted me to buy Marutis for their excellent mileage. Others wanted to me to avoid them completely. Some wanted me to buy automatics for the sheer convenience. Others said it doesn’t matter.

Hick’s law states that more the options, the harder it becomes to choose one. I work as a Product Manager and I design digital products for a living. But Hick’s law never seemed more meaningful than those days of test driving.

My first call was to the Nexa showroom. I didn’t know what to ask. I just asked if I can test drive a Baleno car. They asked my address. Confused, I gave them that. Immediately, they said that they will send a car shortly. I never expected them to send cars to people’s homes for test drives. Test drive of Baleno was uneventful. I was impressed by the sheer list of features that got packed for that price. Car was comfortable to drive and I didn’t have any complaints. They promised to deliver a car in 1.5 months if it is the Manual Transmission version. For automatic, they would need 3 months due to chip shortage. I promised to call them back next day and sent them on their way.

My next call was to the Honda showroom. They didn’t have a showroom in my town. They had one in a nearby city, some 50 kms away. They didn’t have 4th gen City for test drives, but nevertheless they dispatched a 5th gen City immediately. An hour or so later, when they arrived, I was floored. I liked the looks and loved the i-vtec engine. Ride was much better than Baleno. Since I had some fear about the ground clearance, I took the car through roads with numerous unscientific speed breakers. There were no problems. They promised to deliver the car in 10 days if the car’s desired colour is White. Since I wanted a red one, I had to wait. They were not sure if even red coloured 4th gen Citys were manufactured anymore.

I didn’t expect test drives to be this easy. Since I had time, I called Tata for Nexon, Kia for Sonet and Hyundai for Venue. Tata’s showroom didn’t call back. Hearing the horror stories about their ASS and fit & finish, I didn’t bother too. Kia was responsive and brought a GTX+ variant for me to drive. I loved the car, but my pocket didn’t. Also they were quoting 10 months for delivery if I wanted an automatic variant. Next came Hyundai. Out of all the test drives so far, the test cars were always registered under showroom’s name. But the Venue didn’t have a number plate. Curious, I enquired and the answer shocked me. Apparently, they have come with a customer’s pre-booked car, which was supposed to be delivered the next day. The dashboard and odometer was disconnected. There was dirt everywhere. I don’t know how many test rides this car has gone to. This left a bitter taste. If they could do this to any customer, they can do this to me too.

The Ground Clearance Conundrum

Out of Baleno, City and Sonet, I liked City the best. The 4th gen V model didn’t come with an automatic option. But the manual’s clutch was light. It had all the bells and whistles that I wanted, except the ground clearance. It can’t even be parked inside my new house’s compound due to the steep incline at the gate. But heart wants what it wants right?! I even saw a social media post about how 4th gen City was going out of production soon and this only added fuel to the flame. I booked it by paying a token amount of Rs. 10k and came back to Bengaluru.

After coming back to Bengaluru, I started seeing a lot of videos and read a lot of threads in Team-bhp about Honda City. Everyone praised everything about the car, except the ground clearance. I didn’t want to buy a new car and crouch down looking for scratches after every speed breaker. It bothered me a lot and caused me sleepless nights. After much deliberation, I cancelled the booking for Honda City and asked them to refund the token amount. This was in November 2022.

Sonet - The Costly Love

With City out of the picture, I was dipping into the test drives again. In Bengaluru, we didn’t have the luxury of test drives at home and a lot depended on the showroom experience. I didn’t want to go for Baleno again and after City and Sonet, Baleno’s interior felt inferior. I wanted to try i20 first. I called multiple times to confirm before going to the showroom, but after reaching the showroom, the test drive car was nowhere to be seen. Nobody had a clue and they wanted me to come the next day. Just as we were leaving the showroom, the test drive car pulled up and the sales advisor feigned surprise. Putting that behind, I got behind the wheel and drove. I had forgotten how much of a breeze it was to drive an automatic, especially in Bengaluru city traffic. Overall I liked the car and it felt spacious too. However, I never liked the exterior design and the car felt smaller somehow from outside.

Next stop was Sonet again. As usual I loved the car, but the variant I liked was at least 3 Lacs more than my budget. Delivery time was also a nightmare. I have to wait 10 months, even though they verbally promised 5-6 months timeline. I really liked the car and a little bit of maths later, I could stretch my budget to 14.5 if I can take a loan with a 5 or 7 year tenure. Tough but doable. Notice how my budget stretched from 5-6 Lacs to 14.5 Lacs? After all who doesn’t do things blindly in love. Booked the HTX DCT variant in Intense Red colour by paying a token amount of Rs. 25k. And then, the waiting game began.

The Waiting Game

I would call up the sales advisor every 2-3 weeks and he would patiently explain that it will take time and he doesn’t know when the car will be allotted. November went by, so did December and January. Every few weeks, I would call and pester the SA. To his credit, he was always patient and even offered a Diesel HTX AT which was readily available. I went for test drive of that and then rejected it as my running is low and Diesel HTX’s OTR was touching 16 Lacs - way above my budget.

By February, I was again at my patience’s end. Whatever I thought at the time of booking came back to me in a negative light. Kia increased the prices of most models by 50k and I didn’t know if buying a car worth 15 Lacs and above is okay at this stage of my career. I would be stuck with a loan for 5-7 years. Most of all, I still didn’t know when I would get my car. This waiting game was excruciating to say the least. To quench it, I went to test drive the Baleno and Glanza again. Nothing changed after the last test drives and honestly, it didn’t feel worth it to get Baleno/Glanza after driving Sonet and City.

Enter Spinny - Again

At this time, my favourite pass time would be to scroll mindlessly on Team-bhp and Spinny. On Spinny, I used to just look at listings and wonder if and how that particular car would fit me. On one such day, a decent listing caught my eye. I was sure that it was not there 2 days before. It was a 2018 Hyundai Elite i20 Asta, which had done only ~25k kms till date. Within 2 days, it had garnered more than 100 shortlists. I immediately booked a test drive.

For test drive, they brought the car home. I was impressed with the level of cleanliness and how the car was maintained, and also with the professionalism of the SA. It was a manual and the clutch felt a little harder than Marutis but apart from that, the car drove like a charm. It came at ~7 Lacs price listing and it felt more home in budget than any other new car. I was sold on the maths.

The price point was right, the car felt good and it had both a good infotainment system and automatic climate control which I wanted. The only sore point was that the car was a manual. However, considering all the other points, I convinced myself and booked the car by paying a token amount of Rs. 10k. I had three days to sleep over it and confirm if I wanted to proceed with the booking. On the third day, I was sure - this is the right car for me. I paid the full amount and cancelled the Sonet’s booking. I trusted Spinny completely on this one and didn’t even have a mechanic with me to check the car!

The car was delivered to us on 10th February, 2023. Spinny had a no-questions-asked return policy within 7 days or 300 kms. The next day, we planned a one day trip to Mysore. We were on the cloud nine. The car was actually in a good condition. We drove on the Mysore Expressway before it was formally opened. By 300th km, I was fully convinced.

Buyer’s Remorse? Yes & No

It has been more than a year since the purchase. Since then, we have been on multiple trips covering Chikmagalur, Shivamogga & Jog Falls, Udupi, Coorg, Ooty, Yercaud, Hogenakkal, Srikalahasti. We have covered more than 17k kms so far (despite not driving for 3 months due to a fracture) and every km is filled with a lot of memories.

Am I happy with the purchase? Yes. Do I think that I made a right decision? Yes. Was I always this happy? - Ummm No.

I have thought a lot about how my life would have been different had I gotten an automatic car. Especially when I was stuck hours in a traffic jam while climbing Nandi hills. I have thought a lot about how it would have been if I had gotten City or Sonet. I have pondered if I have made a mistake. But every time I get behind the wheel, I forget all those with a wide grin. Since this is my proper first car, I have thoroughly enjoyed it every minute.

This story is not about how to buy a car. Heck, it is not even about how not to buy a car. I didn’t have a proper mechanic check the car. I didn’t verify the service history of the car. I know that I probably overpaid at least by 50k by getting a car from Spinny. I got the car in a blind trust and I was lucky enough to not get a lemon. This story is just a chronicle about how much of a rollercoaster ride it was emotionally. My criteria kept changing every now and then, so did the choices.

But I thoroughly enjoyed the process. Even today, my favourite pass time is to mindlessly scroll through various listings in Spinny, despite knowing that I’m not looking to buy any car. I guess - To each, his own.

Ending this story with a picture of the car getting washed 😛