[vinjosep]

Originally Posted by saksh4

Finally went for a Toyota Camry Manual 2.4 2003

Congrats!

The courtesy pics please, as well as the final price (if you don't mind)

[saksh4]

Final price was around 2.65 lakhs because i had to pay for full insurance, here are few pics

[ron_9191]

I have been planning to buy a used car in Bangalore. I have been literally scavenging olx, T-Bhp classifieds you name it. What I could find was quite surprising and made me think whether I should ever buy a new car in my entire life ever again. It would be of great help if I could get my fellow team-bhpian opinions on the same so that I could take a better decision that listening to my power hungry(limited to cars and motorcycles only) monkey brains.

Here is what I have in mind. I have been driving around a Baleno Vxi or should I say rarely drive around in Bangalore. All thanks to the RTO, my KL registered car will be hunted down by them sooner or later. I wouldn't mind paying the road tax here but considering the current value of the car which is anywhere between 1.5 to 2.0 lakhs, I don't think it makes any sense paying them the tax for nothing. So I have taken a decision to drop the car back in Kerala and buy a used car in Bangalore, and again this is because the car has only done 39800 km till date.

At first, the only car in consideration was a Maruti 800 and the reason was purely because I was thinking that I want something to go from point A to point B. A couple of test drives told me that I should look for something better. I don't want to consider an Alto, Santro and all the common cars out there not because I hate them or something, but you know moving from a 1.6 liter engine to something never works for me. So here are the choices I ended up with. Caution: these are probable the weirdest ones you could probably find or since this is Team-Bhp, I am sure I may not be alone with my choices

Option 1 - Skoda Octavia Rider 1.8 turbo (Petrol)
I test drove a Skoda Octavia 1.8 turbo rider that has done 67000km on the odometer and I was hooked on to the car. But on the other hand I have heard horror stories and I am not sure what a Skoda which has passed 50000km on the odometer is like to live with. The particular car I drove was perfect to drive even though I spotted an oil leak to my right with the hood opened up. No rattles, squeaks or whatsoever. I had the liberty to drive it through some bad roads and the outer ring road and the turbo kicked in somewhere between 1900 rpm and was there till around 3900 or 4k rpm and it was addictive. The price 2.9L + dealer commissions and some charges which they need. (First Owner). For that you get Stanley customized leather interiors, dual airbags and a properly safe car. My mind says yes for this, but.....

Option 2 - 1999 Mitsubishi Lancer GLxi (Petrol)
Took a test drive of this one and the car had done 98000km this time. Like all car nuts here, I love the Lancer and always always wanted to have one. The car drove well but, the suspension wasn't something to write home about. It squeaked and rattled and made all sorts of noises from the front but it was pretty silent in the back. But looking at the positives, the interiors are in a very good condition, the engine bay shows no signs of accidental damage and with all the dust and everything on the engine I couldn't spot a single oil leak, it had a new battery and it was evident that a good part of its life the car was properly cared for. What I am again worried here is the service and parts availability. The price 1.3L (Second Owner)

Option 3 - 2001 Baleno Altura
TD went great, no rattles or noises from the suspension, the car had done around 87000km and it drove well. Popped the hood and half of the engine oil was actually on the engine than being in it. I pulled out the dip stick and the oil was clean and up to the maximum level, which on closer inspection I was able to find that the leak was from the cam cover packing and not from anywhere below. I loved the car for it space and since I have been living with a sedan variant of the same, I don't know how I will make up my mind with the scarcity of parts for the baleno already there, an altura is quite rare again. The price 1.5L (second owner)

Option 4 - 2007 Fiat Palio Stile 1.6
Will be going for the test drive tomorrow. I had a chance to speak with the owner and he said he rarely uses it and the car has done only 53k on the odo. Again a properly nice car but I am not sure about parts availability and service options.

Option 5 - If all fails, Maruti Suzuki Swift around 2 to 2.5 Lakhs.


I know the options are sort of weird but I would love to hear everyone.

[joybhowmik]

Originally Posted by ron_9191

I have been planning to buy a used car in Bangalore.
...
I know the options are sort of weird but I would love to hear everyone.

What is your budget and how long do you plan to keep the car?
That ought to matter to your buying decision.
Options 1-4 are great drives but...
will they retain their value, and if they are on the brink - they can become money pits.
Option 5 is a safer bet. But depends on the piece.

[asit.kulkarni93]

We had a similar budget as yours when we got the Wagonr last year. Only difference was we needed a tall boy hatch/ sedan as this was supposed to be the family car here.
Anyway the cars you have listed have high ODO readings. I suggest you stay away from them. I had kept the following things in mind-

1. The odo should read less than 55k kms and obviously either you look at any car from a certified used car dealer or an individuals car with its service history. Usually cars with a higher odo but with a service history are fine too. Avoid second owner cars.

2. Cars like Swift are best avoided as they have a ridiculous asking price In the used market. I suggest you have a look at cars like the Honda city, Esteem, Accent( if you are fine with hyundai's then even used Elantra's, Getz), Lancer and the Jazz. Avoid German/ American used petrols. Their upkeep will cost you a bomb.

3. This budget is actually good for alto's, santro's & wagonr's, but the bigger well maintained used cars do come up for sale so keep an eye on the market. If you have a cartrade.com/ true value dealer around your place, then do visit them.

Do keep atleast 40-50k aside to get to some minor issues sorted + a complete service. I am sure you will find a good used car with this budget. All the best 👍

Asit

[condor]

Why not transfer the Baleno to KA & close it ?
If you pay tax now, you will be paying pro-rated tax - which would not be the full LTT. You know your car, and unless there is a problem with it, you can just continue to use it. It's a Maruti, so spares also should not be a problem.

Unless, you want a different car ..

[starter]

I would go with Condor and retain the Baleno by paying the taxes at KA.
A known devil is anyday better than an unknown angel.
Cheers,
Deepak

[sidhu_hs]

I too went the same merry go round around the local used car market before I booked a Diesel Elite i20 late last month. I booked a new car primarily because it is going to be used by my father over a period greater than 8 to 10 years.

Guessing from your listed choices, you seem to prefer a car that gets you out driving rather than just point A to B mode of transportation.

Originally Posted by ron_9191

Option 1 - Skoda Octavia Rider 1.8 turbo (Petrol)

Option 2 - 1999 Mitsubishi Lancer GLxi (Petrol)

Option 3 - 2001 Baleno Altura

Option 4 - 2007 Fiat Palio Stile 1.6

Option 1 to 4 : All good until you need to drop by the ASS for some part and it is unavailable! If at all you want to go with your heart, turbo petrol wins hands down!

Option 5 - If all fails, Maruti Suzuki Swift around 2 to 2.5 Lakhs.

Option 5 : I think best bang for buck in second hand market is not given by bestsellers like Swift but those in second and third spot in sales numbers. So avoid Swift, unless you find some pristine example. Try i10's or Brio's. Better value!

Some Options from my side : If driving is restricted to city, nothing betters Alto K10. And at 2 lakhs I think you'll be able to find a good one.

If your driving includes highways, look out for Polo 1.6 petrol or Jazz.

If you can hunt and tame, Chevrolet SRV too!

PS: BTW, How much time and money is needed for getting your old car registered in Banglore? If its less than a day and 10 - 20k of Vitamin M, this would be most sensible. And if running is less than 5k/year, all the more economical too!

PSS: Do thorough checks before buying second hand, in case.
Vehicle insurance search: http://iib.gov.in/IRDA/PublicSearch.jsp?

[honeybee]

Out of the choices you have listed, it's the Swift.

All other cars have clocked a big mileage and are out of production for a while. Maintenance will cost a lot of time, apart from money.

[zenren]

Originally Posted by ron_9191

Option 5 - If all fails, Maruti Suzuki Swift around 2 to 2.5 Lakhs.

Swift has a very good resale value. I'm not sure if you would get anything other than a 2005-07 model for the price you mentioned, especially in Bangalore. You might have to be willing to pay 2.5-3 lakhs if you are looking at a good Swift. It is a very good driver's car and a pretty low maintenance one too. Another option that can be considered is the old Fiesta, which should come in similar price range around 3L.

[chakri400]

You didn't mention price for option 4?

[JoseVijay]

Please mention the year of manufacture of Skoda. Looking at the price tag I guess it must be between 2001 to 2003. But, how much ever the price is, will not suggest you Skoda for known reasons to all bhpians.

Out of all the options you have mentioned, will suggest you option 5. It's a safe bet any day. It's a VFM product. Just go for it.

[rpunwani]

The Lancer is a good bet, low on price and very low on maintenance. I have a Lancer for the last 12 years. Have spent less than 1,00,000/- in these 12 years on maintenance which includes 2 tyre changes (Michelin XM1's), one battery change, one AC Condensor change, One fuel pump change and one suspension overhaul.

The car still runs beautifully

[blackstallion76]

I was in the same dilemma exactly 1 year back for diesel car.
Swift/Ritz overly priced. Existing owners had ripped their cars.
Used car showrooms like Truevalue and others had quoted 25-30% extra.
First Choice had good collections, but again overpriced.

Through OLX, got contacts of some good cars.

Ford Fiesta 1.6 S, Fiesta Classic, Ford Figo and at last Fiat Punto. Liked the car and went for Fiat punto. Resale value was less for Nov 2011 model and grabbed it.

You can definitely get Ford Fiesta petrol with the budget you are looking.
Lots of them on OLX. Or even Honda City.

[commonman]

If you are looking for a long term use ,and don't worry much about resale value ,I would recommend Maruti Ritz. You will get a 2009/10 Ritz LXi ,which is driven less than 35000 ,with warranty for 1 year at 2.7 L to 2.8 L from Maruti Truevalue. These cars will also have the entire history available ,if you need to check.
PM me if you want contacts.
There is no point in holding on to your Baleno as the parts are becoming rarer now.Inquired about this to some MASS outlets and they are saying taking care of Baleno is more costlier when it becomes older.You can dispose it for something around 2 to 2.3 lacs in Kerala.
Don't believe completely in OLX and go buy cars .There are so many checks we can do if we are buying from known people.