[hajaar]

Hello People,

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. Advance extra thanks in case you reply.

I am planning to sell my almost 5 year old CRV and buy a luxury car - most likely the X1. I have been offered a discount of 4.2 L on the diesel line variant and an offer to buy my CRV for 10L. Needless to say, I am looking for more of a bargain.

So here goes

1. What can I realistically expect as a discount? I am in Chennai, FYI.
2. How important is it that I buy 5 year BSI or 5 year extended warranty? Is there something else I should buy for peace of mind.
3. There is a handling charge of ~55k. Is this common across luxury brands or is the sales rep trying to pull a fast one?
4. How important is it that I buy insurance from BMW itself?
5. What can I reasonably expect as service costs?
6. Also, what can I expect to breakdown in the car i.e. any known issues?
7. Is it worth upgrading to the M-Sport?
8. Do we get adaptive suspension as an option in India?
9. How good are the BMW finance schemes? I plan to buy it in cash as my first option except if there is something really good.
10. What other car should I be looking at? Is the A4 a viable option.


My general requirements
- should seat a family of 4, at a pinch 5.
- somewhat close to my CRV in terms of space
- my usual monthly distance is around 500km
- I will keep this for 5 years
- Comfort is mandatory - driver and back seat

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by hajaar

Hello People,

1. What can I realistically expect as a discount? I am in Chennai, FYI.
2. How important is it that I buy 5 year BSI or 5 year extended warranty? Is there something else I should buy for peace of mind.
3. There is a handling charge of ~55k. Is this common across luxury brands or is the sales rep trying to pull a fast one?
4. How important is it that I buy insurance from BMW itself?
5. What can I reasonably expect as service costs?
6. Also, what can I expect to breakdown in the car i.e. any known issues?
7. Is it worth upgrading to the M-Sport?
8. Do we get adaptive suspension as an option in India?
9. How good are the BMW finance schemes? I plan to buy it in cash as my first option except if there is something really good.
10. What other car should I be looking at? Is the A4 a viable option.

1. On Carwale when I checked last, the discount ranged from 6.X Lakhs to 8.X Lakhs depending on the model. You can definitely push for a better deal, especially with the LCI around the corner.

2. 5 year BSI & Warranty is quite well priced and should be thought about. However, given your running - you may be fine with regular extended warranty only.

3. Handling charges are common across all dealers and brands, but try and have it negotiated off.

4. You can get insurance from outside for a far better rate. Do not forget to transfer your NCB if applicable.

5. Service costs should be in the region of 20-25K unless some additional work is carried out.

6. Will let owners comment.

7. The M-Sport comes with a stiffer suspension and added goodies. If you are an enthusiastic driver you may prefer this variant otherwise the normal variant should be good enough for a family car.

8. No.

9. Cash down honestly gives you the best deal, but will let others pipe in.

10. The A4 is definitely a viable option, as is the discounted Q5 & A6. However, I personally found BMW to be the most reliable and easiest to maintain out of the German trio (subject to actual feedback from users in your city as the service center is what makes the most difference in ownership quality). Other options if you are ok compromising with the brand are the Skoda Kodiaq / VW Tiguan. In Sedans, also do have a look at the G20 3 series, Passat, and Superb - the latter two are heavily discounted, and I expect the G20 to start being discounted by end 2019 / starting 2020.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by hajaar

I am planning to sell my almost 5 year old CRV and buy a luxury car - most likely the X1.

Honestly, it won't be worth the hassles. CRV is a good car, one of premium Honda, Made in Japan and can last another 5 Years without a sweat. X1 is one of the cheaper BMW's. Though it gets flashy lights and all the gizmos, I am not sure if there will be enough driving pleasure.Better spend something on an International holiday or experience

If you must

1. What can I realistically expect as a discount? I am in Chennai.

Typically discounts here in North are 8-10 Lac depending on the variant.

2. How important is it that I buy 5 year BSI or 5 year extended warranty? Is there something else I should buy for peace of mind.

BSI covers the regular maintenance, if your driving is less, you can skip and buy additional warranty after the end of 2 Years.

3. There is a handling charge of ~55k. Is this common across luxury brands or is the sales rep trying to pull a fast one?

Unfortunately, it's a norm and for some reasons, sales guys don't budge on this. Maybe this goes directly towards their own incentives

4. How important is it that I buy insurance from BMW itself?

BMW does not do insurance if you mean dealership than usually, they are competitive. First Year BMW offers secure in tie-up with Allianz which covers 4 wheels/ tyres as well Key and maybe hydrostatic lock so do not to Pay for the Engine protection. Normally, dealers include in the first year. Ask categorically for this.

5. What can I reasonably expect as service costs?

Nil if you go for BSI. Else expect around 20-30 K yearly if mileage is low and you take care of the brake pads.

6. Also, what can I expect to breakdown in the car i.e. any known issues?

None. Modern BMW's are mostly fairly reliable, except for electronics. Don't ask me what all can go wrong.

7. Is it worth upgrading to the M-Sport?

Absolutely.

8. Do we get adaptive suspension as an option in India?

Best will be to decode the VIN. If it's not showing, then you can't get as these are CKD models.

9. How good are the BMW finance schemes? I plan to buy it in cash as my first option except if there is something really good.

BMW financial is usually expensive over banks but if you are a corporate customer it becomes easy and for repeated customers, it's even easier.

10. What other car should I be looking at? Is the A4 a viable option.[My general requirements
- should seat a family of 4, at a pinch 5.
- Comfort is mandatory - driver and back seat

That's an important question. There are so many yet so little choices if you have to consider back seat comfort. I don't think X1 will be as comfortable as your CRV in the rear. Try to take the car on long distances, ask test drive only with the company driver and no sales staff, also take your family along and give weight to everyone's feedback.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Honestly, it won't be worth the hassles. CRV is a good car, one of premium Honda, Made in Japan and can last another 5 Years without a sweat. X1 is one of the cheaper BMW's. Though it gets flashy lights and all the gizmos, I am not sure if there will be enough driving pleasure.Better spend something on an International holiday or experience

Wouldn't consider the X1 to be much of an upgrade over the CR-V, except for the badge.

@ hajaar - would strongly recommend you to read this thread of mine - keep or upgrade a 5-year old car?. If I were in your shoes, I'd keep the CR-V for another 3 years minimum and then, buy a proper luxury upgrade with the money saved. Buying & selling expensive cars every 5 years burns too much money as all of these (including your CR-V) are depreciation disasters.

[bottle]

Since you are from Chennai, the only option is Kun I guess, did you visit the Meenambakkam or Ambattur showroom ? My X1 expedition was 40 lacs OTR and I got 5 lacs discount last year, if you are getting higher variants you can ask for more. If you are at Meenambakkam talk to the person in charge Rajashekar, no use working with any of the sales people.

Do go for BSI, even though they mention service intervals at 12k it usually is around 8k before the alert pops up for oil change. Warranty is a must.

One advantage imo for the msport would also be the leather seats and bigger screen display, the pu seats on the lower variants are a bit lousy imo compared to leather

[dash2385]

Hi Hajaar,

We recently closed a deal for a BMW X1. Here are a few things I would like to share:
Bargain hard. We get a 10L discount on the ex-showroom price (xLine Petrol)
Consider a petrol car, all brands are moving towards it for the future, maintenance costs are also lower. (Including BSI package)
We took the 3 year BSI package, you can upgrade to more years later (before this package expires) by paying the difference.
We got the VPC charges waived off.
M-Sport was not manufactured anymore is what we were told (we only asked for curiosity, it was anyway out of our budget).
We took the finance from BMW @ 7.99% (did not do much of a comparison with others, I should have)

Also the only other car we really liked was the Volvo XC-40.

Happy to share if you need any more information.

[hajaar]

Thank you all for replying with such informative posts.

Here's an update - I have sold my CRV (sorry GTO & Turbanator :-) )

Now, I am debating between various choices - the X1 is obviously the leading contender, the Fortuner and Kona are in the running but it will mean very different lifestyle choices if I choose those and the C-class is an outsider. An even more outside possibility is to have no car at all :P

Given the brouhaha about BS6, I am considering the X1 20i instead of the 20d. Are there any pros or cons with going with a petrol X1? Or is it ok to have a BS4 diesel?

Thanks once again.

[V3V]

Originally Posted by dash2385

Hi Hajaar,

We recently closed a deal for a BMW X1. Here are a few things I would like to share:
Bargain hard. We get a 10L discount on the ex-showroom price (xLine Petrol)
Consider a petrol car, all brands are moving towards it for the future, maintenance costs are also lower. (Including BSI package)
We took the 3 year BSI package, you can upgrade to more years later (before this package expires) by paying the difference.

Hi, We are closely evaluating this model as well. It seems like you are based in Mumbai too. Can you please let me know which dealer did you get your car from? It would also be helpful if you can share contact details of the person at the dealer as well.

[hajaar]

Originally Posted by hajaar

Thank you all for replying with such informative posts.

Here's an update - I have sold my CRV (sorry GTO & Turbanator :-) )

Now, I am debating between various choices - the X1 is obviously the leading contender, the Fortuner and Kona are in the running but it will mean very different lifestyle choices if I choose those and the C-class is an outsider. An even more outside possibility is to have no car at all :P

Given the brouhaha about BS6, I am considering the X1 20i instead of the 20d. Are there any pros or cons with going with a petrol X1? Or is it ok to have a BS4 diesel?

Thanks once again.

Update:

I TDed a Fortuner, c220d, Kona and Endeavour, in addition to the X1 20d and X1 20i xLine. A bonus was the opportunity to drive the new 330i on a highway.

Among the lot, the C220d easily stands out in terms of comfort and luxury (perceived and otherwise). My whole family loves it. The sad thing is that after spending time in it, the Beemers seem quite ordinary - even the 330i. I am waiting for a quote on the C220d Prime variant. Also, a plus is the sales experience where the sales guy was trying to sell on the plus points of the Merc and not doing a negative sell like the BMW sales guys was.

The Fortuner 4*2 AT was surprisingly easy to drive and I guess it cannot matched when it comes to resale value or go anywhere ability. The interiors SUCK though but I suppose I could live with it if needed. The first sales guy was from Lanson Toyota and he almost made me cancel the TD itself due to his lack of knowledge and random answers. Thankfully, the sales person from Harsh Toyota was infinitely better and he explained everything clearly and effectively. He didn't know what Carplay was and I could see he was trying to understand why it was so important to me. Kudos to his attitude.

The Endy 4*4 3.2L D was ok. I wanted the 2.2L one but this is the only TD vehicle the dealership had. The interiors are good but the engine makes a lot of noise when compared to the Fortuner. I asked the sales guy about it and he said that it is this noisy when in first gear. The Fortuner was way quite though.

The Kona. This is the car that sparked by my upgrade intent. I finally got a chance to TD it. It is also a big hit with my family. It is very easy to drive, has loads and loads of features and has great acceleration. But the size and the age of my apartment are two factors which make me want to reject it. Plus it will apparently take 3 months to deliver.

The X1 20d and 20i are great to drive but nothing compared to the 330i, obviously. I think I prefer the 20i though since it is significantly less NVH than the 20d. But like I mentioned before, the interiors pale in comparison to the C-class.

So I am in a quandary. The X1 doesn't seem worth the money; the 330i is beyond my budget, the C-class might be on the verge on how much I can stretch upto. The Endy is out of the running.

The Fortuner is brilliant - it can go anywhere - and I am paranoid about floods since I got stuck in BKC last month and in the 2015 Chennai floods. But I have concerns on the BS4/BS6 diesel switching. The Kona is another car I really like but I don't want to buy it if there are going to be better EVs coming in the next 2-3 years.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by hajaar

So I am in a quandary. The X1 doesn't seem worth the money;

Correct, so you will have to wait for the Discounts on the BMW (my guess will be December or early next year) but since you have sold CRV, you will need something early. It will not be worth paying full money to BMW unless you go for a 3 or 4-year purchase under 360 buyback. C Class is a good option but it appears you are inclined to SUV's which makes sense as well given our road conditions.

Endeavour and Fortuner both are very capable vehicles and you cannot go wrong with either. If you have to sit in the rear or someone travels with you regularly on the rear seat, Fortuner will be a better option. Regarding the engine noise that you observed, Endeavour does feel little strained during acceleration but it's quiet at high speeds. It feels more planted on high speeds as well and is better equipped including the large roof and carplay. At the ford website, there is a comparison with Fortuner besides you can read some threads here. Having owned both and driven thousands of Km, it will be even tough for me to pick a clear winner. If you tend to keep your cars longer and have been a Honda customer, Toyota may have an edge. Even though it has fewer features, everything is built to last.

Since you are already exploring across different segments, also try VW Tiguan/ Skoda Kodiaq

[dash2385]

Originally Posted by V3V

Hi, We are closely evaluating this model as well. It seems like you are based in Mumbai too. Can you please let me know which dealer did you get your car from? It would also be helpful if you can share contact details of the person at the dealer as well.

Hi, we have a close contact at one of the dealers, happy to connect you. I am new to team bhp, is there a way that we can send a pm? Or you can write me an email on darshan85@gmail.com

Thanks.

[V3V]

Originally Posted by dash2385

Hi, we have a close contact at one of the dealers, happy to connect you. I am new to team bhp, is there a way that we can send a pm? Or you can write me an email on darshan85@gmail.com

Thanks.

Hi Darshan, have dropped you an email. Looking forward to hear back from you!

[hajaar]

I have got an offer for the c220d progressive variant for 47.9L including the repair & service package. The issue is that this is the pre-facelift model. Is this a good deal?

I have almost written off the X1 because the sales guy is not budging and is resorting to some tactics which is making us uncomfortable.

So far, the best sales experience I have had is with Harsha Toyota. That sales person came across as being genuine and helpful.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by hajaar

I have got an offer for the c220d progressive variant for 47.9L including the repair & service package. The issue is that this is the pre-facelift model. Is this a good deal?

I have almost written off the X1 because the sales guy is not budging and is resorting to some tactics which is making us uncomfortable.

Is this your only car or primary car? The reason I am asking is that these cars, specially the sedan versions are really not in sync with our road conditions and there would be multiple times ( many of these unexpected) where you will regret being in a sedan, more so since you are used to the CRV.

Sudden showers and resultant water logged roads would potentially make you go crazy about the issue of a hydrostatic lock, a huge bumper or a bad stretch of road would leave you worried with the under body hitting or scrapping and smaller other issues. I have been driving a 320d since 6 years in Delhi NCR. This last weekend we had gone out for lunch. When we were on our way back, there was this sudden intense shower for 15 minutes and the result was water logged roads. I know how I drove while praying to reach home without the car giving up on me. On an other occasion we were returning from Jaipur and there was this accident on the highway causing a long jam. The cops were asking all the cars to go on the un-paved side road and there was this fairly huge bump if you wanted to get off the road. Almost all cars were happy to oblige but mine scrapped badly. The other option of just standing on the highway for hours was not an option either.

So all I am saying is be prepared for such times if you opt for a sedan. I would recommend going in for the X1 rather if you want to go for a German car.

[Car-riedAway]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

So all I am saying is be prepared for such times if you opt for a sedan. I would recommend going in for the X1 rather if you want to go for a German car.

I was until now considering Fortuner Petrol and then I chances upon threads regarding heavy discounts on X1. So started considering that as well, but being in Delhi where there are instances of water logging in this season, I was wondering if even X1 is a good bet? Fortuner can wade through easily I know. I drive an XUV and can comfortably go through those mini pools.