[100Kmphormore]

I will be honest here, I think of engine and practicality when I buy a car, not the impractical infotainment systems and sunroofs. I can also stretch a little, if the engine is great! However here, with growing kids, a luxury vehicle is something to stay away from. Not to forget the rising cost of living, Even kids pantsing around in the back seat might cause a lakh rupee worth of repairs unless you have zero dep insurance.
Your budget is suitable for the mid/top end versions of crossover SUVs cars like Nexon, Taigun, please choose among those. It’s spacious than sedans and also great for Bengaluru roads. Cheaper to run, cheaper to maintain. Even 2017 Vento/Rapid diesel/petrol DSGs with 80k - 90k run on the Odo costs a frickin 9-10L! Not to forget the infamous DQ200 which will cause problems later on.

[Actuator]

Have you considered the Volkswagen Virtus or the 5th gen Honda City? I own the latter and would recommend it in a heartbeat. It doesn’t have any ADAS features and the infotainment system feels a bit dated but if you can look past that, it is a joy to drive and be driven in.

As for a pre-owned Luxury sedan, it will be difficult to find Vehicles with less than 60k on their Odo ( as You've already experienced ) and significant legacy repairs upon acquisition. Our W212 of 2012 has had its tyres and batteries changed twice (regular wear and tear), all the speakers replaced and a faulty compressor changed over the course of 10 years with just 56K clocked on the Odo. Rest assured, what you might find in the marketplace could contain latent and unforeseen niggles that crop up when you least expect it, so the effective cost of ownership is higher as compared to a new vehicle.

There are decent options in the price band outlined in your post and if you are leaning towards Tata then perhaps the Nexon EV deserves a dekko as well.

[androdev]

There is a red Octy for sale on team bhp classifieds. Looks like a good option within your budget.

https://classifieds.team-bhp.com/buy.../Octavia.html/

Even though it’s 3rd owner - technically it’s still owned by the first owner (he sold and bought it back I think). You can’t possibly do better than Octy when it comes to price vs performance and luxury.

[Ashwintona675]

Originally Posted by AJ56

I’d avoid the A3, it’s underpowered, cramped and has poor interior ambience, specially with kids where rear seat space is a consideration.

I would have to disagree. I have an A3 and i can vouch for the build quality and interior is actually top notch for an entry level luxury car. Power can also be bumped to 190 with a simple Stage 1. And to be frank i have never felt the need for additional power and i have done some crazy speeds in this car. The gearbox is sublime and makes up for any lost power. Not to mention i get 18.5-19kmpl average mileage which is amazing for a German.

Only thing i would agree is the rear seat space. And ofcourse the pricing when of a new car, but its a splendid deal in the preowned market.

[TejasV]

I really think a less-run Toyota would be the safest bet. Camry/Corolla or even a Honda CRV than the Germans that do have better brand recall but also their share of service headaches. Octy would be great if you're going to keep a few lakhs aside for (unplanned) service.

[himanshu_j]

My thread from earlier this year might help: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/what-...under-20l.html (Safe Car under 20L)

I think a 2016 GLA or 2015 320d is the best option to scratch that German itch. Stay away from Audi in my opinion, lower resale and expensive upkeep. We have a 2014 Q3 2.0TDI Quattro PP and average annual maintenance is close to 80k-1L a year now. We had a 2015 320d we sold recently and the maintenance costs were minimal in comparison. Would advise you to stay away from 2010-2013 cars as they are just too old now and even if you found one in great condition, the wear and tear on rubber parts etc will weigh heavy on your pocket. Suspension costs etc are 65-80K at the least even outside of A.S.S.

Pre-owned Hyundai Kona is another great option, 5-star safety and EV cost savings. Unfortunately harder to come by and cabin space is limited.

[adv]

Originally Posted by Ashwintona675

Not to mention i get 18.5-19kmpl average mileage which is amazing for a German.

Hi @Ashwintona, a couple of questions - I presume those mileage numbers are from a diesel? Would you have any idea how the noise levels and ride quality is compared to a petrol A3? I was wondering if the diesel A3 is likely to be more reliable than the petrol A3 given the vulnerability of VAG petrol cars to gearbox/ mechantronic issues? TIA!

Originally Posted by himanshu_j

My thread from earlier this year might help: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/what-...under-20l.html (Safe Car under 20L)

We have a 2014 Q3 2.0TDI Quattro PP and average annual maintenance is close to 80k-1L a year now. We had a 2015 320d we sold recently and the maintenance costs were minimal in comparison.

Hi @himanshu_j, could you please elaborate on what major items of work has your Q3 thrown up each year? I'm considering a pre-owned diesel Q3 aged 4-5 years and 30-50k on the odo, but trying to get a sense of potential maintenance costs 3 years from now. Thanks!

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by Ashwintona675

I would have to disagree. I have an A3 and i can vouch for the build quality and interior is actually top notch for an entry level luxury car. Power can also be bumped to 190 with a simple Stage 1. And to be frank i have never felt the need for additional power and i have done some crazy speeds in this car.

Sure, our opinions are subjective after all. My reasons were it’s a subcompact FWD car with a 1.4L 148hp 4 cyl engine with a basic interior that was overpriced for what it offered when they sold it for nearly 40L on road. Octavia makes 188hp for reference despite being much cheaper, you can get the same power at almost half the price, X1 and Q2 are also in the same category in my opinion, poor value. Specially when the next compact segment of C/A4/3 is priced close enough.

Regarding interior build quality the front sun visors flex when pushed, this doesn’t happen in an A4/6 for example, small example but shows the difference in the way it’s put together.

[Ashwintona675]

Originally Posted by adv

Hi @Ashwintona, a couple of questions - I presume those mileage numbers are from a diesel? Would you have any idea how the noise levels and ride quality is compared to a petrol A3? I was wondering if the diesel A3 is likely to be more reliable than the petrol A3 given the vulnerability of VAG petrol cars to gearbox/ mechantronic issues? TIA!

Yes. Mine is diesel. The petrol i have not driven but heard noise levels are slightly higher. And diesel torque is always good right. The car comes with DQ250 wet clutch which is relatively more reliable. I change the gearbox oil at 60K kms. 70K km up and everything is good so far.

[vredesbyrd]

Why not try the F25 X3 from 2013-15?
You might be able to negotiate a bit.
What you get is AWD, SUV ground clearance and the handling of a sedan. It's fairly reliable too.

20d is easily available but has the poverty-spec instrument cluster.
30d is rarer than an underpaid software developer in bangalore and the suspension is a little problematic.

Give a few X3s a try.

[Shreyfiesta]

Originally Posted by speed79

What I am lookin for is:
1. A luxury and safe car which can be had at ~15L.
2. A car with atmost 50k on odo.
3. I think only some sedans from the German trio could fall in this price range. Their SUVs would be expensive to buy. Also, something like Skoda Superb or Octavia or even a Toyota Camry would work, as these should be cheaper to maintain than the three Germans.
4. My running is very low (<5k a year), so petrol or diesel doesn't matter much.

A W212 facelift E-Class is the car that I would recommend in your case. Majority of the W212s available in the pre-owned car market are diesels, with E250 CDI variants accounting for around eight out of every ten cars. When scouting around for an used luxury car, it makes more sense to get a good deal on a low-mileage one instead of buying an abused example with high mileage. If maintained well, the W212 E-Class still feels as good as new, especially those post-2013 facelift cars. These cars are generally in the range of ₹ 14 to 20 lakh nowadays and are worth the money.

The W212 looks the business, rides amazingly well and has a back seat which is comfortable and luxurious. Equipment-wise, W212 isn't rich as F10s and A6s of same age. But this particular generation of E-Class, which has acquired a decent reputation for reliability, should not prove to be problematic. E250 CDI is noisy at idle but that engine is a workhorse, thousands of happy commercial vehicle owners globally can't be wrong. It’s an all-rounder that won’t drain your wallet much. Feel carefully for any hesitation or juddering from diesels, as injectors are a known weak spot. One of the most common issues the W212 faces is water pump failure.

[dieselhead01]

Originally Posted by AJ56

I’d avoid the A3, it’s underpowered, cramped and has poor interior ambience, specially with kids where rear seat space is a consideration.

Avoid Camry as the ones before 2015 came with only 2 airbags and were really lumpy to drive, Jetta while much better to drive had a cramped rear seat, and felt underpowered.

Hey, I hope you’re talking about the petrol variants in both the Jetta and the A3, the 1.4TSI I mean, because in no way are both of these cars underpowered with a 2.0TDI inside them. I own both a Jetta and an Octavia with the 2.0TDI + DQ250 combo, and I’ll have to say, they’re one of the most powerful and fun to drive diesels ever to be offered in the country, in short, they rule the segment. Drive one of these with a simple stage 1 remap, and it’ll blast past the entry level Germans with ease.

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by dieselhead01

Hey, I hope you’re talking about the petrol variants in both the Jetta and the A3, the 1.4TSI I mean, because in no way are both of these cars underpowered with a 2.0TDI inside them. I own both a Jetta and an Octavia with the 2.0TDI + DQ250 combo, and I’ll have to say, they’re one of the most powerful and fun to drive diesels ever to be offered in the country, in short, they rule the segment. Drive one of these with a simple stage 1 remap, and it’ll blast past the entry level Germans with ease.

Both petrol and diesel, in what world is a 2L 138hp diesel which does 0-100 in roughly 10 secs and tops out at 197 km/hr powerful? Doesn’t meet my definition of a fast car but if it makes you happy that’s all that counts.

I’m not going into modifications as then even the slowest of cars can be transformed into track monsters (Civics out there with over 800hp) with enough time and investment.

Also, they don’t rule the segment. That honour would go to the Octavia VRS, even the standard petrol Octavia 1.8 (previous gen) was faster, doing 0-100 in 8.2 secs.

[dieselhead01]

Originally Posted by AJ56

Both petrol and diesel, in what world is a 2L 138hp diesel which does 0-100 in roughly 10 secs and tops out at 197 km/hr powerful? Doesn’t meet my definition of a fast car but if it makes you happy that’s all that counts.

Also, they don’t rule the segment. That honour would go to the Octavia VRS, even the standard petrol Octavia 1.8 (previous gen) was faster, doing 0-100 in 8.2 secs.

Haha, I don’t know what exactly you’re talking about, doing 0-100 in 10 seconds, we’re not talking about a 12 year old Jetta 1.9 TDI diesel, the above mentioned cars can easily achieve 0-100 in less than 9 seconds, I clocked my octavia in stock at around 8.4 seconds, such is the case with Jetta as well, if that’s called slow to you, then let it be it. The Octavia 1.8TSI is definitely faster, but I’m sure I could outrun a stock 8-9 year old 1.8TSI with my Octavia TDI on the highway in stock

Mod Note - Do not post any illegal speed pictures or references.

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by dieselhead01

Haha, I don’t know what exactly you’re talking about, doing 0-100 in 10 seconds, we’re not talking about a 12 year old Jetta 1.9 TDI diesel, the above mentioned cars can easily achieve 0-100 in less than 9 seconds

Sure, when I looked it up the 2L TDI in the Jetta was quoted at 9.8-10.5 secs everywhere. Even if it did it in 9 secs I wouldn’t call that fast by any stretch.

You don’t need a turbo to get good figures in petrol, the 3.5L V6 Accord from 12 years ago does 0-100 in 6.6 secs, and it’s naturally aspirated, petrol have a much better power to weight ratio is all, the reason why all performance cars are petrol and not diesel. It also sounds better when revved but I’m not here to debate that.