Advice: Pre-owned Sedan Hunt

[speedyguy 0]

Hello,

I'm in a hunt to buy my 1st drive of my own pocket (presently driving Father's Indigo). Due to budget constraints and a will to buy Sedan class, I am compelled to buy a pre-owned car.

Having said that, I do not want to go with local dealers/private sellers. So only options left with me are Maruti True Value, Honda Auto Terrace, Hyundai Advantage and Ford Assured which provide certificate, free service and 1 year warranty.

My budget is around 5 - 5.5 Lakhs. I have so far seen DZire, SX4 and Honda City i-vTec 2009, 2010, 2011 models near to that range.

I need your advices on how safe is it to buy from these dealers and what things should I be careful of. Or do you suggest me to supress my desire for a sedan and better go for new hatchbacks in that budget. Also, in case of pre-owned, which brand and car do you suggest would be best.

Thanks.

Regards.

[creativebala 178]

Why spend 5.5L on a used sedan when you can buy a decent hatch?

A Base Ritz or Brio in this price range should be more than enough when the boot is not required regularly.

[AMG1 0]

You want petrol or diesel?

[ashikawa 2]

Try a Polo Petrol base model . I think now there are offers of free insurance etc. and it will be in 5.5 lac range with discounts. You will get a tough build car with premium feel inside and out in addition to a decent boot space of 300 ltrs.

[Sheroy 0]

Honda City would be a good at this price range. with a years warrenty and service as a cover is good honda engins are built to last. Check condition and milage covered. Pay attention to rear suspention and how well the gear box shifts. And for the Sx4 only if your Honda dealer and work shop is too far away.

[PrancingHorse 1]

I have friends who have bought cars from Honda used division and they had a good experience. I would say go for the Honda Citys since they are actually going for a song these days because of the petrol prices. They are pretty pocket friendly as well.

Good luck

[tejasmehta990 4]

Budget of 5.5L can get you brand new vehicle. Why you are opting for used one ?

But if you have already made up your mind for pre-owned you can check with Mahindra First Choice.

Also cartrade.com offers wide range of preowned certified cars.

You can also review carwale.com they have really great listing of certified cars as well as cars offered from dealers and private owners .

At your budget possibly you can get most of the high-end sedans available, best of options you may have as below

- Honda Accord - Honda Civic - Toyota Corolla - Honda City - Skoda Octivia - Fiat Linea - Ford Fiesta

Best of luck buddy !

[BHP-junkie 2]

You can have a decent hatchback in that price bracket. Don't go for used cars. Seriously

[Sstar 77]

Buying a used car needs patience and time. If you have them, then you can check out some online options as well like OLX, Quikrrr, CarTrade, Carwale etc...

As far as these above mentioned dealers are concerned, they are like any other dealer. They charge more then a used car's actual worth and also some times hide the important facts.

If i were in your shoes, i would first look for a direct deal with an owner via internet. These days is it not hard at all. In fact in your price range you would actually save 1 Lac something, and still get a good sedan.

Do not hesitate for TD and ask for papers to check if you like the car. Do not share your budget size upfront, else they will sale 4Lac thing in 5.5 Lac....after all money is honey

As far as cars are concerned, City, Dzire would be my pick any days, I would prefer a Honda City any days, if I have to buy a used one. Since Honda reliability is unmatched.

[creativebala 178]

If hell bent on buying a used sedan, look no further than a decent HONDA CIVIC. Have patience and search.

[Hersch 4]

Since you have a decent budget of 5.5 lacs, do check out the new Chevy Sail sedan as well. It might just fit the bill if you stretch out your budget just a little bit.

And all said and done, a new car is a new car.

Happy buying!

Cheers

[speedyguy 0]

Hi All, thanks for your replies. Here's an update.

Honda City ivtec pre-owned is pricy in Bangalore so I don't see them below 6.5 - 7 Lakhs that easily. If I do, there is something to bother.

I presently have in offer 2 SX4's. One is ZXi (top end) for 5.75 Lakhs. Other Vxi (without abs, airbags, alloy) for 4.6Lakhs from Maruti True Value. VXi is 2009 Dec and ZXi is 2010.

I can go for 2009 VXi but need to get a repaint as it requires a bit and may be alloy wheels. Plus need to change tyres after 10k kms run (tubeless). Its driven 29k so far. ZXi is driven 9k.

[librankur 39]

The prices are just too high

Similar ,2009 VXi SX4 are being sold at below 2.5L in delhi.

Similar, 2010 ZXi Leather SX4 are being sold anywhere below 4.5 in delhi , plain ZXi go for a price below 4L.

Try to get better brands from the resale market as suggested above.

The Zxi looks good as its been driven less, try to bring down its price.What they are asking is not its real worth,SX4 is a dying product , dont get stuck with a soon to phase out product.

Look elsewhere.

[speedyguy 0]

You have a good point about the car being a drying-out product. They are not at all negotiating beyond this. Today I drove this car (ZXi). Looks neat and drives smooth. 9k driven is justified.

Prices in Bangalore are much higher compared to New Delhi, because of the road tax here.

[speedyguy 0]

Adding to that, I was more looking at these car dealers (True Value, Honda Auto Terrace etc) as they would provide brand warranty and free service. I also have options from local used car dealers and known dealers like carnation.