Team-BHP - ARTICLE: The Beauty of Lateral Upgrades (Getting MORE CAR for LESS $$$)

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Originally Posted by smartcat (Post 1818971)

You have a good number of cars to choose from -

- If you don't want to go for the Optra diesel, you could go for its nearest competitors Octavia diesel or Elantra CRDi. On classifieds, a large number of Octavias are available for Rs. 5 to 6 Lacs. If you get something like Rs. 1.5 Lacs for your Esteem, your net outflow will be a max Rs. 4.5 Lacs.

- If you are worried about maintenance costs of an Octavia, you could go a segment lower, and check out Fiesta diesel, Maruti DZire diesel or Verna diesel.

- If you want the least cash outflow, look for Accent CRdi

well thanks for your advice but i dont think that a dzire or an accent would b an upgrade over my esteem. elantra i think is out of production. Octavia is too expensive to maintain and my family hates verna's looks. I am confused.

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Originally Posted by psathya (Post 1819168)

Great Article. Was planning a new car. Will go in for a used or should i say 'preworshipped one'

Also you forgot to say it is a more environment friendly move :-)

I appreciate your thought that "it is a more environment friendly move ":thumbs up but if you at the sales chart of auto companies (2 or 4); none is showing decline in sales over the year '09.
No limit on the age of the old vehicle for resale is actually contributing to more pollution and stress on our resources. Older vehicles are less efficient also & made through input of more resources than current manufacturing process & materials (recycled is one trend)
Immediate & visible effect is jams & thousand of crores $ lost in fuel in these jams in a single metro like Delhi.

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Originally Posted by sameer551 (Post 1818417)

A ford ikon TDCI 2009 model around 12000 miles done and owner quoting 5.15 lack Delhi.

Is it good deal? Please suggest? I feel its on higher side as the new Figo itself has same diesel engine and would cost same. I quoted that owner around 4 lack but no luck.

Too expensive. Plus the Fusion is out of production with the launch of the Figo.

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Originally Posted by CrackedHead (Post 1818933)

^^^ well.. A logan diesel could be had really cheap and its a good car.

See Below

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Originally Posted by nawabnabeel (Post 1818929)

we dont want to go in for tata or mahindra.

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Originally Posted by psathya (Post 1819168)

Great Article. Was planning a new car. Will go in for a used or should i say 'preworshipped one'
Also you forgot to say it is a more environment friendly move :-)

Follow the advice given in this thread to ensure you don't end up with a 'preabused one'.

i don't know if you would call this a good deal. Eight months back i brought a august 2005 model Santro XL (AC+PS) for 2.25 lacs. The car was in exceptional condition only 16k on the odo-scratch less. (everyone thought it was a new car....except when they enquired about the price). It had most of the common accessories (covers, matts, CD player, central/remote locking etc.) I am pretty happy with the car-(already clocked 36k on the odo)-lots of trips and daily commute, so my question is-
1. was it a good deal?many of friends told me 2.25k was too much for a 4 year old santro.
2. i had the resource to buy a brand new car....but that would have had pinch on my savings...so was it still a good decision?

p.s.-previously drove my aunts 1997 M800 for 4yrs-85k, so santro seemed a huge upgrade in terms of overall feel.

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Originally Posted by acidkill (Post 1814976)

GTO

I have a budget of 7 Lakhs - but i am looking at buying an additional car (therefore its not a lateral upgrade, but a second hand purchase). I would like to buy a reliable diesel from the C & D segment. What are my options? Do you think i could find a Skoda Laura?

Hey acidkill,

A few months ago I decided to trade in my 4 yr old well worn alto (87000 km) for a used C segment car. It took me a few months of scouting various used car dealer outfits till I finally settled on a 3 yr old Innova G-2 with 41000 km on the odo. The deal looked good so I ended up picking the Innova for about 6 lakhs and you know what? I also decided to keep the alto! I have driven the Innova for over 10000 km already and she still rides as good as new. My suggestion to you would be to check out used Innovas instead of a Skoda. They are probably the most reliable of the lot

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Originally Posted by samyakmodi (Post 1818579)

though no matter how great the deal looks while buying a used car, there is a snag here. let's say i want to sell my OHC(which i have no intentions) and upgrade, the next alternatives are the new laura diesel (i have a run of about 100kms per day), or maybe the chevy cruze (though an awfully bad handler at slightly higher speeds).
if i want a lateral upgrade, then the laura is the only car in the market. and considering the new shape and the history of laura, does it really make sense going for the used one?

No, but we have to understand that you are wanting to laterally upgrade from a petrol to a diesel. Be open to petrols and the choice is far wider.

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you never know how badly abused the car is, but even if its not, you are buying a model which is already obsolete.

7 lakhs can get you a car that's in production, or even a discontinued model that's less obsolete than the OHC.

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even that is not the point of concern. while buying a car most of us think of all the possible finance options. when u bleed every month while paying your EMIs you don't feel it as much, but when buying a used car, you have to pay upfront the entire amount OR pay almost twice the interest rate only because the car is new.

True. Lateral upgrading isn't for everyone; people will ready cash will get the better deal.

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Originally Posted by nawabnabeel (Post 1818929)

we currently have 3 cars. 2007 indica turbo, 2003 esteem and an 1986 omni. now if i want to lateral upgrade my esteem what options do i have? the vehicle has to be a diesel. the rates for 2nd hand innovas are just too high and we dont want to go in for tata or mahindra. diesel sedan will work for us but i dont think there are many options left.

An Innova, Logan or Fiesta would be a good upgrade if you want diesel.

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Originally Posted by civic-sense (Post 1819044)

A lateral upgrade will be sweeter if you are selling a car with high resale value and buying one with a relatively low resale value. That is why we find GTOs upgrade really sweet. Civic does not have a very good resale value compared to City. My lateral upgrade was not too sweet as I upgraded from an Optra to a Civic.

Two considerations here:

1. Any car that costs over 10 lakh depreciates quicker than one that's under. Reason = slimmer market. That's why we have a BHPian who bought a <10,000 kms run 2 year old Accord V6 for 10.xx lakhs.

2. The Optra is a depreciation dud. If you aren't getting a reasonable price for the Optra, better to retain. That's what I tell Rudra who owns an immaculate 5 year old Optra.

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My first car was a new one, and after that I bought three used cars. Having tasted used car delas, I am sure, I am not going to buy anything new for a long time to come. Unless I become a multi-millionaire, perhaps. :)

Likewise :). I don't suppose I'm buying new for a long time to come either.

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Originally Posted by mh09ad5578 (Post 1819318)

As long as you are happy with the car, that's what counts. And the Santro is a massive upgrade over the Maruti 800 indeed!

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Originally Posted by GTO (Post 1819865)

The Optra is a depreciation dud. If you aren't getting a reasonable price for the Optra, better to retain. That's what I tell Rudra who owns an immaculate 5 year old Optra.

Ah yes. As I mentioned in another thread, my Aug 2004 1.8 Optra LT (top end) which has run for 100,000km and equipped with airbag, front and rear disc brakes, 15 inch alloys, electric sunroof, electric auto-fold mirrors, 5 CD changer, 8 speakers and steering mounted audio controls, full leather interiors and xenon lamps - has a current resale value of Rs. 2.3 Lacs (as quoted by an used car dealer). That's the price of a top end Tata Nano!

And I had originally bought it for Rs. 11.3 lacs. So what is it? 80% depreciation in 5 years? When I decide to sell my car after a few years, , I won't lose much from here - as long as my buyer doesn't charge me money to take away my car. :D

They say that a picture speaks a thousand words :). We've added some to the opening posts. Do you guys think it results in an effective message being sent out?

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Originally Posted by smartcat (Post 1820068)

If the car is still in good shape, and has healthy life left in her, retaining her is the sensible option. The Optra is a car that's best bought used, rather than new, especially in the last 3 - 4 years. It depreciates way too fast (much like petrol Fiats & Skodas).

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Originally Posted by smartcat (Post 1820571)

hehe! Images in the first post look brilliant.

Thanks!

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Originally Posted by longhorn (Post 1820612)

I feel that the benefits of lateral upgarde and better felt in the C segment and above due to the huge depreciation hits the sedans take. I'm trying for a lateral upgrade from a Maruti 800 to Swift except that I'm keeping the 800.

Agreed; that's why the statement on the C segment and above. The more expensive the car, the better it is as a "pre-worshipped" deal.

WRT the Swift, someone I know sold a 1.xx year old Swift for 4.4 lakhs! And a BHPian (this thread) sold his 2,00,000 kms Swift diesel for over 3 lakh rupees! The Swift's demand is only logical. It's a supremely popular new car and thus, will find buyers in the used market too.