[pannags]

Our first car in the family was a used chauffeur driven Premier Padmini "Deluxe BE" that my dad picked up with help from my uncle.

Our most recent acquisition has also been a pre-worshipped machine - our little Brio. With just 5k on the ODO, a clean service record and showroom like new looks - all for 35% less than the sticker price - the Brio made perfect sense, any which way one were to look at it.

IMO, the biggest deterrents to buying a used car are the limited choice of variants, colours and features, in addition to finding a reliable machine from a trustworthy seller.

Then again, all you need is patience and a little bit of luck!

[WhiteKnight]

I owned only pre-worshipped cars. Listing them.
M800
Suzuki Esteem
Suzuki Baleno
Hyundai Verna
Mitsubishi Cedia
Skoda Laura Tsi

Overall, I've spend Rs 2,120,000 in purchase.
I received 360,000 in sales receipts.
Net cost: 1,760,000 (Still have Verna+Cedia+Laura)

All cars combined I've driven ~200,000 Kms

So, what option did I vote for? The last one, of course

And, forgot to mention. Your choice above also indicates your risk appetite, also most likely linked to your profession/job

[NPV]

Voted - Too much effort to find a car, TD it, get it checked...

This is based on my experience buying cars in Bangalore.

We all learn from our mistakes/hardships and one of them has been my experience buying a used car for use as our second car mainly for wifey. Couldn't find a good car being sold within our budget and directly by the owner, so settled for the next best - bought from a dealer who was referred by a "friend".

When I contrast this buying experience with the ones I bought new, I just don't want to risk it again buying used (I wish it were indeed "pre-worshipped" but in many cases of commuter/lower end cars, it's "pre-abused" or involved in prior accidents, has tampered odometers, list goes on). One needs to be really lucky to find a car being sold directly by the owner and the car has been taken good care of and all records/paper work is diligently maintained, very hard to come by in Bangalore.

[groom]

I voted -
Risk (cheated etc)
In addition i fear that maintenance will be higher. If i combine both the factors of risk and maintenance car can be totalled with very low / nil resale value.

There is one additional factor which is not listed here - I love the smell of new car. :-)

[2000rpm]

Originally Posted by NPV

all records/paper work is diligently maintained, very hard to come by in Bangalore.

There is not too much diligence required to maintain papers for a car. Even if you have a car without insurance or PUC, it takes 5 minutes to get it done. Most people over estimate the hassle involved in transferring a car. Just have a good agent do it for you. (same as the dealership doing it for you when you purchase a new car)

You should stay away from cars which are being sold by individuals who are not the owners of the car though. (flippers)

[CoolFire]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Used cars don't work in most cities in India except for Mumbai and Delhi. Mumbai and Delhi market is larger, people buy and change cars often there vs other cities and resale prices in Delhi and Mumbai are ridiculously lower than other cities.

In cities like Bangalore it is almost foolish to look at used cars as the prices are plain silly.

Quite true for most places, including Kerala. Add that to the risk of ending up with a lemon or flood affected car, it makes little sense to buy used. People generally are not willing to sell at lower prices if the car is well maintained. The depreciation in initial years is hardly 10% per annum, which is not at all attractive unless you are extremely price sensitive.

Of course, some exceptions are there and you may turn lucky to get a non popular model at a mouth watering price from a friend or an acquaintance, but you cannot rely on that happening when looking for a car.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by 2000rpm

There is not too much diligence required to maintain papers for a car. Even if you have a car without insurance or PUC, it takes 5 minutes to get it done. Most people over estimate the hassle involved in transferring a car. Just have a good agent do it for you.

It's not those records that worry me, but having proper service/maintenance record trail for the car. How else can you trust when buying from a stranger or even from a used car dealership ?

*I have every single detailed service/repair bill for my cars - one is 11 years old and the other is almost 5 years old

[crdi]

Our society stigmatizes a lot of things. I have a car in which my dog has peed! Thoroughly cleaned it afterwards and all the stench is gone, but don't know how the next owners of the car would feel if they come to know about it. And I am sure that the human species is capable of much worse deeds than my dog!

[mi2n]

Voted on 3 counts -


Too much effort to find a car, TD it, get it checked...

I don't have the knowledge or expertise on used cars

Try convincing my spouse / family!!!

That used cars offered great value has always lurked on my mind. But I was never comfortable because I lack the necessary knowledge and expertise. Even as late as 2016, when I was seriously looking at sparsely used latest generation Scorpios, I finally backed off due to my apprehensions and huge protest from family and bought a new TUV instead.

Fast forward to 2019 and the requirement for a third set of wheels had sparked. This time I was firm on buying a pre-worshipped car. Armed with confidence gathered from information and expertise generously bestowed by BHPian dip27in over the last two years, I bought home an eight year old, but sparsely run Toyota Etios for absolute peanuts. Fit in new set of rubber and swapped the seat covers and floor mats and I was good to go. A regular service at Toyota also confirmed that there was no imminent mechanical or other issues with the car.



"Cheap thrills" says DBHPian Samba! Really, never thought this little money could bring so much automotive pleasure. I've now, after 6 blissful months of ownership, announced at home that our days of buying overpriced new cars are behind us.


One other thing which is pertinent is the painful process of transferring ownership here in West Bengal. You are at the mercy of touts, you get fleeced and cough up arbitrary amounts. Also, you might have to beg on your knees before the previous owner to be present in person at the RTO for completion of the process.

[locusjag]

I have perfected (dare I say) the process of purchasing a used car. Central to this "perfection" of mine is my helpful and genuine FNG mechanic. He certifies our potential purchases for flood damage, accidents, odometer tampering etc. That covers ~75% of what we can be cheated with.

I have bought a used car with his help (2012 A Star AT) in 2018. My sister bought her 2008 Swift in 2011 with his help. A couple of my managers in my company bought their respective Ford Ecosports with his help in 2019. None of these purchases have gone wrong for any of us.

But notwithstanding this comfort level with used cars- I still have a mental block when it comes to considering a big used diesel car (any 4 metre+ SUV/MPV). I keep hearing that older diesels can kick you in the nether regions with huge expenses...and despite this fear, I hope i'll pick up a used Hexa some day, maybe 3 years down the line.

[theexperthand]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Spouse / family.

Used cars are just used cars as per my wife, and no amount of convincing (Believe me, I've tried!) could get her to think otherwise.

A new Alto holds more value to her than a pre-worshipped Compass.

+1.

Somehow my wife is ok to go lower segment and is ready to wait a few more years than buying pre-owned, and any amount of convincing doesn't work with her.

--Anoop

[luvDriving]

The first car that I owned was a used one.

I had just completed one year into my first job and I was looking to buy a car. I consulted with my garage owner friend and he advised me to get a used one to get my driving skills into shape (I had only driven the Fiat 1100 and that too once).

So off we went to his trusted dealer. Incidentally there was this Indica with low mileage and clean history. Took a test drive and liked it. So there was my first car - a second hand tata indica v2. It was Dec 2003 manufactured bought in Nov 2006.

This car served me very well. I accumulated over 150k kms before I sold it off in 2013 and bought the new tata vista D90. So although I was hesitant to buy a used one, the dealer was trusted and I did get a car which served me well for 7 years.

[blackwasp]

Voted for "Other" and "Are you kidding? I LOVE pre-worshipped cars".

My only concern is history for pre-owned cars. Thanks for research and patience, I can now can its easy to get car history and maintenance. If its not there, I just walk away. 3/5 cars at home are pre-owned. The Abarth was new as frankly the only used car we could afford was the Jetta 1.4TSI but the Abarth deal happened unexpectedly. The CNG WagonR at home was also picked up new, as it was on of the conditions for the loan + rates for used CNG WagonRs was just too absurd.

My 800, WagonR and Palio are all picked up used.

[rsidd]

My first car was pre-owned, for budget reasons: a 5-year-old Fiat Uno, with 25000km on odo, for 1 lakh. I don't regret the purchase. But it became difficult to service by the time it was 9 years old (4th year of ownership), and I exchanged it at 11 (owned for 6); got 25000+15000 exchange bonus, ie 40,000, a decent fraction of the original price!

Today I may consider a pre-owned car as a second car, except I don't need a second car... when the time comes to replace my current car, I'm likely to buy new, mainly because I'd like to keep the vehicle as long as possible (current car is 9+ years, 87000 on odo, and I have no plan to replace it).

[lamborghini]

I've voted for 'other'.

For me personally - I love the idea of a pre-owned ride. My 3 is pre-owned, and compared to a new vRS which we had booked initially, it has worked out cheaper to own, modify, & maintain, while being more fun thanks to the RWD set-up.
That being said, being an older example - there are niggles which one must be prepared to live with or deal with due to age like rattles, electronics like the wheel speed sensor, etc.

Coming to the family however, it is a different ballgame. Dad & my wife are open to the idea, though I doubt mom will be. However finding a right car is a tough one because:

1. Most of the vehicles are company purchases bought by the respective workplaces, so there really needs to be a stellar deal to outweigh the depreciation benefits. Plus, there also the cost of transferring ownership from individual to company.

2. For a family car, given it will do a lot more outstation trips with a chauffeur behind the wheel - I would want peace of mind, which means limiting my search to cars that are 2-3 years old, with low mileage, a full service record, and active manufacturer warranty (so I can get extended warranty).
Our house consists of Japanese cars which typically hold their value well in the resale market so there is little to save as compared to buying a new car (because of reasons mentioned above), or Germans which have such massive discounts new that buying a 2-3 year pre-owned car + cost of transferring to company / depreciation benefits + cost of extended warranty (in some cases) - just makes more sense to buy new.

For instance, a C Class today retails at 45L with warranty till 2023. A pre-owned C220d with similar / lesser features can be had for 25L.
Cost of transferring ownership - Rs. 3L (approx), cost of EW - 4L, Depreciation benefits around Rs. 3L, cost of servicing, wear & tear parts - approx Rs. 1.5L (new tyres around the 25Kkm mark @ Rs. 60K, service @ 30K, brake pads & other items including touch ups, etc.)
Car cost = Rs. 36.5L, with a higher rate of interest & more workshop visits v/s a brand new car at 45L with peace of mind.

Now of course, this is car specific. The C is expensive to maintain & also holds the best resale in its segment. If we were talking about a 6GT which has dismal resale the scenario could be different.
Similarly, if the car were to be an individual purchase, it would be a completely different scenario.