[RogueRider]

Hello people,

I'm an old member here and have been following the forums on and off as a hawk, not really an expert on cars so never felt I could contribute. I'm logging in after Four years! Feels good to be back

I own a 2012 model Innova and its in great condition, unfortunately need to sell this car due to some personal reasons.

I plan to buy a used vehicle within a weeks time.

Budget: 2.5lakhs ( would like to spend Rs 2 lakhs on the car and max 50k doing up any wear and tear, servicing, painting etc.)

Usage: 750- 1000 km each month.

Driver: I'll be the primary driver, dad may use it occasionally.

Resale is important to me, but is not the main deciding factor.



I have narrowed down two cars to replace my existing vehicle

1. Mitsu Lancer GLXD, 1999 Model, run 80,000km so far. I test drove it yesterday and it is in pretty good shape in terms of engine responsiveness, tyres are good for another 2000km, insurance was done last week, all electricals (lights, power window buttons etc work), the exterior needs a paint job but that can be put on hold if a good rubbing polishing is done to liven up the dull paint. The guy is quoting 1.6L for it

2. Hyundai Elantra Gls, 2004 model, run around 65,000km so far. I have fixed up a meetup with the owner this weekend, my friend has seen it and says the exterior is in good condition with minimal scratches/dents. The guy is quoting 2L for this car. Note: If I buy a petrol vehicle I intend to install a gas kit as I am not keen on shelling a lot on fuel.

I hope I have provided enough details, Kindly help me choose the right vehicle, I don't want to cry after the milk is spilled.

[Altocumulus]

You have a pretty decent budget for a used car. Why such old cars and paying such high prices. My friend bought a 2002 Lancer GLX for 1L driven only 28k that too more than a year back.

Buy an esteem for 1.3L max and get it done up and modified for 70 k (thats huge amount for an esteem mod) more. You will have a smile on your face.

[heydj]

Just a suggestion - you have a decent budget to buy a car, why going for such old models.

I do not recommend going for either of these two but if you have to then choose Elantra as Hyundai is still selling Elantra's in India and it will not give you a feel that you are driving a car that is not even produced in India.

Do look at used car forums here and and at various other places to widen your choices.

[Arjun Reddy]

At 2.5 Lakhs you could also source the Ford Fiesta 1.6 petrol. And you will get probably a 2006-08 model at that price.
And will guarantee you it will put a smile on your face, every time you drive. Also the model is still running and service and spares should be easy to get.

[Umesh Kumar61]

Originally Posted by RogueRider

I have narrowed down two cars to replace my existing vehicle

1. Mitsu Lancer GLXD, 1999 Model, run 80,000km so far. I test drove it yesterday and it is in pretty good shape in terms of engine responsiveness, tyres are good for another 2000km, insurance was done last week, all electricals (lights, power window buttons etc work), the exterior needs a paint job but that can be put on hold if a good rubbing polishing is done to liven up the dull paint. The guy is quoting 1.6L for it

2. Hyundai Elantra Gls, 2004 model, run around 65,000km so far. I have fixed up a meetup with the owner this weekend, my friend has seen it and says the exterior is in good condition with minimal scratches/dents. The guy is quoting 2L for this car. Note: If I buy a petrol vehicle I intend to install a gas kit as I am not keen on shelling a lot on fuel.

Hi Rider,

Like autocumulus said it is not the best idea to fish out 2L on such old cars. Check for a newer car, because even if a car is low on ODO it doesn't mean it has less wear and tear, it's body might have developed corrosion in not so obvious parts places which may or may not catch your eye in a quick look, like the metal enclosed by the rubber beadings in the doors, boot beading, underbody etc.

Check for a newer car and check this out before buying. http://www.team-bhp.com/advice/how-buy-used-car-india-0

Also IMHO, the price is on the higher side for such these which are no longer active in the market and spares wont be so easy to obtain. Check this tool to know how much you should pay for used cars http://classifieds.team-bhp.com/used-car-price-check/

PS: Both these cars Lancer and Elantra are good comfy cars and if you are satisfied with the conditions of the car go for it, but make sure you don't end up paying extra. Esteem is much more easier to maintain but wont be so classy and comfy and Fuel Efficient like the lancer GLXD.

Cheers,

Umesh

[Cartman]

Firstly, welcome back.

Originally Posted by RogueRider

Usage: 750- 1000 km each month.

If your running is as low as 750-1000kms, it makes sense to go for a petrol vehicle.

Originally Posted by RogueRider

1. Mitsu Lancer GLXD

The problem with this vehicle will be after-sales. The service support isn't all that great. The parts may be difficult to source too. All said and done, would you really want to pay 1.6L for a 16 year old car?

Originally Posted by RogueRider

2. Hyundai Elantra Gls

The safer bet of the two. If you absolutely have to choose among these two and these two only, go for the Elantra if it fulfills your criteria. Note that the resale value will take a sharp hit. If you get it, and don't plan on selling it for the next 4-5 years, it makes good sense.

My personal recommendation would be to look for a pre-owned Maruti. Say something like a Swift. It's fun to drive and if you really don't need the rear bench space, it fits your requirements to the T. A quick search on a couple of sites yielded this. Being a Maruti, the resale won't take a beating too. Especially something like a Swift.

If you need a sedan, you may look for a pre-owned SX4.

Originally Posted by Arjun Reddy

At 2.5 Lakhs you could also source the Ford Fiesta 1.6 petrol. And you will get probably a 2006-08 model at that price.

Probably the most horses 2.5L will buy at the moment. An absolutely brilliant car to drive, no doubt. The problem with used Fords is reliability. The parts, especially of the Fiesta cost an absolute bomb. For e.g: I was quoted 27k for the alternator alone for a 1.4 TDCi Fiesta. I'd strike the Fiesta off the list, purely for this reason.



Cheers!
Cartman

[lancer_rit]

Hmmm, isn't there a rule not allowing cars older than 15 years to ply in Bangalore ?

In general, it makes most sense to look for cars which are 5-8 years old for your budget ...
That said, my Lancer is still going great at 131k km, and ~12years - still on its original clutch and front suspension (knock on wood)!

[RogueRider]

This may turn out to be a long post, sorry about that.

I'd always wanted to own a lancer and hence am a little biased in its favour, I'd like to do stage one mods as soon as I know there's no work to be done in the engine, suspension department. FFE, Filter, Plugs and some decent wheels will be first priority. Porting polishing and other mods will follow as and when the purse strings are loosened. Can I install diesel tuning boxes on the 1999 lancer GLXD?

A lot of people seem to be recommending petrol cars, I'm sure the fuel economy will drop like a hot potato once I do some basic mods, How safe is it to install a gas kit on petrol cars?

Originally Posted by Altocumulus

You have a pretty decent budget for a used car. Why such old cars and paying such high prices. My friend bought a 2002 Lancer GLX for 1L driven only 28k that too more than a year back.

Buy an esteem for 1.3L max and get it done up and modified for 70 k (thats huge amount for an esteem mod) more.

Hey Altocumulus, I could buy a newer model of the lancer for instance, but that leaves me with very less maneuverability financially if I need to fix up any wear and tear, if I invest my entire budget to procure the vehicle.

Originally Posted by Arjun Reddy

At 2.5 Lakhs you could also source the Ford Fiesta 1.6 petrol. And you will get probably a 2006-08 model at that price.

Like I said above, spending the entire budget to purchase the vehicle gives very little room to do any minor repair work, and Arjun, my father owns a Mondeo, I have seen the hardships one has to go through with a Ford car in India, maintenance is crazy!

Originally Posted by Umesh Kumar61

Hi Rider,

Check for a newer car, because even if a car is low on ODO it doesn't mean it has less wear and tear, it's body might have developed corrosion in not so obvious parts places which may or may not catch your eye in a quick look, like the metal enclosed by the rubber beadings in the doors, boot beading, underbody etc.

Esteem is much more easier to maintain but wont be so classy and comfy and Fuel Efficient like the lancer GLXD.

Umesh, you raised some important points, A friend and I closely examined the lancer I have described and there seems to be normal wear and tear that comes with age,but apart from that it seems to be in good condition. I am not averse to a good esteem, I'll look around for one.

By the way, I came across a 2000 model lancer diesel, run around 90,000km and the guy is asking for Rs. 1 lakh only. It also has a gas kit fitted on it, the only negative part prima facie is that it's an MH registration and I'll have to buy Karnataka road tax for the vehicle. I also found another lancer, the chap said he is the 8th owner of the car, I ended that conversation asap.

Originally Posted by Cartman

Firstly, welcome back.

The problem with this vehicle will be after-sales. The service support isn't all that great. The parts may be difficult to source too. All said and done, would you really want to pay 1.6L for a 16 year old car?


The safer bet of the two. If you absolutely have to choose among these two and these two only, go for the Elantra if it fulfills your criteria. Note that the resale value will take a sharp hit. If you get it, and don't plan on selling it for the next 4-5 years, it makes good sense.

Probably the most horses 2.5L will buy at the moment. An absolutely brilliant car to drive, no doubt. The problem with used Fords is reliability. The parts, especially of the Fiesta cost an absolute bomb. For e.g: I was quoted 27k for the alternator alone for a 1.4 TDCi Fiesta. I'd strike the Fiesta off the list, purely for this reason.

Thanks for the welcome cartman, appreciate it!

To answer your question, I am not too worried about spare parts, there are a couple of areas in Bangalore where one can get the parts for almost any Indian vehicle, and I do have friends in Coimbatore who may be be able to hook me up if I can't find them in Bangalore.

I also saw a Hyundai Sonata Gold (petrol) for 1.85L, second owner. I don't think I can handle the cost of regular upkeep of such a vehicle at the moment and hence did not pursue it further. Ideally, I'd like to buy a 2005 - 2007 vehicle for 2.5 lakhs but I found this particular lancer to be in pretty good shape and hence narrowed it down to these two.

[quote=lancer_rit;3671451]Hmmm, isn't there a rule not allowing cars older than 15 years to ply in Bangalore ?

I think older vehicles are allowed to ply as long as they have a fitness certificate issued by the RTO.

[Mr.Boss]

As suggested by other members, with this decent budget you could look for something else. If you are more interested towards Lancer, go for Petrol version, you could get at least 5 year younger car than the Diesel sibling. Other cars that you could consider is
- Honda City
- Fiesta 1.6 (Recently we sold a 2006 1.6 SXi with 50k on odo for little less than 2L)

[Nissan1180]

Even I like the Lancer a lot. It was launched when I was in school and it set a new benchmark for reliability and refinement in sedans. There were stories of owners who had to do their first tyre change after 90k kilometres! We should remember that in those days our highways were not as good as they are now - the GQ project had not been implemented fully.

The only issue with the Lancer would be the sourcing of spare parts. If not now, maybe 2 years down the line. That is how the auto industry product cycle goes in India- well maintained examples of competent cars like the Cielo, Opel Astra, Matiz, Opel Vectra, Fiat Siena, Fiat Palio, Ford Escort etc. end up being scrapped (or sold at throwaway prices to people who abuse them and then scrap them) because owners are unwilling to devote the time and money required for maintaining the car due to lack of spares availability.

Hence, I'd like to suggest two alternatives. The first is the second generation Honda City. The one with VTEC was a very good car to drive and decently maintained examples are still around for an amount that is well below your target price.

An used Baleno is another good option. It offers everything that the Lancer has in addition to the ''Maruti Suzuki'' peace of mind. You could get a very good condition VXI model from 2006-7 that offers climate control and the all other electronic conveniences. You might lose out on the resale value because it is a discontinued car, but that factor would also allow you to get a good example at a bargain price. Balenos which have been cared for would not give you any maintenance nightmares. There are quite a few owners who converted their cars to run on CNG. I am not sure about the details, but it is supposed to be a mod-friendly car too.

With the Baleno, you would be safe at least for the next 4-5 years because MSIL is a very responsible company and the spare management process is much more robust and professional. We have a 2006 VXI which has covered about 60k kilometres. The only maintenance expenses that we have to account for are for the routine services done at a MASS.

[arnabchak]

Rogue,

Avoid cars that are already discontinued or known to have high maintenance costs.
A 16 year old Lancer at 1.6 lacs(that too driven for 80K) is a strict no no.

A friend of mine sold his decently maintained "Red" Lancer -2001 model, driven for 65K for a modest Rs. 70K.

He was lucky to even get this amount as Lancers do not command of any resale value whatsoever.

With a Rs. 2-2.5 lac budget and a monthly run of 1K, my suggestions are as below for any car of 2005 onwards vintage:

1) SX4(2006)-VXi/ZXi
2) Toyota Corolla(2005)
3) Hyundai Verna(2005/06)
4) Esteem(2005)-You will get in Rs. 1.5 lac and below
5) Ford Fiesta(2006/07)-1.6. A gem of an engine and a hoot to drive

[pramodkumar]

Originally Posted by RogueRider

This may turn out to be a long post, sorry about that.

I'd always wanted to own a lancer and hence am a little biased in its favour, I'd like to do stage one mods as soon as I know there's no work to be done in the engine, suspension department. FFE, Filter, Plugs and some decent wheels will be first priority. Porting polishing and other mods will follow as and when the purse strings are loosened. Can I install diesel tuning boxes on the 1999 lancer GLXD?

A lot of people seem to be recommending petrol cars, I'm sure the fuel

Diesel Lancers are Non Turbo, non ECU controlled manual mills, you cannot add any tuning boxes and the millage would be above 22KMPL, but they are very agricultural. Not refined as the new"er" diesel cars, turbo charging is not an option either if you want trouble free motoring.

Now, I own a petrol Lancer for almost a decade, you will not find a better motor than this at this price. The upkeep is cheap but, when it gives issues its a bitch. If you have electrical problems with engine, you would go crazy as there is no support from mitsu and you are at the mercy of neighbourhood garages who are ready to fleece you.

Modification always means, installing FFE, CAI, porting & polishing for most of us, trust me the best way to modify the indian lancer is to go DOHC and then a FFE and CAI and most importantly a FPR, these mods will bump the power to the 130 BHP range in the NA form, but one slight blip will ensure your millage goes south, converting it to gas is going to offset all the mods you will do, it will misfire, throw tantrums at you especially considering the age of the engine, then you would have to go rebuilding the engine and all the advantage you had while buying a cheap car would be offset. If you want millage, go for a small engine hatchback. If you are hell bent on a lancer then this is what you can do to enhance the driving.

By changing the engine oil to synthetic, better sparkplugs, HT leads(mitsu makes one of the best so this is optional) you will notice excellent gains. Its a pocket rocket an oil change with mineral oil costs as low as 600 INR and that's at a Mitsu A S S.

Things to look for in an old lancer, 1999 model would have issues with the fitness, check if the papers are current, restest work can cause a serious dent. Operate each switch and check If they work. Lift the carpets to see any signs of rust. look for Accident damage repairs, Looks for wiring loom splices. Look at the interiors and paint quality, Check the engine for any unwanted noise, The clutch needs to be inspected thoroughly, stop the car pull the hand brake and slot it into the second gear and release the clutch slowly and see if the engine struggles to die, Check the AC for cooling especially at idling, check if the battery is reasonably new, Check tyres for uneven wear, check for hardness of the rubber. Drive it fast and brake to see if it pulls to any side, check for any unwanted noise from the suspension.

If I was you I would look for newer models, the 1999 lancer you have looked at is priced excessively high, it should have been priced below 1 lac in mint condition, trust me though a great car it does not have many takers. Spares are available now but soon they will not be available. If you know, mitsu is exiting global sedan market so spares would become a big challange. Think how long you want to keep this car, if you wanna keep it for long then the idea is to buy cheap, hit him with a 85K offer, if he bites(which most likely he will) great. Spend 30-40k to bring it in tip top mechanically, then plan cosmetic mods. Spend another 30-40k but think of all this going down the drain as you can never recover this cost unless you intend to keep the car for another 5-8 years, which is a long time and you will have other imminent mechanical failures. This is a car I would not fiddle around much with mechanical mods to the engine in the present scenario.

Think of all that I have said and make a decision.

Pramod

[zenren]

Originally Posted by RogueRider

Budget: 2.5lakhs ( would like to spend Rs 2 lakhs on the car and max 50k doing up any wear and tear, servicing, painting etc.)

Resale is important to me, but is not the main deciding factor.

Since you mentioned resale value as important, please do not expect any bit of the additional 2 lakhs you spend on the car to be recovered in resale. Even in a best case scenario with excellent resale value, all you can expect is may be 80-90% of the actual price you paid for the car and not for the modifications on it.

Please note that the initial lifetime tax that is paid is valid for 15 years and the tax needs to be paid again for every 5 years. I don't know the exact rates for those in KA but if it is based on the original showroom price of the cars, neither Lancer nor Elantra is going to be cheap in this regard. For a comparison, my uncle paid 11k as 5 year tax in Kerala for his 15 year old Zen last year.You''ll either end up paying this amount or the resale value would get hit accordingly if you sell just before that.

A lot of people seem to be recommending petrol cars, I'm sure the fuel economy will drop like a hot potato once I do some basic mods, How safe is it to install a gas kit on petrol cars?

Also, the plans to install gas kit and adding mods seem to be conflicting each other. If you are referring to performance modifications, then the gains out of mods would be suppressed by the loss of performance by the gas kit. I wouldn't recommend a gas kit on a car that is subjected to redlining frequently. Most of the gas kit installs are for economy or cost savings and a sedate driving is the case 99% of the time.

[GTO]

That's a decent budget, please run away from cars that are as old as listed in your post. Being at the end of their life, they'll be maintenance nightmares.

Here are a couple of nice, reliable sedans that you can buy for 2.5 lakhs:

- Ford Fiesta Classic 1.6L: The top choice.

- Toyota Corolla (a Mod recently bought a pristine 2006 Corolla for <2.5 lakhs in Mumbai).

- Chevy Optra 1.6. Not an enthusiasts choice, yet a nice cruiser with good interiors, comfy ride & solid reliability.

- A 2006'ish Baleno: Fast, reliable, nice ride & handling.

Personally, if I had a similar budget, I'd buy a used Swift. Mod friendly, lots of fun, nice chassis.

Originally Posted by lancer_rit

Hmmm, isn't there a rule not allowing cars older than 15 years to ply in Bangalore ?

No such rule. It was proposed, albeit recently shelved.

Originally Posted by RogueRider

I'd always wanted to own a lancer and hence am a little biased in its favour

I've always wanted to own a W124, but I realise that the newest W124 you can buy today is 20 years old. These cars require a lot of time, love & care...I simply don't have the time for a project like that.

[sourabhzen]

You may also look at 2007-8 City Zx for that price. They are reliable and easy to maintain.