Reliability. Reliability, Reliability, Reliability. That’s what Indians want, don’t they? What if there was a car, that truly never broke down, a car that never gave you trouble, a car, that magically never died, ran perfectly for 1500 years, and was perfect. It’s like looking for the “fountain of youth”, or believing in magic. You are asking for something that is irrational or impossible. Because, in the real world, no car is perfect, or perfectly indestructible. You will need to change the tires, change the fluids periodically, and need to maintain the car for it to work perfectly. Even the most reliable cars aren’t immune to basic maintenance. The car won’t maintain itself. You will have to maintain it, to keep it in good shape, for it to function properly and be reliable, in the true sense. Now that I have broken the myth that a car can go on without maintenance, and no car is indestructible, let’s move on to “reliability” and purchase decisions.
When you are buying a car, if you look at most modern cars, I personally think that reliability is important, but it should not affect your purchase decision. Most modern cars are enough to last you 5 years or more with ease, so don’t focus too much on reliability. If you are honest with me, most Indians today keep cars only for the short term, and then change to another car. Generally, they keep a car for 3-5 years. So, you should buy a car you like, and not stress too much about reliability. If it can last 3-5 years, the brand promises to stay in the country, the service center is near you, the model doesn’t have catastrophic failures, and your heart truly likes it, then you should go ahead and buy the car. Don’t let reliability steer you away from a good car. A way to decide whether a car is truly worth your money is to think deeply after taking a test drive, can you wake up one random day, and just do a Mumbai-Delhi trip in it without worrying about anything?
