[nTorq]

Fellow BHPians,

Please advise.

I recently bought a Honda City 5th Gen (petrol), and am currently confused about whether or not to sell our 9-year-old Ritz diesel.

The car has run 80k KMs, and is in an OK condition. Here are the list of known repairs:

1. Two tyres need to be changed, as they’re worn out.

2. The battery needs a change, as I can see it taking longer cranks to start.

3. General service at 80k KMs is due.

4. Shock absorbers might be weak.

5. Some paint touch up here and there, by virtue of being driven largely in Bangalore traffic.

Here are my reasons to sell it:

1. I now primarily use the Honda City, and my wife sometimes uses the Ritz. However, she’s currently WFH, which might continue for some more time, and hence the car isn’t taken out on a daily basis.

2. I have an Interceptor 650 as well, which has run 5k in 2.5 years, and I am worried that if I keep the Ritz as well, we may not be really using it often.

3. I am getting a reasonable price of INR 3L for it, and if I keep the vehicle and decide to sell it later, this number might go down significantly.

4. If I decide to keep the Ritz, I will need to spend 30-35k on repairs right now.

5. Our apartment has only one car parking allotted, and we’re currently parking it in someone else’s parking with their permission. Although, we can continue to do that for quite some time, we’ll not have a permanent parking for the Ritz.

Now, here are my reasons not to sell it:

1. My 5-year-old daughter is very attached to it! Last night when I told her about giving away the car, she started crying. (But then of course, I bought the City largely because she liked it, while my heart was with Creta.)

2. If at some point in the near future, we feel the need for a second car (if my wife’s WFH scenario changes), then we may not get anything decent for the same price as I’m giving away the Ritz (3L).

3. I really like the Diesel engine in the Ritz, and it would be nice to have a petrol and a diesel available at home. I sometimes miss the pleasure of driving a Diesel engine when I drive the City. So, driving the Ritz once in a while will cater to this.

4. If I have the Ritz as an option, I would use it for longer commutes in Bangalore in heavy traffic, allowing me to keep the Honda City newer for longer (lesser wear & tear)

5. The Ritz is certainly more fuel efficient than the City, and the overall cost of commute might come down if I use both the Ritz and the City.

What should I do?

PS: My daily commute is about 15 KMs, with a monthly trip to Mysore and back (~350 KMs).

[Mr.Boss]

Originally Posted by nTorq

2. If at some point in the near future, we feel the need for a second car (if my wife’s WFH scenario changes), then we may not get anything decent for the same price as I’m giving away the Ritz (3L).

This is only decision making point IMO.
If you don't have the parking issues (you clarified already) and not bothered about the depreciation, retain her.

PS: I'm in a similar dilemma, I have a Ritz VDi with 150k on odo and still retaining her

[SmartCat]

Sell. We sold our 2011 A-star AT for the same reasons:

- Not used at all, since there is no school pickup/drop
- Excellent price for used small cars (bought pre-owned for Rs. 3.2L in 2015, sold for Rs. 2.2L in 2021)

Before buying the new Honda City and before your wife's WFH, how were you managing with just one car (Ritz)? You will have to do the same now. Perhaps you should take the bike for office commute and let your wife take the Honda City.

You can always buy an used car (perhaps at a lower price) later if it is absolutely needed. I think inflated prices for used cars is temporary. It should normalize eventually when supply of new cars goes up (after chip shortage is resolved) and people get back to using public transport (once covid fear eases).

[abhishek46]

I would recommend to sell.
Reasons:

1. Re-sale value of vehicle starts suffering after 10year mark, and nose dives after 14year mark.
2. The Market for used cars is on the boil right now.
You may not get the 3L Price 6months or 1year down the line.

Few months ago, I was in a similar predicament.
But then, it quickly dawned upon me.
In times like this where it is getting difficult to regularly use even one car, there is no need for retaining an old car.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by nTorq

1. My 5-year-old daughter...while my heart was with Creta

Emotional - Don't sell

Originally Posted by nTorq

If at some point in the near future..I’m giving away the Ritz (3L)

Certainity of today outweighs more than uncertainty of future - sell it

Originally Posted by nTorq

I really like the Diesel engine in the Ritz...So, driving the Ritz once in a while will cater to this

Fantasy - sell it

Originally Posted by nTorq

If I have the Ritz as an option...keep the Honda City newer for longer (lesser wear & tear)

Nice to have feature - sell it

Originally Posted by nTorq

The Ritz is certainly more fuel efficient than the City, and the overall cost of commute might come down if I use both the Ritz and the City

Cost of owning two cars, two insurance, two services are far greater expenses - sell it

Overall I see sell is more than don't sell; it's your call what's more important for you in life - sentiments, value, reality, fantasy...

Originally Posted by nTorq

What should I do?

If sentiments & fantasy outweighs practical & reality, then retain it, otherwise I see no point

I was in your same shoes, just that it's for two-wheeler, after all any vehicle, emotions are the same. I was reluctant to sell our 20+ year old Yamaha, 10+ year old CBR & 16+ year old Activa for their minimal usage. But then I think I've overcome those sentiments & planning to sell off them in due course on account of accepting reality & the due course is not far future!!

PS - My Wife suggested a method & I'm sharing that with you; retain both cars for now, if you don't see Ritz (or City for that matter ) being used for 3 months (again, you should not use it for the sake of it), then Ritz probably needs a new owner!

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by abhishek46

1. Re-sale value of vehicle starts suffering after 10year mark, and nose dives after 14year mark.

Not applicable to Bangalore, especially now. Take a look at the prices of 1st gen Swift for example on carwale.com

Along with A-star AT, we also sold our 18 year old Santro Xing. Bought for Rs. 3.2L in 2003, sold for Rs. 1L in 2021. That works out to be an annual depreciation of just 6%!

In both the cases, the car was sold to a wholesaler. The buyer will be paying a lot more.

Originally Posted by aargee

Certainity of today outweighs more than uncertainty of future - sell it
Fantasy - sell it
Nice to have feature - sell it

Brutal!

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by SmartCat

Not applicable to Bangalore, especially now. Take a look at the prices of 1st gen Swift for example on carwale.com

Along with A-star AT, we also sold our 18 year old Santro Xing. Bought for Rs. 3.2L in 2003, sold for Rs. 1L in 2021. That works out to be an annual depreciation of just 6%!

Yes Very True. The market for used vehicles in in Boom now.
That why even I was able to get rid of my 9yo Polo at a great price.

[skarface]

Originally Posted by nTorq

I recently bought a Honda City 5th Gen (petrol), and am currently confused about whether or not to sell our 9-year-old Ritz diesel.

From your reasoning given I see a strong case for selling it. My advice would be the same too.
The maintenance will only go up for the ritz and the resale will keep dropping the longer you keep it. So I vote for selling it.

PS: Good one aargee!

[Kosfactor]

A car whether you use it 1000 Kms per year or 10,000 Kms per year - maintenance is the same. Keep it if you are using it, sell it if you are not using it, very simple.

The same thing works for all things of this kind, there are some valuable vintage stuff that is nice to hang on to provided there is space for it, but the rest goes away.

[condor]

I would say Keep it.

This is a non-BSVI diesel, hence lesser complications even if you dont use it much. The Ritz has been under-rated, and newer Maruti's wont be close to it - it is simpler, spacious, and reliable.

WFH will have to end sometime or other. Till then running will be low, but when you want a second car then you would either spend for a new one, or have to hunt for another used one. Schools here in KA are opening up, and offices are too.

While 3L is a good price, a new car will cost much more later. And a used car can be an unknown angel.

So unless you have parking issues, my suggestion to keep it.

[clevermax]

In my opinion, get rid of it as soon as you can.

The steering, clutch, brakes - all driver controls become too unrefined (Marutis in general) as it ages.

Exhaust fumes from a decade-old VDI become unbearable - my neighbor has a Ritz VDI and whenever he starts it, the entire area gets filled with diesel exhaust smell which is much worse than how a new diesel car's exhaust smells. I guess the catcon takes longer to start working efficiently, and until then, it emits raw diesel smoke; this smells somewhat like the exhaust smell of old trucks. It is the same case with the 2009 Punto MJD that we have now.

That car, being a Maruti and a Diesel, is going to get you decent returns from the used car market.

[Lalvaz]

Keep the Ritz. Its a decently spacious Maruti and that BS4 Fiat engine is a gem. Very easy to maintain and can easily go on well past the 1.5 lac km mark with just regular maintenance. Your Ritz is a fully depreciated car, you will not be able to get another small car with that punchy and economical diesel engine for the same price point now.

You have only one car currently and the WFH situation is easing up soon. In many cities, schools and colleges have started operations, although in a staggered manner. Offices are starting up too, at least the Indian owned ones.

Clearly a second car is a requirement, and hence it would be more prudent to keep the Ritz, especially since you have the ability to park in your friends parking slot.

Regarding the 30k expense, I do think you should be able to get the 2 tyres for approx 6k, and the battery for about 6k too. Service for the Ritz at an FNG should not cost more than 5-6k too, including oil and filter change. Hence I think you can manage to get her spruced up at 18k or so, instead of 30k.

[shancz]

Voted keep.

Because :
- you liked the diesel motor and its economy
- with the BS6 diesels reporting DPF issues especially in city driving, the road ahead isn't that smooth for diesels being driven in the city.
IMO consider it as your last tryst with the diesel and enjoy it for an year and if you feel that you had your fun and/or the Ritz isn't being used then sell it.
A Maruti with the 1.3 MJD and 5 years of original RC left, in an era of BS6 diesels struggling in cities, I don't see why would you get an inadequate resale.

But important is to get the essential maintenance done and set a time for you to take a call, 1 year should be good starter.

[nTorq]

Thanks for your advice, folks. All valid points.

Here’s how it went:

The guy from Spinny was supposed to come at 9:30 AM to procure the Ritz, and I had strictly told them that I need to leave to office by 10, and hence the procedure was to be completed before that.

While selling it was the more practical decision, I was not entirely convinced about it yet. Along with the sentiment for the car, one major factor playing in my mind was that my wife’s and daughter’s commute will largely depend on me now (as my wife doesn’t prefer to drive the City in Bangalore traffic, as she is not used to the size yet). However, since I had already asked Spinny to pick it up, I was reluctantly getting things ready for sending off the car. We also took our daughter near the car to make her wish a goodbye!

At the back of my mind, I was hoping there would be some kind of a “sign” to indicate whether my decision to sell immediately was right or not. Meanwhile, my wife and I were having our last-minute discussion about the decision over breakfast, and we had another 15 mins before the scheduled time of pick-up. It seemed like we were leaning towards “keep it for a few more months and see”, but since the pickup time was so close, it felt wrong to cancel on them.

10 mins later, at 9:25 am, the Spinny guy called me saying he has reached the location. When I asked him the details, I realized that he had reached a wrong location, which was at least 30 mins away from my place (perhaps even more during morning traffic). At that moment, I felt this was the “sign” I was waiting for (however silly that might sound! LOl!). Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t have sold the vehicle today, as I had to necessarily leave from home by 10 am.

I immediately called back the Spinny guy and told him that I have decided to keep the car for a few months, and I will get back to them if I wish to sell it. I felt really bad for the person on the other end though, as he was extremely cooperative, humble and genuine throughout the process. I apologised to him multiple times, and even sent him a long WhatsApp message explaining my decision (which in retrospect was probably not needed, but anyway…).

So, I now intend to take the car to a FNG this weekend to get an estimate for the repairs. Looking at the number, I might be able to take a call on whether to keep or sell. Also, this extra time will allow us to think and evaluate whether or not we’ll need a second car for sure.

The main point is that if I had sold it today, the decision was irreversible, and if I had felt later that this was a wrong decision, there was no going back. Now, I think I can take some time to fully think through, and then make a decision which I am going to be 100% convinced with.

Originally Posted by aargee

PS - My Wife suggested a method & I'm sharing that with you; retain both cars for now, if you don't see Ritz (or City for that matter ) being used for 3 months (again, you should not use it for the sake of it), then Ritz probably needs a new owner!

Your entire comment made absolute sense, but this one probably was the highlight, and is very similar to what I decided finally.

[Engine_Roars]

Originally Posted by nTorq

Thanks for your advice, folks. All valid points.

Here’s how it went:

The guy from Spinny was supposed to come at 9:30 AM to procure the Ritz, and I had strictly told them that I need to leave to office by 10, and hence the procedure was to be completed before that.


Your entire comment made absolute sense, but this one probably was the highlight, and is very similar to what I decided finally.

In your heart, you always knew you did not want to sell the car but your brain made you create this thread .

Nothing else matters, keep it for now & sell it when you are ready, which you are obviously not as of now. Wish you happy miles with her.