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About 5 years ago, I decided to buy a used car and it taught me many valuable lessons regarding a used car ownership. Me and fellow BHPian Ashis89, went to test drive a few vehicles from a used car dealer in Hyderabad. I did not have a specific car in mind. This was my first car buying experience and I did not have any particular car in mind. I was ready to shortlist any car that was available in the shop and would fit my budget.
Choices:
Our initial choice was the Tata Safari Dicor because we were both fans of the car since our childhood and considered it our dream car then. Fantasies are always different from reality. When we drove the Safari, we realized that the car was extremely long and difficult to handle in the packed traffic. The brake and accelerator pedals were at an uneven height and the interior panels from the A and C pillars were missing.
Just as we got down from the Safari and turned around, my eyes caught a black Skoda Octavia L&K 19.TDI 2005 model. I was fixated and awed by the beauty of the car and immediately requested for test drive. The car was 13 years old when I took it for a test drive. The interiors were clean. There were no missing panels or torn\scratched parts. The electronics were in place and the car was easier to drive in heavy traffic when compared to the Safari. I made up my mind and decided to buy this car.
Features: Auto-levelling Xenon headlights (Also available in the VRS variants), heated seats, 6 CD changer, headlight washers, original leather seats, lumbar support in seats, adjustable head for all the four seats, cruise control, large boot space and comfortable driving position.
As mentioned earlier, I was a novice buyer, and these features took a front seat while making the decision to buy this car. What I missed to notice was the age of the car, the expensive maintenance cost of a German car, pending challans, car health inspection before buying – and these misses took a toll on my wallet during the course of ownership of the car.
I can vouch that the engine was the best in class. I used to do long distance trips from Hyderabad to Odisha and the engine never gave any trouble. The engine was powerful, the gear shifting was smooth and the ride was comfortable. I used to complete 18+ hours of journey without feeling much fatigue.
The other body parts which were prone to wear and tear, started showing signs of failure. These included the door and window control modules, Window pulley system, suspension, gear lever bearing, EGR, suspension, door seals, brake master cylinder and rattling noise from all over the body. Other costs that came up were due to the pending challans by the previous owner and registration renewal post completion of 15 years.
In addition to the excessive cost of spares and service, most of the parts were not available in the market due to the age of the car. I had to spend a lot of time in outsourcing the parts from various parts and those were usually used parts and came with no warranty. In addition to spending hefty sum of money, my peace of mind was also spent and after 5 years of ownership, I decided to sell the car.
Lessons learnt:
1. Just because the used car costs less, doesn’t mean the spares and service will be cheap.
2. Always have the car checked at the service center before buying the car.
3. Checking for pending challans
4. Checking for the availability of spares in your area
5. Functionality over unnecessary features. (I ever used the Heated seats due to the overall hot temperature of Hyderabad)
Despite all these misses, it was my first car and I miss it. 1st generation Skoda Octavia is a tank in a true sense. | 
17th February 2013, 13:11
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