Used car buying advice: mid-size (luxury if possible)

[Lausannois]

Whats your Budget - Rs 8.00L

Kms driven monthly - 400 kms

Bodyshell - Sedan/SUV/ MUV

City/Highway split - 90:10

Max No.of Passangers - ___1___ most of the time

Boot space Importance - Low

Usage by - normal

Ownership - City

Safety - High/Medium

Prime requirement - Ride

Softcorner'd Manufacturer - Any German manufturers

OK so here's the situation. I'm helping my father with advice to replace his current car. He has a budget of aroudn 8 lakhs (more on this later) and he doesn't mind buying a used car in good condition if he can find a better deal for it than buying a new car. He lives in Bangalore

I'm not longer living in India so I'm not too familiar with current situation there. One of the first questions is what is a good resource to look for used cars in Bangalore? Is it better to go to a used car dealer or search online or maybe somewhere else? How realiable are they?

My brief search online lead to some used car websites. There I was able to see that there are some good deals on sulekha classifieds, carwale etc. Here's my conundrum:

1) Looks like there are some good deals on Skoda Lauras and Corrola Altis. Are these reasonable buys for 2007-2009 models? Is maintenance a problem?

2) There are also Merc C-Class from 2003-2005. Is it a real hassle to maintain these cars? What are the pit falls with such a buy?

3) If he streches his budget to 13-14 lakhs and gets a used BMW-3 series, is it really worth it? Are the maintainace costs too high?

In general is it a big risk buying used in this price range?

Thanks for the help!

[rameshbabu.n]

First of all, we wish you a warm welcome to this group.

Why go for a second hand car, if one has a budget of 8L ?

The maintenance costs of your shortlisted cars are certainly higher after

the initial warranty period. So, why not consider a good sedan like

Sunny ? I think you should consider that as well as the other cars

in that range.

[Lausannois]

Thank you very much. He's also considering a new car but I wanted to evaluate what the options are. What about a new Renault Duster?

His budget can stretch a bit in terms of maintenance. The reason for buying second hand is that cars depreciate quite a lot over the first 5000km. If it's still under manufacturer warranty, wouldn't this be a better option to get a good deal?

Thanks again for the welcome and your replies.

[monoclonal]

In India Don't trust any one person or dealer or online portal .... There is no system to check history of the vehicle ....I guess best bet is buy a new car however you may have to compromise with luxury features...

[sibasis_FIAT]

I suppose when you are ready spend almost between 8 to 13 lacs, then you should go for a new one.try checking out the following cars,

1. Fiat Linea

2. Volkswagen Vento

3. Honda City

4. Hyundai Verna

5. Toyota Corolla Altis

6. Nissan Sunny

7. Renault Scala

Try to shortlist and we will here definitely help you !

[sachinsharma20]

Yes this is a great suggestion for you..no online business does good in India..you cant rely on whatever material they send..go for a proper showroom and then amke a deal..go for trendy cars running now days..vokswagen polo..hyundai i20..XUV and many more..but no used merceded please..if you cant buy a new one then wait for some time..save more and then buy..

[Sstar]

I would recommend do not go in for used German cars, as the cost of maintenance and spare can easily spoil the overall charm of buying a luxury German car at a handsome price tag of 8L.

Instead, I would suggest you (since you look to me a inclined toward driving dynamics) to look for a new product, be is SUV, Sedan or anything.

My choice would be to go in for Linea, as the new Linea comes with features which are one steps above its class. Plus, it is a driver centric car which is well built as well.

Check it out.

[Ramesh_Joseph]

Buy used German luxury cars only if one can afford to buy a new one. While one may get a used 25-30 lac car for 8 lacs, the service and spare parts cost will be that of a new car. Besides, buying used in India is always a very big gamble.

Instead why not buy a new car (preferably a Japanese make) and live a trouble free life. Why not go for Honda City? Best Car for city driving.

[dr_nishu]

Considering your very less monthly driving, you need a petrol car & Only German car which you can buy with somewhat reasonable maintenance costs is VW Vento 1.6 Petrol.

Now comes from where you can get the genuine car !

-Answer is VW DasWeltauto, a used car selling division at existing VW showrooms itself.

Want to step the segment higher, go for Honda Civic 1.8 i-VTEC. Awesome car, awesome interiors, awesome performance with good fuel efficiency & great reliabilty.

Again the source will be the Honda used car division at Honda dealership.

Last but not the least, will be Toyota Altis petrol from same source.

Personal Advice: If you don't the good car in used market then go for brand new VW Vento Highline petrol or Skoda Rapid 1.6 Ambition petrol.

[CarCrazyASTL]

I've done some search in this segment for one of my rich friend, who was learning to drive! He got exotic Merc e class & handsome pajaro in his garage & he doesn't want to harm those beauties, but wanted experience of handling such beasts! & during that search I've even found a 2009 Merc C class & 2010 Pajaro & Endevours for 7-8 lakhs! & he finally,buyed a 2005 Ford mondeo for 80k only!

If your bying this car as an secondary car then go for a used merc c class or endevour, as both of them are real solid machine! Else, you should go for a new Nissan Sunny or Ford Fiesta Classic!