[ashishkashyap]

Enclosed is the first picture of the car. I am trying to get a handle on the way the image up-loader works on this site!

[ashishkashyap]

Another one of the interiors (Sun roof), dashboard and the auto retractable rear view mirror :

[mithunkb]

Congrats on the C220. Performance + FE + ride quality in a neat package.

It looks like you will be exploring the red territory often due to 4k rpm redline.

[redeff]

Congrats! I had a similar decision to make a few month back and got the A4 instead. The C was close, but I did not find the Interiors or the Exteriors as tasteful as the A4 or the over all space available in the car. However the Torque available on the C is something that the BMW or the A4 don't come close to ( Unless you count the very exclusive A4 3.0 TDI ). To each his own though. The Audi guys say that an extended warrenty option is to be introduced soon and I am waiting for it. Wishing you Kilometers of trouble free driving in this German beauty!

[supercars]

You made the correct decision. Mercedes is the way to go. I own E Class and have been very happy with it.

I drove the C Class even before it was launched & I absolutely loved it. There is a lot of power. Do not drive the car in Manual Mode as the Autobox is quiet good. Just remember that you have to slow down if you are going very fast & also take care with the Steering Wheel as it feels too light.
I have only one Complaint with the car, the car has very bad handling manners when it goes into potholes. The Ride is so Comfortable that it leaves the car with no control whatsoever in bad patches.

Take Care & tell us more about your car.

[Axe77]

Ashish - eagerly waiting more pics and ownership experiences. I'm sure a lot of forum members are prospective entrants in this segment, particularly with corp / exec versions being introduced.

[ashishkashyap]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Ashish - eagerly waiting more pics and ownership experiences. I'm sure a lot of forum members are prospective entrants in this segment, particularly with corp / exec versions being introduced.

Sure! Will do. So far the drive rocks. Sports mode is a dream. But the a/c considering the delhi heat has been a disappointment!

[shatrughna]

Hi Ashish- have you started any new thread with your ownership experiences. Please, update the thread.

[ashishkashyap]

Originally Posted by shatrughna

Hi Ashish- have you started any new thread with your ownership experiences. Please, update the thread.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...nditioner.html

[Infiniti.Rahul]

Hi guys,

This topic may have been discussed earlier but I could not find a report filed recently. Since most were dated to 2006-07, I thought of asking the forum members afresh about the doubts I had.

I need to buy a used A4, C220, or 320D which should not be more than 3 years old and not done more than 40K. I dont know whether the km criteria isa good one or I should prefer lower odo readings, more so because I can only spend 16-18L.

Thoroughly confused on a) the right price for any of these used cars basis the odo readings and b) which one is lowest on maintenance.

I wanted to get 3/5 any 3/5 year warranted car from BMW with warranty still existing but cant find any. Currently getting a deal on 320D hughline, 2010 model, 27K, 19L and C220, 2009 model, 40K, 19L.

I dont really know how to put all my hard earned money at one place. Doubts on car requiring huge servicing costs run upfront in my head, as do the chances of odo having been tampered with. Having said it, I think the new cars are hooribly overpriced so would like to go for a second hand one only. Have around 16-18L max to spend, and that will make the bank balance go nought.

Much appreciate help from fellow BHPians on a) Ideating about the right price for pre owned cars, b) How to ensure the car I am buying doesnt have immediate repair costs pending c) Which car to prefer from amongst all three brands basis maintenance costs and other advantages and d)Is it a good idea at all to buy a second hand luxury car?

Much appreciate all your inputs. Please help me basis your experience because this is the biggest gamble I am taking in my life with all the hard earned money and cannot afford to go very wrong.

Thanks a lot fellow, thanks for all the help in advance!

Ronnie

[Wirelessmind]

Good question Ronnie. I am also curious to find out if the dealer do such resale with prepaid warranty and maintenance deals. If one can be assured of the service costs (since prepaid) it can be a good buy. Also if anyone can share how the preowned market is for such cars in India.

[saketa]

I was in a similar situation about a year back but decided to be a little irrational and bought a brand new 320d Highline(which was heavily discounted) for about 30L with BMW Secure. I must admit that while the decision was a complete heart over head one, there was no regrets but yes it will definitely be the last new German car I will buy for a while. I sold the 2012 BMW about 3 months back after having used it for 8 months thanks to some heavy duty introspection into life-career-meaning etc . I sold it for about 25 L to an individual owner after running about 8000 km on it.

19L is definitely way too high for 2010 model especially since it has been discontinued. I would suggest a used BMW for one simple reason. BSI. If you are really lucky you might find one with a 3-4-5 year service pack. But even if you don't I would suggest you find a really good deal. Preferably a 2 year old car ( date of purchase/ not manufacture) and then go in for a 5 year BSI Ultimate pack for about 2L. So you will have complete peace of mind because in addition to wear and tear, your statutory warranty rights get extended as well for 3-4-5 years depending on which package you buy. When i was inquiring last year it was about 1.8 L for 4 years or something in that range.

Please note that you can buy BSI at any point of time during your ownership but the date from which it starts operating is the date of invoicing. So if you can find a 2010 model bought in July 2011, and buy a BSI Ultimate 5 year package you can put your legs up and relax till July 2011 + 5 years (July 2016)

[AdiSinghV12]

My pick would be the 320d E90 LCI! One heck of a car... Been a while since I'm hoping to pick one but no luck as of now, haha! As Saketa mentioned, you won't have any regrets picking this little piece of Mr Bangle's legacy. Cheers!

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by Infiniti.Rahul

I dont really know how to put all my hard earned money at one place. Doubts on car requiring huge servicing costs run upfront in my head,

Have around 16-18L max to spend, and that will make the bank balance go nought.

this is the biggest gamble I am taking in my life with all the hard earned money and cannot afford to go very wrong.

I think you should avoid going for the Germans for now. You might be ready for it after 3 or 5 more years.

You should buy an used BMW/Merc/Audi only if you can afford to buy a new BMW/Merc/Audi & manage its running costs without sweating too much. Actually, this logic holds good when purchasing any car brand/model - not just the Big Three Germans.

You are looking at used cars as a shortcut to owning a car which you probably cannot afford to buy new. Instead, you should be looking at used cars as a way of owning a car which you can afford to buy new - but at a lot lower price.

[ACM]

Prices mentioned seem to be on the significantly higher side.

If your running is low then a petrol variant would be recommended (it would have depreciated better and will have more grunt in general.

If you value great interiors then A4 is the way to go. If pure driving pleasure is important than the 3 Series (but only if the road around your daily and often travelled route are not too rough.). Merc would be a mix of both attributes, but I do prefer and suggest the A4 to the C inspite of the underpowered 2.0 diesel with only 140 Bhp. (It is sufficient)

Also I definitely do not suggest emptying the bank to get a German. Factor in 50K to 75K for one of these between ages 3-5. Or go in for something even older (say 5 years old) but do keep a decent buffer in the bank.

The problem with going in for a German today would be than in 3-5 years time if you do decide to go for a new vehicle with about 20-25L in hand then you may not like what is being offered then either.

As Smartcat mentions above the other thing to keep in mind is that one can for example even go and get an S320 from say the year 2001 for about Rs. 10L but can one afford the miserable FE or say a potential Rs. 4L bill if say the Air Suspension conked off?

Accident and repair bills + insurance cost of these vehicles will be quite high.

As some one once told me. The car should be a tool to a better life not the other way round where one is working really hard to maintain and run a Car.