Easy...go for test drive alone and dont tell all your friend or family.How to understand? it's will be my first car... is it like love at first sight?
Find the car that makes u want to be in it amd drive it the most. never rush coz u will live with the car for some time, unless u are super rich.
Why u should go alone...because its your car and not my car. Different people have different view...some are brand bias, some just give u what they heard, some just plain stupid.
Once u find the car that tickle u the most then buy that one and live with it.
For example ,i am bias towards car with decent road handling and dont mind buying 2nd hand plus bias towards 4x4. my advice will be getting a used car at the same price but is a class higher that the one u r looking for. Others will have different reccomendation.
One trus story to share...abt 6 years ago i went to a meeting in Nilai with a very close friend.Along the way we stopped at Seremban 2 Honda showroom as he wanted to test drive a City. During the test drive i was sitting at the back while he sat at the front with the salesgirl, all the while I kept quiet while the salesgirl gave her sales pitch (i respect her for not giving bullshit fact or points, not 1 time she bad mouth other make or model). When done we proceed towards Nilai and he asked me about what i think abt the car, initially i just said its your car..if u like it, buy it. He kept pushing me for my honest opinion so i gave it to him;
1.overall, the car is boring
2.no leather seat when other make car give it.
3.it ride no better than a Proton that compete with it.
4.no doubt the quality is there.
5.u can afford better than this with lots of change to spare.
He just kept quiet with no comment.i scared i offended his choice and thought of the car.
Few weeks later he called and ask me to take him to the showroom to pick up his car. I said ok and since i almost confirm its a City at the pickup bay so i just sat at the waiting area. I was just about to read the newspaper when he called me to see the car, i just go with it and when i saw what parked at the pickup bay i was-wtf, what kind of a joke is this. He turned out getting a 1.8 civic and paid extra to get the seats swapped to leather seat.
i dunno what to feel..glad coz he follow my advice or guilty as bcos my advice he have to spend more on car.i guess its the former as we are still friend and he drove the car more than the other car he has.