[shankar.balan]

i was just thinking. how easy it is to get bored with a familiar vehicle.
today driving my much loved 3 year old Scorp to work I was observing a brand new white Figo Titanium Diesel TDCi in front. somewhere from deep inside I started lusting for a new car.
then I passed a used car dealer and saw a new looking white Captiva lurking there along with a nice Maroon Fusion. Again the feeling of wanting to change immediately.
My Scorpio is in good condition - Im happy with it but somewhere Im starting to find fault with its comfort, its "feel" and size and so on.
My wicked mind is playing tricks very clearly. I shall need to curb this urge to burn some money on a new or used car. I must hang on to this for some more time until M&M or whoever, come up with the vehicle that I really want - one with 4WD and all safety features.
I must remain focussed on closing the loan and enjoying the EMI free period once that is done with. Till then the Scorpio shall live on, with me.

[bullock-Car]

Originally Posted by GTO

I'm glad you found my article useful and saved some $$$

It's very important to choose a reliable car if you intend to keep her for long. The OHC was one unbeatable machine in terms of durability. On the other hand, say if someone bought an Opel Astra, I wouldn't blame him for selling it off earlier.

Hi,
Which of the present Cars (Sedans) will you recommend for keeping more than 10 years, as frequent car changes is expensive with present falling values. I kept my Maruti 800 for 15 years and it is still perfect for short, and congested roads.

[rrahul_2778]

Hi GTO, went thro' this thread. I would request for some advise from you and the learned members.

I came to Hyderabad on a company transfer and since I didn't want the hassles of reregistration of my Used Wagon R (TN Reg), I sold that for 2.2L and got myself a 2nd Hand Ford Ikon (~74K Kms on the Odo, good condition, new tyres) for 1.7 L. I have spent around 15K in some basic maintenance of this car and its going good.

Now I have a much much better job offer on hand and I may be considering to take it. Problem again its in Chennai :(. Now what would be good, to sell the Ikon here (not even transferred to my name yet, been around 3 months I am having it) or to reregister the AP to TN and use the Ikon for next 2-3 years.

Gurus, please give your suggestion. Would I be better of picking a new Xylo using the company lease scheme and get fuel and other tax benefits or should I just reregister this car to TN, forget about any decent resale and just use the Ikon probably for another 50K kms?

[Ajaybiz]

India was never a buy n sell kind of country, recent changes in economy came with these changes. I respect people retaining their cars from long period, my home town Bhilai is still known for vehicles from 60'-80' and many are well kept and single owner vehicle.
My Swift is 3 years and few months old now, and in perfect condition and i am enjoying the EMI free time with her, just 2000 Rs. Diesel per month with regular service every 6 months which costs less then my bikes servicing.Don't have any plan for buying new car till I'll be able to afford some nice car without pinching my pocket and obviously my madness about bikes also not allowing me to even think of new car.
Soon buying automatic small car for wife but that will another car in garage.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

i was just thinking. how easy it is to get bored with a familiar vehicle.
today driving my much loved 3 year old Scorp to work

The best way to make your existing car "more exciting" is to spruce it up! Spend a couple of grands on a upgrading the music system, or sprucing up the interiors, alloys, engine modifications etc.

Another way is to relish the reliability of your car. I enjoy owning workhorses; those cars that can work day after day without issue. There's a lot of pleasure you can derive from that.

Personally, all my car EMIs are paid for and I'm loving it . Spare money I can use in much better ways.

Originally Posted by bullock-Car

Hi,
Which of the present Cars (Sedans) will you recommend for keeping more than 10 years, as frequent car changes is expensive with present falling values.

Most of the current breed of Japanese & Korean cars will easily give you 10 years of reliable service. Please search through the "What car" section for more specific answers.

Originally Posted by rrahul_2778

I came to Hyderabad on a company transfer and since I didn't want the hassles of reregistration of my Used Wagon R (TN Reg), I sold that for 2.2L and got myself a 2nd Hand Ford Ikon (~74K Kms on the Odo, good condition, new tyres) for 1.7 L. I have spent around 15K in some basic maintenance of this car and its going good.

Aha, the beauty of lateral upgrades. I love 'em lateral upgrades. Here is a 5 star thread on the subject

Now I have a much much better job offer on hand and I may be considering to take it. Problem again its in Chennai :(. Now what would be good, to sell the Ikon here (not even transferred to my name yet, been around 3 months I am having it) or to reregister the AP to TN and use the Ikon for next 2-3 years.

I honestly don't have a clue as to what the re-registration charges will be. You need to run a cost-benefit analysis. Since your requirements are very specific, feel free to open a new "What Car" thread.

[manubhai]

Originally Posted by GTO

The best way to make your existing car "more exciting" is to spruce it up! Spend a couple of grands on a upgrading the music system, or sprucing up the interiors, alloys, engine modifications etc.

Another way is to relish the reliability of your car. I enjoy owning workhorses; those cars that can work day after day without issue. There's a lot of pleasure you can derive from that.

Personally, all my car EMIs are paid for and I'm loving it . Spare money I can use in much better ways.



Most of the current breed of Japanese & Korean cars will easily give you 10 years of reliable service. Please search through the "What car" section for more specific answers.



Aha, the beauty of lateral upgrades. I love 'em lateral upgrades. Here is a 5 star thread on the subject



I honestly don't have a clue as to what the re-registration charges will be. You need to run a cost-benefit analysis. Since your requirements are very specific, feel free to open a new "What Car" thread.

My 6 year old Zen is my 1st wife, my newly aquired Polo 1.6 is the extra marital affair.
As suggested, definately planning to retain the wife and spruce her up, as & when I can afford the facials & plastic surgery. (The new affair has taken its toll on my wallet)

[Sem80-88]

I would say swap it for something new, unless the motor vehicle is going to be a future classic. I used to keep my daily runner for 4 / 5 years but the running costs would keep mounting up so if you can change it I would suggest go for a change.

[ashokabs]

Times indeed have changed for car owners over the past 15 years. Quality of cars has improved dramatically. One can buy a good second hand car and immediately drive away on an outstation drive of long distances. Earlier the car went to the mechanic and you lugged along spark plugs, ignition points, fan belt, rubber hoses and so many other spares before you were confident of leaving town!

Secondly, the market is really large - almost 2 million cars per annum going by latest statistics. This has opened a utopian world for second hand car buyers. I never bought second hand cars after 1980 but my first experience was a Baleno which I used for 2.5 years and gave me little or no trouble. Was very happy with it and even took it on several outstation drives. You can get very good value on second hand car buys and there is sufficient choice. For example my cousin bought a Honda City Vtec (OHC) for Rs 5.5 lacs 2.5 years ago and it is giving him good service being driven from Delhi to Rudrapur regularly.

I think you would have got the point I am going to make. It is very expensive buying a new car compared to a very good second hand car which will give you a good 3-4 years of excellent service. You can even upgrade without killing yourself financially. Today it makes a lot of sense to keep your car or upgrade with a good second hand buy.

Rgds

[sridhar-v]

Originally Posted by GTO

Remember, that the actual benefit of depreciation is NOT the entire amount claimed. For instance, you would claim 20% depreciation in the first year of owning a 7 lakh sedan. Thats about 1.4 lakh rupees. However, the depreciation is written down as a cost. Hence, the actual benefit is 30% (your income tax slab) or 1,40,000 = Rs. 42,000. Depreciation rocks, but I don't see how it can become the sole motivator of purchase.

From a person who has been claiming depreciation on cars for donkey years a simple observation :- You buy an asset (using either own or borrowed funds) & use it. Any asset has a useful life.(with the medium term execption of land- eventually the earth is going to be consumed by our sun imploding/exploding when it dies!!) So depreciation is a way of reflecting the reduction in life of the asset by writing it's reduction in value as an expense in your balance sheet. And you get a tax break on that expense when you are making a profit. However please note that a) You need to initially pay/borrow money to pay for the asset & you need to generate regular profits against which you can write off the depreciation. Investing in a depreciating asset means you have cash out flows. If the asset does not generate income & you need to pay for the initial loan your cash outflows are pretty steep. This is what GTO has so correctly calculated. So buying cars for so called Tax savings on depreciation is chasing a mirage. There are no actual savings. Always consider it as an expense which has to be met from your earnings. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/images...s/Shockked.gif

[trtraj]

Hello Bhp-ians,

Am seriously thinking about an upgrade of my vehicle, but still am not sure whether my Getz CRDi would help me for that. The main reason for giving up my vehicle would be for initial payment for new car.

The main reason for a upgrade is my twin sons need to sleep well during long drive. Haven't done any long drive for almost 6 months now

The car is 20th jan 2008 delivered (2007 end model-- KA 51)

Very good condition
Tubeless tyres (appolo accelere)
Pioneer HU
JBL 4 speakers
Art leather seat covers
Fog lamps added
Body color painting done for ORVM & Door handles
It overall costed me 6.9 Lacs
73 k done

Is it a good decision to upgrade it now / wait for some more time ?

Please advice.

[VW2010]

Is it a good decision to upgrade it now / wait for some more time ?

Unless you dont need two cars, you should think of selling the Getz(though you may not get even 50% of what you spent on it) and getting a utility vehicle like a Innova. Else keep the Getz and get an MUV.

If the number of members in your family during the long drive is 4 even a sedan would fullfill your needs.

@73K and over 3 years of ownership, there is nothing wrong to upgrade.

Based on your needs you should look at either a MUV or a Sedan.

[GTO]

Trtraj,

The Getz rear seat is as spacious as most C segment sedans out there; I don't see why two kids can't fit on the back seat, securely in their child seats. I don't see the sense in selling a 3 year old car, even if its done 70,000 kms, especially as the condition is still "very good". You stand to lose a lot of money.

The Getz CRDi is a torque-monster....the most powerful hatchback sold in India till date. It's a sheer classic and I would recommend you to use her for some more time.

Look up this thread for more tips on travelling with your kids. Very doable.

[trtraj]

Originally Posted by VW2010

Else keep the Getz and get an MUV.

Thanks VW2010. I will consider keeping my Getz. and wait for a while to get a MUV

Originally Posted by GTO

Trtraj,

The Getz rear seat is as spacious as most C segment sedans out there; I don't see why two kids can't fit on the back seat, securely in their child seats. I don't see the sense in selling a 3 year old car, even if its done 70,000 kms, especially as the condition is still "very good". You stand to lose a lot of money.

The Getz CRDi is a torque-monster....the most powerful hatchback sold in India till date. It's a sheer classic and I would recommend you to use her for some more time.

Look up this thread for more tips on travelling with your kids. Very doable.

Thanks GTO. Its true that the Getz is a very good vehicle and thats the prime reason for my dilemma.

I try to keep my Getz with me

[AvinashKeezh]

WHOA!!!! I've gone through the entire thread and it took me close to 5 days to finish it (could spend only close to 1 hr on it everyday).
I had finished my EMI days last Oct, and was contemplating an upgrade; but chanced upon this thread.
It has completely changed my perception on my car.
I got myself a FORD IKON 1.6 NXT EXi in 2005. Back then Dad wanted me to go for a Maruti (he had Alto on his mind).
Good thing that I did was to buy slightly above my affordability. (was single and had no other strings attached, so could do it).
And my current requirements are pretty much satisfied with the Ikon.
Have had some good drives on the Ikon (75K) and I'm sure it could go on for a few more years.
The next thing that I need to do is to find a reliable mech outside the Ford dealership and geta few niggles sorted on it.

Thanks for the thread GTO, it's sort-of an eyeopener.

[GTO]

Thanks for the thread GTO, it's sort-of an eyeopener.

Happy to help

Originally Posted by AvinashKeezh

I got myself a FORD IKON 1.6 NXT EXi in 2005....And my current requirements are pretty much satisfied with the Ikon.
Have had some good drives on the Ikon (75K) and I'm sure it could go on for a few more years.

My best friend & his Ikon (both pictured below) are in a similar situation. He can't wait to get his hands on a used Accord V6. Needless to say, I've given him a live explanation of this thread and he's agreed to hold onto the well-maintained Ikon till it's atleast 7 - 8 years old.