[AirWind]

The title "A pre-owned German luxury car on a budget" is an oxymoron - No luxury comes on a budget! Don't get carried away by the purchase price, its the running cost that matters on these Germans!

Not worth going to Mumbai on your budget - high miles, transfer pricing, unknown ownership/maintenance history, etc., and this COVID season, you cannot travel freely either!

I'd suggest you pick up a low mileage, well maintained, recent example VW Passat or Skoda Superb, they are as much closer to an Audi A6 at half the price! Or if you want to enjoy depreciation benefits buy a new Superb with the longest lease tenure (lowest interest rates now) and warranty possible.

Also remember CASH is KING always and more so in these testing times, so spend your Capex or Opex wisely before you blow them on something that depreciates like a stink.

[NAVREVV]

I recently bit the bullet and brought home a pre-owned Audi A4 2.0 Multitronic which is manufactured in August 2015, Run 26000 km, immaculate condition inside out.

[Aarvee76]

Hi all!

So here is another iteration of the ever so popular thread- buying a pre owned luxury car. In my defence, I have gone over all the old threads, and this price point has not yet been addressed.

But first, some background:-
My automotive stable comprises a 1979 Yezdi 250D Classic which has been in my family for 42 years, a 2004 Corolla which I bought preowned in 2010, and a 2019 Hexa XTA which my wife rarely lets me touch. We are both working professionals, and in jobs which require routine transfers, and are likely to be in different cities for the next three years. The Corolla has given me yeoman service over the past decade, but now at 17 years, it is reaching the end of its lifespan, and time to retire to that great garage in the sky. I am in my mid-forties, and with the electric revolution, this next car would probably be the last internal combustion vehicle I would buy. I would therefore like to go out with a bang rather than a whimper (whatever bang is possible in this budget). The vehicle will be used for daily commute of 5-10 kms, and weekend golfing/shopping trips. I have had a good experience with my last pre owned purchase, and so I’m comfortable going the pre-owned route.

Here are my requirements:-

Mandatory
Automatic. After suffering the traffic jams of Bangalore and Delhi, I want some respite.
Budget 15-20 L
Should be an upgrade from the Corolla
Good safety features
Should be an enjoyable ride. My ‘need for speed’ is met by the three-wheelers I ‘drive’ at work. Handling and responsiveness are more desirable than straight line speed.

Desirable
A ‘luxury’ car. I’m aware that the definition of luxury varies from person to person. I have read all the threads related to maintenance issues with the luxury badge. My dream car as a child was the Jaguar – inspired by references in Pink Floyd (Welcome to the Machine) and the Sting music video for Desert Rose. However, the pundits at Team BHP appear to be uniformly consistent in saying that buying a used Jag is a BAD idea. Since I do want some peace of mind, the Jag idea was dropped.

Reliability. Again, I’m aware that Luxury and Reliability may be mutually exclusive. After owning the mostly bulletproof Toyota for over a decade, I’m kinda spoilt. On the other hand, having nursed my temperamental Yezdi into its fifth decade, I’m used to dealing with a diva. Ideally, I’m looking for any vehicle residing in the overlap of this venn diagram. A slight skew either side is acceptable. I intend to keep the car for the next 8-10 years.

Optional
Decent Ground clearance. I have enjoyed the reasonably high GC of the Corolla, and laughed at the travails of my friends in the City and Civic as they gingerly negotiated the potholes and mountainous speedbreakers of my last residence. I would rather not be in the position of having to ask my passengers to exit the car before I negotiate a speedbreaker.

The options

I reside in Punjab and am in the process of moving to Kanpur. From my research, Delhi appears to be the closest and cheapest option for used cars. I did a survey of the used car ads in Delhi, and went to a few dealerships. The most common and affordable ‘luxury’ barge appears to be from the Audi stable. I enjoyed driving the A4, but again, the consensus in Team BHP threads appeared to be that the Jag, Audi and Merc are high maintenance money pits.

This left me with the Beemer, (3,5 series/X1), Volvo (S60/XC60/V-40), Mini Cooper and the Camry. Ideally around 5 years old. I do not want the Endeavour, Pajero, Innova etc. I am not interested in anything from Maruti, Hyundai, Ford, Honda (personal idiosyncrasies). Any other options available? I have budgeted around 1 L per year for maintenance.

Finally, regarding where to buy from. I have searched Carwale, Cars 24, OLX, and paid a visit to a few used car dealerships in Delhi such as Mr Car Naraina, Kunj Motors, and various dealerships at Janakpuri and Ashok Vihar. I have seen large discrepancies in the pricing, and certain extremely low priced cars remaining unsold for months which leaves me afraid of being hoodwinked. I have also spoken to the BMW dealers for certified cars. I have gone over the excellent ‘How to buy a used car’ article, and intend to send whichever car I select to the authorised service center to be assessed before buying. I would also appreciate advice on the most reliable dealership/ website for buying my car.

And lastly, should I just dump my desire for a ‘luxury’ car and get a new Polo GT TSI? I’m getting a new one Ex Showroom for 8.5L. Its looking a bit dated though ☹.

So to sum up.
1. What Car?
2. Where should I buy it from?
3. Should I buy a relatively newer car for 20 L, or an older model for 15 L and spend 5 L on preventive maintenance?
4. Am I being dumb?
5. Is this even possible?

Cheers!

[lapis_lazuli]

A Superb 1.8TSI manual, post 2016, could be an option. I drive one, and I am very happy with it. Delhi and Noida have a total of 4 ASS these days and the reliability of the manual version hasn't been questioned yet. However you may need to search hard for a clean piece. I was unsuccessful. So I got a new one eventually.

[Cessna182]

A Camry could be an addition to the list you have shared. Toyota is the very good when it comes to supporting discontinued models.

[IshaanIan]

The Nissan Teana is a good luxury option. Single owner, well maintained examples with under 40k kms go for about 8-9lacs asking. At that price it is a steal when it comes to luxury on offer.

That way you will have more than enough money left to maintain the car. You can even replace the gearbox if it fails, and considering that you're looking at used automatics, better take worst case scenarios like these in mind.

[akash_v12]

I am going to ask you to wait a bit and extend your budget a bit. The Škoda Octavia is going to launch very soon, and it will be a great upgrade from your Corolla. It’ll be fun-to-drive from what I’ve heard from the reviews and hopefully well-priced too.

If you want to go for something right now, try and find a Superb/328i and hopefully you’ll enjoy it a lot.

Happy Shopping!

[asit.kulkarni93]

Do consider the following-

1. Škoda Superb- The new gen 2.0 TDi should be a good deal and it will definitely feel like an upgrade over the corolla. If you are lucky enough maybe a 2.0L TSi 2020 car might turn up for sale between 20-25L.

2. Toyota Camry- you really can’t go wrong with this one. But the GC won’t be very good. The hybrid powertrain is good but you will move to EVs next so enjoy the turbocharged vehicles till you can.

3. 320d- You can’t really go wrong with this one. It’s a safe bet and perfect luxury fun to drive car for india. Look for the LCi.

Avoid the 2.0 TDi Audis, honestly an equivalent merc or bmw are the way to go(barring the entry level cla/A3)

[Bibendum90949]

A pre owned Skoda Octavia diesel automatic(2017 facelift) would be the perfect car in your budget. DQ250 DSG gearbox is reliable too as indicated by many members on the forum. You should be able to latch onto a good copy that's 2-3 years old. It's reliable, has good GC, fun to drive, very safe and fairly easy on the pocket to maintain it(saying this after seeing you setting aside 1 lakh an year for maintenance). It ticks most of the boxes you've set. A well maintained car can give you trouble free experience for 7-8 years or even more. And it would be a very good upgrade from Corolla.

Below links should be of help

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...e-parking.html (A close look: The 2017 Skoda Octavia Facelift with hands-free parking)

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...al-review.html

Good luck.

[Aarvee76]

Thanks for the replies. Spent the last few days going over the Skoda Octavia and Superb threads, and there were a lot! I wasnt considering the Octavia because of a few word of mouth stories regarding horrendous after sales experiences at Skoda. But from what I gathered poring over all the threads, the Octavia seems to be a contender, and there appear to be lesser DSG failures post 2017. However, the only variant available new is the VRs edition which is north of 40 Lakhs, and more that twice my budget. There appears to be no clarity on the launch date of the 2021 version. I am comfortable waiting till May. Any hopes of it arriving on these shores before that?

On the pre-owned market I saw the 2017 TSI L&K variant for 20L which didn't make sense when the 2018 Superb TSI L&K AT was available at 22 L. I'm wondering if this is worth it, or should I rather wait for the new version? The Octavia seems overpriced and since I would be the one driving I would rather have the Octavia than the Superb.

I did search for the Nissan Teana, however, the newest available model was of 2011 vintage, and to be honest it didn't really appeal to me.

So it seems to be between the Skoda and Camry as of now. (Head beating down hearts demand for the 'Luxury' badge)

Questions that remain:

1. Any leads on reliable used car dealers?
2. How is the Skoda ASS these days?
3. Octavia 2017 at 20 L vs Superb 2018 at 22L (both TSI AT L&K Edition)
4. When will the new Octavia launch

Cheers!

[akash_v12]

Originally Posted by Aarvee76

Questions that remain:

1. Any leads on reliable used car dealers?
2. How is the Skoda ASS these days?
3. Octavia 2017 at 20 L vs Superb 2018 at 22L (both TSI AT L&K Edition)
4. When will the new Octavia launch

Cheers!

I can answer 2, 3 & 4 for you.

2) They are improving. There's no doubt that after Zac Hollis entered Skoda India, there has been a definite improvement.

3) The Superb seems like a better deal in this case. The Octy would only be worth it if you'd can get the price to be under ₹18L.

4) This should be self-explainatory

[Splendor]

Hello Fellow Bhpian’s,


I am in a similar situation.

Having read the pre-owned threads by GTO, Dr A.D, I have decided to take the pre-owned route. This would be my first luxury car. I have been driving my Hyundai Verna for last 12 years and it is still serving me well. No plans to part ways with it although thought about it couple of times.
This will be my first attempt at a used car, have never gone down the used car route.
Finally, I decided to check out the used 320d available in the market. Like most of us, I prefer single owner, low mileage on ODO.
I have shortlisted few cars and require your advice and suggestions.
1.320D Prestige – 2016 manufactured, registered 2017 done ~ 35K (it is in a good condition).
2.320D Luxury line- 2014 manufactured, registered 2015 done ~ 30K but when I opened the hood, I saw rat bites on the insulation part. The dealer says that once the price is decided, I have to make an upfront payment of 50K which is refundable. Post that I can take it to the BMW A.S.C for inspection. My concern is if there is any damage to the wiring and the same was repaired at a FNG, it would not reflect in the service history. Will this be a risky choice?
3.320D Luxury line- 2012, done 38K, it’s at another German car maker’s preowned division. Bumpers have lot of scratches and dents. Interiors, especially the door pads look old and have scratches.
Tire replacement is required for all 3 vehicles. I could TD only the 1st car and absolutely no squeaks or rattles.

Except for the 3rd vehicle the (which is 17.5 Lakh negotiable) ask is almost the same for the other two.
I have read the thread where Dr A.D had pointed about the difference in the quality of leather upholstery between Prestige and the higher variants.


My question, if I go with 320D Prestige, will I be missing the any essential features or is there something that I cannot live without or is it a must to go for higher variants. I would not miss the sunroof.


Of course, I will use the TBHP checklist for buying used cars.


Your inputs are highly valuable.

Thanks,
Splendor

[RJ2285]

Originally Posted by lapis_lazuli

A Superb 1.8TSI manual, post 2016, could be an option. I drive one, and I am very happy with it.

Is your 1.8 TSi manual still under warranty? You mentioned no reliability issues with this variant. What expenses do you foresee when the warranty expires? I am in the market for a luxurious Sedan, upgrading from our 4th-Gen Honda city.

Your inputs will be valuable. Open to preowned and the Superb is a serious contender.

[lapis_lazuli]

Originally Posted by RJ2285

Is your 1.8 TSi manual still under warranty? You mentioned no reliability issues with this variant. What expenses do you foresee when the warranty expires? I am in the market for a luxurious Sedan, upgrading from our 4th-Gen Honda city.

Your inputs will be valuable. Open to preowned and the Superb is a serious contender.

Yes it is still under warranty. Till 2025. I have had absolutely no issues with the car, touchwood. Expenses would be 15-18k per year for routine service at dealership, and for part replacement, or specialist repairs I would go to a FNG after warranty. The AC and the suspension parts are most likely to need replacement first, if at all. Skoda publishes most standard repair costs on the website. Brakes, clutch everything. So you have a choice as well. Buy it if you find one in good condition
It's a taxi in Europe...has to be reliable.

And yes I use 91 and 95 fuel both....but from a single company pump.

[sarthakverma97]

Dear BHPians,

I have been recently looking out for a 3rd car which can be the new work horse in the garage. As Delhi and NCR regions have imposed a 10 year ban on the Diesel cars, this segment is completely ruled out. The only option left to buy is a economical car (Suzuki, honda, Hyundai etc.) and fit a CNG kit to maximize the fuel efficiency. But the little kid in me and the quarter life crisis urge me to go for a pre-worshipped luxury sedan which has good 4-5 years of usable life left in it.

Since I am in market, I am getting a fairly good deal on the Mercedes-Benz C200 CGI, but again there are a few points I think will impact the decision -

Current Owner Serial Number: 3
Model: 2011
Registration: DL
Price range I am getting this vehicle in: INR 5.5 - 6 Lakhs
Insurance Validity: Till July'23
Usable Years in Delhi NCR: 3.5

Since this is a lock or lose deal and can not be physically monitored or inspected, this would be a gamble.

I would want an honest opinion from you all on whether I should block this deal and go for it or should I be reasonable and get a mass market car and settle with it.