[wmanu]

Hi Experts/Enthusiasts,

I’ve been with my pre-worshiped Optra Magnum for 5 years and it is time to move on. I have been searching an upgrade, predominantly on pre-worshiped sector because of the cost difference, and my aim is to keep it for next 5 years.

I was thinking of upgrading to German Trio, which was always a dream. I know, I will have to burn a lot on maintenance, and heard a lot of horror experience from the owners. But as you know, it is a mind vs heart game, and the war is on. Request your help in making the right decision.
I had some horrible experience with Optra’s low ground clearance, and almost made my mind to go for a SUV type, which has better GC. I could reach only Q3/Q5, X1/X3 due to the budget constraints. Will there be any better option?

If we avoid showroom service and rely on trusted mechanics around (Bengaluru), who has good reputation with luxury cars, will the maintenance cost be manageable (~25-30K per annum)?

During the search I could see that 2008 Cayenne available for 15L range. Looking at the features/technology Cayenne has 12 years ago, I really admire the machine. Since Porsche is in exotic range, I’m scared that the maintenance will be much higher as it is aged. Another three years, it may need a re-registration? No idea how much will that cost due to exotic sector and imported vehicle.

Many thanks.

[vishy76]

I have gone through many threads on luxury car ownership experiences and one thing I will tell you is that there is nothing known as a "frugal" or a "cheap to maintain" luxury car. It makes for a good oxymoron and nothing else.

If you manage to go for one of the big three, sourcing spares will be fairly easy for scheduled maintenance and you will most probably end up spending between 25-30K as you have estimated.

But here's the caveat, these cars are loaded with electronics that can go wrong at any given time. An FNG might be able to lower the annual maintenance bill in terms of scheduled servicing, but consumables like brake pads and suspension will be expensive to replace nevertheless. You will always live in fear of overshooting your annual 25-30K budget and never be able to make peace with the car (All machines go wrong at some point in life).

Additionally, 6-7 year old cars demand maintenance no matter how well they are kept. You will have to set aside a considerable sum incase anything goes wrong. There's a reason why these cars go so cheap.

As for the Porsche, I wouldn't suggest one at all. Spares will be prohibitively expensive and you will have to wait considerably longer as well. If you are very keen on a luxury car, set aside a good sum for maintenance and go for an Audi Q3 or a BMW X1. The X1 especially is fairly reliable although it has a few major drawbacks as well:

- RFTs will be expensive to replace if the previous owner hasn't switched to tubeless

- The AGM battery is easily Rs. 30K+ to replace if it goes wrong although it lasts longer than most conventional ones

- Interior quality isn't what you would come to expect of a car that costed 30 big ones OTR even 6-7 years back

The Audi Q3 on the other hand will be b-o-r-i-n-g to drive and you might have to look harder for cheaper examples as it was introduced around 2013 IIRC.

My suggestion to you would be to look for a sparsely used Jetta or Octavia. Both offer atleast 90% or even more of an Audi Q3 or an X1 at a fraction of the maintenance cost. Finding younger examples within your budget won't be a hassle either. Even if you rely solely on A.S.S, you won't have to spend more than 15-25K on maintenance either. That number will be halved if you go for an FNG as well. Overlook the badge, and you will have a stunning deal. Go for a Jetta TDI if you want a diesel, else the explosive 1.8 TSI Octavia.

[Chetan_Rao]

This adage has been quoted to death, but worth repeating.

A luxury car may cost a budget car price to buy, but will cost you a luxury car price to maintain.

Budget cost-of-purchase, luxury cost-of-ownership. Follow your heart, but try not to orphan your pocket.

[dingolphie]

Camry, Volvo, Honda make most sense in luxury barge world for worry free ownership, though you may need to budget more up front. But, cannot ignore the heart. My 8 year service for the Vento is being quoted around 50K including timing belt and ac compressor belt scheduled replacement. So the 25 to 30K may easily be 50 to 80K premium charged by the heart

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by wmanu

If we avoid showroom service and rely on trusted mechanics around (Bengaluru), who has good reputation with luxury cars, will the maintenance cost be manageable (~25-30K per annum)?

If you actually plan on using the vehicle much, then I doubt that a 30k annual budget on maintenance can be guaranteed.

[Nostalgic3r]

If you’re open to the idea, you can find a well maintained, used Toyota Fortuner, or even a Camry. Although, it may have clocked more km on the odo. Or like someone said, a TSI Octavia ensures fun for sure. But best stick to Toyota for a “luxury” car that’s relatively trouble free.

[pedrolourenco]

Since he has made up his mind on a Luxury Badge, it's best to advise on the pro's and con's of the same. No offence meant to people who are suggesting going in for less premium brands in the interest of reliability, cost etc but there is nothing more irritating than someone telling you not to buy what your heart desires.
My suggestion would be to go for a Q3. You get the premium badge and the feel good factor. Maintenance may cost you, but then the car shares a lot of parts with VW/Skoda models. Service will also be easier at a FNG as these garages will be familiar with the engine.

[wmanu]

Thanks everyone for sharing their views and advises.

Originally Posted by vishy76

My suggestion to you would be to look for a sparsely used Jetta or Octavia. Both offer atleast 90% or even more of an Audi Q3 or an X1 at a fraction of the maintenance cost. Finding younger examples within your budget won't be a hassle either. Even if you rely solely on A.S.S, you won't have to spend more than 15-25K on maintenance either. That number will be halved if you go for an FNG as well. Overlook the badge, and you will have a stunning deal. Go for a Jetta TDI if you want a diesel, else the explosive 1.8 TSI Octavia.

Originally Posted by Nostalgic3r

If you’re open to the idea, you can find a well maintained, used Toyota Fortuner, or even a Camry. Although, it may have clocked more km on the odo. Or like someone said, a TSI Octavia ensures fun for sure. But best stick to Toyota for a “luxury” car that’s relatively trouble free.

Thank you. GC on my Optra was pretty bad, especially when loaded, I used to literally crawl through most of the humps in Bengaluru. Optra has a GC of 165mm, Jetta/Octavia has 155mm, Camry has 160mm. So I’m worried that I will have to go through similar pain again. Please correct me if I’m wrong. X1/Q3 has 170mm GC.

Originally Posted by dingolphie

Camry, Volvo, Honda make most sense in luxury barge world for worry free ownership, though you may need to budget more up front. But, cannot ignore the heart.

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Budget cost-of-purchase, luxury cost-of-ownership. Follow your heart, but try not to orphan your pocket.

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

If you actually plan on using the vehicle much, then I doubt that a 30k annual budget on maintenance can be guaranteed.

Sure, thanks again. I will certainly consider these points before the decision is made.

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

Since he has made up his mind on a Luxury Badge, it's best to advise on the pro's and con's of the same. No offence meant to people who are suggesting going in for less premium brands in the interest of reliability, cost etc but there is nothing more irritating than someone telling you not to buy what your heart desires.
My suggestion would be to go for a Q3. You get the premium badge and the feel good factor. Maintenance may cost you, but then the car shares a lot of parts with VW/Skoda models. Service will also be easier at a FNG as these garages will be familiar with the engine.

Thank you. I have not made up the mind, it’s a wish, it’s a dream. So was trying to evaluate whether it is now or never. Other threads in the forum suggests BMW has lesser maintenance or fail ratio compared Merc/Audi, may be I’m wrong.

2012 X1 seems to be available for 10L, which seems to be 3-4L cheaper than 2012 Q3. May be X1 has higher maintenance than Q3? If I get a X1 for 10L and keep 3-4L for maintenance for next five years, will that really workout?

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

... there is nothing more irritating than someone telling you not to buy what your heart desires....

You're right, the decision is ultimately his.

People are adding their two bits because we've all done it ourselves at some point, or known someone who considered cost of purchase but didn't account for cost of ownership when making from-the-heart purchases, and got into a soup later.

If he has the risk appetite to own a 10 year old Porsche, it's his decision.

People here are advising him to temper his heart's desire proportional to his current depth of pocket, which is true for anyone without unlimited means.

[sumeethaldankar]

Used Camry/Accord/Fortuner/CRV well basically the Japs will be on my list. A 10 year luxury car will definitely have some pitfalls. Carefully consider the maintenance costs. I have run into 20K bills for my used Honda Civic so for a used Porsche annual maintenance target of 30k may not be for real.

Good luck on the purchase. Ideally you do have a healthy budget, you could buy a brand new regular car and well make it more luxurious like fitting it with after market leather seats, fancy alloys etc

[pedrolourenco]

Originally Posted by wmanu

Other threads in the forum suggests BMW has lesser maintenance or fail ratio compared Merc/Audi, may be I’m wrong.

2012 X1 seems to be available for 10L, which seems to be 3-4L cheaper than 2012 Q3. May be X1 has higher maintenance than Q3? If I get a X1 for 10L and keep 3-4L for maintenance for next five years, will that really workout?

Not sure on prices but since the Q3 has the same engine as the Skoda/VW cars you can source cheaper parts. Manufacturers have the habit of pricing the same part differently depending on which vehicle it is for.

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

You're right, the decision is ultimately his.

People are adding their two bits because we've all done it ourselves at some point, or known someone who considered cost of purchase but didn't account for cost of ownership when making from-the-heart purchases, and got into a soup later.

If he has the risk appetite to own a 10 year old Porsche, it's his decision.

People here are advising him to temper his heart's desire proportional to his current depth of pocket, which is true for anyone without unlimited means.

I am not doubting the good intentions of people. But then it would be better if people evaluate the pros and cons of owning a premium badge. As long as he is aware what are the approximate costs of ownership and the risks involved he can take a call.

[lamborghini]

I'd actually recommend going in for a simpler vehicle - like the X1.
However, finding the new X1 in that budget shall be very difficult - and so I'd recommend keeping an eye out for the F30 320D as well.

Both of these cars are tried and tested and have had decent reliability - would be a good introduction to German car ownership.

IMO - Mercedes is significantly higher to maintain, and Audi service isn't the best - but the cars are fairly reliable (A3/A4/Q3 segment, preferably with CVT or 6 speed DSG gearbox).

Some suggestions: Avoid the first model year, as most of the niggles are present in the first year and sorted out later; and check the service history and accident history thoroughly. Common pain points include sensors (ABS, Airbags, TPMS), and AC.
Also, do some research on what problems are common for the vehicle and be prepared for those - for example, the F30 328i has a timing chain issue globally, the 7 speed DSG on the petrol 1.4/1.8 Audi's is also fairly unreliable, etc.).

[sunilch]

Originally Posted by wmanu

Hi Experts/Enthusiasts,

I was thinking of upgrading to German Trio, which was always a dream. I know, I will have to burn a lot on maintenance, and heard a lot of horror experience from the owners............
I had some horrible experience with Optra’s low ground clearance, and almost made my mind to go for a SUV type, which has better GC. I could reach only Q3/Q5, X1/X3 due to the budget constraints. Will there be any better option.

Looking at your desired budget, preference for an SUV and the fact that you are open to old models too, better options than these listed above would be the following but each one has a limitation listed below:

1) Toyota Fortuner - Difficult to find a recent one in this budget.
2) Mitsubishi Outlander or Pajero Sport - Difficult to maintain due to lack of service support but if you find a good FNG then nothing like it.
3) Honda CRV - Lower FE and a petrol
4) Jeep Compass - Might not be the desired category that you are looking for but you will get a recent example and an SUV and it will be a good upgrade from the Optra.

Listing out only SUVs because that is what you are highly inclined towards, it seems.

[wildsdi5530]

Well I was in a similar situation a few months back. There was a 2006 Porsche Cayenne VR6 run about 60k with no major mechanical issues. Some interior bits were worn, and it was fabulous to drive. However it was a MH registration. Asking price was 10 lakhs. I stayed away only because of the MH registration and need to get fitness in 2 years. Not sure if I could have stayed away if it was the V8 turbo with air suspension. I would say if you like it, buy it. If it becomes too expensive, you can use it as a showpiece or sell it without taking too much of a hit. But it will satisfy your dream, albeit temporarily.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by wmanu

Hi Experts/Enthusiasts,

I’ve been with my pre-worshiped Optra Magnum for 5 years and it is time to move on. I have been searching an upgrade, predominantly on pre-worshiped sector because of the cost difference, and my aim is to keep it for next 5 years.

I was thinking of upgrading to German Trio, which was always a dream. I know, I will have to burn a lot on maintenance, and heard a lot of horror experience from the owners. But as you know, it is a mind vs heart game, and the war is on. Request your help in making the right decision.
I had some horrible experience with Optra’s low ground clearance, and almost made my mind to go for a SUV type, which has better GC. I could reach only Q3/Q5, X1/X3 due to the budget constraints. Will there be any better option?

If we avoid showroom service and rely on trusted mechanics around (Bengaluru), who has good reputation with luxury cars, will the maintenance cost be manageable (~25-30K per annum)?

.

There is a nice S class in Bangalore in our classifieds. I know it well and you could look at that