[Jeroen]

Some of you who have read some of my posts will know I am a huge fan of used cars. Other than my company lease cars, which are always new, I have never ever bought myself a new car. Many, many years ago, early 80s, we bought my then girlfriend, wife to be, a brand new Talbot Samba. My wife needed a car for her work, she was very anxious about a second hand car failing. And her then employer, the NHS, would provide a free interest loan, providing you bought a new car. My wife to be told me she wanted a Samba because it was cute. End of discussion.

Since, she has had a long string of second hand cars too, ranging from Volvo 340, VW Polo, various Ford Focus and just about every incarnation of the Ford Fiesta.

When we moved back to my home country the Netherlands we bought another Ford Fiesta for her. This was the newest used car ever. It was the then latest Fiesta, less than a year old and with only 12000km on the clock. I bought it at less than 60% of the original purchase price. Yes, that is 40% depreciation in a little over 9 months and less than 12000km.

Of course, buying and owning second hands cars in countries we have lived, such as the Netherlands, UK, USA, Barbados etc is probably a little easier than in India. Although the fundamentals are most likely very much the same.

Buying second hand allows me to own either more cars, and or more car (higher spec). Also, there are not to many modern cars out there I really like. I find myself preferring older version over the current version often. On visuals alone.

Reliability and or additional maintenance cost is not a big concern to me at all. The apprehension of many when it comes to these matters is rarely based on facts.

But no matter what, you should always try to get the car you will be enjoying. It does not matter what car, it does not matter new or used. No matter what you are likely to spend a considerable amount of money on its purchase and it upkeep. You are likely to spend time in it, with your loved ones. So make sure you get something that will give you pleasure and enjoyment. The last thing you want is having car ownership bring anxiety.

Happy motoring

Jeroen

[BlackPearl]

For me it is simple, if we have the money we will buy a pre-owned vehicle within our budget. If we don't have money we will take a loan and buy a new vehicle because loans on used vehicles have higher interest rate. The only exception has been the Range Rover which we bought on taking personal loans because the interest rate is so low in UK. The list of cars and bikes that we have bought till now -

2004 - Pre-owned Fiat Palio 1.2 ELX (2002)
2004 - New Maruti Alto LX
2005 - New Suzuki Baleno Lxi
2006 - Pre-owned Yamaha RXG (1998)
2007 - Pre-owned Yamaha RX 135 4 Speed (1999)
2007 - Pre-owned Yamaha RX 135 5 Speed (2001)
2008 - Pre-owned Jeep 1982 (don't know the model)
2008 - Pre-owned Toyota Corolla Automatic (1995)
2008 - Pre-owned Honda Accord Automatic (1998)
2008 - Pre-owned Honda Accord Manual (1999)
2010 - New Kawasaki Ninja 650F (2009)
2011 - Pre-owned Toyota Camry Manual (2001)
2011 - Pre-owned Suzuki Esteem Vxi (2007)
2012 - New Bolero LX 4WD
2014 - New Thar CRDe
2014 - Pre-owned Suzuki Esteem Vxi (2007)
2018 - Pre-owned Mini Cooper 1.6 (2006)
2019 - Pre-owned Range Rover Sport HSE SDV6 (2011)

Phew, that was a long list! I did not realise it when I started typing it. Only 5 have been new purchases out of 18 till date. So it is clear that I love pre-owned vehicles.

[Cyborg]

I don’t mind buying a used car IF it can satisfy the following conditions above and beyond it being in good health - engine, transmission, interiors and not any body damage except for bumpers.

1. Not more than 3-4 years old.
2. Not more than 40-50 thousand kilometres.
3. Getting a good vibe from the car, upon taking a test drive
4. Will not settle for a colour I dislike even if the car is good otherwise.

Although my last two car purchases have been new, I had an excellent experience with a Honda City bought from their Auto Terrace in Kalina (Bombay) in 2005. It was barely a year old with around 7 thousand kilometers on the clock and looking brand new. Saved around 1.25 lacs that time from the new price. This car was with me for almost 14 years and left me with superb memories.

Cheers

[Drkalgaonkar]

The question should be why CAN'T you buy a used car?

I would always go for a preowned - preworshipped car anytime.

But I can't always.

The reasons are:

1. Very limited availability of a well maintained vehicles. Well maintained meaning with preventive maintenance and not just regular services and repairs. A true vehicle enthusiast is a very rare entity. And from that limited pool, I have to find the particular model - variant that I want.

2. And further compounding the situation is the limited time frame these sellers are going to hold on to their vehicles. You just cannot comapre the used vehicle offer as you can while buying a new one.

Recently I spotted one excellent Safari of a fellow team bhpian, but couldn't get it as I didn't give a commitment. My bad.

And those people who are afraid of shady deals or being duped, don't you buy other things which are always always preowned? For example,land. You have to be very careful about it. Spend some time, research, ask for help.

But for those who WANT a new car, you want a new car.

[damanbir]

I am all for Pre-Worshiped cars.

The game is all about patience and a keen eye for details. This obviously is gained from experience, I had a brand new 2009 Punto which suffered a gradual engine siezure, but the process of bringing her back to life was a great learning experience. Also I have worked as a VIV Engineer in an OEM for the last 5 years, which has greatly helped me have an detailed eye for mechanical issues, and I believe in the fact that "There is nothing that can't be fixed", although I have never felt the need to be in that situation.

Some of them being:

1. Royal Enfield Standard 500 - 2013 run only 4000 kms and bought in 2016 for half the on road price
2. Mahindra Thar CRDe 2013 run 7000kms with MT Tyres, Alloys, Hella Lights and a Subwoofer with Amp and speakers. Bought in 2014 for 3 lakhs cheaper than the onroad price.
3. Renault Duster 110 RZ+ 2016 run 30,000kms bought in 2019 for the onroad price of a Swift LXI.

[bf1983]

I feel buying a used car is a matter of luck unless you know the buyer.

I have bought 5 used vehicles - 3 bikes and 2 cars and all of them had issues except for one bike.

The first one was a Hero Honda CBZ that had a rusted tank that was painted over. The rust spread and after a while it started to leak. So had to change the whole tank which was a big expense in those days. Other than that lots of issues as the engine developed a fault as a ball bearing broke off and the engine had to be opened up and fixed which was another big expense.

My second bike was again used and it was a Karizma. The bike was in decent condition but I found out later than the odo was reset and the bike had actually done a lot more kms. The engine was still butter smooth right till the end but the amount of niggles I had with the bike forced me to sell it off within a year only.

My third bike was a Yamaha FZ16 which is the only used vehicle that I was really happy with. A trouble free 7 years of ownership and all the troubles I have with it are all down my mistakes not the bikes.

Coming to cars our first car was a new Wagon R and it was a 7 year trouble free experience and then 2 year of troubles so we sold it off. But the first 7 years were just awesome.

After that a used Nissan Mircra and we found out after buying the car that the tank was cracked and repaired. However within a month the repair gave way and all the fuel leaked out. After that within a year the check engine light went off 3 times due to minor sensor issues which were irritating as it happened outside of our city when on tour.

Post all those issues we decided against buying used vehicles and so far all our new cars post that have been niggle free so far and a pleasure to own.

[Nithesh_M]

the only used car I'd buy is the Cedia. Unfortunately I've heard about the plight of owners having a hard time finding spares for its upkeep and has made me wary of buying one.

Its hard to believe how long I've searched the used car portals(5 years) to find a low mileage one but then had to stop looking when I factored the shrinking Mitsu ASC.

[Red Liner]

I think the only reason I wouldn’t buy a used car is when what I want is a segment first.

For instance, if I want a small economical, comfortable 4*4 with all the safety kit = does not exist yet = Jimny/2020 Thar. In this case, I will have to buy a new one.

In every other instance, it will be a used car.

I like Black Pearls list. Here is mine (more for my sake):

2001 Pre owned 1996 Yezdi Classic II
2005 Pre owned Fiat Palio 1.2 petrol
2006 Pre owned Fiat S10 1.6
2007 Pre owned Fiat Petra Diesel
(Yes, yes, it was a FIAT phase lol)
2007 Pre owned for sure Mahindra Willys 1956 CJ3B
2009 NEW Mahindra Scorpio MHawk 2.2
2010 Pre owned Jawa 350 twin
2011 Pre owned Honda Dio
2014 Pre owned Ford Figo Diesel
2016 NEW Kawasaki Versys 650
2018 NEW TVS Jupiter (used deals were time consuming and flaky for very little change)

[kptraveller]

My reasons are as below.

1. The risk (being cheated, reliability, accident / flood damage etc.)
Just because a car is cosmetically perfect, it will not imply that car is mechanically sound. I also feel that not all mechanics are perfect in judging a car. So, unless you know the car is from the person you know, it's hard to be sure that car is really in a good condition and you can do long drives in that without the fear of breakdown. One of the tendency I have seen is, people sell their cars when they hear that it is going be costing more in getting few major parts replaced as they have reached their end of life. The customer who buys the car, might need to shell out more than the price of the car itself if due diligence is not done while signing the cheque.

2. I don't have the knowledge or expertise on used cars.
This is the second reason.

[coolkurt]

The new car smell. The sense of achievement. The idea of owning something new, the effort it's taken to get there, and the entire sentiment involved in the buying decision - Buying a car is top priority, second only to buying your own house. Besides all this, the aspirational quotient. Especially when you upgrade.

As I said, sentiment.

[thesquaremile]

Interesting topic. For me the more pertinent question is - why buy a new car?

Having owned only 'pre-loved' cars over the last decade i can't ever see myself going back to new. Heard you can get new-car-smell perfumes now (to make up for the void)

Several convictions behind this:
- First and foremost is the vast portfolio of the UK used car market. Well maintained, low wear-and-tear, immaculate bodywork cars for a fraction of showroom prices.
- Choices of used-car warranties are plentiful as well.
- Carbon footprint - i tend to recycle and reuse as much as i can and that includes vehicles.
- Although leasing, loan and PCP choices are fashionable (21st century) options, i prefer to pay upfront and avoid (as much as possible) excessive financial commitment.

[Guna]

I have successfully owned a used car for close to 10 years now (longest I have retained any car). While I agree with the benefits of going for a used cars such as 'one can buy a car from a segment higher' etc, I am not sure if I will do it again. My reasons (other than the ones I have voted for in the poll) are:

• I somehow believe that nobody sells a 'perfectly good car'. I agree that there are those odd cases where one ends up buying a wrong car, but in most cases people tend to sell cars when they start giving problems or dissatisfied with the comfort/performance
• Used car can surprise you with an issue. If it is a car you have owned, you are aware of any issue from the start and you would know how it has progressed or how severe it is.
• I prefer the smell of a new car than the smell in a used car.

[torquecurve]

My first car - a Sierra Turbo - was a Pre-worshipped car with 45000 kms. Drove it for more than a year - excellent car, sold it almost for the same price I bought it.
My second bike - an RX, was again ‘used’.
My second car (own) - was a refurbished - Indica DLX bought for a pittance - exchanged it for the Vista at a price higher than the purchase price.
My current car - the Superb is also pre-worshipped.

Some advice on buying a pre-worshipped car
1 - Go with an open mind - don’t decide the car model - decide the type of car and range. Like SUV, sedan, UV.
2 - Whichever car you buy - factor at least 10% of the purchase price as repair expense per year. (7 plus year old, and add 5 percent for every year after that). For a 3-5 year car this is lower (mostly within warranty)
3 - Don’t rush the purchase - look for options and bargain hard. If you buying Depreciation disasters (cars from stables other than MS, Hyundai and to an extent Honda) - you will get excellent deals on excellent cars. Almost two years ago I paid less than the price of a D segment sedan for the Superb - it was showroom maintained, one minor damage on the left running board (paint chip), new tyres and battery.
4 - stay away from deals that sound too good to be true - more often than not it will be to cover up some flaw.
5 - get the car registration checked with the service center. Most keep detailed records
6 - check the last insurance paper - it shows the NCB that was available - rule of thumb - every year for no accident the NCB increases by 10%.

Hope this helps

The biggest disadvantage of buying a car from a higher segment - you WILL be spoilt and then a lesser car doesn’t cut it for you anymore. Refer my thread on What car!

[GTO]

A most interesting discussion . Thanks guys. 5 pages up, and it's not even gone to the homepage yet.

Based on the ~300 votes so far:

- Merely 19% of BHPians have said they prefer a new car + the premium for it. Happy to see that more people have voted for "I love used cars" over "I prefer a new car".

- The pain points remain risk (over half of respondents), followed by the effort. Agreed. This is what guys like Maruti True Value, Mahindra First Choice etc. have tried to solve, but clearly with mixed results. What we need in India is something like CarMax.com. Good cars, no sales pressure, a fair premium over the unorganised segment and long warranties (even on a white elephant like this). They also have buybacks, making it almost 100% risk-free.

- Maintenance costs & expertise are next in line. True. My brothers Kunal & Nick are both keen on pre-owned for their next buy, but they wouldn't even consider it if I wasn't part of the picture.

- Spouse / family opposition is the 5th biggest obstacle!

[AjiGTI]

I prefer to buy a new car though 4 out of 5 cars l owned were from the used car segment. I don't have the expertise, knowledge and time to hunt for used cars.

Why did I buy used cars then? Primarily those purchases were for the intended use of a very short period (less than 18 months) though l ended up using them for extended periods (up to 4 years). The purchase costs were also not significant compared with my financial position then.

In spite of the good experience with used cars (I was very happy with the overall ownership experience), I did not look at the used segment when I bought my first 'real' car and decided to buy new.