Vehicle-buying prompts

Here is a photo of a car or bike. Tell me your best guess at the make, model, likely variant, body type and year range, and give me a confidence figure from 0 to 100 for that guess. If you are not reasonably sure, say so plainly instead of guessing. List the visual cues you used, and any similar-looking models it could be confused with. Remind me that specs you quote are typical for the model rather than measured from this exact vehicle, and that I should confirm the variant with the dealer.

I think this is a [make] [model]. Help me work out which variant it is: list the visible differences between the variants sold in India — wheels, lights, badging, mirrors, interior trim — and tell me what to look at in the photo or on the car to tell them apart. Note where the variants are visually identical and only the papers will settle it.

Give me the typical specification for a [make] [model] [variant, if known]: engine, power, transmission, approximate mileage, seating, fuel options and boot or storage. Use ranges rather than precise numbers where the figure varies by variant or model year, and mark clearly anything you are unsure about. Then list the three specs I should verify with the dealer because they most often differ from what buyers assume.

Estimate what it really costs me to own a [make] [model] [variant] for [number] years. I drive about [number] km a year, it runs on [petrol / diesel / CNG / electric], and I live in a [metro / tier-2 / tier-3] city. State your assumptions FIRST — fuel or electricity price, service intervals, insurance basis, depreciation view — then break the cost into heads (purchase, fuel or charging, insurance, servicing, tyres, depreciation) with a note on each. Give an approximate total and a per-kilometre figure as ranges, not exact numbers. Tell me which assumption the total is most sensitive to.

I am looking at a [make] [model]. What running costs do first-time buyers of this kind of vehicle typically underestimate — consumables, service items that come due at a certain distance, insurance loading, parts availability, tyre sizes that cost more than expected? Give approximate ranges, say plainly where you are unsure, and tell me which of these I can ask the service centre to confirm before I buy.

Help me sanity-check the affordability of a [make] [model] at roughly [amount] on-road. My take-home is about [amount] a month and I expect to drive [number] km a year. Walk me through the monthly picture — instalment if financed over [number] years, fuel, insurance spread monthly, servicing spread monthly — as approximate ranges. Show me the arithmetic rather than a verdict, and tell me what a lender or my own budget would want me to check. You are not a financial adviser, so frame this as a rough picture for my own decision, not advice.

Compare a [make] [model] [variant] with a [make] [model] [variant] for me. My priorities, in order, are: [e.g. running cost, space for a family of four, safety, resale]. Score each on my priorities out of 10, list the genuine strengths and the real trade-offs of BOTH — including the one you would pick — and do not run down either vehicle. End by telling me who should pick the other one instead. Keep every figure approximate and tell me what to confirm with the dealer.

These two vehicles look similar on paper: [vehicle A] and [vehicle B]. Cut through it — what genuinely differs in day-to-day use, and what difference is on the spec sheet but rarely noticeable? Separate “matters daily”, “matters occasionally” and “matters mostly on paper”. Stay balanced; both have real strengths.

Here is how I actually use a vehicle: [describe — daily commute distance, parking, passengers, luggage, highway trips a year, road conditions]. I am choosing between [vehicle A] and [vehicle B]. Which fits my real use better and why? Be specific about the situations where each would frustrate me. If my use case does not clearly favour either, say so rather than manufacturing a winner.

I am going to see a dealer about a [make] [model] [variant] in a [metro / tier-2 / tier-3] city. Prepare me to be an informed, honest buyer. Give me: the questions I should ask, the charges I should ask to see itemised in writing, and the legitimate levers I can raise — genuine timing, real offers I actually hold, unsold stock, accessories or service instead of a discount. Only honest levers: do not suggest inventing a rival quote, misrepresenting my budget, or any pressure tactic. Everything you give me must be something I can say truthfully.

I have been quoted [paste the quote as the dealer gave it] for a [make] [model] [variant] in a [metro / tier-2 / tier-3] city. Give me an approximate fair range for this vehicle — a WIDE range, and say plainly it varies by variant, city and timing. Do not give me a precise target price you cannot know, and do not present this as a valuation. Then tell me what would make this quote reasonable and what would make it worth questioning.

What are the signs that a vehicle deal is not being made in good faith — the moments where I should politely walk away rather than push? Think about refusal to itemise charges, terms that change at signing, pressure to sign today, add-ons appearing without being asked for. For each, give me a calm, polite way to raise it first, because most of the time it is a misunderstanding rather than bad faith.

Write me a short, polite opening line for a conversation with a dealer about a [make] [model]. My real situation is: [budget, timeline, whether I hold another offer, how ready I am to buy]. It must be honest — only say things that are true for me — and it should open a fair conversation rather than set up a tactic. Keep it a few sentences, natural enough to say out loud.

Here is the quote I was given for a [make] [model]: [paste every line and amount]. Explain each line in plain language and sort them into: statutory or unavoidable, a genuine cost of buying the vehicle, and an optional add-on. Flag anything that looks like it was bundled in without being asked for, and for each of those give me a polite way to ask about it. Do not tell me anything is definitely wrong — tell me what to ask.

Explain the difference between the ex-showroom price and the on-road price for a vehicle in India, and what typically sits in the gap — registration, road tax, insurance, handling or logistics charges, extended warranty, accessories. For each, say whether it is statutory, negotiable, or optional, and how it usually scales with the vehicle's price. Give approximate proportions rather than exact numbers, and tell me to ask for the itemised breakdown.

I have two quotes for the same [make] [model] [variant]. Quote A: [paste]. Quote B: [paste]. Put them side by side line for line, show me where they actually differ, and tell me whether the cheaper one is genuinely cheaper or has simply left something out that will appear later. List the questions I should ask each dealer so I am comparing like with like.

Compare the running cost of an electric [make] [model] against a petrol [make] [model] for my use: I drive about [number] km a year in a [metro / tier-2 / tier-3] city, I [can / cannot] charge at home, and my electricity tariff is roughly [amount] per unit. State your assumptions first — fuel price, charging mix, efficiency — then give approximate per-kilometre and per-year costs for each as ranges, and tell me roughly how many kilometres it would take for the electric option to make up any higher purchase price. Say plainly which assumption most changes the answer.

Here is my situation: [daily distance, parking and whether a charge point is possible, longest regular trip, how often, city]. Would an electric vehicle actually work for me, or would it be a compromise? Be honest about where it would frustrate me and where the petrol option would cost me more. If my situation genuinely does not suit an EV yet, say so plainly. Treat range and charging claims as approximate.

For an electric [make] [model], explain what I should understand about the battery before buying: warranty terms and what they actually cover, how capacity typically changes over time, what affects it, and what that means for resale after [number] years. Use ranges and say clearly where the honest answer is that nobody knows yet. Then list the questions to put to the dealer in writing.