[Metallicar]

I have been following the Abarth Punto and Creta threads for a while now. I own a Honda Brio VMT which is almost 4yrs old. I was thinking of upgrading it as it was bought in different financial conditions.

After going through a lot of articles I am so tempted to get a Civic. Never even thought of buying a used one before reading these used car threads. Have been searching for Civics for few hours now.

[saurabhkum]

Does Jetta or Passat fall under this category ? I'm thinking of 2.0 Lt Diesel engine with automatic gear box. Laura also is similar but it's difficult to find good Laura under 6 lakhs in Mumbai.

[funkmeister]

Hello to All. Its my first post on Team BHP and i hope to be solved of this dilemma by tomorrow.
I recently shifted to Bangalore and was out looking for a decent used car with a budget of 4 lakhs. I came upon this website called gozoomo.com which deals in used cars for the city and is meticulously verified by its technicians and each fault is mentioned in the report. I came upon two cars which I have liked one a petrol and one a diesel. I need to choose one and i would be requiring your help.

1. Fiat Punto 1.3 Emotion, 85400 km, 2011 model, 1 owner, Rs. 380000. The car is very good shape with minor nicks and scratches due to city usage

2. Ford Fiesta 1.6S, 75000 km, 2010 model, 2 owners, Rs. 350000. I wasn't inclined on a petrol but when i came upon this ad, i knew it would be a loss if i didn't even consider this gem of a power machine.

So motorheads, what would your choice be given the circumstance.

[petrolhead_neel]

Hey,

First things first. I have reported your post to the moderators to move it to an existing thread. Please search the forums before creating a new thread.

Now, coming to your queries, it completely depends on your usage. If it warrants a diesel, then go for the Punto. It is a great car and as far as I know, Fiat cars age pretty well. Experts please correct me on this point if I am wrong.

If it is say <1000km a month, go for the S eyes closed, if you have checked out the car yourself and are sure about its mechanical health. As an owner(regular 1.6, not S), I would say that if you go for the Fiesta, you wouldn't regret the decision one bit. This car is superb fun and a blast on open roads. You will love the handling, trust me. Also, the 'S' has a special kind of exclusivity which very few extinct cars in the Indian market posses, like a Palio S10. As BHPian aravind.anand likes to say: the 'S'pecial feeling of owning a 'S.'
Do know that the ride is pretty stiff, especially on the S.

A good decision would be to get both the cars checked at authorized service centres of both the cars, Ford and Fiat. This would cost you some bucks, but I am sure it would be an investment well made. Try to get a service record of both the cars. If you have total faith in the website, then no need for this.

Lastly, please read the Team-BHP used car buying guide. This the THE guide to read when you are buying a used car in our country.
Link

Happy Shopping!

OT: How come this is your first post on Team-BHP?

Cheers,
petrolhead_neel

[MacBa]

Hi! This would be my first post on TBhp for seeking an advice and I hope to get early replies as this may require some quick decision making. A close aide has suggested a 2011 Laura 1.8 Tsi MT which has under 20k clicks on the odo. Had a quick chat with the owner over phone and he revealed that the car is non accidental, has been regularly serviced from Skoda authorized service centers. That said, the car is out of warranty but no major repair is expected in the near future given the low mileage clocked so far.

He is asking for ~6.5 lacs and following are the concerns:
1. The price appears to be too high for a 5 year old Skoda (Ambition variant)
2. Reliability concerns
3. Pricey parts and "I don't care" attitude of Skoda service centers
4. Availability of the parts in the near future as I intend to keep it for at least 4-5 years
5. The car is UP registered while I reside in Delhi.So transferring the car to Delhi may be a big hassle

Being new to Skoda mechanically, need the fellow Bhpians advice on what to look out for during the inspection visit. Also, it is too pricey to maintain? I would be doing about 15k in a year on it and maybe a track day or two

Pointers towards the price and registration transfers would be very helpful!

I know that the car is a hoot to drive but I need to put a financially viable picture in front of my folks before the purchase is approved!

P.S: The visit is scheduled for Friday

[Ace F355]

Originally Posted by MacBa

He is asking for ~6.5 lacs and following are the concerns:
1. The price appears to be too high for a 5 year old Skoda (Ambition variant)
2. Reliability concerns
3. Pricey parts and "I don't care" attitude of Skoda service centers
4. Availability of the parts in the near future as I intend to keep it for at least 4-5 years
5. The car is UP registered while I reside in Delhi.So transferring the car to Delhi may be a big hassle

My 2 cents...

1. Price is fine for a car this low mileage (If the odo is genuine). I personally prefer paying a little extra for well kept car with low clicks. One detailing session and no one will believe its a used car.
2. 1.8 motor is pretty reliable. Since the car is MT, no DSG related concerns too. Relax on this front as well. This ought to be one of the most reliable combo on offer from Skoda.
3. Finding a FNG should be priority for you. The car is out of warranty anyway. It is a Euro, so spare parts pricing will be slightly steeper than Japanese or Indian counterparts, however so will be quality as well.
4. Laura was sold in decent numbers and although I have no personal experience, I never heard anyone complaining about part availability in market.
5. The car can be transferred to Delhi since it is petrol, nothing to worry on stupid diesel bans restricting the usable life to 10 years (against Normal 15 years since the original purchase).

IMO, try your luck and negotiate a little on the price. If you can get it around 6L, nothing like it. Its a car that is F-A-S-T and proper fun! Upgrade the suspension, get the engine remapped and you are looking at vRS performance!

[Ace F355]

Sorry, my edit time was over in my previous post. I am curious if it is the same car posted in our TBHP Classifieds?

http://classifieds.team-bhp.com/buy-...da/Laura.html/

I am fairly certain it is the same car and 6.5L is asking price. You should definitely be able to knock off 50k from this price. Car looks clean from pics and if the service history is clean as well, seems like a good deal to me.

[varadha_r]

why not look at a linea t-jet. far more features than a skoda laura, still in production, so spares is not an issue and far far a better car than the 1.6 s - and absolutely no resale for it - so that makes it a buyers' delight. I bought a 1.5 year old one and its just mind blowing.16 " 205 tyres, all discs, blue tooth, steering controls, leather upholstery and an engine that's 80% of the laura's at 60% of the price.

and they are far easier to take care of - fiat's service is preetty good and given its being produced, there wont be any risk of getting stranded without spares.

[MacBa]

Originally Posted by Ace F355

My 2 cents...

1. Price is fine for a car this low mileage (If the odo is genuine). I personally prefer paying a little extra for well kept car with low clicks. One detailing session and no one will believe its a used car.
2. 1.8 motor is pretty reliable. Since the car is MT, no DSG related concerns too. Relax on this front as well. This ought to be one of the most reliable combo on offer from Skoda.
3. Finding a FNG should be priority for you. The car is out of warranty anyway. It is a Euro, so spare parts pricing will be slightly steeper than Japanese or Indian counterparts, however so will be quality as well.
4. Laura was sold in decent numbers and although I have no personal experience, I never heard anyone complaining about part availability in market.
5. The car can be transferred to Delhi since it is petrol, nothing to worry on stupid diesel bans restricting the usable life to 10 years (against Normal 15 years since the original purchase).

IMO, try your luck and negotiate a little on the price. If you can get it around 6L, nothing like it. Its a car that is F-A-S-T and proper fun! Upgrade the suspension, get the engine remapped and you are looking at vRS performance!

1. Will check the details with the ASS as I get more details post the meet up session. I'm also planning to check about the service history to see if it has been attended to properly

2. Have gone through some ownership reviews on the forum for the suggested combination and it does look confidence inspiring. Thanks for the nice words. Further gives the courage to take the plunge!

3. That what I was coming to. If everything goes well on Friday, will start working on this front. Any places that you recommend?

4. Given the car is out of production now and most parts have a lead time, just wanted to be sure. This may be the ONLY car in the family for a couple months and will be called often for duties

5. Will try and look up for an agent who can help me with this. Dealing with the authorities don't seem to be that easy. Any idea, how long is it before the signed transfer documents expire?


Your words do instill confidence and I will try and negotiate to that mark. A lot depends on the service history and upkeep. Skoda's are notorious when it comes to losing value. Thanks for the help da!

Originally Posted by Ace F355

Sorry, my edit time was over in my previous post. I am curious if it is the same car posted in our TBHP Classifieds?

http://classifieds.team-bhp.com/buy-...da/Laura.html/

I am fairly certain it is the same car and 6.5L is asking price. You should definitely be able to knock off 50k from this price. Car looks clean from pics and if the service history is clean as well, seems like a good deal to me.

Looks like the same vehicle. Will confirm post seeing it in person. The condition does look good if all of these are recent pics. I didn't like the upholstery though. Not a big fan of art leather.

Originally Posted by Ace F355

Sorry, my edit time was over in my previous post. I am curious if it is the same car posted in our TBHP Classifieds?

http://classifieds.team-bhp.com/buy-...da/Laura.html/

I am fairly certain it is the same car and 6.5L is asking price. You should definitely be able to knock off 50k from this price. Car looks clean from pics and if the service history is clean as well, seems like a good deal to me.

Originally Posted by varadha_r

why not look at a linea t-jet. far more features than a skoda laura, still in production, so spares is not an issue and far far a better car than the 1.6 s - and absolutely no resale for it - so that makes it a buyers' delight. I bought a 1.5 year old one and its just mind blowing.16 " 205 tyres, all discs, blue tooth, steering controls, leather upholstery and an engine that's 80% of the laura's at 60% of the price.

and they are far easier to take care of - fiat's service is preetty good and given its being produced, there wont be any risk of getting stranded without spares.

I was looking for one earlier but could not find one. Met an owner with an abused looking "White Taurus"as he called her, but too bad to be anybody's ride of choice. Not keen on buying it brand new as I'm due to get a Creta around Diwali.

Sorry mods..still trying to figure my way out with multi quotes but it just don't seem to work.

[Ace F355]

Originally Posted by MacBa

1. Will check the details with the ASS as I get more details post the meet up session. I'm also planning to check about the service history to see if it has been attended to properly

2. Have gone through some ownership reviews on the forum for the suggested combination and it does look confidence inspiring. Thanks for the nice words. Further gives the courage to take the plunge!

3. That what I was coming to. If everything goes well on Friday, will start working on this front. Any places that you recommend?

4. Given the car is out of production now and most parts have a lead time, just wanted to be sure. This may be the ONLY car in the family for a couple months and will be called often for duties

5. Will try and look up for an agent who can help me with this. Dealing with the authorities don't seem to be that easy. Any idea, how long is it before the signed transfer documents expire?


Your words do instill confidence and I will try and negotiate to that mark. A lot depends on the service history and upkeep. Skoda's are notorious when it comes to losing value. Thanks for the help da!

1. Make sure to do that! I would be very interested to know how many times engine oil has been changed in past 5 years, since the car has under 20k on the odo and Skoda recommends the engine oil change every 15,000 kms or one year. Details on this should give you some idea how nicely the car was kept. Do look for replaced parts in service history.

3. Sorry I don't know any expert FNG on Skoda since I haven't owned one yet! There are a couple of them in Delhi though. Let me ask around and I will get back to you. I can share my mechanic's details as well who has occasionally worked on Skoda cars. However, I would still prefer an expert FNG who know their thing. Tell you what, why don't you check with BHPian Bloodred, he is from Gurgaon, owns a 1.8 Laura and should be able to help you more on the car.

4. Except for some really bad luck, I think you will need not to worry about anything. This car does very good if maintained properly.

5. Delhi RTO generally allows the transfer within 30 days of purchase. Afterwards, there is some fine they charge which is calculated per month basis I think. Any good agent will be able to give you these details.

If I were you and would have gone ahead to purchase this car, I would have kept 15-20k per year for regular consumables and maintenance and 30-35k per year for any contingency (Things like bust AC Compressor etc.). These are ballpark figures according to me.

Good luck with your hunt.

[jalajprakash]

Originally Posted by MacBa

A close aide has suggested a 2011 Laura 1.8 Tsi MT which has under 20k clicks on the odo. Had a quick chat with the owner over phone and he revealed that the car is non accidental, has been regularly serviced from Skoda authorized service centers. That said, the car is out of warranty but no major repair is expected in the near future given the low mileage clocked so far.

I would be a little wary of the low mileage since 20k in 5 years is 4k kms per year, which is kinda low. I'm myself looking for a Laura 1.8 TSi but after coming across an example where there were definite signs of underclocking, I remember the advice that a car is meant to be a run and if it's not kept in use it can also crop up problems. Make sure to inquire the owner of why the usage was so low, if he has a legitimate reason then fair enough.

[jalajprakash]

After contemplating much, I've bought a bluetooth OBDII reader so whenever I go look at a car, I can check any OBDII faults that might be hidden which is a good advice that anyone can follow. Does anyone know if the OBDII reader can read the real odometer readings or not? Since it connects to the ECU and no the odometer itself.

[KK_HakunaMatata]

Originally Posted by jalajprakash

After contemplating much, I've bought a bluetooth OBDII reader so whenever I go look at a car, I can check any OBDII faults that might be hidden which is a good advice that anyone can follow. Does anyone know if the OBDII reader can read the real odometer readings or not? Since it connects to the ECU and no the odometer itself.

I don't think it can read the real odo numbers. Even I tried getting it, but it shows the odo number as the total KMs after you started connecting the OBD II.

[MacBa]

Originally Posted by jalajprakash

I would be a little wary of the low mileage since 20k in 5 years is 4k kms per year, which is kinda low. I'm myself looking for a Laura 1.8 TSi but after coming across an example where there were definite signs of underclocking, I remember the advice that a car is meant to be a run and if it's not kept in use it can also crop up problems. Make sure to inquire the owner of why the usage was so low, if he has a legitimate reason then fair enough.

Yep.Will try and get it verified through the service records. Will also see the ABC pedals for any signs of wear. I'm not aware if there is any simple device which can let one know of the original odo kms. But that might be just me. May be other Bhpians can throw some more light on this.

[Viraat13]

Originally Posted by MacBa

Yep.Will try and get it verified through the service records. Will also see the ABC pedals for any signs of wear. I'm not aware if there is any simple device which can let one know of the original odo kms. But that might be just me. May be other Bhpians can throw some more light on this.

Since most workshops have a centralised database, the easiest thing to do is call up any one of them and say that your car number is such and such and that you'd like to know what was done to the car at the last visit and when. You'll have all the information you need to make an informed buy.