[herculesksp]

After almost a year after taking my driving classes and getting my license. After 100's of decisions whether to buy a car or not.
After 200's of decisions whether to go for a new car or used.
After 500's of coin tosses and arguments on which car to go for.

Today we finally took the plunge. The main idea was to get a cheap car that will stand the test of Indian roads and a beginners feet. So, we went ahead and booked a red Maruti 800 A/C, 2005 model.

We booked this at TV Sundaram motors in JP Nagar. The final rate was 1.9 lac. It had clocked 9000kms. Single owner with one small dent on the driver side doors. Some paint had peeled off from the left side mirror holder and there was condensation in the left headlamps. Some rubber was peeling off at the right rear window and there was a crack on the right rear lamp. I drove it and the pick up, shocks, A/C, brakes were all good.

TVS said that they will replace all the damaged lamps and rectify the rubber seals on the doors. They will also shampoo the interiors and do waxing before delivery. We didnt want the dent tinkered as we felt the looks would be compromised.

So what do you think about the deal? Is this ok or do you think I can get a better deal?

[sreedotk]

Hercules,

I personally feel the car is a little high priced, You might get a better deal from a private seller.

Depending on whether you are financing the car or paying Cash to buy it, going in for a new car might be a better choice in this case, A new maruti 800 ex show room is priced in bangalore at 218341(Highest Spec). You do need to add the registration and other cost which would take it to 270K for the car. And the peace of mind of getting a car which should not give you any trouble for the next few years. A used car will always crop up trouble no matter how good it is maintained due to the simple fact that the car has put up mileage on its parts.

A point to note would be that is the cost of 1.9 L is final price inclusive of VAT and other taxes as Used car sale from a dealer does attract VAT.

[GeekSrik]

so this is how they price cars eh? hmm ... my maruti 800 having clocked twice the number of kms and of the same year model, is being taken back by maruti for 1.6 lacs. and they sell it probably for 1.8 or whatever! so for a 9kkms driven car the price is acceptible not high.

@sreedotk, the newest car highest model is 2.3 lacs ex and in bangalore that comes to about 2.75 OTR. this is with a/c. i would advise hercules to look at the 9k car since my dealer says any maruti 800 upto 20k is still considered new as it has a potential to go upto another 20k easily without any major troubles.

so its worth considering this car. of course if you are able to bargain out a price of about 5k lesser then all the more better. if you want more info on a used 2005 model, see my review: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...km-review.html

[kamy450]

Well my view on this would be high price of car.

Maruti 800 is really good car but you are being charged bit high.

have you tried same model on true value outlet. You would get car there too on the same price but being from maruti true value you have some peace of mind. you get one year warranty and free service also.

[esteem_lover]

Price is a little steep, but if the mileage is true & the car has a comprehensive cover, original paint all over, then it is not such a bad deal.

[herculesksp]

Regarding the price, I initially went to the Mandovi true value outlet on Bannerghatta road. They quoted a price of 1.57 lacs for a 2000/2001 model 800. I also had a look at a 2002 Alto Lxi where the asking rate was 2.5 lacs. Now after this when I went to Sundaram, 1.95 lacs for a 2005 seemed pretty reasonable. But since you guys think it might be on the higher side, I will try to bargain on it.

Also, like in maruti, sundaram also gives 1 year warranty and 1 year free service.

I checked out the service records and it was fine, including mileage reading. No major problems or repairs were carried out either.

Also, I enquired with them what would be the rate if I sell it back to them after about 1 year. The person told me that the difference would be around 25k. Keeping a maximum of 50k over 2 years, I felt that it was a decent deal.

Oh, btw, I forgot to mention this (thanks geeksirk for your review), the car also has a 4 door autocop fitted with central locking. Also, it comes with pretty dark sun film installed (I hope this is not an issue in bangalore now)

Could you guys also give me some pointer on the following?
1) How do I check if the seat belts are working fine?
2) How/What do I check in the underbody of the car? Chassis, suspension?

The guy said that the car is being serviced and he will let me know in 2-3 days when it is done. I specifically told him, I wanted to take a look at the car after service is done, before I make the payments/take delivery.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by herculesksp

Could you guys also give me some pointer on the following?
1) How do I check if the seat belts are working fine?
2) How/What do I check in the underbody of the car? Chassis, suspension?

1. Sit in the seat & buckle yourself & then unbuckle. The belt should coil back on automatically.

2. Put the car in a ramp in a nearby service station & take a good mechanic with you. For the suspension, just stand near each wheel & gently push the car down & see how it reacts. If it rocks like a boat, suspension is weak. Ideally, it should go down & come back & just settle.

[ownerofazkaban]

800 Std mpi (ex: 197134, On road = Rs.229965, inclusive of comp. insurance, road tax, extended warranty , inc charges)
800 mpi AC (Ex: 218374, On Road = 254109).

These Rates are from Pratham in May '07. You are better off buying a brand new car, considering the Jun -15 latest series of discounts on offer.


>>> Also, I enquired with them what would be the rate if I sell it back to them after about 1 >>> year. The person told me that the difference would be around 25k. Keeping a maximum of >>> 50k over 2 years, I felt that it was a decent deal.

That will never Happen, They need to take care of their margins.

Hope it helps

[ashwin_seattle]

Why not go for a used Zen? Or have u decided finally on 800?
I guess for 2 lacs, you can get a decent zen. Zen is a superb car compared to 800.

[ownerofazkaban]

If you see today's new paper, there is this June discounts from Maruti, 15K off on M800!!! With that a brand new 800 AC should be around 2.4 lacs, Doesn't that make a better deal than 2 yr old 800 at 1.9Lacs ?

[herculesksp]

@ashwin: The problem was that I am not getting used zens. In fact over the past 1 month I hardly ever found any used zens. Of course I was looking only at the showrooms around my area (7-8 of them). Also the zens in that price range are at least older than 2000. That was one put down.

@ownerofazkaban: I missed that ad. But, I was weighing the options. See, basically I dont want to keep this car. I want to use it for a year or max 2 and sell it off. Now I figure that in terms of hard cash, the new car will depreciate more than the used car, so I would end up losing more money. Who knows, I may even sell it off within the year. Further, I would be using it only for a maximum of 20 kms per week esp when it rains. So, that the reason I wanted a used car for starters and wanted to go for a car thats as cheap as it can get.

Now its anyway a little late to think about. I have already committed by giving a down payment of 5K. I think I'll just go for this and hope for the best. Trust thy first instincts as I always say.

[ashwin_seattle]

Hmm, i sold my carb zen (98) last year for exact 1 lac with 101118 km on board. That speaks of the excellent resale it commands

[sreedotk]

Sorry for the late reply

@geeksrik- I picked the price from the Maruti website. And if i may add if Hercules is a part of one of the nice Corporate companies that Maruti dearly wants to sell he would get an additional 5K off at the min off the new car price.

Could you guys also give me some pointer on the following?
1) How do I check if the seat belts are working fine?
2) How/What do I check in the underbody of the car? Chassis, suspension

@ Hercules
1, Sit in the Car and buckle up, then give a sharp tug on the belt if it locks up then the belt is working if it just unwinds it needs replacement as the safety lock is busted. ( In that case it might have been worn during an accident and should throw a red flag)
2, You would have to take it to a service station and or drive it up a ramp, Check for uneven welds or scrape marks.
Suspension - Easy trick taught to me by a mechanic friend is to push at the corner and let the car spring back into normal position , If it is easy to push down then shocks are weak and if it goes up and down a few times after release the Damper is on its last legs(I am not sure if this works on a car with leaf springs) . If you have a chance check on a new car so that you know how it should feel. Also check for bent rims and rust on the inside of the doors.

See if you can get the service book of the car and if possible get the car history from the dealer(Maruti Dealer who services the car).

Considering your particular needs i think you have done good, if you can get a mechanic to check it out then it should give you a good idea of the car