"Almost-New" used cars! The logic & beauty of buying 1 - 3 year old pre-worshipped cars

HammerHead · 11th June 2023, 11:37

Well, I never thought I would buy a pre-owned car. After going through lot of 'ifs' and 'buts' since November last year, I finally settled down for a 2020 end of year manufactured BMW X3 xDrive 20d Luxury Line.

Not many X3's on T-BHP, however this thread itself and ownership reviews posted by fellow members, bj96 and worldcrawler helped me finalize my purchase.

THANK You T-BHP, bj96 and worldcrawler

I will pen down my thoughts/observations about the car once I put on some kilometers, here is the first look. Yes its in mint condition all around, inside out

ampinfinity · 22nd June 2023, 16:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by HammerHead

Well, I never thought I would buy a pre-owned car. After going through lot of 'ifs' and 'buts' since November last year, I finally settled down for a 2020 end of year manufactured BMW X3 xDrive 20d Luxury Line.

How much did it cost you?

Looks like an absolute beauty.

ampinfinity · 24th June 2023, 19:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by HammerHead

Well, I never thought I would buy a pre-owned car. After going through lot of 'ifs' and 'buts' since November last year, I finally settled down for a 2020 end of year manufactured BMW X3 xDrive 20d Luxury Line.

What car would you recommend to someone with a 15-20L budget looking for a used car?

HammerHead · 27th June 2023, 16:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by ampinfinity

What car would you recommend to someone with a 15-20L budget looking for a used car?

If you could write down your requirements/expectations, it will be easy to suggest something.
Also, personally I don't have much understanding on 'used car' market. The X3 I picked up was owned by one of my close friends known contact.

SolitaryRabbit · 10th January 2024, 08:26

Well I have a different view on this topic. Not sure if everyone agrees to the same philosophy but for me car is an extension of myself. I love the experience of buying a car NEW. Visiting the shiny showrooms makes me feel like a kid in a candy store and the whole experience of being able to chose from the color and the variant I want is something else. I love keeping my cars for long and the experience and excitement for selecting and buying a new car for a person like me might be max 3-4 times in my lifetime so it's precious. I still remember my brother made a video of me sitting on the dining table and telling him which color and variant of the City I will buy almost 6 months before I finally booked it. He made me test drive a couple of amazing cars but I knew what I wanted - a Manual Honda sedan, sadly Civic was phased out so City it was. I feel it is important for me to bond with the car in the initial phase of servicing and knowing the history of the car which will be my second home. Buying a 1-3 years older vehicle has its benefits such as no waiting period and then monetarily too as shared by all but we are never sure how the previous owner used the vehicle unless its someone close. There might be hidden gremlins (which can be true even for new cars) because of which many new car owners sell their pride and joy in 1-3 years or worse when the owner doesn't care about the car at all and used it like an appliance or has fallen out of love with it pretty quick which isn't a great start for me. But then who am I to judge, I love sedans to the core in this day and age even when the whole world is moving to the SUV segment. Just thought of adding my two cents. Happy motoring to all.

shreyashuilgol · 13th January 2024, 01:34

Skoda Superb 2.0 TSI L&K. A very good car which might be a bit costlier to maintain. Kind of difficult to get it around the 15L figure. But you can find a rare few around the 20L amount. You can check this out - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...000-km-up.html and https://www.team-bhp.com/news/skoda-...4-pros-14-cons

wadewilson · 17th February 2024, 22:28

I wanted to bump this thread up since I was contemplating purchasing a pre-owned car for my office commute, which is around 90 km from my hometown. It takes about 1.5 hours to reach the place, and thankfully it is four-laned almost the whole way, and only the initial 16km is a single carriageway road.

I would not be undertaking daily trips up and down since there is a dilapidated quater (needs repairs) to live in. However, based on an average mileage of 10 kmpl (XUV 700 AWD+AT), my car would need around 18 litres of diesel per round trip. If I came home 12 times a month, I would need to fill about Rs. 19,649.52 (based on the current price of diesel), which would amount to Rs. 2,35,794.24 in a year.

I was planning to get an Alto K10 (preferably the older generation model) and have a budget set up to Rs. 2,50,000. My uncle had gotten a used Alto last year for around Rs. 80,000, though it needed some repairs, which he carried out after the purchase. All in all, I think he spent around Rs. 1,15,000 on the car and has used it extensively to drive through our broken, hilly rural roads without issues.

I am prepared to use my XUV700 in the meantime while hunting for a good used Alto K10. I want to use the Alto as a beater car and also wanted an Alto since, being a Maruti, the parts are easy to come by in my neck of the woods. Are there any other cars that dear members could suggest for 2,50,000 rupees or would the Alto K10 be a good choice?

govigov · 18th February 2024, 05:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by wadewilson

Are there any other cars that dear members could suggest for 2,50,000 rupees or would the Alto K10 be a good choice?

Keeping with the ethos of the thread of used cars with low mileage and between 1-3 years, I am not sure if there are any cars in the market right now, that you can get for 2,50,000.

Older and cars with lots more mileage on them, sure, that is possible for 2,50,000.

m8002? · 18th February 2024, 13:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by wadewilson

I wanted to bump this thread up since I was contemplating purchasing a pre-owned car for my office commute, which is around 90 km from my hometown. It takes about 1.5 hours to reach the place, and thankfully it is four-laned almost the whole way, and only the initial 16km is a single carriageway road.

Are there any other cars that dear members could suggest for 2,50,000 rupees or would the Alto K10 be a good choice?

Wouldnt a Tiago EV suit you well? The savings in fuel will pay for the EMI of the car. You can use the 2.5 Lacs as downpayment.

SathyaV · 14th April 2024, 08:50

Hi Team-BHP fam,

I'm bumping this thread up and would love to hear your thoughts on this question again in 2024. The used car buying experience has evolved significantly with platforms like Cars24 and Spinny, making it more hassle-free and accessible. However, the influx of venture capital into these platforms has inflated the market, a trend exacerbated by the COVID era.

As I scanned the market for some attractive used car options, I noticed discrepancies in pricing that left me puzzled. I understand that certain cars depreciate slower than others based on market conditions and demand. Performance-oriented cars, which may not appeal to the majority, tend to depreciate faster. Yet, when I look at the options below, I struggle to make sense of it.

I've been (and still am,

) on the lookout for a nice TSI + MT combination. As a die-hard Polo fan, I anticipated fetching some good deals and saving some bucks in our used car market. However, the price differences have left me flabbergasted!

Take this example - Link. I test drove this car and noticed some HVAC issues, along with evidence of a frontal impact in the past (though not too serious), and it's with the second owner.

The price difference between this and the on-road new car price is only 1.3L, translating to a depreciation of 4% annually.

On the other hand, a similarly specced Virtus is selling at 4L below its on-road price (Link)

,
Reflecting about 12-14% depreciation annually. The same story goes for the Taigun AT as well
Link1
Link2

I also stumbled upon this Jeep Compass, selling at literally half the price (Link)

.

Guessing its because of the upkeep cost and the availability of Diesel automatic? But still, same price as a used Taigun is surprising

Given these options, I'm a little confused about what might be the best choice in 2024.

P.S.

I'm still in the market for either a nice TSI + MT combo for myself or a TSI + AT (preferably TC) for my family. So your inputs on the above listing is also really really appreciated

.
I'm even considering going the new car route, perhaps with something like a Virtus 1.5 MT for myself, considering the current prices of Polo TSI MT

.

11th June 2023, 11:37	#166
HammerHead Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Goan in Pune Posts: 1,247 Thanked: 641 Times View My Garage	Re: "Almost-New" used cars! The logic & beauty of buying 1 - 3 year old pre-worshipped cars Well, I never thought I would buy a pre-owned car. After going through lot of 'ifs' and 'buts' since November last year, I finally settled down for a 2020 end of year manufactured BMW X3 xDrive 20d Luxury Line. Not many X3's on T-BHP, however this thread itself and ownership reviews posted by fellow members, bj96 and worldcrawler helped me finalize my purchase. THANK You T-BHP, bj96 and worldcrawler I will pen down my thoughts/observations about the car once I put on some kilometers, here is the first look. Yes its in mint condition all around, inside out Attached Thumbnails
	(5) Thanks

10th January 2024, 08:26	#170
SolitaryRabbit Newbie Join Date: Feb 2022 Location: Bangalore Posts: 15 Thanked: 100 Times	Re: "Almost-New" used cars! The logic & beauty of buying 1 - 3 year old pre-worshipped cars Well I have a different view on this topic. Not sure if everyone agrees to the same philosophy but for me car is an extension of myself. I love the experience of buying a car NEW. Visiting the shiny showrooms makes me feel like a kid in a candy store and the whole experience of being able to chose from the color and the variant I want is something else. I love keeping my cars for long and the experience and excitement for selecting and buying a new car for a person like me might be max 3-4 times in my lifetime so it's precious. I still remember my brother made a video of me sitting on the dining table and telling him which color and variant of the City I will buy almost 6 months before I finally booked it. He made me test drive a couple of amazing cars but I knew what I wanted - a Manual Honda sedan, sadly Civic was phased out so City it was. I feel it is important for me to bond with the car in the initial phase of servicing and knowing the history of the car which will be my second home. Buying a 1-3 years older vehicle has its benefits such as no waiting period and then monetarily too as shared by all but we are never sure how the previous owner used the vehicle unless its someone close. There might be hidden gremlins (which can be true even for new cars) because of which many new car owners sell their pride and joy in 1-3 years or worse when the owner doesn't care about the car at all and used it like an appliance or has fallen out of love with it pretty quick which isn't a great start for me. But then who am I to judge, I love sedans to the core in this day and age even when the whole world is moving to the SUV segment. Just thought of adding my two cents. Happy motoring to all. Last edited by SolitaryRabbit : 10th January 2024 at 08:54. Reason: Grammar correction and added couple of more thoughts :)
	(2) Thanks

13th January 2024, 01:34	#171
shreyashuilgol Newbie Join Date: Aug 2021 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 9 Thanked: 44 Times	Re: "Almost-New" used cars! The logic & beauty of buying 1 - 3 year old pre-worshipped cars Skoda Superb 2.0 TSI L&K. A very good car which might be a bit costlier to maintain. Kind of difficult to get it around the 15L figure. But you can find a rare few around the 20L amount. You can check this out - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...000-km-up.html and https://www.team-bhp.com/news/skoda-...4-pros-14-cons
	() Thanks

17th February 2024, 22:28	#172
wadewilson BHPian Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: India Posts: 314 Thanked: 801 Times View My Garage	Re: "Almost-New" used cars! The logic & beauty of buying 1 - 3 year old pre-worshipped cars I wanted to bump this thread up since I was contemplating purchasing a pre-owned car for my office commute, which is around 90 km from my hometown. It takes about 1.5 hours to reach the place, and thankfully it is four-laned almost the whole way, and only the initial 16km is a single carriageway road. I would not be undertaking daily trips up and down since there is a dilapidated quater (needs repairs) to live in. However, based on an average mileage of 10 kmpl (XUV 700 AWD+AT), my car would need around 18 litres of diesel per round trip. If I came home 12 times a month, I would need to fill about Rs. 19,649.52 (based on the current price of diesel), which would amount to Rs. 2,35,794.24 in a year. I was planning to get an Alto K10 (preferably the older generation model) and have a budget set up to Rs. 2,50,000. My uncle had gotten a used Alto last year for around Rs. 80,000, though it needed some repairs, which he carried out after the purchase. All in all, I think he spent around Rs. 1,15,000 on the car and has used it extensively to drive through our broken, hilly rural roads without issues. I am prepared to use my XUV700 in the meantime while hunting for a good used Alto K10. I want to use the Alto as a beater car and also wanted an Alto since, being a Maruti, the parts are easy to come by in my neck of the woods. Are there any other cars that dear members could suggest for 2,50,000 rupees or would the Alto K10 be a good choice?
	() Thanks

14th April 2024, 08:50	#175
SathyaV Newbie Join Date: Feb 2022 Location: Chennai Posts: 8 Thanked: Once	Re: "Almost-New" used cars! The logic & beauty of buying 1 - 3 year old pre-worshipped cars Hi Team-BHP fam, I'm bumping this thread up and would love to hear your thoughts on this question again in 2024. The used car buying experience has evolved significantly with platforms like Cars24 and Spinny, making it more hassle-free and accessible. However, the influx of venture capital into these platforms has inflated the market, a trend exacerbated by the COVID era. As I scanned the market for some attractive used car options, I noticed discrepancies in pricing that left me puzzled. I understand that certain cars depreciate slower than others based on market conditions and demand. Performance-oriented cars, which may not appeal to the majority, tend to depreciate faster. Yet, when I look at the options below, I struggle to make sense of it. I've been (and still am, ) on the lookout for a nice TSI + MT combination. As a die-hard Polo fan, I anticipated fetching some good deals and saving some bucks in our used car market. However, the price differences have left me flabbergasted! Take this example - Link. I test drove this car and noticed some HVAC issues, along with evidence of a frontal impact in the past (though not too serious), and it's with the second owner. The price difference between this and the on-road new car price is only 1.3L, translating to a depreciation of 4% annually. On the other hand, a similarly specced Virtus is selling at 4L below its on-road price (Link) , Reflecting about 12-14% depreciation annually. The same story goes for the Taigun AT as well Link1 Link2 I also stumbled upon this Jeep Compass, selling at literally half the price (Link) . Guessing its because of the upkeep cost and the availability of Diesel automatic? But still, same price as a used Taigun is surprising Given these options, I'm a little confused about what might be the best choice in 2024. P.S. I'm still in the market for either a nice TSI + MT combo for myself or a TSI + AT (preferably TC) for my family. So your inputs on the above listing is also really really appreciated . I'm even considering going the new car route, perhaps with something like a Virtus 1.5 MT for myself, considering the current prices of Polo TSI MT .
	() Thanks