[ronaldfurtado]

Hey all,

Well i dunno if this is the right place to write this thread but if not, admin please re-locate.
I have been in search for a Jeep for almost 3 months now.
Either they are badly maintained or over modified.
I have officially given up and thought about buying a Maruti Esteem or Zen.
It seems the small Zen is more expensive to the Esteem!!! Hows that?
I managed to locate a 1999 Model Esteem for 80 thousand rupees.
It seems the used car market is as good as a new car.

I dont mean to compare but these cars are insanely priced and it just turns me off to even buy a car. Used or new.

In the UK i have for myself a BMW 318i nothing great but its value for money i've clocked over 100K mile and the engines awesome.
add to it the cost i bought it for 2500 pounds( 2 lakhs) 2001 Model.

And to think in india you get an esteem or Palio or Zen at those prices is crazy.
I was looking at the skoda and that car is 11 Lakhs even the Civic.
those cars are cheaper than my BMW in the used car market here.

Govt is crap cheating all us indians.

Anyway i dont mean to Insult anyone but it really is expensive.
anyway hope to get my Esteem and it will be trouble free.
anything i should look out for.
If esteem owners can give me their input would be helpfull.

[gbpscars]

hi ronald
- welcome
- totally wrong place for your thread (the mods will do justice)
- India is India, we are richer possibly, hence TBHP got quoted as a luxury cars forum once
- The prices cant be compared to other parts of the world - I bought a 6 year old 1500CC Honda VTEC in India for a price that my bro in the US drives a 3 year old Nissan Murano!!!
- sell your BMW here, you can possibly make more money for an Indian car. no joking, your 318i can fetch you more than what you bought it for!! here's my quote - 3500 GBP

have a good time on the forum, and hope you find your luxury car in India

[madan80]

well, with the economy booming- the belief that the purchasing power has gone up pushes eveyrhting up. Car prices, home prices and evne the price of eggs! The govt has nothing to do with this as the road tax is still the same. So its the dealers who are tking everyone for a ride.

[jango]

Yeah very true Madan. Also try searching for a used car in b'lore, am sure the prices quoted by owner will take u by suprise ...

[ronaldfurtado]

Yea its really funny how India is moving forward yet holding back.
When my Dad sold out 10 year Padmini in 1996, he did so for 15 thousand rupees. Ofcourse my dad uses a car to its ultimate potential. He's clocked more than 30K miles on my Beamer in a year.
I Look forward to coming back to India. We are seriosuly doin well. Kicking American, chinese and British Markets.
But the Auto Industry is one big scam. i was checkin the BMW 5 series costs 40-50 Lakhs!!! are you kiddin me!!!

How much will i avail a Diesel Esteem for i hear diesels are really expensive.
Is that true?
I love to come to india Once a year for a month and travel the vast regions.
so whats ideal..for a price tag of say 1-1.5 lakhs

[WhiteKnight]

Originally Posted by ronaldfurtado

I have been in search for a Jeep for almost 3 months now.Either they are badly maintained or over modified.

You didn't say where? It is difficult to find Jeeps in Cities, simply because there aren't any. You got to step out to small towns

Originally Posted by ronaldfurtado

It seems the small Zen is more expensive to the Esteem!!! Hows that?

Ok, so you are looking in Mumbai? man there is no space left in Mumbai

Originally Posted by ronaldfurtado

Govt is crap cheating all us indians. Anyway i dont mean to Insult anyone but it really is expensive.

Simply put, cars here have higher shelf-life. It helps buyers also, that when they sell, the depreciation loss will be less.

I don't know how you managed to get 3-series for 2500 pounds (I don't believe you). You would know that a brand new base 3-series would set you back by 20k+ pounds. So, please do the maths on how much the owner lost in 6 yrs.

Originally Posted by ronaldfurtado

anyway hope to get my Esteem and it will be trouble free.anything i should look out for. If esteem owners can give me their input would be helpfull

Only one thing. Maruti is not BMW- and Esteem is not 3-series either

[musicmanaman]

Indian second hand car market is too expensive and Indian new car market is even worst.

Guy's go to the following link New & Used Cars – Search New & Used Cars For Sale - CarPoint Australia and check waht results come up when you input 1$-3000$ aussie which is about 120k max, some amazing cars will come up.

In India you can't buy much with 120k indian currency.

[ronaldfurtado]

I don't know how you managed to get 3-series for 2500 pounds (I don't believe you). You would know that a brand new base 3-series would set you back by 20k+ pounds. So, please do the maths on how much the owner lost in 6 yrs.

I can see you dont buy that so let me just jott down a link from where i bought it.
Auto Trader UK - Buy & Sell New & Used Cars, Car Loans, Car Insurance
Also Depreciation in the UK is 15% once the car leaves the showroom.
All cars come with 3 years Warranty, after the warranty it looses 35% of its value + the Depreciation during those 3 years.
I dont need to lie when you can just Google out anything today.

Listen dude i dont have a problem with the UK market i know how it is.
I want to know about the Indian market cause i have no clue.
Comparing my car to the esteem doesnt mean i want a BMW ,but its true that India is freakin Expensive in this section.

Theres alot more you wont beleive but let me tell you anyway.
Mercs are Taxis in Portugal
VW's are Taxis in Germany
Peugeots are Cop cars in France , Portugal , Spain.
Skodas and Audis are Taxis in the UK (outside of london) not all of them but 40% atleast.
Hyundai Accent has been labelled the Worst handling car in the past 10 years along with some Malaysian car called the Proton.
Suzukis Biggest market is India.
The only thing that sells is the Suzuki Grand Vitara worldwide which is one awesome Car and the Superbikes.
The Current Pajero that Hindustan Motors is building(not the Montero)
is a 1987 Release.

Back on topic

I'm sure the Esteem is an awesome car have read alot bout it.
hear its the best car with the power to weight Ratio in india.
I love the looks. People tell me its an awesome joy to drive.
Have read alot of good reveiws.
well hopefully we can steer clear of other topics cause i wanna know about the Esteem.

Thanks

[rohan_fonseca]

Ronaldfurtado check out this thread. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ipped-off.html

Would give you an insight on the plight of car buyers out here.

[filcord]

The main reason why the Indian used car market is expensive: Prices of new cars are themselves high, so used cars will also be high.

[deepakvrao]

Originally Posted by ronaldfurtado

I can see you dont buy that so let me just jott down a link from where i bought it.
Auto Trader UK - Buy & Sell New & Used Cars, Car Loans, Car Insurance


Thanks

Actually I found cars for that figure.

[gbpscars]

hi ronald,

am sorry, looks like i started that defensive attitude on your thread. but that's the truth about the automotive industry in india.

OK,... let's forget the inter-continental price comparison on automobiles for now.

if you want to know more about the esteem and are prepared to pay the indian price,... go ahead and ask your questions (would suggest you to use the search feature first - esteems have been discussed a lot here)

there are a whole lot of members who are happy users of that VFM car.

[WhiteKnight]

Originally Posted by ronaldfurtado

I can see you dont buy that so let me just jott down a link from where i bought it.
Auto Trader UK - Buy & Sell New & Used Cars, Car Loans, Car Insurance

Thats a nice link. when I searched for 3000 pounds 3-series, the trend is showing mostly '95-'98 (I am not surprised, because that is what I was expecting). Looks like you have good negotiation skills, good luck!

Essentially, you missed my point. "Simply put, cars here have higher shelf-life. It helps buyers also, that when they sell, the depreciation loss will be less.". Simple terms, you buy at a higher price, and you sell at higher price too. Your depreciation hit is less when you sell.

Check out the thread mentioned by rohan_fonseca for car prices comparison. Things are not that bad in India.

Originally Posted by ronaldfurtado

Theres alot more you wont beleive but let me tell you anyway.
Mercs are Taxis in Portugal.....

blah blah(don't want to quote the whole thing)

It is good to revel in your knowledge. I am amused

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Buddy, when you go around shopping for a second hand esteem, do not be fooled by an 1000. Both look almost same. Esteems have 1.2 or 1.3 L engines (do not remember). Maruti 1000s are, as the name suggests, fitted with 1L engine. Esteem is nothing but the 1000 with a more useful engine. I remember an interviewer (a lady) asking the then Chairman or MD of MUL why MUL is palming off an underpowered under performer on Indians. What impressed me then was that the interview was on Doordarshan.

Pre 2000 1000s should not cost you more than 50K, even in true value. I have no clue how to make out 1000 and esteems by a visual examination. Somebody else may.

Couple of months back, I did look at a 1997 model 1000 and a few esteems before I settled on my present car, hence I know a bit, but I still cannot figure out how to distinguish between the two except by looking at the engine capacity in the registration papers.
If you are in India only for a couple of months, why dont you hire out a car? Should cost you between 5 to 10 K, depending on the vehicle, its condition and place where you are in.
There are plenty of people in this business in Kerala, who cater to the expat Keralite, who is in Kerala for one or two months every couple of years. I do not know about other states.

[esteem_lover]

Used car prices are jacked up by our unscrupulous dealers. Try to buy from the owner. Like said before , do not get fooled by the M-1000 as it looks just like the esteem. there is a brother here in our forum who might have been fooled or he was fooling us. The esteem is a fun to drive car, enjoy.

P.S. No way you can get a 1999 esteem for 80K unless the car is suspect.