[vinit.merchant]

Assuming that the commute will be mostly within city, I would suggest to consider used Nano's. The Alto's and Santro's aren't the epitome of safety either so I guess Nano fits the needs. It has good space and is quite chuck-able in traffic.

You should be able to get a decent example for 60-100k depending on the age and usage. Parts aren't too expensive too. Can get is repaired at FNG as well. And you wouldn't loose too much when you want to sell again in couple of years.

Good luck with your search.

[KK_HakunaMatata]

Do you already own a car in Kolkatta, if so, then just drive down your car and take it along when you go back to Kolkatta.

[StepUP!]

If car is really not needed then, why don't you learn riding a two wheeler instead?
It's pretty easy and quick - you can learn and then buy a gearless scooter for yourself.
It will be much lighter on your wallet.

If the above option is not workable then, you can target pre-owned cars. Target those models which are difficult to sell. For example - Chevrolet cars. But mind you, after 2 yrs you might have to struggle to sell it off.

Else safe bet, buy pre-owned Maruti and sell it off while leaving the state. Very less depreciation.

[deep_bang]

I had bought a pre owned Alto almost a decade ago. Sold it after 3 years for about 20k less than what I had bought it for. And the morning I put the car for sale, by evening I had actually sold it.

Bottomline - buy a maruti. Next, buy only from individual sellers (not brokers). You should be fine.

(I actually think it's a good idea to buy the Baleno. It's a great car. If you can bargain a little considering the cost of reregistration, it may make more sense. Also keep in mind that Baleno is a 1.6l engine if I am not wrong. The 3rd party insurance is itself around 8k a year. )

[honeybee]

When buying a pre owned car, the biggest concern should be reliability. With a car nearing the end of its first life and no idea about how it has been used and maintained, there are so many things that can go wrong. Each breakdown will cost money as well as time and you may end up with a car that costs more and still does not offer reliable daily commute.

Look at the very bottom end of the vehicles for new Nanos. With Tata deciding to discontinue with the model and the already meagre sales, you may get one at a good bargain. The four year warranty should see you through your Chennai stay and also back home.

Look a little high up towards the Maruti stable if you want good resale. An Alto 800 would suit you much better too.

[scuderiamania]

Originally Posted by sharktale

Getting a 13 year old car doesn't make sense, as it'll be totally defunct in 2 years, and definitely not be usable in the cities.

Get a Pre-owned car whose road tax will expire the same time around when you want to switch to Kolkata. In that case, you can just re-register the car in Kolkata itself, and save some cash.

I cannot judge your fuel requirement from your post, so am suggesting a couple of samples I found on Quikr :

As I mentioned in the initial post, I actually expect to leave to city in another 2 years. Hence this car should survive till my period of stay. Also, the quote of 1.3 is actually lower compared to the quote I am getting for altos, etc which are all coming at around the 1.5 mark. Secondly, i will be taking over my dads car once I head back. He is planning to get a new at around that time. The plan is to definitely sell the car before I go.

Originally Posted by KK_HakunaMatata

Do you already own a car in Kolkatta, if so, then just drive down your car and take it along when you go back to Kolkatta.

That was infact the first option. We were about to sell of our 10year old swift back in kolkata and I had planned to bring it down to chennai. However, the car is now needed in kolkata. Which is why i decide to buy a car in chennai

Originally Posted by deep_bang

I had bought a pre owned Alto almost a decade ago. Sold it after 3 years for about 20k less than what I had bought it for. And the morning I put the car for sale, by evening I had actually sold it.

Bottomline - buy a maruti. Next, buy only from individual sellers (not brokers). You should be fine.

(I actually think it's a good idea to buy the Baleno. It's a great car. If you can bargain a little considering the cost of reregistration, it may make more sense. Also keep in mind that Baleno is a 1.6l engine if I am not wrong. The 3rd party insurance is itself around 8k a year. )

The insurance is a good point. Will keep it in mind.

Update guys. Drove the car. All 4 power windows are extremely slow but they work. The rubber bushes which grip the glass I think have perished. While driving the car over potholed roads, i heard rattling noises from the front end of the car. I couldn't tell whether it was the wheel bearings or a noisy damper. The gap between the bonnet and the headlight was big enough for me to put my finger in. The headlight also seemed relatively new. The guy mentioned it did have fender bender a couple of years back. There other comestic issues as well. For eg, the plastic panel covering the b pillar on the driver side door has come off.

I offered a final price of 1.1 and he said he will think over it. I would like to know the opinion of other bhpians on this.

[honeybee]

Slow power windows could also mean motor trouble.

Even the window liners may no longer be available in the market.

Bonnet tends to sag on one side, opposite to where the rod holds it open. So if that's the case, it may not be a problem.

If the gap is uniform, it is a worry.

New headlights could also mean a heavy shunt. Check for any visible signs of repairs in the front: welding spots, rust, out of alignment headlights (not the beams, the physical light housings).

Again, this is just visual inspection. The rubber seals in the master cylinder etc could have hardened with age and may give up. If that happens your brakes are shot. Either an accident, or if you are lucky, just costly repairs. And such damage can't be seen. It can only be experienced once you buy the car.

You can get the issues fixed as they come up, but you will have crossed your budget, will always have that niggle at the back of your mind and since there will be zero resale (scrappage most likely), all this expense has to be written off.

If you want to conserve your budget, I would say stay away.

[scuderiamania]

Okay, so considering all the points people here are making, I think its best to stay away from it. What about an alto k10? I finding a few examples of 2010 with about 60K on the clock for 2L. Does it make sense to pay more now and hope I am able to recover the extra cost in resale value?

[honeybee]

An Alto will probably get a better resale than other models, but also remember if you bought it used, it will sell as a third hand which will considerably lower the price.

With a car used beyond 4 to 5 years the ownership may throw up unexpected repairs. With an Alto the repairs may cost less, but the risk is still there.

A better bet would be to try something that's between 3 and 5 years old, which has a lesser risk of throwing up any unexpected repairs in the next two years.

Please remember that for a car that old, you still have routine expenses such as a new set of tyres, which would set you back by around 15k to 20k for all five. A few other wear and tear items like brake pads, transmission oil, coolant, brake oil, battery etc would set you back by almost an equal amount.

So even if you spend around 2L to just buy the car, the actual expenses, even without any abnormal repairs, would be another 50k.

Try looking for cars that have had the tyres changed recently.

[Iyencar]

Originally Posted by sibot

So, my question is whether the SX4 is a worthy option and what are the factors one should consider before buying one? Thanks

The biggest issue I have with the SX4 is that bulky rear. Makes it a pain to park or reverse in tight spaces. Also, I found the pick up and ride to be average. The advantage of that large boot though is it has enough space for a CNG tank with more to spare for luggage.

[2000rpm]

Originally Posted by Iyencar

The biggest issue I have with the SX4 is that bulky rear. Makes it a pain to park or reverse in tight spaces. Also, I found the pick up and ride to be average. The advantage of that large boot though is it has enough space for a CNG tank with more to spare for luggage.

I have heard of tremendous issues with the SX4, regarding the fluctuating RPM and associated electronics.

Any idea if my worry is substantiated?

[Iyencar]

Originally Posted by 2000rpm

I have heard of tremendous issues with the SX4, regarding the fluctuating RPM and associated electronics.

Any idea if my worry is substantiated?

The car is a typical Maruti in terms of electronics. No issues on that end in my opinion. Haven't encountered any fluctuating RPMs either. My friend got a used SX4 recently and he has no such complaints either.