Who doesn't want a fully-loaded new car gleaming from outside and from within? As the festive season approaches, the Indian car market is once again poised to see brisk sales as potential customers enter the final stages of making their purchase decisions. But one of the biggest questions in the mind of Indian customers always is whether to splurge on a top variant which comes fully kitted or to save money by opting for a lower or even the base variant. Which route would you take?

If you have the money - and intention - to pay big bucks for the top variant of your favourite car, go ahead. While not all features in your car may be regularly used, it is always great to have a fully-decked car straight out of the showroom. Of course, you can get several accessories fitted right from the showroom itself if your chosen variant does not have these. Or some even over and above what the top variants boasts of. But buying accessories from the showroom may be far more expensive than elsewhere even if it comes with its own set of warranty.

But should you opt for accessories from the after-market arena? Much of this would depend on what accessories catch your fancy.

Car buying guide: Key factors to consider when buying accessories

Irrespective of which variant of a car you choose, some accessories come with the vehicle at a marginally additional cost. We are talking about car perfumes, key cover, idols and the likes. Now these are minor expenses in most cases and one should not bother much. But anything over and above - especially on a base variant - needs a through check.

While top variants of most passenger cars usually come with an infotainment screen and multiple speakers, base variants may lose out on these. If purchasing these from a reliable shop, there should not be any issue as long as there is no tampering with the original wiring and inside shell. Usually, modern-day infotainment systems and speakers have wires with connecting modules that allow for a 'fit, plug and play' set.

You can also get rear-view or surround-view cameras from reputed brands installed post your car purchase. An essential accessory in today's time, cameras provide additional security but almost never come with any of the lower trims of mass-market cars. Do, however, go for cameras from reputed brands only.

This is also true for seat covers purchased from a shop outside of the company showroom. The big advantage here is that you get to choose the quality of material and the design. The quality of fit and finish, however, would depend on the skills of the worker as well as your assessment of the material itself.

Alloys are also quite a popular choice among automotive enthusiasts and base variants usually come with wheel caps or hubs or steel rims at best. If getting one fitted, ensure that it is of the proper size and fits your tyre size perfectly. It is usually not a good idea to get wider or narrower tyres fitted instead of the original set of wheels because this will impact mileage and drive quality, usually for the worse.

Needless to say, do not make any structural change in your new car. And yes, this includes getting a sunroof fitted. Despite all the claims of even the most reputed shops in town, this will be a major safety hazard, will be potentially illegal and will surely throw your new car out of warranty cover. Also remember that bull guards in front or back of a vehicle is now illegal.

As a thumb rule, if the difference between the prices of base variant and top variant of a car is over 100 per cent then it is advisable to look at the aftermarket to examine what top-end accessories can instead be fitted post purchase of a lower version. But that said, the differences in features provided by a car company - between base and top - will vary from model to model.

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