[hummer]

One of my friends was looking out to buy a new SUV after a decade of ownership of Honda City. Obviously, Honda City grew on him over the years like it does for all Honda owners, nothing could fulfill all his needs like City did a decade ago. But he had to upgrade to a premium compact SUV (a necessity for Bengaluru roads) with the newer technology, good safety features, gadgets etc, he test drove few and got hooked to VW Taigun and Skoda Kushaq. Ultimately Skoda Kushaq won his heart and the gorgeous Kushaq replaced his beloved Honda City.

He consulted 4 corporate pre-owned car buyers Cars24, Car Dekho, OLA Cars and Spinny. The primary intention was to have the hassle free deal, especially the transfer process. Also, that would allow him to decide on the right option after comparing the offers. He already had valuation done and got offers from Skoda and Jeep. Since the offers were quite low, he wanted to try out the corporate car buyers as well to compare.

1. Cars24 :
• They visited after negotiating a bit on time slot, despite having already agreed while booking
• They conducted detailed car Inspection / valuation and checked the documents
• Within one hour they presented an offer on SMS and on call as well
• It was slightly negotiable, not much
• Validity was only for that day and seller must confirm ASAP
• Car would be picked up within 3 days and documentation will be put up for processing
• Payment of 95% upfront and 5% after document transfer
• Discussions with the relationship manager were good, but he appeared to be bound by process and limitations with almost no flexibility
• Later, next day onwards when he did not confirm for selling at the offered price, multiple people kept on following up. They gave up after he didn’t agree for the offered price.

2. Car Dekho
• He selected time slot for inspection / valuation and received confirmation on SMS
• Later they called requesting for a change of slot, he agreed for another slot, and got SMS confirming that. After that received 5-6 SMS of different time slots and the person never came
• Finally he called them to cancel the inspection and even after that he got a few SMS with different time slots, he simply stopped responding, and no one came after

3. OLA Cars
• He selected time slot for inspection / valuation as per availability on their website and received the confirmation
• Later they called him saying that the slot is not available. They informed him that the slots shown on website as available, may be wrong. He called them to cancel the inspection

4. Spinny
• They visited spot on time that was agreed while booking - that won his heart !!
• They conducted detailed car Inspection / valuation and checked documents which appeared to be much thorough as compared to others
• Within one hour they presented an offer on SMS and on call as well
• It was the highest offer and was still negotiable
• Validity was for 6 days and they allowed him one more day to confirm, never insisted
• Car would be picked up within 6 days and documentation will be put up for processing
however, based on request, this period could be increased (if you needed the car for some urgent work etc). This is on case to case basis
• He confirmed the price on the next evening, and they allowed him to keep the car nearly 10 more days, as he needed the car. They transferred token amount to finalize the deal within 30 minutes
• On 10th day precisely at the agreed time their person called and came with RTO forms. Collected required documents from him, and made the full payment within 30 minutes. The person waited till it is transferred.
• A nominal amount is withheld and would be paid after ownership is transferred.
• Discussions with the relationship manager were very good, and they appeared to be very customer oriented. This was all in all a very pleasant and hassle free experience. He recommends Spinny for selling cars with hassle free experience.

From his experience, the exchange offers given by showrooms were very low and nowhere in comparison with the offers he got from the corporate pre-owned car buyers like above. In both cases the transaction would have been hassle free and documentation + transfer would have been taken care by them, but corporate pre-owned car buyers offer better competitive prices.

He had to let go of his City with a heavy heart, while he feels the Kushaq is a worthy replacement

[Nalin1]

I had a good experience with Spinny too.

Minor difference was that they paid the full amount before taking the vehicle. No amount was withheld. Yes, compared to others Spinny seems far more professional and easier to deal with.

[GTO]

Great review, thanks for sharing! The last 4 cars we sold (City Vtec, Civic, Indigo, C220) were all sold to private buyers, but I don't have the time for an individual sale anymore. Too much time gone, inevitable time-waster meetings & phone calls, giving test-drives to unknown people, strangers visiting your house etc.

Time is money.

I would also have all of these new age startups evaluate my car and go with the best offer. Would prefer to have 4 - 5 organised players check my car out than 20 strangers.

[JoshMachine]

Good comparo for all the top vendors, thanks for sharing!

Almost every company that you mentioned is quite prompt with the sale process.

These companies will most definitely, always quote a higher selling price than the car dealerships, due to their ability to move around pre-owned car inventory rapidly. It's their business DNA, as a matter of fact!
Better to get such vendors do the due diligence.

I have heard good reviews for Cars24 and Spinny in general as compared to OLA and CarDekho.

However, the post-sale experiences can be patchy and have to be very closely monitored for the next (& equally important) phase of the process viz., transfer of RC and Insurance. Important to get post-sale steps agreed beforehand, so that there is predictability of the entire transaction.

[Olympal]

However, the post-sale experiences can be patchy and have to be very closely monitored for the next (& equally important) phase of the process viz., transfer of RC and Insurance. Important to get post-sale steps agreed beforehand, so that there is predictability of the entire transaction.

I recently sold my VW Polo to Spinny. Their price was the highest among all the car trading companies.Spinny resold the car within 10 days.
Post sales there was no response from the executive regarding RC transfer. I finally raised a trouble ticket and received a call that the RC had been submitted for transfer and that it will take 2-3 weeks.

[Quoter]

When I sold my last Maruti (2020), the best offer was given by Maruti True Value and it was significantly more than any of the institutional buyers (20% higher). All the paperwork was done at my home when they came to pick the car. I was handed over the cheque later that day. Given that it was a Maruti vehicle always serviced at their own workshop, they knew the entire history including repairs under warranties. Vehicle was sold and RC transferred to second owner within a month of my sale.

[adigup]

We have a dealer who buys cars from us and also helps us get good deals on new cars. In 2019, when we tried selling our Innova - some person arranged a client from Kerala who came to Dehi and paid full amount (1 lakh more than all Delhi dealers and the start-ups). I think they paid us 8.5 lakhs for our 95,000 kms run 2013 2.5 Diesel V. We were offered prices as low as 5.2 lakhs. This was probably because of the NGT rule and also as Innova as valued a lot.

I have never had a good experience with Cars24 and also, I have heard good things about Spinny so should check that.

[sauravpat]

Recently sold our Nissan Micra Active to Olx Autos. Their behaviour was pretty satisfactory. Was a little worried about the RC transfer but they completed it within 60 days and sent me a message about the same. Overall a decent experience. Could have negotiated a bit more for a better price I feel. Got around 20k below market value.

[giri1.8]

Sold my previous ride on cars 24, got a good price and overall experience was excellent, only worry is what happens if the buyer refuses to transfer the ownership! Mine got transferred after few months of sale but not sure what is to be done if it doesn't happen.

[vellatechie]

I was quoted 7.5L for my Honda City (2019, VXi, 30k, Petrol) by all these companies. I was the second owner.
I ended up selling it for 9.25 via OLX to a direct buyer.

These companies are nice but almost always the price is well below the market price tbh.

[ACM]

I had multiple bad experiences with cars24
and OLX of low value offers / not coming on time, or at all. In all 3 instances sold the car directly to buyers for atleast 20% more. But yes, it involved multiple test drives and fake/ phishing attempts by callers.

Have heard good things about Spinny, will try them out next.

[ramnaresh_2000]

I had a very bad experience with both Cars24 and Cardekho. The experience with Cardekho was worst and rudest experience I even had. I was looking to replace my lemon TUV300 AMT and got horrible quotes from Tata (4 Lakhs), M&M (5.2 Lakhs), and Ford (5 + 40k exchange bonus) dealerships.

I then booked a slot with Cars24 and it was a newly opened showroom in Suchitra Circle. They assigned an evaluator within 10 mins of me reaching their showroom, the guy felt knowledgeable and knows what he was doing. He was courteous, did a complete inspection and said I will receive a quote in 1 hour.

I then went straight to Cardekho showroom in Karkhana, it was pre-booked slot. They assigned a evaluator in 15 mins as he was already evaluating another vehicle. We both went on a small ride to a secluded place, he started taking pictures and posted on their app. Highlighted all scratches and stuff. He then started psychological tactics by putting words in my brain, no one prefers a black vehicle saaar. Old people will say it is "Shani". Some people will not allow black vehicles in functions and partys. Some religion people only will prefer this color and not all religion people. I got sick of his comments and tactics and walked away far pretending I got a phone call, so that I don't have to listen his blabbering. We then went back to the showroom, the manager said I will receive the quotation in an hour. I then told him I will not wait here and will go home. He was asking me my expectations, I said I already have an offer from 3 dealers but looking for better offer.

Then started his drama, he said he will not give me quote until I reveal my previous quotes which I got from dealers. I told him it is none of his business and I will not reveal my previous quotes, you give me your best quote and I will make a decision based on it. He insisted that I have to share or else he will not give a quote. I just stromed away as I had enough of this nonsense. Straight away made an online complaint and next day started receiving calls from the same guy apologizing for his acts. I told him I am not even willing to hear his apologies and not even willing to sell my vehicle to such unprofessional company who hires people like him. I straight away decline any further conversation.

I started receiving calls from Cardekho customer support and explained my bad experience to them, they apologized and said they will escalate but I didn't bother to follow up.

Finally sold my vehicle after 1st lockdown was lifted in my hometown for 6.5. It took me 6-8 months to sell on OLX but it was totally worth the effort. Almost met 20+ people who did test drives and received many low ball offers. One guy even came through a referral of my father's friend, they finalized the deal. Later kept quite, after 3 months came back again and finalized the deal but never came back. I never followed up. After selling my car they came back again and tried to low ball, I just laughed at their tactics and politely declined their offer.

Spinny was not available in Hyderabad during that period, so no experience here.

Overall I would prefer direct buyers from OLX than these corporate companies. However, I understand not everyone has the time nor patience to handle such people. I would suggest OLX anyday but Cars24 felt bit better and professional even though their offer was low, there was scope for negotiations though.

I would not even waste my time with 2nd hand car dealers, as they are sort of a mafia and formed a syndicate. Visit 1 dealer in city and your RC will be circulated in their whatsapp group, you would get same offer from every dealer in the city 10k+/-.

[soniprady]

Sold our Baleno (2018) through Spinny today itself. Got the inspection done around 3 weeks back but did not commit as there was no visibility on the new car's delivery. They followed up a couple of times and increased the offer by 15k. Finally once I got visibility on the delivery of the new car, I reached out to them and their original offer was still valid.

Confirmed yesterday, sent the documents and their team came from 90 kms away to my place on a Sunday to pick up my vehicle. They transferred the full amount right away and left only after the confirmation. Overall great experience and the price offered was also the highest. In comparison, cars24 was deducting 5k for documentation from the price itself.

[sudeepg]

Spinny's is good with their process, but in my experience, they pocket a fat margin. and they won't negotiate much, just a couple of thousands more. Cars24 on the other hand are low ballers and cheaters. My experience with Cars24 was a few years ago, not sure if that changed. That said I have used Olx to sell, by paying a marginal amount to boost the advertisement. This has really helped me get the ad to be spotlighted and more genuine buyers. The approach I typically take is as follows:

1. Don't bother talking to anyone who haggles on price the first thing.

2. Entertain only those folks who are interested to come and see the car in person. This is key for me because this, to me, shows a genuine interest.

3. For all those who turn up, I let them inspect the car inside out. I do the driving for them and if they want to, I'll ask for a small security deposit. If they are not OK with it, I do not offer a test drive. I don't prefer to give my car for anyone and everyone who wants to consider a sale unless they are serious.

4. Don't entertain anyone who says your car colour is not popular or you have more than 1 RC endorsement (company lease transfer etc.) If they can't understand what a true single owner means, I don't prefer selling the car to them.

5. Clear with the process - Full payment, sign forms completely, and fill them accurately. With the new online RTO forms submission, complete that too on the same day/time. I don't entertain anyone who doesn't have time for this even with planned meetings.

This has generally helped me find genuine buyers and also reap the profit margin that companies like Spinny's, Cars24 make per sale. It also helps me negotiate the pricing as it is in line with the market. I use their sites mostly to gauge what is the selling price which I can target.

Some may feel this might be time-consuming and make it difficult for potential buyers, but I prefer this when parting with a valued possession, because I just need ONE genuine, good buyer for my car. Finally, if I don't have a good impression of the potential buyer (or even a seller) from my conversation with them, then I back out of the sale/purchase.

[sidzz]

I sold my 2015 Grand i10 to Spinny 35k kms and bought a 2017 XUV500 33k kms form them this month.

I had contacted Cars24 first, the inspection guy turned up on time did a thorough inspection. Within few hours I got an SMS with the amount they were offering followed by a call. The amount offered was very low and I asked the rationale for the same. They then sent me the inspection report. I was so surprised by the report as there were multiple point that were not true. They mentioned that the tyres were at 40% - infact the tyres were changed just 6 months back and driven only 3k kms. Also, they mentioned of scratches and dents that were never there. 4 doors were mentioned to be repainted - but in reality only 1 of the doors was repainted. There was also a mention of suspension noise that was never there. I tried to logic with the guy who called me again, but in vain.

I contacted Spinny next. The inspection guy was on time and completed the inspection much faster than the earlier one. He agreed that the car was in excellent condition (really was). Within few hours I got a quote which was Rs 50k higher than Cars24. I tried to increase it a bit more, and was able to increase it by 20k more. I agreed for the amount and the car was picked the very next day. Two guys came who did a short inspection again and did all the paperwork. Since this was an exchange, they transferred the amount of Grand i10 to the XUV500 internally and I paid the balance amount using 2 credit cards. Also a bonus of 10k was offered since this was an exchange.

The XUV500 was delivered to my home the same day in a flatbed. This was a 2015 XUV500 with 55k on the odo. I had taken a test drive earlier. All the coordination was done from Spinny car hub Vega Mall, BTM Layout, Bangalore. All this while I was interacting with only 1 person from Spinny. The experience was seamless.

Now, 3 days later I saw a 2017 XUV500 with 33k on the odo on the Spinny app, appeared much better than the existing one, a bit higher in price located in Spinny hub VR mall Whitefield, Bangalore. I booked it immediately and told the guy with whom I was interacting earlier that I want to return the 2015 XUV500 under their 5 days return policy and buy the 2017 one that I had booked. He just asked 1 question - how many Kms I have driven the existing vehicle and said it will be done.

Since, VR mall is near my home I opted to drop the existing vehicle and pick up the next one on my own. I reached their office in VR mall at 12pm and took a test drive of the now booked vehicle. It was in much better shape - almost like a new car (clean, driving tight, minimum scratches). I confirmed it immediately and was ready to pay the balance. The manager at this office told me that they need 2 hours to get this car ready for delivery and asked to come back and pay only before taking the delivery. I agreed and went back at around 4PM. Car was ready, I paid the balance using 2 credit cards. Car was cleaned properly, and to my surprise 2 new tyres were put and new battery was put. They offered diesel worth 1k and PUC certificate, plus comprehensive insurance. Some goodies - pillows, tissue paper box, a document folder and a keychain.

I was out with the new car in just 30 mins.

I repeat myself that, the overall experience of exchanging my Grand i10 and then exchanging the XUV500 with another XUV500 was very very seamless. There was not even a single point where I felt hassled or puzzled.