[jeevan_61]

Originally Posted by RAHS

3. I see that, they add their rating to the car based on their inspection. It's in the scale of 1 - 5. Do they really do inspection before posting the ad on their website? How accurate is their analysis?

Cheers,
RAHS

I got my car inspected by cars24 very recently as I had plans of selling it. Their inspection is mainly focused on the body and paint of the car.
They check the paint thickness and look for signs of replacement panels and tinkering.
Their inspection can be called very superficial.
The representative was least bothered about the mechanicals of the car, he didn't even open the service history which I carried with me and told me that the recent major services I have done on the car are meaningless when it comes to value of the car.
They don't have any methods to check for odometer tampering or analysing engine or suspension damage.
They can be trusted for structural integrity of the car, but not for mechanicals is what I feel.
I felt my car to be undervalued as I had put significant effort into keeping the car mechanically perfect, and decided to stick to the car for some more time before considering as upgrade.

[GreenerPlanet]

Hi Sir,

I have read all your ownership/proxy threads and love your style of writing. You have an excellent recall and a very sharp mechanical mind.

I am amazed at how you are able to evaluate a car with such confidence. You also describe individual quirks of the brand, and also how something is better/worse in their different iterations. This speaks of your research done upfront before considering a particular car itself.

I would love if you can write a reference handbook in buying used cars, what, how and whys of assessing a used car before purchase - I know we have a few on this site itself, but your experience immensely adds to the community.

This would also be my guide as I am shortly going for a used car purchase in next couple of months.

Thanks!
Srini

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

I have several friends who own Pajero Sport and they say that maintenance is quite cheap as well.

My friend Shaswat has kept his Pajero Sport stationed in our complex almost permanently and I get to drive it whenever I go to Kolkata.

Thank You @BlackPearl. If one is able to source spares from the right guys, and have a good FNG, maintenance isn't an issue at all.

This car is pretty simple on the electronics front; doesn't even have a seat belt warning light .

I wish I also had someone entrusting me with their dream car so that I could have the pleasure of driving a new one in proxy mode.

Originally Posted by RAHS

I found some nice collection with Cars24.What are their commission charges? They charge both buyer and seller?

Thank You @RAHS

Yes. In my case, it was 5k from the buyer and the seller. Someone I know got a Baleno a few days back in Chennai. In this case, seller paid 8k and buyer approx 2% of the agreed price. Money-back cars attract a higher service charge from the buyer.

Do they take care of ownership transfer?

Yes, but for a fee.

I see that, they add their rating to the car based on their inspection. It's in the scale of 1 - 5. Do they really do inspection before posting the ad on their website? How accurate is their analysis? I found their inspection generally quite detailed.

Quite accurate, but some of their refurbished cars show all green which isn't good. In fact, their inspection report in most cases downgrades well kept cars because of the many red exclamation marks.

What about accidental and flood effected cars? Do they check all that before posting ad? Is there any warranty?

I think they don't look at flood affected cars, but cars that have seen minor shunts do get called out in the relevant portions of the report eg. radiator panel repaired.

How is their customer care service? Are they any better than the regular used car dealer?

Customer care, like in most business is just a showpiece.

Originally Posted by Baddychat

Looking forward to your updates here.

Thank You @Baddychat. I wouldn't call this a fabulous buy, but a good one, though. It broke the mental 10L barrier by a good amount. What I liked about the car was that everything was preserved. Sometimes, one needs to look beyond just an inspection. Part-2 of my ownership experience is just up. That was a lot more to learn, technically, and for now, the overheating issue is fixed.

Originally Posted by motorpsycho

1. How do you plan to address the lack of spares availability.
2. With Almost no service center available, how do you plan to get skilled service tech for fixing issues and servicing?

Thank You @motorpsycho. I have managed to locate some good suppliers. I don't foresee a requirement of too many parts because this car is built very solid. The stock suspension, for example is still good even after 9 years and 1,43,000km. Regular consumables like oil filter cost between 650 and 850 bucks which is quite OK given its size. Any competent FNG can service this car. Its basic design is very simple, although jobs are labour intensive.

Originally Posted by asit.kulkarni93

It’s an over engineered car which doesn’t feel like a ladder on frame vehicle.

Thank You, @asit.kulkarni93. Yes, this is an overengineered car and beats all the modern ones by a mile.

Originally Posted by jeevan_61

They don't have any methods to check for odometer tampering. I felt my car to be undervalued

Agree on these two points @jeevan_61. Tampered odometer readings are a grey area for them. And they seemed to have been trained to receive flak from sellers for the ridiculously low prices that they offer. However, the good thing is for those buying, this platform presents a good range of options. I personally look at cars24 options first, and have almost forgotten olx because olx features dealers mostly, unlike, say, 4 years ago when many individual listings were seen.

Originally Posted by GreenerPlanet

research done upfront before considering a particular car itself.

Thank You @GreenerPlanet aka Srini. I might not always be right about my choices and my thumb rule for everyone is to factor 8-10% of your purchase price for planned or unforseen expenses. I've seen this happen with most of the cars that I have bought. Sometimes, one just can't spot hidden issues even with years of experience.

Eg.

1. design issues that crop up after several years

2. air-conditioning - a seemingly genuine car will throw up AC issues even as early as a month into purchase.

[speedmiester]

Congratulations on your new acquisition. The SUV looks to be in good nick baring the overheating issue. Hope this car serve you for a long time.

I enjoy reading your used car adventures.

[motorotor]

Congratulations on your Pajero Sport. I do have incredibly fond memories of mine. It is one of those cars that create opportunities to create memories. A real go-anywhere car!

[R2D2]

Yet another great pre-owned car ownership thread. Thanks for your effort @Vigsom

As a young man in the 1990s most my age dreamed of owning a Pajero some day. It was the gold standard for SUVs back then. Yes, I do think it's a better made vehicle than the old Gen 1 Fortuner. Sadly Mitsubishi's partnership with an auto company that was on it's death bed i.e. Hindustan Motors made it too much of a risk to buy. Mitsubishi had great products in India but the wrong decisions put paid to their plans in India.

[aghate]

Absolutely brilliant threads vigsom!

Have read both parts now. Been a lurker on your threads whenever published and have always been a great read. Your ability to present complex technical details in a simplified manner for a layman is very impressive.

Wishing you many happy miles on the Pajero!

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by speedmiester

looks to be in good nick baring the overheating issue.

Thank You @speedmiester. The car was in decent nick for a 1,37,000km done example, with a few faults, of course. None of my cars till date have ever come faultless, and all that I've learnt this far has only been through fixing these issues. Eg. this one was the first car that presented me with an overheating issue, few months after purchase. My Versa had unevenly worn tyres due to missed alignment and balancing in the first 22k kms, the Vitara was the first time I saw that an ABS hydraulic unit could leak, and so on.

Originally Posted by motorotor

It is one of those cars that create opportunities to create memories.

True @motorotor. A car that creates great memories. Everytime I drive the car, it feels so good; the engine note, especially.

Originally Posted by R2D2

Mitsubishi had great products in India but the wrong decisions put paid to their plans in India.

Thank You @R2D2. Excellent products get let down by bad leadership decisions, like what Mitsubishi did in India.

My only grouse with the Pajero V6 that is a rockstar in the UAE, and this Pajero Sport, is that it isn't all that technician friendly to work on. Some bits are easy, but most of it isn't. Not sure about other Mitsubishis, though.

Originally Posted by aghate

present complex technical details in a simplified manner for a layman

Thank You @aghate. While I was pursuing engineering, I found that barring one or two professors, all the others couldn't demystify the subject for us; Physics especially. That's when I thought that if ever I became a trainer or teacher, I'll do everything I can to make complex things simple. In my personal assessment, I've been successful this far, and feel good about it when what I present is fully understood. That is the true worth of a good trainer.

[OctYFAN]

I should have gone for one of these instead. The X-Trail that I own has given me nothing but issues. When I bought it, it seemed like a ludicrous offer. A turbo-diesel land yacht at a surprisingly low price of 4.5 lacs. The low price must have put me off. But as this was a very low-volume(read obscure) model and an import, I thought that people didn't buy these things enough for the prices to be high. The car was around 23 lacs brand new back then.

During the test drive, it drove like a dream except the bounciness due to the shot suspension. But now I regret making this purchase. I have spent over 2 lacs on it and the senior mechanic at the dealer here accepted that they had never worked on one of these things before and what they were doing was pretty much trial and error. But it still is really fun when it runs. So I can't part with it either.

Even now it is at a workshop for a turbo related sensor issue. I really don't know what to do. Kindly advise me. Should I keep this thing or sell it off as is with the problems.

Cheers,
OctYFAN

[skydiver]

Originally Posted by OctYFAN

I should have gone for one of these instead. The X-Trail that I own has given me nothing but issues. When I bought it, it seemed like a ludicrous offer. A turbo-diesel land yacht at a surprisingly low price of 4.5 lacs. The low price must have put me off. But as this was a very low-volume(read obscure) model and an import, I thought that people didn't buy these things enough for the prices to be high. The car was around 23 lacs brand new back then.

During the test drive, it drove like a dream except the bounciness due to the shot suspension. But now I regret making this purchase. I have spent over 2 lacs on it and the senior mechanic at the dealer here accepted that they had never worked on one of these things before and what they were doing was pretty much trial and error. But it still is really fun when it runs. So I can't part with it either.

Even now it is at a workshop for a turbo related sensor issue. I really don't know what to do. Kindly advise me. Should I keep this thing or sell it off as is with the problems.

Cheers,
OctYFAN

I own xtrail since last 11 years. it some some things that are great. I have decided to keep it with me as getting the spares is not that difficult anymore. Try Boodmo or motorprts. I changed turbo and shocks bought from them and its extremely cheaper than what the dealership quote you. all you need is a knowledgeable mechanic

[Gansan]

Wonderful thread. I am eager to find out what caused the over heating. The Pajero and Lancer were excellent products. I remember during mid 90's, my then boss and four others in the company got together and bought five Lancers at the same time.

But poor choice of Indian partner.

[OctYFAN]

Originally Posted by skydiver

I own xtrail since last 11 years. it some some things that are great. I have decided to keep it with me as getting the spares is not that difficult anymore. Try Boodmo or motorprts. I changed turbo and shocks bought from them and its extremely cheaper than what the dealership quote you. all you need is a knowledgeable mechanic

@skydiver, that is the issue. Parts are cheap. But nobody knows how to work on it and tune it. Even the dealer told me this was their first time with this model. I am still searching for a good mechanic. Can you recommend any mechanic in and around Coimbatore. Maybe your mechanic has some contacts here.

[vredesbyrd]

Any point going for a 7 year old Pajero Sport AT now? I have a trusted FNG (who worked on my Superb) and they claim to be able to handle Pajero Sport. I'll probably keep the vehicle for 3-5 years.

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by vredesbyrd

Any point going for a 7 year old Pajero Sport AT now? I'll probably keep the vehicle for 3-5 years.

No harm in going in for one but please note these points:

1. Pajero Sport AT is a 2WD like the 2012-2014 Fortuner
2. AT sports drum brakes on the rear wheels, while the MT has discs around
3. Car is not technician friendly - quite a task to work on the engine part. So the FNG has to be skilled enough to work on this
4. I understand some insurance companies don't offer comprehensive insurance for the Pajero Sport

These apart, the car is super fuel efficient and a brilliant handler. The PUC is a yearly affair since this is a BS4 engine, and none of the BS6 related headaches like DPF, SCR etc.

If you set aside approx. INR 1.5 lacs for maintenance, primarily related to the timing kit, tyres and the AC, you'll not have heartaches later. This car comes without a cabin air filter and that is why I included the AC in the list of surprise items. Spares aren't too much of an issue - enough suppliers across the country especially in NCR.

[vredesbyrd]

Thank you so much for the reply.
I do not understand why some companies are doing that with the insurance.

Pajero Sport does sound very tempting (especially with the prices being offered in the user market).
How would you stack, say a 2016 Endeavour against it? (For that I'm aware of the torque converter flex plate issue and minor electrical niggles).

Sorry, I randomly keep asking questions about the BoF big boys as seeing our roads makes me want to transition to SUVs as soon as possible (monetarily)