[humyum]

Let me share a bit about my experience from resale.

My car is a 2008 November Swift VDI, done 1 lakh 7 thousand kilometers, immaculately maintained, has Michelin XM2's, Alloy wheels, a JBL Music system with some little minute dents on one side.

I got offered 4 lakh rupees for this car, Imagine that. I got it for 5 lakh 35 thousand way back in 2008.

Some cars hold onto their resale like no ones business. Right here on team-bhp, I saw a 2 lakh run VDI sold for 3 lakh 50 thousand.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by humyum

My car is a 2008 November Swift VDI, done 1 lakh 7 thousand kilometers, immaculately maintained, has Michelin XM2's, Alloy wheels, a JBL Music system with some little minute dents on one side.

I got offered 4 lakh rupees for this car, Imagine that. I got it for 5 lakh 35 thousand way back in 2008.

That is some crazy resale value. No wonder Maruti sells in such huge numbers.

But can such high resale values be also because the overall OTR price has jumped up so much since the time you bought the car? So a person buying your car today will actually see the current OTR price before making his decision to opt for a used car. But still I must say that you are getting a phenomenal resale price. Planning to sell it off?

[ani_meher]

This is why I think the best time to buy products is when they are launched. After 1-2 years, the introductory price is long forgotten, and the initial buyers effectively have very less depreciation.

[humyum]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

That is some crazy resale value. No wonder Maruti sells in such huge numbers.

But can such high resale values be also because the overall OTR price has jumped up so much since the time you bought the car? So a person buying your car today will actually see the current OTR price before making his decision to opt for a used car. But still I must say that you are getting a phenomenal resale price. Planning to sell it off?

Yes you are right, that is one of the reasons too. The Swift VDI now costs I think 7.35 lakhs around in Mumbai on road and it does not even come with alloys or fatter tyres. Also my car is immaculately maintained, from the clutch, to the brakes, to the suspension, to the tyres, engine everything is in proper excellent ship shape.

No, I actually plan to keep this car forever. I have driven around quite a few cars while I was working at Autocar India, some really really expensive ones too, but the real fun I only had while I was getting back home from work in my car, nothing ever came close to the thrills. It might not be blistering fast, it springs up rattles every now and then, the brakes might not be Santro type grabby, but when the turbo spools, the Michelins grip and the confidence you while going around corners on the Mumbai - Pune expressway is just unparalleled, not to mention the Go Kart type feel.

I have taken quite a few cars while on the job on those ghats, nothing ever came close for me to the smile I had while I took my Swift, that's why I have decided to retain it and whenever I get married and have kids too, make my kids have the same fun.

I hope I am able to stick to this plan I have made.

[romeomidhun]

Originally Posted by ani_meher

This is why I think the best time to buy products is when they are launched. After 1-2 years, the introductory price is long forgotten, and the initial buyers effectively have very less depreciation.

Not always. The initial prices will go up for hit cars, while it will come down for flop cars. Eg: Baleno, Jazz, Fiesta, Aria... All these flop cars' prices were slashed after the launch. So it is better to watch out for initial few months' sales figures, then decide whether to buy it or wait till its prices come down.

[GrammarNazi]

Very nicely written ajmat.

My 2 cents :

Modern cars have massive mile munching potential. Yet (I'd guess ~90%) buyers keep cars for prestige value, and not just for usage value.

One school of thought considers that people have utilised the prestige value of a car when it was new and had all the hype & branding surrounding it.

Another school of thought considers the value in terms of usage - how many miles the car has clocked & utilisable age.

Then comes the actual condition of a car & the type of fuel it runs on.

Then there is also the present price of the same new car. Companies like Toyota, Renault & Maruti have rarely slashed prices since their stocks always get cleared. The higher they set prices, the less may lose. (Present Ex. Innova, Duster)

Companies like TATA & FIAT have often slashed prices due to stock left over at the factory. The lower they price the cars, the more one may lose in terms of resale. (Present Ex. Aria, Storme)

Resale value is based on the above and you must decide what would be the price that'll keep you at peace.

From whatever I've experienced so far (any car it may be) - as a buyer, one must look at the above conditions and decide based on what's important to us. Yet decent cars in good condition don't come by everyday, and a slight premium over the set price may just be worth it. (Operative word being MAY).

Also as owners one mustn't get too stingy & emotional about the car when we come across a decent offer. And it's often necessary to make peace with the fact that cars depreciate quite heavily & is after all eventually meant to be passed on.

P.S. : I guess 'distress sales' are a thing of the past. But then you never know.

[CliffHanger]

Originally Posted by humyum

No, I actually plan to keep this car forever. I have driven around quite a few cars while I was working at Autocar India, some really really expensive ones too, but the real fun I only had while I was getting back home from work in my car, nothing ever came close to the thrills. It might not be blistering fast, it springs up rattles every now and then, the brakes might not be Santro type grabby, but when the turbo spools, the Michelins grip and the confidence you while going around corners on the Mumbai - Pune expressway is just unparalleled, not to mention the Go Kart type feel.

My opinion too! The Swift diesel of the bygone era is a keeper.

Of all the cars I've driven so far, none can beat the driving fun I have had with the Swift.

When my friends get down from the car after a highway blast, all they say is "Insane".

The Swift is, especially, very potent on 2-lane highways - Quick gearshift, Turbo-spool, nimbleness and the hard suspension setup -- Beat Me I Say!

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by humyum

Yes you are right, that is one of the reasons too. The Swift VDI now costs I think 7.35 lakhs around in Mumbai on road and it does not even come with alloys or fatter tyres. Also my car is immaculately maintained, from the clutch, to the brakes, to the suspension, to the tyres, engine everything is in proper excellent ship shape.

I think this holds true mainly for the VDi variant. The New Swift ZDi isn't a favorite with second hand buyers in the market. They prefer VDi to a ZDi,even if they can buy a ZDi in their budget.

[H_Dogg72]

Speaks volumes about the common man.
No one cares about the safety net with the Z. They just want the Vdi.
I know that my car will have downright sorrow resale, but it's a safe and fun little hatch. I'm happy with that compromise.
I drive a polo GT TSI.

[apachelongbow]

Resale value can be obtained for even poor sellers, for example the Safari. I sold my 2012 Safari GX (dual tone, black and real earth), back to Concorde Motors, to buy a new Storme VX. I got a great deal, where in the older car was valued at 7 lakh Rs (after a bit of haggling) and got a exchange bonus of Rs 25000 and a corporate discount with some freebies which took the total value of the sale close to Rs 8 lakhs.

In the open market (Mumbai) no one was ready to offer more than 5.5 to 6 lakhs for the same car.

[Carpainter]

Originally Posted by H_Dogg72

Speaks volumes about the common man.
No one cares about the safety net with the Z. They just want the Vdi.
I know that my car will have downright sorrow resale, but it's a safe and fun little hatch. I'm happy with that compromise.
I drive a polo GT TSI.

Ditto here. I had a Polo 1.2 petrol comfortline. Got it for 5.5L OTR in 2010 and recently sold it for 2.7L. So yes I had to bear almost 50% depreciation but through out the years this car gave me so much driving pleasure. May be not as much as yours since you've got a GT TSI but nonetheless it was a pleasure to drive as far as handling and ride comfort is concerned. Being a VW, you'll not get as good resale as say MS,Honda etc. but think about the fun you'll have owning it. I think it's an important aspect of owning a car.

Regarding the topic, yes Ajmat has got a valid point here and depreciation is one thing buyers do keep in mind and infact it is one of the reasons why most of the folks prefer Maruti or hyundai over skoda or fiat but in my opinion one cannot buy a car based only on howmuch money he/she is gonna lose at the time of resale/exchange. One has to consider the kind of experience or thrill, comfort he'll have while buying a car. In today's world we can never know what will happen after five years but we should know what we are buying and what we will be using for some years to come.

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by H_Dogg72

I know that my car will have downright sorrow resale, but it's a safe and fun little hatch. I'm happy with that compromise.
I drive a polo GT TSI.

Originally Posted by Carpainter

Being a VW, you'll not get as good resale as say MS,Honda etc. but think about the fun you'll have owning it. I think it's an important aspect of owning a car.

I think VW petrols aren't market favorites,VW diesels have good resale. I had a Polo before I bought the Swift ZDi. I sold it for 85% of OTR, after 18 months and nearly 12k on the odo. Also,a GT TSI should fetch you good value provided you sell it to an enthusiast who understands he's buying one of the best petrol hatches our market has seen

[MihirC]

Hey People,


Have shortlisted 2 cars for my new car purchase, 1) Polo GT TSI 2) Linea 125s Tjet. Apart from all comparisons , i want to make the resale value to be one of the major deciding factors. Facing a loss of 80% depreciation on my 2010 Punto Emotion pack petrol.


Would you be kind enough to let me know which of these cars would fetch a good resale value say after 6 years 50k kms.

[ethanhunt123]

Originally Posted by MihirC

Hey People,


Have shortlisted 2 cars for my new car purchase, 1) Polo GT TSI 2) Linea 125s Tjet. Apart from all comparisons , i want to make the resale value to be one of the major deciding factors. Facing a loss of 80% depreciation on my 2010 Punto Emotion pack petrol.


Would you be kind enough to let me know which of these cars would fetch a good resale value say after 6 years 50k kms.

Definitely not Linea - Fiat are resale duds.

[jetsetgo08]

Originally Posted by MihirC

Hey People,
Would you be kind enough to let me know which of these cars would fetch a good resale value say after 6 years 50k kms.

Hello Mihir, I saw your posts in the other thread. Pardon me for adding further confusion.

Although difficult to find one, I would suggest a used Linea-Tjet/Abarth which would have already taken a depreciation hit. Besides, most T-jets are bought by enthusiasts who most likely would have babied their cars.

I would have suggested a used Gt-Tsi but for the DSG issues, complex mechanicals that can result in a bad ownership experience.