Buying a Second Hand Car - Learn from my mistakes!!!

kooldude · 1st May 2005, 10:28

hey dude
i m in ur side i myself own a esteem i had bought in 2003 it was a 98 vx model and now it is 7 yrs old and i have spent almost around a lac for all the repairs such as ac, powerwindows, brakes etc

Steeroid · 1st May 2005, 11:20

Dude

Good of you to share your experiences, but IMHO you paid far too much for an Escort...looks like you have a lot of money to burn, so why did you go in for a 2nd hand car anyway?

hawkeye · 1st May 2005, 21:14

Good write up dude. Dealers are better to avoid with, especially unknown ones.

shankaranand · 2nd May 2005, 12:24

Used car market in Bangalore is treacherous.. You should know where you are treading..

,

Few months back, I was scouting for a matiz, My thought was to buy it cheap and fit it with gas kit and run it as a cheap car..

When I enquired with some dealers, they quoted figures of 1.8 L for a base model and response was same among at least three of them.. When i went and checked, all of them were trying to sell the same car to me.!!

I just stopped immediately and dropped the idea altogether..

Samurai · 2nd May 2005, 12:50

My first three cars were used cars. After that I took a oath never to buy a used car unless I know the owner extremely well.

My first used car was a 1985 Toyota Corolla. Bought it from a colleague for $2300 and sold it for pretty much the same to another colleague after 18 months. Only major repair was complete replcaement of exhaust system, thanks to a severe winter full of ice-storms and snow storms. This was the only good used car buy and sell experience I have had.

My next used car was a Maruti Omni, got it for 1,95,000 and sold it for 1,60,000. In 1995, the Indian used car market was owned by thugs and rowdies. Buying that car and selling that car was a nightmarish experience. It had lots of problems while owning it too.

My last used car was a Mercury Sable, a fully loaded car bought for $3600 and sold for $1500 after 10 months. Yeah, yeah, don't ask me why. With that I decided not to buy used cars in USA too.

Even now, if I have a car to sell, I don't want to sell it to a used car dealer.

ajmat · 2nd May 2005, 13:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samurai

Even now, if I have a car to sell, I don't want to sell it to a used car dealer.

I know, when I sold my Sierra, dealer after driving the car agreed on mon night for Rs 3 lakhs and will come the next day. They arrived with the money and then tried dropping the price to Rs 2.5 L stating suspension noise etc.

I told them to politely take a walk - they were literally trying to push Rs 2.75 cash in my hands - was really p'd off and sold to someone else for the same price.

Best strategy is to own a car which is desirable to sell, like a honda , zen, santro and not be in a hurry. Also avoid indiviuals posing as dealers and insist on getting the transfer closed. i.e go to the RTO/ agent appointed by you jointly will fully signed papers and put them in and let new owner collect or collect from him depnding on whether he trusts you.

Revvhead · 3rd May 2005, 09:52

I have bought two cars second hand for friends who were not that clued up
and wanted a bit of help
(Not that i'm The expert- but better of than them)
Both were bought directly from the owners & we got lucky, both cars ran well

The first thing is to take your time observing the car, outside and inside.
Dont just jump into it and test drive it, & if it has a good engine, let that bias your decision.
The outside and the way the interiors are kept itself will in most cases give you the best idea as to how much care the seller has taken of his car.

Then take it to to Pump & have it Jacked up and look at the underbody, any major accidents will be caught there, the bent chassis/ wled marks these will give you what you need to know

And deeppash, do hwat you did after buying the car, before you buy it- Take it to a dealer / Mechanic and have it looked at.

And thanks, there are some good tipos in there, well thought out

Surprise · 9th May 2005, 19:10

Learn to live with brokers/dealers on these sort of business. Without these guys it is very difficult to get one at a short time frame. We poke into the market only when we have a need to buy or sell, but these guys work day in and day out in this business.

The thread initiator has put excellent criteria's that needs to be taken into account, while purchasing the second hand vehicle. With those points, TRY TO FIGURE OUT THE CONSULTANTS. These guys are the one who will help dealers to buy the vehicle at rock bottom price.

With the help of these consultants pick the vehicle for the market rate & pay some premium commission to these guys.

There are 100's of points that needs to be adressed, if you want to take a perfect car. But you need to spend months to learn all those aspect.

DO NOT GO FOR OVER ANALSYS. JUST DO SOME BASIC CONFIRMATION AND BUY THE CAR.

dev · 9th May 2005, 19:24

Recently I have purchased a used car(Ford IKon).
Oct'2001 CLXI. Got it for 3.25lakhs. It had 49K on odo meter. Got new tyres from the owner.
But the broker charged me 2K for Estimate Engineer. Since I went for a Car loan.
Is it true I need to pay 2K for him? And broker asked me 2% as commission and I endedup giving 3K.
So totally 2K (for Estimator) + 3K for broker=5K.
and 2.5K for transfer.
This vehicle doesn't had much accessories and I need to keep Sunfilm, Autocop, etc.,.

Do u guys think, it is a good deal?

thanks.

lamborghini · 9th May 2005, 23:56

The price in Bombay would be 2L maximum for the ikon.
I think you got ripped off.
A 2003 ikon 1.6 would be selling for 305 out here.
And i have never paid anyone for an estimate when buying a used car. It is something they are meant to do in order to sell.

normally_crazy · 10th May 2005, 10:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by dev

Recently I have purchased a used car(Ford IKon).
Oct'2001 CLXI. Got it for 3.25lakhs. It had 49K on odo meter.

Dev,

Sorry to say - but you were royally ripped off !!!

3.25 l for a 2001 ikon CLXi ( thats a 1.3 push rod engine right ? )...dude it wont cost more than 2 - 2.15 L depending on the condition.

as for the middle men - the thumb rule is 2 % ..........but you can negoiate at the begininng then maybe you could get it down !

cheers

Technocrat · 10th May 2005, 11:49

Thats areally nice list of things to watch out for while buyinga second hand car.

But today i think buying from Maruti True Value & Automart India is very safe, although they are a bit expensive but atleast you get peace of mind.

Surprise · 10th May 2005, 12:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Technocrat

Thats areally nice list of things to watch out for while buyinga second hand car.

But today i think buying from Maruti True Value & Automart India is very safe, although they are a bit expensive but atleast you get peace of mind.

I do not agree with this. May be you will get a peace of mind in their professional dealing in terms of hospitality. I had come across cases where they have taken accident vehicle that was attended very well with nice polish & selling it way high. They manage to do business because of their brandname & not on sheer quality of the product. I am not complaning on selling a accident vehicle, but they should offer some premium on the price which they failed to do.

I will give you an example ( one of the vendor you mentioned had did this & i do not want to name him)

I came across one low mileage HONDA city which was finally offered to me for Rs.3.25 L. But you know the market rate is Rs.3L. Hence Iam not interested in buying that one and on top of it, Iam not interested in the color.

The vehicle was taken by them for Rs.3.2L. They did some polish work and was sold for Rs.3.75 L on the same day. What they offered was 1 year free service. This service means only water service.

Buying and Selling thumb rule: Once the transaction is completed, do not dig deep to find out whether it was a best deal. Just forget it.

Technocrat · 10th May 2005, 13:55

I said from my friend's experiences a couple of them have boughttheir cars from Automart & are pleasantly happy. Am not saying they are always true but they ar atleast safer from unknown dealers.

Surprise · 10th May 2005, 20:44

One more important point is that we should succumb to the pressure created by the dealers/brokers when they show the vehicle to us.

It is our right to reject or accept the vehicle. I had seen in few cases they will push us to a stage, where we will be hesitating to ask our price.

NEVER DO THIS MISTAKE. We are going to pay it from our packet. I had seen people hesitantly taking the vehicle as they do not know how to say "NO"

1st May 2005, 10:28	#16
kooldude BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Charlotte,North Carolina Posts: 283 Thanked: 0 Times	hey dude i m in ur side i myself own a esteem i had bought in 2003 it was a 98 vx model and now it is 7 yrs old and i have spent almost around a lac for all the repairs such as ac, powerwindows, brakes etc
	() Thanks

1st May 2005, 11:20	#17
Steeroid Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: N.A Posts: 7,046 Thanked: 2,751 Times	Dude Good of you to share your experiences, but IMHO you paid far too much for an Escort...looks like you have a lot of money to burn, so why did you go in for a 2nd hand car anyway?
	() Thanks

1st May 2005, 21:14	#18
hawkeye BHPian Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 190 Thanked: 12 Times View My Garage	Good write up dude. Dealers are better to avoid with, especially unknown ones.
	() Thanks

2nd May 2005, 12:24	#19
shankaranand BHPian Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 164 Thanked: 22 Times	Used car market in Bangalore is treacherous.. You should know where you are treading.. , Few months back, I was scouting for a matiz, My thought was to buy it cheap and fit it with gas kit and run it as a cheap car.. When I enquired with some dealers, they quoted figures of 1.8 L for a base model and response was same among at least three of them.. When i went and checked, all of them were trying to sell the same car to me.!! I just stopped immediately and dropped the idea altogether..
	() Thanks

2nd May 2005, 12:50	#20
Samurai Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bangalore/Udupi Posts: 25,831 Thanked: 45,574 Times View My Garage	My first three cars were used cars. After that I took a oath never to buy a used car unless I know the owner extremely well. My first used car was a 1985 Toyota Corolla. Bought it from a colleague for $2300 and sold it for pretty much the same to another colleague after 18 months. Only major repair was complete replcaement of exhaust system, thanks to a severe winter full of ice-storms and snow storms. This was the only good used car buy and sell experience I have had. My next used car was a Maruti Omni, got it for 1,95,000 and sold it for 1,60,000. In 1995, the Indian used car market was owned by thugs and rowdies. Buying that car and selling that car was a nightmarish experience. It had lots of problems while owning it too. My last used car was a Mercury Sable, a fully loaded car bought for $3600 and sold for $1500 after 10 months. Yeah, yeah, don't ask me why. With that I decided not to buy used cars in USA too. Even now, if I have a car to sell, I don't want to sell it to a used car dealer.
	() Thanks

3rd May 2005, 09:52	#22
Revvhead BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Bombay Posts: 450 Thanked: 20 Times View My Garage	I have bought two cars second hand for friends who were not that clued up and wanted a bit of help (Not that i'm The expert- but better of than them) Both were bought directly from the owners & we got lucky, both cars ran well The first thing is to take your time observing the car, outside and inside. Dont just jump into it and test drive it, & if it has a good engine, let that bias your decision. The outside and the way the interiors are kept itself will in most cases give you the best idea as to how much care the seller has taken of his car. Then take it to to Pump & have it Jacked up and look at the underbody, any major accidents will be caught there, the bent chassis/ wled marks these will give you what you need to know And deeppash, do hwat you did after buying the car, before you buy it- Take it to a dealer / Mechanic and have it looked at. And thanks, there are some good tipos in there, well thought out
	() Thanks

9th May 2005, 19:10	#23
Surprise Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Chennai Posts: 2,523 Thanked: 454 Times	Learn to live with brokers/dealers on these sort of business. Without these guys it is very difficult to get one at a short time frame. We poke into the market only when we have a need to buy or sell, but these guys work day in and day out in this business. The thread initiator has put excellent criteria's that needs to be taken into account, while purchasing the second hand vehicle. With those points, TRY TO FIGURE OUT THE CONSULTANTS. These guys are the one who will help dealers to buy the vehicle at rock bottom price. With the help of these consultants pick the vehicle for the market rate & pay some premium commission to these guys. There are 100's of points that needs to be adressed, if you want to take a perfect car. But you need to spend months to learn all those aspect. DO NOT GO FOR OVER ANALSYS. JUST DO SOME BASIC CONFIRMATION AND BUY THE CAR.
	() Thanks

9th May 2005, 19:24	#24
dev BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: BLR Posts: 109 Thanked: Once	Recently I have purchased a used car(Ford IKon). Oct'2001 CLXI. Got it for 3.25lakhs. It had 49K on odo meter. Got new tyres from the owner. But the broker charged me 2K for Estimate Engineer. Since I went for a Car loan. Is it true I need to pay 2K for him? And broker asked me 2% as commission and I endedup giving 3K. So totally 2K (for Estimator) + 3K for broker=5K. and 2.5K for transfer. This vehicle doesn't had much accessories and I need to keep Sunfilm, Autocop, etc.,. Do u guys think, it is a good deal? thanks.
	() Thanks

9th May 2005, 23:56	#25
lamborghini Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 6,113 Thanked: 5,761 Times View My Garage	The price in Bombay would be 2L maximum for the ikon. I think you got ripped off. A 2003 ikon 1.6 would be selling for 305 out here. And i have never paid anyone for an estimate when buying a used car. It is something they are meant to do in order to sell.
	() Thanks

10th May 2005, 11:49	#27
Technocrat Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: GTA Posts: 14,813 Thanked: 2,700 Times	Thats areally nice list of things to watch out for while buyinga second hand car. But today i think buying from Maruti True Value & Automart India is very safe, although they are a bit expensive but atleast you get peace of mind.
	() Thanks

10th May 2005, 13:55	#29
Technocrat Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: GTA Posts: 14,813 Thanked: 2,700 Times	I said from my friend's experiences a couple of them have boughttheir cars from Automart & are pleasantly happy. Am not saying they are always true but they ar atleast safer from unknown dealers.
	() Thanks

10th May 2005, 20:44	#30
Surprise Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Chennai Posts: 2,523 Thanked: 454 Times	One more important point is that we should succumb to the pressure created by the dealers/brokers when they show the vehicle to us. It is our right to reject or accept the vehicle. I had seen in few cases they will push us to a stage, where we will be hesitating to ask our price. NEVER DO THIS MISTAKE. We are going to pay it from our packet. I had seen people hesitantly taking the vehicle as they do not know how to say "NO"
	() Thanks