[Burgman_tales]

Solution to the problem of 7seater not always being required - get a regular 4/5 seater and hire a cab when more seats are required. Spend that time with parents/kids rather than driving.

[DieselLover]

Well, i am also in same situation. My 2014 Duster is due for replacement, I was initially planning to replace it last year, postponed to this year and now I am planning to push it to next year or even 2026

Rising living costs, education expenses for kids, medical expenses etc. is making me think twice before taking the plunge. The duster though aged, is running fine with only regular maintenance and is comfortable to travel in. I can easily push it for 2 more years if needed.

Any car in the same class of Duster like Creta/Seltos will cost 20-25L onroad and any upgrades to 7seaters will cost 30L+

[pv5]

Originally Posted by DieselLover

Well, i am also in same situation. My 2014 Duster is due for replacement, I was initially planning to replace it last year, postponed to this year and now I am planning to push it to next year or even 2026

That is definitely a good time to buy.

There is going to be a huge disruption(i am hoping ofcourse) in terms of pricing once the GST compensation CESS ends (FY 2026 i.e. March 2026) & with collections being robust and ahead of estimates it could end prior to that. This forms huge part of the 4+ and bigger engine size segment i.e. anywhere from 17% to 22% additional levy.

The lines will blur between sub-4 and 4+, & if the government leaves it as it is, part of the difference (some will be eaten up by car manufacturers as higher margin) but some will certainly be passed along to customers.

This will have a knock-on effect & will also reduce the registration costs and road taxes paid & insurance costs as they are on top of ex-showroom price(it is basically tax on tax) .

In a car currently costing 18.75L ex-showroom (50% gst + cess), it will become 16L (i.e. direct reduction of 2.75L on ex-showroom) and the registration cost of 3.75L (if its 20%), will reduce further by 55K to 3.2L & so on and so forth.

All this is only true until the CAFE 3 &/or BS 7 norms kick-in and this will very likely be a very narrow window & beyond that will very likely kill ICE as we know and love.

[somersault]

Originally Posted by pv5

That is definitely a good time to buy.

There is going to be a huge disruption(i am hoping ofcourse) in terms of pricing once the GST compensation CESS ends (FY 2026 i.e. March 2026) & with collections being robust and ahead of estimates it could end prior to that. This forms huge part of the 4+ and bigger engine size segment i.e. anywhere from 17% to 22% additional levy.

Sir, there is no chance the government will reduce the taxes. It's the same as when a road becomes a toll road; it continues to stay a toll road for life, even after the capex has fully recovered. Similarly, the cess will stay in one form or another. Only the purpose for cess will change.

[Engine_Roars]

This is me, me is middle class. The car that I am driving right now was bought in 2014, it was our first car, Hyundai Xcent. I had planned to replace it after using it for 6-7 years, I even put it up at Team-Bhp classifieds & OLX, however the difference between a new one & selling price of this one was huge & I have not been able to justify paying that amount of money for lesser amount of car. This August, Xcent completed 10 years with us & I don't see myself selling it just as yet.

[SaiSW]

Originally Posted by DieselLover

Well, i am also in same situation. My 2014 Duster is due for replacement, I was initially planning to replace it last year, postponed to this year and now I am planning to push it to next year or even 2026

Rising living costs, education expenses for kids, medical expenses etc. is making me think twice before taking the plunge. The duster though aged, is running fine with only regular maintenance and is comfortable to travel in. I can easily push it for 2 more years if needed.

Any car in the same class of Duster like Creta/Seltos will cost 20-25L onroad and any upgrades to 7seaters will cost 30L+

Is it the AWD? Even if it's not, the ride quality of your duster is unparalleled even now by any car on sale below 20 lacs. Even above 20 lacs (and below 50 lacs), of all the cars I've been in, only the Hexa was better in the way in which it handled our bad roads, but that has been long discontinued now.

I'd say, hold on to your car. Thankfully, Kerala as of yet does not have any STUPID 10 year bans on diesels. I still have my Ford Aspire diesel, there is honestly not a single car on the mass market today that provides the mix of raw performance, reliability and efficiency of the 1.5 TDCi Figo. I plan to hold on to this car for a LOOONG time.

[DieselLover]

Originally Posted by SaiSW

Is it the AWD? Even if it's not, the ride quality of your duster is unparalleled even now by any car on sale below 20 lacs. Even above 20 lacs (and below 50 lacs), of all the cars I've been in, only the Hexa was better in the way in which it handled our bad roads, but that has been long discontinued now.

I'd say, hold on to your car. Thankfully, Kerala as of yet does not have any STUPID 10 year bans on diesels. I still have my Ford Aspire diesel, there is honestly not a single car on the mass market today that provides the mix of raw performance, reliability and efficiency of the 1.5 TDCi Figo. I plan to hold on to this car for a LOOONG time.

It is FWD version but still way more comfortable than most of the newer cars. I will hold on for atleast another 1-2 years the only worry being the availability of parts as production of diesel duster stopped years back.

[manojrajakrishn]

My Middle-class story :

I sold my Swift Diesel in 2022 when it was 7 Years old just because I was feeling a bit bored and as I was offered an attractive price for my Swift Diesel. I never knew I would regret this later.

I ended up buying a S Cross Petrol in 2022 in a hurry because of a good deal being offered. I later understood that 1.5 Petrol was not as enthusiastic as the 1.3 Turbo diesel and I was not able to take the S Cross within the city due to its size which was not a problem with my Swift.

This decision made me look for a small beater car and I ended up buying a Santro Xing for my city ride leaving S- Cross just for highway drives.

While I still miss the diesel fun on highways I have accepted the current situation and living with it. Even now when I see some good deals for diesel cars, my mind stops for a small amount of time and then pulls me back to reality because a well-maintained second-hand diesel car is very hard to find and if you find it, too costly for a 2020-21 Model.

The current diesel cars at least make no sense to me due to the price of the cars along with the post-BS4 performance of diesel cars.

On the brighter side, I now have a S- Cross petrol which I believe is the best solid product from Maruti for my highway drives, and a humble Santro for my local rides for the next 5 Years.

Trust me the Santro always brings a smile when I take it out. I also learned that some small less expensive things make us happier than bigger expensive things.

[tbppjpr]

I am quoting part of my thoughts shared in other thread which are more relevant here:

Originally Posted by tbppjpr

Even car users like me have postponed car upgrade plans for atleast 5-7 years and have been advising same in the family and friend circle until there is clarity that my car will remain my car as long as I want to keep it, not like the current scenario when govt can snatch it from me anytime they want.

I also want to make sure that I get pure fuel, not the adulterated garbage in the name of E10, E20, biodiesel and all which are reducing the FE and resulting into increased crude import. Such fuel is also adversely affecting the engine life but no one will ever be able to know about this huge scam because the cars are being scrapped prematurely in India, thanks to the unlawful govt laws.

[ashkamath]

Originally Posted by somersault

Sir, there is no chance the government will reduce the taxes. It's the same as when a road becomes a toll road; it continues to stay a toll road for life, even after the capex has fully recovered. Similarly, the cess will stay in one form or another. Only the purpose for cess will change.

When wheat goes up, Bread goes up.

When wheat comes down, Bread stays up.

[rm_arjuna]

I drive a 2011 Scorpio at 1.98 lac kms ODO reading , car is in good condition due to single usage and reduced travel post covid . Our long distance drives have come down to 1 or even nil in a year due to kids academic schedule. My average monthly running is under 500 kms in a month due to relocation to Bangalore recently .

The current pricing of similar sized SUV is abt 20-35 lacs which factoring my current use is way too much to spend considering other priorities like kids education , parents ,absurd depreciation and other associated cost like insurance etc .

With kids out of home for studies and empty nest scenario planning to spend the same on travel within india / abroad and buy a pre owned car later after couple of years .

[clementw]

I am driving a 2018 Nexon Diesel, and thanks to the lockdown years I have done just under 70000kms so far, (my average running is 15000 per year usually). Regular maintenance and one set of tyre change and battery change are the only major issues so far. The car runs fine and much as I was tempted to change (I usually changed every 4 years, this is my 4th car) the prices of new cars and the traffic in Chennai ensured that I will flog this car till its last breath.
Maybe I am older or maybe I am wiser or maybe I am both but a new car is not making much sense for me.

[rarcar]

My car is Fiat Punto 1.3 MJD 2013 model.
I had been checking out new cars to replace this one, but a new car costs over 15 Lakhs. I better spend a little and keep the car in perfect shape rather than going for a new one.

I am based out of Chennai, and find it quite difficult to find a reliable garage.
So far I have been giving it to Expert Spanners, but I am not very satisfied with them.
Can someone please suggest a reliable garage in Chennai ?

[Azalactone]

I have a 2013 Swift VXi which cost less than 6.00 lacs (basic on-road).

It has run just 47000 kms (99.99% City use) in almost 11.5 years.

Looking at the city road infrastructure it is just a plain waste of money to buy a new car. (Go for a foreign holiday instead, atleast you will have a change of place and good memories )

From the past few months i was interested in the new Swift, Kia Sonet but then i honestly asked my self from my mind that is it worth spending 9-13 lacs on a new car which will be mostly used on one of the most pathetic city roads. The answer - NO.

Cars can easily last 20+ years if maintained properly. The government has kept the 15 year rule for cars just so that consumers are forced to buy new cars so the government can earn 40%+ tax on it.

[ZenMaster]

To everyone planning to delay their car purchase to say 2027 and beyond, please note that there a slew of regulations that will be standardized in 2027 that all the OEMs will have to meet including BS6, CAFE, rear impact test updation and multiple big and small regulatory mandates.

So do expect an increase in prices as well. The govt. Is yet to decide on making "ADAS" mandatory. But with the way the current administration takes its decisions, there is high chance that ADAS will become mandatory by 2028-2029.

All the OEMs are working in the background to make even their cheapest models ADAS ready.

Also, more OEMs might go the Maruti way by significantly downsizing their Diesel portfolio in order to meet CAFE targets