[asr245]

My first car (new or used) was a 1992 Honda Prelude Si (auto). Bought it from a colleague in April 2001 for $3700 with 80000kms on road. First impression - looked fine for a 9yr old car. Took it for a TD. Kept it within speed limit in the city and proceeded towards the freeway. The owner asked me to floor it and man!!! The surge was awesome. I was at 130kmph before i knew it. The power and pickup floored me (was a 160BHP model - felt like a demon after driving my dad's M800 and esteem). Made the deal next day! Often used every bit of torque and power on the freeways of Cyprus. Top speed was limited at 180kmph though it had more (speed limit was 100kmph though). Seven months later after sold it for $2200 at 96000kms.


2nd car - also 2nd hand - was a 2002 Zen Lx bought in May 2005. Used it for 2 yrs (15000kms). Spent 6K on regular servcing in those 2yrs. Had bought for 2.3L at 28000km. Sold for 1.82L. Not the best price but tires had worn out and I was in a bit of rush.

3rd car - 2006 Dec WagonR Vxi - bought it from true value in June 2007 for 3.3L with 10K on road. 8 months and 18K km more... no trouble so far!

[krazydriver84]

Well the 1st car that I bought was very recently in september 2007, It was a M800 - 2003 model MPFI from a true value dealer.

I had been hunting for a car for a long time, but I just wasnt finding THE ONE.
When I came to this true value person, they showed me a lot of cars. they started showing me the Altos, and they were ridiculously priced. I had wanted to buy an ALto at first, but by seeing the value at which they were being sold for i decided to back off (limited budget you see)

Anyways then I started test driving the M800's there. Liked a lot of them, but some were really old and ridiculously priced again, then I happened to test drive my baby, I don't know y but as soon as I sat in the driver's seat and before i turned the ignition, something told me that she was THE ONE. She started on the first turn. The engine revved on its own, (guessing the ECU was gulping down air) then it settled down to a purr. let it purr for 10 secs, while the sales guy was getting impatient to get it moving. Shifted the car into gear and pulled out. The gear shifts were soo amazingly smooth, its not that they were.. they still are. The ENGINE, OMG to die for... had never thought I'd see so much of power and stability in a stock 800. The car stills runs at a speed of 140 KPH(without any strain on the engine) and doesnt even vibrate a bit. Its ROCK SOLID. I feel as if I am flying. I feel the car could do with a fifth gear.The car had a pioneer HU, which was working (thankfully) coz at that point I din't have enough cash to invest any further. The price was very decent. They were asking for 1.30L, but I managed to get it down to around 1.0L by showing them that the car had severe scratch marks on its right front side panel. I also got them to give me a full new set of tyres (5 tyres). Amazing! I was literally overjoyed. Then recently I did the mileage test, and found that the car was actually giving me 15km per litre. To top it all I have got a 6 month warranty for the car, so I am actually trying to find out all the problems in the car before the warranty gets over. So guys, when you meet me and my dearie, please tell me if there's anything that needs to be fixed.

I Love my Bachcha.

She's an amazing kiddo. Full of life. Hope she is like this forever (touch wood)

[deetee]

My first used car is my first car.
Car: M800 ,type 1
Make:1996
Odo clocked 46,624 km (genuine) .
Bought it for 58K from true value dealer
EDIT: Bought in December 2007.
Condition: It had a good number of scratches, needs repainting,few dents,no ICE. Gear shaft bush need to be replaced. Same with rear tail lamps.Clutch is good.Engine is very good condition. Tyres are radial but new.Interior was quiet well kept.Papers show a second owner but actually owned by single person.Full insurance for another 6 months.

I had no technical knowledge of cars then but may be because of my 3 months experience in searching- my instinct was strongly recommending me to go with this.

Well, like it is said in Harry Potter, the car chooses its master.

Ever since then, every time I take the steering wheel, somehow I strongly feel that this is destined to be mine-that is what they call attachment, I think.
One reason is because its my first car, my 'own' car-no loans,no burdens.

Latter on, I contacted the previous owner and got the available service history(got it for past 5 years).

So far,the upkeep costed me about 7.5k in all. Replaced all fluids,rear shocks(they worked for 12 yrs and 46 km you see),installed ICE,other minor things.

I need to spend another 10k for battery(in another 6 months),LHS drive shaft(soon) and outside painting(anytime).

Experience so far: excellent to say the least. There is something in the car , I don't know what(ok.ok..don't say its the engine)-it's just exhilarating. I have learned to drive in it,I learned the basics of car mechanics,I learned to tackle city traffic in it, I took it to the highway, I took turns ,went over bumps,rode over rough roads at not less than 60kmph and above all I got team-bhp that is catalyzing my love for my car.


Will I ever buy a used car again? May be yes but definitely from a direct seller,that too with a well documented service history. And , I don't recommend true value to any one.

[fiery enzyme]

A thread that I'm sure will bring back nice memories to most people here.
Well I did not have the opportunity to buy a second hand car yet, however I would like to recount my experience with my first bike (which of course was a used bike)

During my second year in college my best friend bought a used splendor with a free flow which he bought for Rs3000. I immediately started throwing tantrums in my house for a bike, and I wanted the best one in the house (A pulsar of course, I was unfamiliar with the Enfield territory or I would have been a bulletier). So after a lot of tantrums and fasting threats my mom gave in and and she gave me Rs35000 and said " Here is your money, I don't care what you do with it. Just stop doing all this crap" (I had threatened to leave the house and become a truck driver at one point) Ya I agree I feel dumb now, well I was in college.

So I asked a random bike mechanic to buy me a used pulsar the very same day and said I will give him 5% commission. I wanted the bike the very same day, I told him.He got me a bike within a couple of hours.Well you can guess, its the same old filmy story. Yes! it was a lemon.

BUT! Boy I loved that bike. I was so proud of my bike, I would just sit in the garage and gaze at it all day.You should have seen me when I took it to the college the first time.My mom(Well it was her money,my dad abdicated from anything to do with the bike) spent spending more than Rs20000 more on that bike, a major engine over haul, replacing both the suspensions, new tyres and wheels later...it still was unreliable.

But I had some of my best times on that bike. My girl friend and me on ECR, 9pm both of us praying that the bike should hold together until we reached civilization is one of the sample of those kind of moments.

The last straw was when I was made fool of again when my friend said he will mod the bike for me ( he had a garage) and completely ruined the bike along with it costing me 20 k more.( oh yes i had a job by now). One day I was late for office and I was hurrying along and the silencer came off in the middle of a busy road.I decided then and there to sell of my bike.

Within a week I made my down payment on a new pulsar 180, the new one with black alloys. The last I saw of my old bike was when I drove it to the Bajaj showroom and left it there as an exchange.It has been 2 years now and I love my new bike( the one I completely bought of my own money).Oh ya, I have a strict policy for the new bike, I wont even remove the mirrors. It has stayed 100% stock.

I still wonder where my old bike is, who has it and such. The funny thing is its only me as everyone else is happy that the bike is gone( my girl friend doesn't even remember the color)

*sigh*

[Mack]

My Used Car Experience :

Make & Model : Fiat Uno Diesel, 1.7 D A/C, no PS.
Year : 2001
Bought : April 2007
K.m. Reading when bought : Approx 84,000
Purchase Price : Rs. 63,000 + Insurance renewal, etc. Rs. 5,800

I bought the car purely for functional reasons. Didn't have too much Vitamin M to buy a brand new one and I wanted something very basic and cheap to operate. I sincerely don't see myself owning a petrol car for a variety of reasons. I just love diesel vehicles. I personally don't like the disconnected feeling I have when I drive a petrol - It's like you don't know what the engine is doing (Maybe it's because I learned driving on a Tempo Trax and then failed in the driving test because of M800). This may be one of the most irrational reasons for driving a diesel among the variety of points people argue on - efficiency, torque, power, emmissions, economy, maintenance, etc. But then, that's it. I am one of the ever increasing tribe of people who are nowadays sighing at most new cars and saying "If only this car would come with a Fiat MJD engine."

So, my car is metallic grey, without a PS and with a decent A/C. It has got good suspensions, it's quite silent, has a good body condition. No rust, just a couple of dents on the front right panel. Manual steering isn't that big a pain - it will only help maintain my upper body stength - tuning my biceps, triceps and foreceps .

The purely mechanical expenses so far in a year made on the car were - General Servicing @ 2,800 Rs., tyres changed from hopeless Bridge (literally) STONE S322s to Goodyear GT3 @ 7,600 Rs., Front Brake pipe replaced and brake cylinder overhauled @ 3,000 Rs. and yes, battery changed last month @ 5,000 Rs. The Uno gives me an average FE of 17 in the city, haven't been on too may highway rides, except for a few trips to Bombay, a few rural outings (I always top up with HP Turbojet whenever the Fuel light starts blinking). I have pushed it to a top speed of 140 k.m.p.h. on the expressway for short periods and it still could have gone much further, but I'm not an overzealous speed freak. And I must say, I am very very impressed with the car and am in love with Fiat now. Hell, if they decide to launch this : Fiat, I'll be one of the first buyers. My Uno has enough power, handles decently and is rock steady (not to mention the famous 'Built-like-a-tank' quality). I like the single wiper, the simple and basic dashboard, the huge bootspace, the controls which other people find installed the 'wrong way', etc. A few weeks ago, I had taken it on a last moment trip with 4 people on board to Lonavala via a horrible, rocky road which connects Tamhini Dongarwadi to the Sahara City (wonderful experience). The only other vehicles I saw on this nightmarish road of about 30 k.m., were a Qualis, a Safari, a couple of 407s and a 207. Whatever doubts I had about the infamous 'low' ground clearance, suspensions, etc. were resolved by this horrible ride to hell.

The only two mechanical repairs I see in the near future are - getting the steering bushes replaced (the steering squeaks in summer) and Front Left wheel bearing replacement. These aren't too costly, maybe 2K max. My mechanic who is a ex-Fiat showroom workshop guy is also very impressed with the Fiat's condition and has asked me to tell him first the day I want to sell off my car. That's a rare compliment one gets for second-hand cars, particularly Diesels. And I am not too worried till now about the A$$, spares, etc. I know of a few places where I can maintain and service my Fiat.

So overall, it's a very good decision and I feel I have got a great piece for 63K (touchwood!). Fiat Rocks!!!

P.S. : Answer to a potential query (Why on earth did you buy a diesel engine with 84,000 k.m. on it?) - I know a bit about diesel engines and I have enough reason to believe that this particular engine will not demand an overhaul at least till 1.5 lakh k.m.

[throttleking]

if you buy a used car, resale is really really painfull...i bought Ford Ikon 1.8 diesel zxi second hand...used it for a year and then decided to go for Safari 2.2 Dicor....but selling my ikon was so difficult that finally i had to sell it at very low cost...could not buy safari since only Chevy people helped me to sell my ikon so finally went for Magnum TCDI...

[mithun]

Originally Posted by throttleking

if you buy a used car, resale is really really painfull...i bought Ford Ikon 1.8 diesel zxi second hand...used it for a year and then decided to go for Safari 2.2 Dicor....but selling my ikon was so difficult that finally i had to sell it at very low cost...could not buy safari since only Chevy people helped me to sell my ikon so finally went for Magnum TCDI...

Ikon Diesel's resale value were always pathetic. Nothing new in that !

[shatrughna]

My first car was a used car- 1984 model M800 run 33K ,which I had bought for 50K in 1995. I was happy as only expectation I had was that it should run and it did so. I sold it off in 2002. I had no major problems in the car except clutch wire broke a couple of times and horn switch was faulty. But it had FE of approx. 8-9kms per litre.

Last year I had picked up an used Palio 2003 model run 49000kms for Rs. 1,11,000/- It had lpg kit installed. I kept this car for a month , drove it for 5 days (whenever it was not in a service centre/ repair shop). It was lemon and returned to the dealer with compliments. Had got a bill for servicing lpg kit and spark plug and injectors for approx. Rs.17000/- apart from that it made me wiser and have good information on fiat cars, service centres and good and bad mechanics!
But I really loved the ride quality and build quality of this car- it felt so safe and secured inside Palio.

Was considering to buy used Civic AT but with the exeprience with this Palio being so fresh in mind- it was a no no from all those who matter.

[rammkp]

My first car was an used 2000 model Zen. Picked it from an used car dealer. It was trouble free for a month and sold it. At that time didnt know much about cars. So not much to write about.

Had a new Palio for 3 years. Didnt want to change it. One fine day a friend of mind working in a used car dealer in Chennai told me about a 2002 OHC Vtec. Went and checked it, had a test drive. Liked it at the first attempt. It was silky smooth, well maintained with good service records. Picked and changed the tyres to NCT5. Gave the Palio to my cousin

Till date not a single problem on its own. I mean all the problems were created by me

Last July took her with me to Ladakh from Chennai, with spacers. The road from manali to sarchu was pathetic. Reached Leh and did an underbody inspection. Not a single dent. Clocked 190 kmph in Mumbai - Pune highway.

I just love my Vtec

[mycarhasablower]

Originally Posted by narayan

my first used car - 2000 model ESTEEM LX bought on april 2004 from maruti true value...
experience - buying experiece was pretty good and car was in good condition. i learnt driving in this car ! when i took delivery a friend of mine drove it from the showroom. i then took out the car every morning for a week and i was ready to battle it out in cochin traffic !!
sold the car in march 2005. lost 55k on a single year bcos
1) the TV dealer over charged me in the first place
2) the new look esteem got launched after i bought this
3) when i was in the market to sell, one of the dealers pointed that my car had originally a LPG kit which was removed by the TV dealer before selling to me. and he said a LPGed car always sells for less than a normal one !!
so selling experience was not at all good

second used car - OHC 1.5 EXI - 2001 model - 42k on odo - bought in march 2005 immediately after i sold the Esteem
buying experience was good - this time around, i hunted for cars offered by direct owners and not through brokers bcos i saw 2 other CITYs through brokers and the cars were not really good but quoting high price

finally i met this chap who stays like 5/6 houses from me in cochin and checked out his OHC. car was in good condition. i paid 4.65 lakhs back in 2005 for a 2001 model car...( many said its expensive - but then it was a good car )
its now 3 years and going great guns with enhancements in footwear and a FFE

in my personal opinion lpg cars are the best, i think the dealer just stuffed you. i have had different cars running on all the three fuels.....petrol, cng , lpg.....and i would like to share this information with my fellow bhpians that lpg being greasy in nature minimizes engine wear and tear and since lpg also has reduced performance ....the engines cant be manhandled as much , infact lpg is so good , that if u change your oil every 10k kms with petrol then u can change it at 15 k wid no harm done(but please don't do that , its always better to not take a risk) while cng on the other hand would require a change at every 5k.......ask any mechanic and he will tell tell you that cng is the most damaging of all fuels......our primary car runs on it and i have suffered a lot because of it, so now if i go looking fr used cars .....well just don't even look at cng cars and give priority to lpg car

ps: please only use legal lpg kits...or the cops will kill you...though the domestic cylinder is perfectly safe( go see them being thrown from a truck from a height of 5 feet at your nearest gas godown and you'll agree) but the hassle is best avoided even if the running cost is doubled because of the difference in rates of domestic and vehicular lpg



so please never listen to any crap anyone says about lpg cars having lower value...they probably tell cng car owners about how it damages the engine and petrol car owners about how little the demand is for petrol cars because of soaring rices

[moralfibre]

Macks Uno Review.
Attaboy MACK

I am looking at buying an Uno myself and this will be my second venture into the used car market for an Uno. Earlier was for a Palio 1.6 which I eventually ended buying brand new. I would love to get some help from you here - Link to .

[aditbelw]

I have been looking out for a 2 door sports coupe for last two years and anything I came across either were sold by the time I contacted the seller or it was quoted much than my budget!

I stumbled upon an ad for a “Mitsubishi Eclipse 3000 GT” and that excited me to the core! Saved the number of the seller and watsapp’d him if the car was available? 24 hours later I get a response “Yes” and my happiness had no bounds. Requested him for a few pictures of the car and this time the response was much faster than the initial handshake!

I fell in love with the car just by looking at the photographs “ It was love at first sight”! I wanted her as any cost and thus began my “pursuit to happiness” or that’s what I thought.

This car was in Mumbai and before I travel to close the deal I wanted to find out a few questions from seller: My question were very basic in nature which any buyer would want to know: Like number of previous owners, Engine specs ( I was particularly looking out for a VR4) and the reason for the car to be re painted since it was evident looking at the pictures and if the duty has been paid while importing. The only reply I get from the seller: I have all the documents, you come down and see it. Not very convincing I would say.

Last Saturday, I had an official meeting in Mumbai and after that was over I had all this excitement in me about the car. I call up the owner and ask him the location where I need to come over to check the vehicle to which he say's he is in Goa currently and would not be possible till Monday. What a bummer it was, anyways same evening I am back in Bangalore with more determination to buy this car.

I wait till Tuesday and message him again with the questions which I previously asked which went un-answered. No reply all day and on Wednesday evening I finally get a response from him: our conversation looked like this

Seller: I am not going to answer any more repeated question. If you want the car come over to Mumbai and have a look at it.

Me: Sir, but you did not reply to the questions I asked even before

Seller: I know you kind of people very well

Me: And what kind is that?

Seller: 9 to 6

Me: ???

Seller: You are working class people trying to aim big

Me: Right sir, but there is no harm in aiming, and when I am placed well I
can try to aim right

Seller: I have 100 of people like you working for me

Me: You are a funny man!

Seller: and you are working class

Me: good night, and change that brand of scotch you having

This conversation really made my day and I was not annoyed at all, in fact I had pity on this poor soul.

Has anybody else faced this kind of a situation while dealing with any imported car seller. Why was he not answering the questions in regards to the car? What was his problem with working class people?

[arnabchak]

Hurting your sentiments and morality!!

Not done my friend. Best avoided, such sort of shady people.
You show interest in an uncommon vehicle and are treated such.

What is is fun part? Sort of really annoyed me looking at the conversation and would have given him an earful had I been in your place.

[zenren]

Originally Posted by aditbelw

Has anybody else faced this kind of a situation while dealing with any imported car seller. Why was he not answering the questions in regards to the car? What was his problem with working class people?

He saved you an unnecessary trip to Mumbai. I cannot imagine someone who talks like this to actually pay the duties or abide by the rules promptly.

However, you could have easily irritated him as well by continuing the conversation and teasing him. Would have loved a longer transcript.

[Captain Slow]

I doubt if he even had the car with him. Sounds like someone just wanted to waste time.
And even if he really had the car, you think such an owner would treat the car properly?
Thank your lucky stars that you didn't end up buying this car and dealing with such a stuck up no good owner.