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-   -   ARTICLE: How to buy a *USED* Car in India (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/buying-car/18859-article-how-buy-used-car-india-48.html)

Under the assumption that cars are machinery made to run and should not be kept stationary for too long. What is the minimum number of kilometers that a 5 year old car should have ran? I am currently looking at used Skoda Lauras and some have turned up to be 2011 with only 13,000 on the odo which makes me suspicious of them. Share your thoughts please.

I'd suggest you take note of ownership on paper and the seller. If both are same, try to find out the profession of the seller from which I am most certain you will get justification for mileage. Next, take a photocopy of RC and walk into nearest Skoda service centre and check for history. Finally take a TD, negotiate and go for it if you really fell for it. Good luck.

I couldn't find a single Laura that was low mileage yet owned by the original owner. Most of them have been picked up by dealers who are now in charge of selling them.

Other than that, I have the first page of this thread open on my screen and plan to use every advice when choosing a car. Will not skimp on checking the quality of the car since hearing these good words from GTO

I have come across a new service provider in Kochi, Carcheck India which is featured in overdrive program of Asianet News by Baiju N Nair. Instead of relying on local mechanics etc. for checking your car these guys provides a comprehensive check and a report on the car. Have a look at the FAQs provided on the website (www.carcheckindia.com), looks like a good concept.

Hi,

I am currently looking for a used car and recently came across 2010 Honda Jazz Mode, - First owner
- 70k kms.
- Have to check service records (owner says service done at recommended intervals)
- During the TD the car performed well.
- ICE, AC, etc etc. worked fine
- Tyres have enough life for another 25-30K
- Interiors would need cleaning and change of seat covers as well
- Price - 3.5 ?
- Overall the car looked the age.

Now, is this a fair price? Is the ownership cost of Honda higher than Hyundai/Maruti? Based on the above info, should I negotiate or walk away?

Regards

Hi,

I have been looking for a decent used car and bumped on a known, very trustworthy friend of mine who has plans of selling is Hyundai i10 Sportz. Here are the specifications of the car:
Brand: Hyundai
Model: i10
Variant: Sportz
Year: 2009
Wheels: Alloys
No. of Owners: 1
Colour: Blushing red
Price quoted: 2,20,000
ODO READING: 90K

Now, I know all is well, but I am concerned about the odo reading. While I know for a fact that the car was very well maintained, I want to be sure before buying it, so I have 2 questions:

1. Is it okay to buy a well-maintained car as this one even though it has done around 90k?
2. With the age and usage of the car, is the price quoted good?

^^
I don't know the exact price (Though this is a little high.) Refer sites like carwale, car trade etc.

It's okay to buy the car if you can check the service history. Get the following things checked by a FNG or ASS (and budget for part replacements or bargain):
1. Clutch
2. All 4 suspensions
3. AC
4. Rust in the underbody

There is a similar service in Delhi NCR and Pune known as Spinny Used Car Pre-Purchase Inspection. I used it to evaluate a Skoda Laura I was thinking about buying and they did a pretty good job of evaluating the car for me. You can find them at www.myspinny.com

MySpinny is available in Delhi NCR and Bangalore. It is not available in Pune.

Some months back, I had decided on buying a new Renault Duster AWD 2016 edition. I took the test drive, made up my mind, but when I went for booking, I was told that Renault has decided to manufacture the AWD in only the Green and Orange colours. And that is where my enthusiasm came to an end. More so because Renault did its flip-flops again i.e., some time later a dealer told me that they have started to make in all their other regular colours as well, and then again after some time I was told that they have gone back to their decision of 2 colours, Green and Orange. I just lost it and gave up on this attitude. That Renault can do such stupidity in this era of competition is itself preposterous.

Meanwhile, my priorities have changed a bit. I drive a Diesel Punto of July 2009 make. Love the car, but the laws for NCR (I live in Noida) won't allow me to drive this car for more than 3 years from now. I have therefore decided to send it to my parents in Nagpur. With their kind of usage of about 200-300 kms a month, the Punto will serve them well for over a decade more.

So currently, I am in need of:

1. One sedan to do my family's daily drives. This car would be mostly chauffer driven and would run about 50-60 kms everyday (on a minimum) and maybe about 80 kms plus on some days.

2. I need another SUV (AWD or 4x4 or 4WD) to take me to the mountains and places the sedan would find it difficult to.

In this scenario, I have shortlisted 2 PRE-OWNED options. Mainly because I think its not wise to spend upwards of 16 Lakhs on something that I would be using occasionally.

My options:

Sedan - Nissan Sunny Diesel, maybe about 4 years old, about 50000 km run. My market research says that I should get a decent one in about 4-5 lakhs, depending on the condition. (Have chosen Sunny Diesel for primarily 2 reasons; rear seat comfort and mileage)

SUV - Renault Duster AWD - 2-3 year old. Should get one in decent condition in about 8-9 lakhs. (Have chosen Duster because, one, I am a little wary of buying a pre-owned Tata/Mahindra and two, well maintained Toyota Fortuner & Ford Endeavour are hard to find in my budget and requirements. Please do remember that I am based in NCR and hence no point buying a 5-6 year old SUV that I wont be able to use here after 3-4 years, given the diesel ban on 10 year old vehicles)

Could I request for all of yours valuable feedback / opinions on:

A. The 2 afore-mentioned cars;
B. My overall strategy of buying 2 pre-owned cars in 15-16 lakhs rather than spending 16 lakhs plus on just one SUV; and
C. If you think I should be considering any other cars as options (say Corolla Altis, Honda Civic etc.)

Thank you in advance!

I would suggest that for the sedan you could look at a used Tata Manza as well - the advantage is that you can get it serviced at fng garages as well rather than just depend on the dealer. Correct me if I am wrong but you can't buy Nissan parts from the open market, only from dealers.

Especially as the car will be chauffeur driven - Manza is quite roomy and comfortable at the back, and built like a tank.

Duster seems to have a lot of horror stories about body rust issues. And on mountain roads plus remote areas you might find easy availability of service and parts an issue. Try an Ertiga? A bit cramped compared to a duster but you just can't beat Maruti when it comes to finding parts and service in out of the way places.

Thank you for your view. Buying a Tata would be quite difficult for me, given my own horrible experiences at Tata Workshops while getting my Punto serviced there for about first 4 years of owning the Punto (This was the time when Fiat Cars were being serviced by Tata), plus some not so good stories I've heard from friends who own the Tata Manza. For eg., sudden turbo failure.

As for the SUV, I am looking for something that has at least 200 mm Ground Clearance and 4x4 or AWD. Thus, my choice being Duster. I will definitely read up on the Body Rust issues you've mentioned before finalizing on the Duster though. Thanks a lot for cautioning me on that one.

Go for a used Fiat Linea. Should be able to get one at around 2 lakhs. Get a brand new suspension/brakes for 50k and you're good to go . better option than the Sunny. And it comes with the national diesel engine which should be easy to repair if the need arises. The spares are not expensive. Another option is the SX4 just because there are likely to be more of them for sale. I like the Linea option because it is still in production and by law a company has to provide service /spares for 10 years after cessation of production.

If the Manza isn't to your taste then please consider Honda City as well. Though the Manza is a very good and reliable car - you might still need to identify a reliable third party garage, Tatas have horrible service but luckily parts easily available in the open market and even small mechanic sheds have expertise in their models.

Ford Ecosport is another you can consider - exactly 200 mm ground clearance. And possibly a better buy than the Duster if you pick their AT model, which has hill assist / abs / ebd / airbags.

In case of the sedan that you are looking for. Why don't you consider a used petrol sedan? Like the city I-vtec or Corolla. You should be able to get a decent car under 4L. You can use the rest of the money on fuel and maintenance(which won't be very high).

Instead of a duster awd why don't you look for a grand vitara or an outlander? Both these cars will take you in comfort with 4x4 to all those mountains where you can't take your sedan.

Both used vehicles under 10L and you can use the rest of the money for fuel and the upkeep cost. This also takes away the hassles associated with the diesel ban.

Asit