[manim]

Originally Posted by fiestarry

Keep the car for 15 years.

Good Advise!

Mine is now 6.3 years at 1,30,000 kms and still feels good-as-new.
Just a few days back I met a friend who has a Corolls-Altis-AT for 10+ years and 2,00,000 kms+ saying it is still in great shape.

Hope I have my Civic-AT for 15+ years!

[paragsachania]

I have a WagonR F10D 2006 Lxi which has clocked 211,000 Kms till date and runs as good as new and delivers exactly the same performance and FE when it was bought.I drive the Waggy for over 68 Kms each day to commute to work and back and weekend drives on a regular basis.

I am planning to add another bigger car into the family sooner but will always retain the WagonR for being one of the most reliable cars that I have come across.

[rajeev k]

Originally Posted by fiestarry

The answer is quite simple. Decide if you want to spend (splurge) money or save it.
My take is that you should give your car any or some or all of the following:
fresh coat of paint
new tyres, new battery, new seat covers, new floor mats
a comprehensive service including change of all rubber parts like belts, hoses, bushes etc
some more detailing as allowed by the family...
AND voila you have yourself a new car without gifting your hard earned money to Messrs Hyundai / Suzuki / Chevy etc. They are wealthy enough without our contributions.

MY car's pint work is fine and barring one tyre, the rest are quite OK. The one and only dent is in the LHS running board-wheel arch joint area. The OE seat fabrics and floor mats still look fine and as new. I will post an extensive ownership experience soon.
And these are the real reason for the confusion apart from the seven year itch.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by manim

Good Advise!

Mine is now 6.3 years at 1,30,000 kms and still feels good-as-new.
Just a few days back I met a friend who has a Corolls-Altis-AT for 10+ years and 2,00,000 kms+ saying it is still in great shape.

Hope I have my Civic-AT for 15+ years!

I believe you are referring to the older Corolla. The Altis came into existence in 2009 or so.

While on this, my WagonR has entered its teens this July, with 67000 kms on the odo. We continue to enjoy the Waggie even today.

[manim]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

I believe you are referring to the older Corolla. The Altis came into existence in 2009 or so.

Yes, I stand corrected.

[joshguy]

I DONT KNOW IF THIS IS THE RIGHT PLACE - MODS PLEASE MOVE IT IF REQUIRED

Hi All

I have a swift which is 2008 oct Model and done 78000 kms as of today.

I am in a very big confusion now to decide on whether i should retain Swift and buy a Ex Army 550 (refurbish it -total cost 3L)

OR

Sell the swift and buy a Thar

Some Pros

• If i sell my swift now i can get good resale value which i can invest in Thar
• Thar is new so guess wont have the niggles of an Ex army 550

(but then jeepers love sitting at mechanic shops right?)

Cons or rather flip side

• Swift is emi free now and can run till 1L to 1.2L problem free ,so why spend more on thar - retain swift and invest as little as 2 to 3L on MM550
• Thar or MM550 will be used as my daily drive for say monthly run of 1000kms and includes BAD road of chennai outskirts (industrial areas) FOR WHICH I DONT WANT TO TAKE SWIFT

I am quite confused and dont really know what to decide,so please help me

[rajneeesh]

I have been thru the same dilemma and have arrived at the following decision making criterion:

1) If the car is in a good condition and not asking for major expenditure for maintenance.
2) Your needs from your car have not changed drastically ( incrase in family size for instance)
&

3) There is nothing in the market ( within a reasonable price range) that gets you drooling , you will be better off with the existing car.

I had booked an ES as the car really attracted me. However, the long delivery period, the increase in price by Ford India made me cancel the booking . I have spent some money on my SX4 ( new tyres) which is otherwise in a good nick and the car is good for me for a couple of years.

This however, could change if there is a new product in the market that gets me all excited and is well within my means.

[codelust]

Originally Posted by joshguy

I DONT KNOW IF THIS IS THE RIGHT PLACE - MODS PLEASE MOVE IT IF REQUIRED

I am quite confused and dont really know what to decide,so please help me

Sounds a lot like my situation, with a slight difference that I already do own a Gypsy, alongside my 2007 Swift which has done 80K plus.

If you can keep the Swift and still afford to buy a Thar, go for it. That's a no-brainer.

If you have to sell the Swift to make the switch, buy a Thar and not a 550. If the Swift does extensive family duty -- ferrying aged family members and similar things -- this won't be an option.

The budget option is to keep the Swift, buy a 550 and ease into the Jeep-ownership experience. You can invest 2-3L into it in phases and yet have the Swift as the main vehicle and learn how much you actually like the experience of owning and using a Jeep compared to the theory of it. Should the Jeep thing burn you and you swear to stay away from for many lifetimes, you can get rid of it and not take a hit (or maybe even make some money, depending on how it all goes), if you don't go nuts with the mods. If you like it a lot and choose to go monogamous with the Jeep thing, this option will provide you with a well-reasoned and experience-driven decision-path towards the eventual Thar, than be driven only by instinct.

I have debated these questions numerous times with myself and every time I think of swapping the Gypsy with a Thar, I remind myself that the Gypsy has done less than 13K kilometers they two-years it has been with me. Either vehicle is pretty sorted and I don't expect any major (non-critical) expense on them beyond the 15-20K range (per-annum) in the years to come. Compared to that a new Thar is at least 8L locked up for many years to come. Of course, all this logic goes out of the window when I see a Thar in the flesh or in the photos and the internal debate starts all over again.

[Thar4x4]

Originally Posted by joshguy

I am in a very big confusion now to decide on whether i should retain Swift and buy a Ex Army 550 (refurbish it -total cost 3L)

OR

Sell the swift and buy a Thar


I am quite confused and dont really know what to decide,so please help me

I was in same state 10 months back, so my experience might help you. Thar cannot replace Swift (comfort/usage pattern/other things) as primary family vehicle. So you should close the replacement option. Jeep thing is for you not for family so they should not suffer . I have 6 year old 38 K kms done Maruti Estilo, thought of selling it while buying Thar however family didn't accepted my proposal, after owning Thar for 10 months I can say that it was 200% right decision.

If you can afford Thar as secondary vehicle go for it. But again as suggested by @codelust it will be a huge amount just to check if you really like Jeep Thing or not.

Originally Posted by codelust

The budget option is to keep the Swift, buy a 550 and ease into the Jeep-ownership experience. You can invest 2-3L into it in phases and yet have the Swift as the main vehicle and learn how much you actually like the experience of owning and using a Jeep compared to the theory of it. Should the Jeep thing burn you and you swear to stay away from for many lifetimes, you can get rid of it and not take a hit (or maybe even make some money, depending on how it all goes), if you don't go nuts with the mods. If you like it a lot and choose to go monogamous with the Jeep thing, this option will provide you with a well-reasoned and experience-driven decision-path towards the eventual Thar, than be driven only by instinct.

I have debated these questions numerous times with myself and every time I think of swapping the Gypsy with a Thar, I remind myself that the Gypsy has done less than 13K kilometers they two-years it has been with me. Either vehicle is pretty sorted and I don't expect any major (non-critical) expense on them beyond the 15-20K range (per-annum) in the years to come. Compared to that a new Thar is at least 8L locked up for many years to come. Of course, all this logic goes out of the window when I see a Thar in the flesh or in the photos and the internal debate starts all over again.

Very well said !

I own Thar CRDe for 10 months and I am still not confirm that this is right vehicle for me or not. I love timeless look, rugged performance, and 4WD and that was the scoring point of Thar for me. I never thought of off-roading with it but now enjoy soft off-roading, next will be Leh trip in next session. I like to take it on every long drive but my family suffers with its bouncy ride and no comfort interior. Tried to make it somewhat comfortable for family with forward facing rear seat etc. However finally accepted that it is Jeep.

Again maintaining 2 four wheelers and 1 two wheeler is becoming a big headache for me now days as I am the only driver in family. So slowly I am accepting that single all rounder vehicle is the best choice.

Thanks,
Vishal

[Achilless]

Thanks GTO,

I was in a big time dilemma whether to keep the old car or just to upgrade. But after reading your thoughts I have decided that I will retain the car. I have Old Swift Dzire ZDI which I purchased in Sep 2008, and clocked almost 1, 55,000 km. I have always maintained my car, it is in top condition. All services and work has been done through MASS. The car is loan free now. And much thoughts and my passion I installed good ICE system including Pioneer 8590BT HU. But since past few months I was getting lower FE and service advisor confirmed that there is some issue (Some cracking noise) in the injectors and advised me not to touch the injectors unless necessary. He also confirmed that FE has dropped due to this. The thought touched my mind, to 'UPGRADE'. I planned to go with COC (Company Own Car) scheme to save Income Tax. Started process of evaluation the new cars, read lots of posts regarding new cars including Vento, Rapid and New Octavia. Mind was in two states. And yesterday after been through your post, I have decided to retain. And will do some cleaning of injectors or change. Much ado did all the calculation of COC and came to conclusion that I will save loads of money if I don’t buy a new car. Thank you once again for such a valuable inputs and guiding all of us who are in dilemma whether to upgrade or retain.

[desiaztec]

I generally use my cars for no less than 12 years. My M800 1993 done 110,000 Kms was sold after 14 years in 2007, Esteem 1998 at 88,000 Kms sold after 14 years, and the latest sale was of my Hyundai Santro 2001 at 92,000 Kms sold after 12 years.

My friends at times made fun of me for driving gen old cars, but I care a damn for the materialistic world, I love cars, all cars, for their engineering prowess and not for their value. Its good to see like minded people on the forum. Thanks GTO and Ajmat for instilling confidence for doing the right thing.

[automobilophile]

Originally Posted by GTO

Option ONE : Retain your existing car

• Rs. 4,25,000 : The resale value of your 5 year old C-segment sedan (e.g. Honda City) as of today.
• Rs. 20,000 : Averaged maintenance cost per year. Thus, you would spend a total of a lac over the next 5 years on a timing belt replacement, suspension overhaul, new brake pads and other required items.
• Rs, 35,000 : Total cost of insurance premiums for the next 5 years.
• Rs. 1,50,000 : Resale cost (realistic) of your 10 year old C-segment sedan in year 2013.

Thus, if you retain your existing sedan for the next 5 years, you will incur a total ownership cost of Rs. 4,10,000 OR Rs. 82,000 p.a.

This is a good insight GTO. This triggered me to do some calculations and to be fair we need to compare a person keeping a car for 5 yrs to a person keeping a car for 10 yrs. In this comparison both should be owning the same segment car for the period of comparison.
And with such comparison retaining for 10 yrs doesnt seem to add much value.

Here is my calculation

Case1: change car every 5 yrs
> Buys a car at year 0 for 5 lakhs
> Opportunity cost of 5 laksh is approx 50thousand/yr (10% interest)
> Petrol cost: (3k/month = 36k/yr)
> Insurance and maintenance: approx 25k/yr
> Sells the car at the end of 5th yr for 2.5 lakh
> Loss due to car depreciating = (5-2.5)/5 = 50k/yr
Total cost per yr (0 to 5 yrs) = 50k + 36k + 25k + 50k = 1.61 lakh

> Buys a car of same segment at 5th yr for 6 lakh and sells at 3 lakh at 10th yr
> Oppurtunity cost = 60k/yr
>Petrol: 36k/yr
> Insurance and maintenance: 35k/yr
> Loss due to car depreciating for 5th to 10th yr = (6-3)/5 = 60k/yr
Total cost per yr (5 to 10 yrs) = 60k + 36k + 35k + 60k = 1.91 lakh

Total avg cost per yr (0 to 10yrs) = (1.61*5 + 1.91*5)/10 = 1.76 lakh/yr

Case2: person holding car for 10 yrs
> Buys car at 5 lakh on 0th yr
> Oppurtunity cost: 50k/yr
> petrol: 36k/yr
> Insurance and regular maintenance: 25k/yr
> Sells the car on 10th yr for 1.5 lakh
> Depreciation cost = (5 - 1.5)/10 = 35k/yr
> Additional maintenance cost ( 5th to 10th yr) : 15k/yr

Total avg cost per yr (0 to 10 yrs) = 50k + 36k + 25k + 35k + 15k = 1.61 lakh/yr

Net savings is just (1.76 - 1.61) =15k/yr or less than 10 % of yearly expense of car

If invested at 10% interest and adjusting with inflation (around 7% ) would amount to 1.77 lakh at the end of 10 yrs

So net savings is 1.77 lakhs at the end of 10 yrs with Case 2 vs Case 1
Ammortized comes to 17.7 k savings per year and what you lose is the better safety and new car feel every 5 yrs.

Question to answer is is 17.7 k (3.54% of car cost) worth the benefits of a new car every 5 yr.

[a4anurag]

This question does bug me a lot but I psychologically I feel the need to change the car (not an upgrade).

I drive a Ritz VDi (Dec, 2010) which has done 103119 kms with NO repairs yet apart from the regular fluids, filters change and still on stock clutch. The car is on the second set of tyres (165/80 R14) where the first was changed at 60000 kms and now the second set is also on its end. I follow the wheel alignment and balancing every 5K kms and alternately tyre rotation (including the spare).

I am eyeing on the New Swift ZDi (to be released in mid-2014) as a replacement and Maruti True Value are giving me a price of 3.6L for the Ritz. So dad says lets wait for the new swift and decide what has to be done.

Anurag.

[R2D2]

My car turned 5 this month, and I will be keeping her for a few more years. She's in immaculate condition and I don't have the heart to trade her in for another Jap machine just yet. Toyota and Honda D2 series sedans, at least the ones on offer in India, have the same character. I thought of the new Camry 2.5L but its OTR price at nearly INR 30L in Pune AND no manual transmission option combine to make it a bit of a damp squib. The Accord is on its way out, I understand a new model may be introduced. At 24/25L OTR this one is a good deal.

Most D series Toyota and Honda sedans, least the ones on offer in India, are about the same in character. Skoda isn't under serious consideration for reasons we are all aware of.

God willing, I am looking at upgrading to a Beemer 5 series. Now that would make it interesting. The 5 series' shape is my long lasting love (including that bomb the M5, my dream sedan), having driven and travelled in a 535i petrol in the UK many years ago. I am a self confessed petrol head so thinking of a 530i, if available. A diesel (a 530D) can be considered. But they are more expensive than the petrol variants. My annual mileage is minimal so diesel does not offer the same savings as it would for an owner who does 3K kms per month or more. An oil burner simply doesn't make sense for me.

As they say in Hindi intezaar ka phal meetha hota hai. So I shall wait.

[golfdude]

Hello everyone,

I have a top end 2010 Xylo with airbags, ABS, roof DVD etc which cost me Rs. 10 lacs total. I have clocked 31,000 km on it.

I plan to start doing 2-3 long drives per year. Is there any reason I should replace my Xylo with something better specifically for the long drives ? Or can I continue with it for the next 2-3 years till it reaches around 1 lac km.

I did Pune-Vadodara, Pune-Goa in the Xylo so far. The next trip I plan to do is Pune-Bhuj-Jaisalmer-jaipur-Udaipur in December.

Please advice.

Thanks.