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Old 6th August 2009, 00:18   #16
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A used Indica diesel for 1.25 lakhs?

I didn't want to create a new thread, hence revitalizing this old thread.

My elder brother (in Ahmedabad) is planning to buy a used car. Our budget is very limited (max 1.5 lakhs).

He has almost finalized on a 2002 Indica diesel for 1.25 lakhs. He has seen the car personally (not driven though as he is not yet a confident driver) along with a friend who knows a lot about cars (he runs his own small tour company). They have got the car checked by two mechanics and no major issues were found. Both the mechanics gave an estimate of around 5k for repairs required. The owner of the car is first owner (some IAS/IPS officer).

What do you guys feel about this deal? What are the other options in this budget? The monthly running for my brother will never exceed 500 kms, but running expenses does matter to him.
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Old 6th August 2009, 00:24   #17
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unless he wants the space badly, and is okay with the NVH (and check which model this is. If its a DLE - non power steering version, it can be a bit strange to drive first)

but @ 500km/ month, it seems weird. a petrol would make more sense. there are a lot of good marutis to be had
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Old 6th August 2009, 00:31   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by greenhorn View Post
unless he wants the space badly, and is okay with the NVH (and check which model this is. If its a DLE - non power steering version, it can be a bit strange to drive first)

but @ 500km/ month, it seems weird. a petrol would make more sense. there are a lot of good marutis to be had
Space is a requirement. 99% of the time, 4 persons will be traveling in the car. My parents have back pain, hence back seat comfort is important.

The car is DLS (most probably) as he mentioned that car has power steering, A/C (very effective as per his explanation). The owner has fitted aftermarket power windows. Music system is Sony Xplod.

He is going to check the documents of the car tomorrow. I have given him the list of documents to check for (service records, RC book, Road TAX receipt, registration cert, original invoice etc).

Last edited by Gandhi : 6th August 2009 at 00:33.
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Old 6th August 2009, 00:40   #19
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Hmmm. Interesting. I can tell you this much that a 2002 model diesel Indica will have very high NHV levels. Indicas post 2004 became much less agrarian. I have experience with a 2002, 2005 and a 2007 Turbo. I find the 2005 model to be the most cultured amongst these. The 2007 turbo is a hoot to drive (in comparison) but is a little more vocal. The 2002 model on the other hand has all the regular Indica quality but is much less refined and sounds almost like a tractor (from day one).

If you really plan to buy that 2002 model car check the number of Kms it has clocked till date. If it is nudging 1 lac kms on the odo (I am discounting the tampering issues here) then I would suggest that you get it thoroughly checked. Ask the owner for the service records. In fact if you go to a TASS and are willing to pay a small price they can even get you the service record of this car. See if the owner was particular about the servicing aspect. Normally an Indica should be serviced every 6 months or 5000 kms. It needs oil and filter changes on every alternate service at the very least. See if all these were done.

If the service record is not available it is still possible that the owner maintained it well albeit at some external garage. In such a case though you will need to get it checked very well for any problems. Also, if its nudging the lakh or crossed the figures you should first of all check the status of the Timing Belt. That is best changed at around 90k or so. A sudden snap can prove very costly. You will also do well to check the underbody and the silencer pipe for rust and corrosion. Earlier Indicas had a typical problem in this area. Rest is all general checkup. The suspensions, the tie rods (check the tyres for uneven wear and stay away if found so), the various rings and other rubber joins which may have hardened and may spring a leak anytime. A well maintained car will normally have a pretty clean engine bay (no dried up oil marks, no oxidation around electrical points etc) compared to a roughed up one. Basically a good garage will know the things to check in an old Indica.

However if the car is a low mileage one (like the 2002 one that we have back at home) and has been well taken care of you may find that all these problems simply do not exist.

Last edited by Zappo : 6th August 2009 at 00:44.
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Old 6th August 2009, 00:50   #20
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I would like to know if there is any big difference happened with models after 2002?I heard from dealers like -from 2004(or 2005) onwards the quality of basic model(DLE/DLS) has imporved.Until what year was V1 was produced?I searched the forum ,but not much info there.

BTW ,I have a 2002 march Indica DLE with Engine Overhauling done and nearing 2000kms for the service.
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Old 6th August 2009, 00:51   #21
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sounds like the owner has taken care of it. if you want space and a good back seat for the folks, its tough to beat the indica. Since the mechs have already given the green signal, go ahead. Even if you dont like it, you can probably sell it off without much loss ( or maybe even a profit )
the V2 was launched in 2002 IIRC, followed by two revamps in 2004 and 2007.

If he doesnt know how to drive the indica, ask him to start practising. Its a lumbering beast, and not as obedient as , say a santro or a zen. Think of it as a mini SUV

Last edited by greenhorn : 6th August 2009 at 00:56.
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Old 6th August 2009, 01:01   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by deepclutch View Post
I would like to know if there is any big difference happened with models after 2002?I heard from dealers like -from 2004(or 2005) onwards the quality of basic model(DLE/DLS) has imporved.Until what year was V1 was produced?I searched the forum ,but not much info there.

BTW ,I have a 2002 march Indica DLE with Engine Overhauling done and nearing 2000kms for the service.
Something has definitely changed. Initially (when I bought the 2005 model) I thought boy, they have definitely done a very good padding work on this car. That they have definitely done. The firewall, the hood everything is very well padded in these cars. However they have also done something to the general refinement levels. I know this from the day I opened the hood the first time with the engine running. The 2005 model still makes much lesser racket than the 2002 one. In these later models another thing they did was to make the suspension much softer when compared to the 2002 and earlier models. However that can be a double edged sword. I find the 2005 model infinitesimally more comfy than the 2002 model. However at high speeds on the highways the body roll is much more phenomenal in this car. In the 2007 model (the Turbo) they again stiffened the suspensions and it has a similar ride as the 2002. Body roll is much less than the 2005 model.

However, one thing to note is that even the 2002 model was a V2. I think the last V1 (actually no V) was made somewhere around 2000 or so. The changes in Indica have been a regular steady thing over the years although the V2 never changed to V3 and all. I can vouch for it as I am deeply exposed to a 02, 05 and a 07 model.
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Old 6th August 2009, 01:18   #23
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There is some change in Engine Dimensions or atleast how it fit inside Engine bay in past 2004 Indica's.
There is no side anti-roll bar(or whatever!) in Indica ,right?No wonder ,it remembers me of the old boat journeys in cochin lake sometimes. Is there anything done in this regard to Indica in latest lot? AFAIK ,Turbo models of Indica's are past.only DLE and DLS produced along with Indigo's.
and @Zappo :the kind of info I needed.Thanks.
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Old 6th August 2009, 01:23   #24
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my experience is with my own '07 DLG turbo,a friend's '08 GLS and the wildcard, a '00 DLE with 16,000K (yes, really) on it. driving it was a scary experience. It sounded like a PAL 137D, but acceleration in the first two gears was nice, unlike my turbo which feels wheezy in the first two gears. Was able to point and shoot the car and cut off autos and the like (something which i can never do with my car ) in the city.It ran out of breath after 70 kmph or so though.

@ deepclutch -there is one in the front , but none at the rear ( only there in the indigo). The indigo CS TDI is the closest relative of the indica turbo - at least I consider it so

Last edited by greenhorn : 6th August 2009 at 01:25.
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Old 6th August 2009, 01:45   #25
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hey greenhorn. Buddy, its should not be so yaar. I can do that point and shoot routine even with the Turbo (07 model, like yours) and the 2005 NA. The 2005 NA actually had the sluggish acceleration problem for a long time and I used to ascribe that too it being a sloppy car. However I ultimately got so bugged that I took it to Autofin here once and patkoed the car on them and said it has a problem. The guy there thought its out of warranty and hence they can charge me royally and acknowleged that there is a problem with the FIP and it needs to be recalibrated. Of course he was transfixed when I produced an extended warranty booklet. He tried to wiggle out saying ext warranty does not cover FIP work but it did. And so they had to do it. It took a week but since then even my 05 NA can do that point and shoot routine pretty well (if not darned well).

The thing is that these post 2000 cars actually gained some weight in the front (PS, 5 speed gearbox and some other solid metal appendages for the suspensions as the initial pre-V2 batches had a problem with tyre wear out etc). As a result the pre-V2 ones appear much easier when you try those point-and-shoot exercises.

By the way, Indica V2 in turbo form may not exist but the car actually exists in the Vista form. They have the same engine and the same gearbox albeit with some further refinements in this new car.
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Old 6th August 2009, 07:04   #26
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and since they had 4 +1 speed gearboxes , i wonder if the ratios had anything to do with it. The difference was that the old car revved fairly easily, ( it would go from 1000 to 2500 rm in a snap) while I need to keep my turbo spooled up to keep my engine responsive
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Old 6th August 2009, 10:29   #27
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Has 2005 mid onwards Indica's got Electronic Fuel Pump?
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Old 6th August 2009, 13:41   #28
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Thanks everybody for the replies.

My brother is going to check the documents today evening. I have asked him to take down the Insurance details and service records based on which we can check the claim history and service history of the car.

I will update here once he comes back.
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Old 6th August 2009, 13:45   #29
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Gandhi, 2002 was the year when Tata introduced the New improved V2 with better air con and some minor changes here and there, mostly qualtiy tweaks,
It was launched in June 2002.
So if its the V2 before the June edition stay away. How to make it out? Well just look at the AC buttons. If they are round, no go, if they are square, its the new one.
Other changes include a small plastic cladding like thing near the accelerator pedal, so that your foot does not touch the body but hits this plastic thing when you move it.
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Old 6th August 2009, 13:56   #30
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@ TSK, is there a way to know manufacturing date of the car? Is it mentioned in the RC book? Or somewhere printed on the car?

I will surely ask him to check about the AC buttons. Thanks for the info.
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