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Originally Posted by saksh4

Hi,
i was interested in buying a car till a budget of 2.5Lakhs.
the current set of options im getting is

1: Mercedes Benz Eclass 2000 4th owner 48000km petrol

2: Honda Accord Type 2 2003 2nd owner AT 2.4 65000 km petrol and cng

3: Skoda Octavia Rider Diesel 2nd owner 2004 105000 km diesel

4: Hyundai Sonata Gold 2nd owner 2001 45000 km petrol

5: Ford Mondeo 2002 2nd owner 65000 km petrol

6: Toyota Camry 2003 1st owner 100000 km manual petrol

7: Maruti Sx4 2007 vxi 2nd owner 55000 km petrol
Now im really confused about what i should purchase. Please suggest me all. I would really appreciate it.

Hi mate, In my personal opinion firstly remove Skoda and Ford from your list. Reason being that they are very expensive to maintain. I believe Camry will be a better choice and try to get it from the Toyota U-trust shop or you may also consider Chevrolet Optra (the old one).

Thanks

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[saksh4]

I did see a few others too.
SX4 2007 feb 1st owner 76000 km Rs.235000
Camry 2003 89000 km rs.220000
corolla 2004 76500 km Rs.240000

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by saksh4

I did see a few others too.
SX4 2007 feb 1st owner 76000 km Rs.235000
Camry 2003 89000 km rs.220000
corolla 2004 76500 km Rs.240000

Whatever you choose please stick to Toyota.

Best of the lot, reliable and easy to maintain.

Anurag.

[mints21]

Originally Posted by saksh4

I did see a few others too.
SX4 2007 feb 1st owner 76000 km Rs.235000
Camry 2003 89000 km rs.220000
corolla 2004 76500 km Rs.240000

Your looking for a car which have been bought before 2005 is not a wise idea. The cars which are so old have already lived their lives. The cost of ownership will be a pure gamble after their existing usage of so many years.

My suggestion is look for a car which is still available in the market. Ford Mondeo or for that matter Honda Accord have spare issues.

You should consider Mercedes only, if you are mentally prepared to bear the expensive after sale service.

I had recently sent my office Mercedes to their authorised service station for some repairs and I would like to place before you the cost of certain parts which I remember. Roof lining was for ₹60,000/-, Wiper Blades ₹8500/-, Rear Tail Lamp ₹18,000/- and the list is endless. So, bear these things in mind before taking a final call.

I am of a firm opinion that a preowned car should not be bought after five years of usage. I will suggest go for a car which is year 2009 onwards

[differential]

my bet would be the honda accord.

points in favour:

1. more accords sold than all other cars - so better chance of locating a decent one.

2. honda service, reliability (huge factor when buying a used luxury car or rather the most important part)

3. spares available even for the older models(cant comment about the other cars, personal opinion)

4. the rear seat comfort (again personal opinion)

[Nikhilb2008]

The Ford Mondeo would be the best car by far to drive and maintain. Parts are difficult to source but not impossible. A BHP-ian Vikram_d owned one for a few years and totally loved the experience. No car in any category below 10 lakhs can beat the Mondeo for driving comfort.

[asit.kulkarni93]

Hello,
Looking at your requirements and budget i would suggest stick to the Japanese/Korean cars. If you are ready to deal with high service cost and unwanted niggles then only should you consider the European/American brands. I feel the following cars should be easily available in your budget-

1. Hyundai Sonata- The older petrol Sonata's are available in the market at throw away prices. Recently Came across many from ('01-'05) in Pune which were being offered for 1.4 lakhs. The one i saw was a V6 and the asking price was 1.7 lakhs (odo-50k kms). I have never heard of any big issues with the Sonata's which makes them pretty reliable.

2. Toyota Camry/Corolla- These are two cars which will never disappoint you. They are low on maintenance and will crunch miles without any issues. Even if you get the older generation still worth a look because these will really keep you happy.

3. Honda City (OHC/City ZX)- There are Many old honda city's (all non-vtec's) going in for about 1.5-1.7 lakhs. The dolphin shape city is available witin 1.8-2.2 lakhs and the Zx are available between 2.5- 3.0 lakhs. Again these are very reliable machines so you won't be facing any problems with them. It is very easy to find a good condition Zx in Pune.

4. Honda Accord- As you already have one i don't think it makes any sense to buy another Accord.

5. Chevrolet Optra- The older Optra's were pretty reliable and are available at cheap prices. In December i came across one at Maruti's true value at their Bavdhan showroom. It was an older generations 1.6 and was available at a price less then 2 lakhs.

6. Mitsubishi Lancer Cedia- If luck favors, you may come across a good Cedia. I know there were not many sold and so there are very few in the Used market. The car is an absolute delight to drive and as far as i know it was offered with a factory fitted LPG kit too. Though the HM-Mitsubishi service still remains a problem. Procuring spares shouldn't be much difficult in Pune. I will have to check on this.

Looking at your mentioned choices i am not sure if you will be fine with a Palio 1.6 and Baleno. The older Lancer is again a good option but then spares and maintenance cost is high as told by my friends who own one and availability of spares is always a problem.
I would suggest stay away from the Vrs's, Superb's, Merc's.etc. if you cant bear high maintenance costs. You will come across many CNG converted Accords, Sonata's and City's in Pune. I would suggest stay away from them too. Usually these cars are highly abused.

All The Best!

Asit

[saksh4]

Hmmm according to majority, honda and toyota seems to be the clear winner. Im still confused..... Thanx all for their very valuable suggestions...

The HUNT is still on though.
Still any further advice is very very welcome

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by saksh4

The HUNT is still on though.
Still any further advice is very very welcome

You already have the best of the two worlds already in your garage (Maruti Swift and Honda Accord), so what is this 3rd car going to do for you?

What are your requirements and what do you intent to do with the car along with your expectations out of it?

Anurag.

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by saksh4

The HUNT is still on though.
Still any further advice is very very welcome

I must say that this is a wild goose hunt. You are expecting a luxury car within the budget and also get an immaculately driven one too. Instead of an luxury car why not increase your budget and get a fairly decent run sedan. Buying a pre 2005 car is calling for unknown maintenance expenses. Most of the cars you mentioned have been driven out of their life. Take an informed decision.

[ajmat]

1: Mercedes Benz Eclass 2000 4th owner 48000km petrol

It might be reliable but it will definitely rust, I need not talk about bills unless you have a good mechanic and access to parts outside the MB network

2: Honda Accord Type 2 2003 2nd owner AT 2.4 65000 km petrol and cng

Worth a look but Honda engines do not take kindly to CNG/LPG fuel


3: Skoda Octavia Rider Diesel 2nd owner 2004 105000 km diesel

It will be reliable but best you maintain it outside the dealer network. Parts are easy to source and car is easy to work on

4: Hyundai Sonata Gold 2nd owner 2001 45000 km petrol

It is just a big accent - end of the day - nothing remarkable, part will be expensive and difficult to find.

5: Ford Mondeo 2002 2nd owner 65000 km petrol

Wonderful cars but most of them are now quite ropey. I know 2 BHP'ians who are selling theirs. Again parts are difficult to source unless you got people in the UK. Loal Ford network wont give two hoots

6: Toyota Camry 2003 1st owner 100000 km manual petrol

Worth a look, again, it is a big corolla and more or a motorised sofa

[vikramvicky1984]

Originally Posted by saksh4

1: Mercedes Benz Eclass 2000 4th owner 48000km petrol

It'll be a w210 which is highly unreliable (search around on the forum).you should buy a w124 or w123, are much better cars

2: Honda Accord Type 2 2003 2nd owner AT 2.4 65000 km petrol and cng

You already have an accord, try something new, CNG prices are uncertain and you have a Diesel Swift

3: Skoda Octavia Rider Diesel 2nd owner 2004 105000 km diesel
Great car if you can find one in good nick. But this is your third car, why should you go for a high mileage diesel !

4: Hyundai Sonata Gold 2nd owner 2001 45000 km petrol
No, its was a novelty long back with C class + jag looks, nothing great now

5: Ford Mondeo 2002 2nd owner 65000 km petrol
If you can find a good car and okay with maintenance costs, this will be great

6: Toyota Camry 2003 1st owner 100000 km manual petrol
Won't be much different from your accord

7: Maruti Sx4 2007 vxi 2nd owner 55000 km petrol
Similar interiors to your Swift

Since it the third car, buy something which is unique and/or fun to drive and different from what you already have.

I would recommend:
1. Jeep/gypsy
2. Maybe a SUV ( though difficult in your budget)
3. Mercedes w123/ w124
4. Maybe a Dukkar Fiat
5. Old Vtec/ Lancer and modify it
6. Zen 2 door (carbon/steel) if you can find one.

[lamborghini]

Skoda Octavia vRS!
But the trick is finding one in good condition. It has all the features to impress, the performance to keep you happy, and is truly one of the best enthusiast buys in the segment.
Otherwise, as others have mentioned - look for newer examples. An option is the fiesta 1.6 which is a joy to drive as well, and very tough.

[saksh4]

Finally went for a Toyota Camry Manual 2.4 2003

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by saksh4

Finally went for a Toyota Camry Manual 2.4 2003

Congratulations and I am happy you went for a Toyota. Almost near my suggestion!

Pictures and more details of the deal and car please.

Congratulations BTW.

Anurag.