[adv]

Hello! Given the pandemic it seems rather rare to find a less than 3 year old car at this time as most have not used their cars much for two years. Of course, I'm not looking at the numerous demo/TD cars.
For cars such as an Octavia/ Tucson/ Q3/ Tiguan etc, assuming about 30k km run and 4-5 years old, what should the fair discount on the car's original price be? Thanks!

[ideacatalyst]

Hi everyone!

Not sure if this post fits in here since the car in question is older than 1-3 years (request mods to move to the correct thread, if required). I am considering purchasing a pre-loved Honda City. It is a late 2015 model, which makes it 7 years old. However, it is only ~6900KMs driven. The mileage is genuine since it belongs to someone we know. The model is VX which was the top model at the time (without the optional pack). It is a manual and not an automatic. On the face of it the car looks clean, except for a couple of issues - one of them being the window beading on one side has frayed quite badly since that was the side facing the sun, and the other being that they replaced the original ICE with an aftermarket one because they needed navigation (not a very good quality one). Other than that could not find many issues with the car.

I could use the advise of our members on the following counts:

1. Is there anything I need to be wary of?
2. Is the price agreed upon, i.e. Rs. 6.5L, a fair price?

What could be some of my other options?

Thanks in advance.

[invidious]

Hi. If I buy a "used" car with less than 300 kms on the odo, do I get the full warranty from the Manufacturer?

The Mrs. is looking at getting a new car and getting good value at some cars which have run upto 2000 kms and are only a few months old.

[Heisenberg_ad]

Hi,
What crieteria do you people set while buying a pre owned car in terms of no. of years, mileage, fuel type, no. of owners, etc.?

I know the end of the day it depends on the particular car but still there might be a filter criteria.

I'd like to know.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by invidious

Hi. If I buy a "used" car with less than 300 kms on the odo, do I get the full warranty from the Manufacturer?

Warranty starts from date of sale to first user. Pls note that often the first user could be the dealership who has kept it for demo / test drive purposes and avoided registration: in such a case warranty starts from the date the dealer acquired the vehicle for such a purpose and not the date of registration. Similar for vehicles which are registered later - maybe due to waiting for a special number or whatever reason.

Originally Posted by Heisenberg_ad

Hi,
What crieteria do you people set while buying a pre owned car in terms of no. of years, mileage, fuel type, no. of owners, etc.?

I'd like to know.

Single Owner (no unregistered demo vehicles), done less than 20K kms, under 4 years of age.
Fuel, transmission, vehicle category, etc. Vary as per requirements.

[adv]

Originally Posted by Heisenberg_ad

Hi,
What crieteria do you people set while buying a pre owned car in terms of no. of years, mileage, fuel type, no. of owners, etc.?

Preferably single owner, though if its a premium car or a really hot selling car maybe a second owner would also do.
Number of years and mileage I'd say depends on your time frame of use; are you buying a car for 7-8 years, then perhaps go with one that's around 2-3 years old and less than 30k on the odo, your duration of use would justify the price premium.
If you are intending to use it as a stop-gap or say for 3-4 years, then maybe a 5 year old with up to 50k on the odo is alright too, subject to being in good condition, regularly serviced, etc. However, factor in the relatively higher repair/ replacement costs as compared to a less than 3 year old car. Regardless, definitely get it verified by a trustworthy independent mechanic.
Fuel type depends on your usage pattern as has been said earlier, but also knowing that certain cars have problematic histories with certain variants, etc. for which a study of your shortlisted cars on this forum is a very useful exercise. Hope this helps.

[RoadMonkey]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

Single Owner (no unregistered demo vehicles), done less than 20K kms, under 4 years of age.

I have a slight twist on this, owing to my own experience of selling a good-as-new car that'd run 40k kms in 2.5 yrs, I look for 2-3 years old cars with relatively high mileage. They're most likely to be cars run predominantly on the highways. A highway run car, even if on paper run more kms, is less likely to have a worn out clutch and such due to mishandling or whatever else. A city run car goes through more wear and tear even if the kms run are lower on paper.

Originally Posted by Heisenberg_ad

Hi,
What crieteria do you people set while buying a pre owned car in terms of no. of years, mileage, fuel type, no. of owners, etc.?

I know the end of the day it depends on the particular car but still there might be a filter criteria.

I'd like to know.

I'm going to be buying my first pre-worshipped car in the near future. The budget is tight but I don't want to compromise on safety and reliability.

The criteria I've set for myself
- Should ideally be a Japanese, NA, Manual. Mechanically simple to service and maintain with the help of a FNG.

- 2-4 years old, running<50k.

- Must have OEM service history. This is a MUST. I know people tinker with their odometers and that's just a risk one has to take with going for a pre worshipped car, but there are signs of wear and tear if the car's used more than the odo says. I also think the practice of such deceit is no longer pervasive.

- Petrol. BS6 diesel fuel in BS4 diesel engines don't sit right with me. BS6 diesels aren't really present in the used market.

- Must have had only one owner.

- You should also inspect it thoroughly for any signs of rusting. Honda cars have a rusting problem. Blocked drains and water build up can also cause rusting.

- Not flooded, accidental etc.

One should also set aside anywhere from 20-50k for sprucing it up and making it feel "new" again. Service, thorough dry cleaning and sanitisation of HVAC system. Detailing, perhaps even new seat covers? More if the car needs new tyres but that can usually be negotiated in the car price itself.

[Heisenberg_ad]

Originally Posted by RoadMonkey

- 2-4 years old, running<50k.

- Must have OEM service history. This is a MUST. I know people tinker with their odometers and that's just a risk one has to take with going for a pre worshipped car, but there are signs of wear and tear if the car's used more than the odo says. I also think the practice of such deceit is no longer pervasive.

- Petrol. BS6 diesel fuel in BS4 diesel engines don't sit right with me. BS6 diesels aren't really present in the used market.

- Must have had only one owner.
.

Okay, this was helpful.
Till now i was looking for around 5 year old jazz cvt, and while at it, i came across a few micra CVT 2013-14 for around 3-4L.
Is it a good buy or should i avoid it?

[RoadMonkey]

Originally Posted by Heisenberg_ad

Okay, this was helpful.
Till now i was looking for around 5 year old jazz cvt, and while at it, i came across a few micra CVT 2013-14 for around 3-4L.
Is it a good buy or should i avoid it?

I personally wouldn't buy a Micra CVT off of olx. The only case I'd consider getting it is if I personally know the owner and the service record is available, especially the timely changing of CVT transmission fluid. Before buying a CVT, please familiarise yourself with the maintenance it requires and whether the previous owner has taken care of it or not.

5 year old Jazz is definitely a good option to consider if it fits your budget. Inspect it for wear and tear, rusting in the usual spots (bottom sil of the door, etc), service history, must have run <50k kms since that's about the time for transmission fluid change.

A Japanese CVT can last almost forever if it's taken care of by the owner. There's a gentleman on this forum - I'm forgetting his name - who is responsible for my education on CVTs. He owns a Micra CVT and has clocked over 3Lakh kms on it without any problems.

The entire question of pre worshipped cars is have they been taken care of? If the owner is a car enthusiast, that pretty much ensures they'll tend to your queries about the car and more.

Edit : Also check for the battery condition if possible. The age alone will tell you everything. If it's due for replacement, you have more room for negotiation on the price.

[bhppower]

Originally Posted by Heisenberg_ad

Hi,
What crieteria do you people set while buying a pre owned car in terms of no. of years, mileage, fuel type, no. of owners, etc.?

I know the end of the day it depends on the particular car but still there might be a filter criteria.

I'd like to know.

My criteria based on 3 pre-owned cars I have purchased

1. Single owner
2. Less than 4 years old
3. Less than 30K km on odo
4. Should appeal you in the first drive (more of my own belief)
5. From direct owner and no unknown dealers. Talking to owner gives you sense of trust factor
6. Should be approved by my FNG owner who has been servicing all my cars so far
7. Preferably Japanese (No European)
8. Should be able to buy without any loan

[HummerH]

As I have entered into 5th month of waiting on my Brezza Booking and still no definitive delivery timeline I am undergoing stressful days not being able to finalize on Plan B.
Hoping to get some advice from the experienced Members.

My thought process goes like this -

I come from a Chevy spark which has set some benchmark (ride stability, refinement, interiors) and also some wants (engine power, Ground clearance, cabin space) in my mind. I sold it this year.
Structural safety is another critical factor and need a SUV form factor and no sedans and hatchbacks.

Plan A - New Car

My initial choice was Tata Punch at around 7.5L-8L on road for the Pure or Adventure Variant. I felt the rear seat width is not much bigger and the 1.2L engine is a marginal upgrade (power to weight).
Then I came across Brezza ,which ticked most of my boxes including safety (assuming 4 Star from previous gen) and decided to extend my budget to (and capped) at 10Lac and booked it in July.
I do not like exterior style of Nexon and No to Hyundai's, Renault and Nissan and Honda (costly).
So, Its either Brezza or Punch if it's a new Car and nothing else.

Plan B - Used Car

I know my mind says preowned car can be a good deal. But there are few pointers that are making me not comfortable in going ahead with Used cars which I will try to explain.

1.Budget -
I do not want to spend my max budget 10L or close to that on a used Car - could be any variants or any Make and models even if higher to Brezza. So, Tata punch being the other boundary condition I am comfortable to spend around 6-7Lac or lesser for a preowned car that is superior to Punch.

2. Age of car and Milage -
2019 and above with less than 25K on Odo.

3. BS4 vs BS6 tech - My key Hurdle
In today's sellers' market, I feel the pricing by organized resellers like cars24, spinny (not considering private dealers, Individual olx sellers) is higher by at least 50K -1Lac and I think BS4/BS6 standard is not factored in at all in depreciation calculation of 2019 and early 2020 models.
BS6 models are priced very close to the new ones.
With Government taking drastic measures in terms of emission standards etc., in near future, is it worth to pay the premium even if the car is good?

4. Manufacturer operation in India
Even though Ford is Out I think its Cars are being listed with premium pricing. It's the same situation with Honda with rumors about it shutting its India shop. Is it worth buying them as a primary car??
I don't want to get into the situation that I had with my spark with GM stepping out of India. Though I had a very very happy ownership experience with spark, there was always a feeling that what if some major breakdown happens? can the existing service centers find the spares, etc.

5. Min Structural safety

6. Usage is long term
At least I used my Spark for 12 years and I will keep the next car also longer as far as I can. Resale price not a major factor but don't want to sell for scrap price if have to do that in very short time as 2nd owner.
Trivia -With drastically changing Technologies -electric, hybrids, etc. Should one really consider Longterm keep (10-15 Years) as a decisive factor in buying a car? (IC engines will not die in next 10 years for sure)

Pre-owned Cars that I have checked -
Considering all factors described above with petrol Brezzas scarcely available and overpriced if available, the only choice I could make was a Honda Jazz.

JAZZ
I have checked couple of Jazz models that look like well-maintained from 2019's priced around 7-8Lac.
Confusion here -
For Jazz (Vs Punch) - Better 1.2L engine but BS4, Cabin Space,
Against Jazz (Vs Punch) - BS4, Lower ground clearance, not a SUV form factor, Discontinuation in 2023? and High chances? of Honda closing India shop.

WRV
I had ignored WRV based on online reviews of it being underpowered, etc. But I accidentally happen to come across a low milage used one yesterday which actually ticked all my boxes as same as Brezza did for my needs in terms of equipment and interior/exteriors based on a spot check. It is still overpriced, and I am yet to take a proper TestDrive.
This is definitely better choice than a Jazz for me if I go to a used car
Confusion here -
For WRV (Vs Punch) - Better 1.2L engine but BS4, Cabin Space, same SUV form factor, better equipment
Against WRV (Vs Punch) - BS4, Discontinuation in 2023? and High chances? of Honda closing India shop.

Is Honda a better tradeoff over Punch:
With Tata's not so good reputation with service, one may have to visit twice for anything, but their service centers will definitely continue to exist across the cities and villages for many years to come and spares will be available. If Honda shuts shop, service may be available in major cities for few years, but what about after that and other parts which are far from cities?

I am getting suggestions to not go for the used Honda due to uncertainties.
I Need a Car at the earliest this month and have to make a choice b/w the Punch (not booked But, I am confident I can procure one) and the Honda WRV and the Brezza (Booked, not in my control, in mercy of Dealer/Maruti).

So, I am writing this post desperately and looking for some perspectives and advice from the distinguished members so that I can take an informed decision.
Thanks in Advance.

[drsachin]

I was looking for a used car which is 1-3 year old and low mileage for my wife. She is already driving a Manual Honda Brio 2015 model which we wanted to exchange or we could also exchange another car which I use Hyundai fluidic verna diesel 2014 SX(0). Basically both cars need to be replaced since both if us are now looking for Automatic cars.
So far even after searching for 3months at various dealers we couldn't find any value for money offering.

Experience at spinny.
1. A 2021 model Honda city ZX CVT City. Both of us rejected the car the moment we saw it. Although the mileage showed was 25000.
The tell tale signs of wear and tear suggested that it must have done almost like 80000 to 1lac lakh kms. Two of the tyres were almost bald with no tread at all. Two other were left with just 20-30% tread. Both bumpers, Bonet, Dicky Both fenders, Rt Quarter panel, right rear door , Left front and rear doors were repainted. The bumpers were not aligned properly. The wind screen had chipping.
The doors closer was not sounding good. Believe me my 1 lac km run fluidic verna appeared better then this 25000km run honda city.
It was priced atrociously at Rs 1468000/.New car on Road price is Rs 170000/. That was a big Joke. Where was the depreciation for such a poorly maintained car. And would you call this car non accidental which has a repaint of almost all the panels in just 1 year.

2. Next we checked another 2019 model Seltos. Before the supervisor suggested anything I figured out that this one again had almost all the panels repainted except the roof and the Dicky. The Bonet was infact replaced. The claimed mileage was 25000 kms but surprisingly three of the tyres were changed recently. I mean who changes tyres at just 25000 kms. The supervisor had no answers.
We rejected the car right away without any test drives. Asking price Rs1455000. Again minimal depreciation for a 3+ year old car.

3. Next we checked a honda civic VX 2019 model. It had a claimed mileage of 11000kms, tyres were stock and had good amount of tread. The panels only had few scratches without any dents or repaint. The car appeared well maintained but the service history was not available. We did the test drive of almost 10kms. No complaints at all. We checked the details at the Vahan portal. It showed car as BS4/BS6. We felt a little disappointed as we wanted a BS6 car but the RC details were misleading. As far as I know Civic 2019 petrol CVT was BS6 right from launch. And then finally the price. As expected the car was again priced atrociously at Rs 1550000/ for a 4year old car. I checked with my insurance agent and as per him IDV for insurance should be Rs1267000/ or less. Although I liked the car, the Spinny was charging too high price for a car which is discontinued and in low demand.

I went for long drive with my family to Lucknow for a wedding. During weakend i went to a famous dealer Bestdeals4cars. There i found a low mileage Yaris VX CVT BS4 car. This was claimed to be 2019 model repeatedly by the dealer. But when i checked at vahan portal it was actually March 2018 model registered in October 2019. The car appeared good with only a few panels repainted. The driver seat was torn for some reason. . The car was registered in the name of Sunny motors(Toyota authorised service centre). This was definitely either a test drive car or a demo/display car. Claimed mileage was 18000kms. Asking price Rs 1025000/. Again outrageous for 5 year old car discontinued car. The last recorded Ex show room price was Rs 1430000/. I also remember that before the car was discontinued one of my friend had brought a new Yaris 2021 VX CVT BS6 model at Rs 116000/ ex show room price(After a discount of Rs 3LAC).

Then I gave my 2014 fluidic verna SX(0) diesel for evaluation for the purpose of exchange. The car had run 1lakh kms, it was top model with 6 Airbags and Projector headlights with LEDs. After evaluation i was provided a price quotation of Rs 300000/. The IDV on my insurance was Rs 460000/.
Incidentally before I gave my car for evaluation, i checked another Automatic 2014 SX model Fluidic verna at same dealer. The asking price was Rs 600000/.

After these two experiences with used car dealers. I am not interested anymore for a value for money pre-owned car. For used car dealers the rule is clear. Buy cars at dirt cheap prices below market rates and sell them at atrocious prices which may even be double of their buying price. And their is nothing like certified used car. If a car company like Spinny is selling accidental cars then what is certified about that. I think by claiming to sell non accidental they only means without involving any serious accidents which may destroy structural integrity of the car.

[jetsetgo08]

It's a sellers market and will stay the same till another year at least. But, once the demand for cars slumps, it will price-correct the market. Till then buying a used car, unless it's a mouth watering deal, may not make much sense.

[aroma]

Should i buy an old 2017 Audi A4 35 TDI technology 16000 kilometers driven for 32 lakhs are go for new skoda octavia L&K

Not sure which one to decide ?

[Cinquecento500]

Need some advice on buying a pre-owned luxury car (BMW X3/Merc GLC/Audi Q5). Most of the cars available with dealers (including Spinny) are around 5 years old (2017-2019).

My questions are :

1. Is it ok to buy a 5 years old, and around 30-45 K on ODO German ? Will the maintenance costs be high ?

2. Should there be a preference between diesel and petrol ? 90% of cars available are Diesel, and now manufacturers are shifting to petrol for new ones, maybe due to stringent emission norms. Will diesel have lesser future life / validity as compared to petrol from a RC perspective? (Like Delhi has only 10 yrs for diesel cars)

Will appreciate any guidance on this, and anything else to keep in mind. Don't want to be stuck in buying a 5 yr old diesel, & then the valid life of car is reduced due to regulations. Thanks