[Bibendum90949]

Dear fellow bhpians,

This is on behalf of my friend who wants to upgrade his car.

Location : Kochi, Kerala.
Current ride : Mahindra TUV 300 since 2015.
Past rides : Etios, Santro.
Budget : 15-16 lakhs(more or less fixed)
Body Style : Sedan
Family size: Four - Two adults and two kids at 15 years.

Usage : His annual usage is very minimal, more so now with WFH more often. Pre pandemic, it was 7000-8000 kms an year.

Use case : Office commute in very moderate traffic(15 kms a day) and once a month drive to his hometown which is 200 kms round trip. So monthly running of 500-600 kms assuming things would come back to normal like it was prior to pandemic. No driving holidays to far distance as his kids are averse to travelling by road.

Reason for upgrade : Primary reason is he wants to enjoy the European car ownership and a more premium experience. He wants an upgrade in that sense. Hence he says no to Maruti, Hyundai, Tata, Mahindra etc. He's very clear on this part.

Requirements : He is looking for the pre owned route only. An automatic option is a must. He's okay with either petrol or diesel, with slight inclination towards diesel. His use case doesn't truly warrant a diesel though.

Options I suggested : Skoda Octavia, VW Jetta, Skoda Laura - all in both TSI and TDI. He's open to Laura only if a well maintained copy comes along and can be bought with way less than half of his budget too. The saved money he may spend to spruce up the car with a suspension upgrade, a remap and interior upgrade in the case of Laura.

Jeep Compass is another option outside of sedan style. He's not very comfortable with the perceived poor service standards of FCA besides it's future in India.

He's very well aware of the risks involved in going for VAG DSG and is prepared to face it in case something goes wrong. Besides, he knows the yearly maintenance costs involved in the upkeep of a German car. In short, he's pretty much prepared on all counts to take the plunge.

Also please note he's selling the TUV and contemplating to buy a pre owned Nano AMT or Santro AMT to do the city run abouts. He's not in a hurry and ready to wait it out till a well maintained car comes along. He plans to sell the TUV as soon as he buys a Nano or Santro for which the hunt is on.

He would like to take the bhpians' opinions on the choices he shortlisted and other possible suggestions. Thank you in advance.

[AJ56]

I’d say consider the 523i if he wants a driver oriented car or look at the E/A6, stick to petrol as it has much lower nvh than diesel and future of diesel with potential bans is uncertain. If he can stretch the budget to around 18-19L then there are excellent single owner low mileage 2012 750Li’s listed all over used car sites, have your trusted mechanic and the BMW dealer do a thorough check and it should be fine. I don’t think Jetta/Octavia will feel like proper upgrades given the requirements. Cheers.

[CarNerd]

I think the Octavia is a good choice - It has a good build, premium interiors, spacious cabin, big boot, rides well too.

[vishy76]

Go for an Octavia/Jetta. Both these cars are an upgrade over the TUV 300 in terms of whatever factors you have listed and they aren't as heavy on the pocket in terms of maintenance or as electronically complex as the big 3. Be advised though, things like Wheel speed sensor failures, ac compressor issues, ABS modules are issues universal to all Germans in general Your friend should account for these.

Personal suggestion would be to get an Octavia TDI DSG. Reliable engine and gearbox for the most part, great interior quality, younger examples would be easy to find and interior space is also more than enough. Only issue I see is the rear torsion beam suspension. The diesel doesn't get the superior independent setup and it does make quite a lot of difference to the ride and handling.

If you can find an example young enough, a Jetta is also a good choice. It's just that interior quality is more hard wearing at some places than plush. The plastics will outlast those of the Octavia, but are rock hard in many places. Mechanically, it's a sorted car for the most part except for the ABS module which costs 6 figures to fix if it goes bad. Sourcing a used unit or refurbishing the current one is a far better option.

Lastly, if your friend has the risk appetite and is inclined towards a petrol, then the Octavia TSI DSG comes into the picture. Outstanding engine and gearbox (and an independent suspension) with the only achilles heal being that gearbox and the thermostat and water pump housing on the 1.8 TSI which is known to go bad.

I would suggest you look no further than the D-segment. You may stretch to the D2 segment and also have a look at the Superb if your friend is chauffeur driven, but my suggestion is to not look at the big three at this point. Let him graduate to one of the aforementioned cars first and get a taste of German car ownership, then get a full size sedan like the 5 or the E in the future if he's up for it. The 15-16L budget also means it will be difficult to find well kept, young examples of the big three down South.

[IshaanIan]

Considering your friend may not be a through and through enthusiast more just someone interested, tell him to buy a Superb. I'm sure a good example can be found for well under the budget leaving 3lacs for new tyres possible dsg failure etc.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Bibendum90949

Skoda Octavia, VW Jetta

You're on the right track. Because he is coming from a TUV300 & Etios, a problematic Benz or BMW will give him "German car bills shock". On the other hand, he could easily get a lovely well-maintained Octavia or Jetta in his budget. Go for the more robust Diesel AT with the 6-speed DSG rather than the DQ200 petrol DSG which can & will fail. A good Octavia Diesel AT will give him 75% of the C-Class experience at a much lower price.

If he is very keen on a luxury brand, he can go for the nicest & newest 320d in his budget.

Originally Posted by AJ56

then there are excellent single owner low mileage 2012 750Li’s listed all over used car sites

No way would I recommend a 10-year old 8-cylinder BMW to even my worst enemy.

[itwasntme]

Why only pre-owned? He can wait for a little while longer, and pick up a brand new mid-variant of the VW Virtus or Skoda Slavia.

The Pros are overwhelming:
1. New platform & bodyshell
2. Peppy 1.5 TSI 150 bhp engine with ACT deactivation
3. Perfect size and almost upto Jetta levels
4. Can get 4+2 years AMC & EW
5. Huge boot from the spy-shots

The Cons are that it's a new launch and the DQ200 GB.

[anb]

Laura is too old and most of the Lauras are more than 10 years old. I prefer Jetta and Octavia with Diesel engine. 2.0 TDI is more reliable than 1.8 TSI engine and TSI comes with problematic DQ 200 transmission. If maintenance costs and space inside is not an issue, AUDI A3 TDI is a good choice. Resale value of A3 is low and it’s only a few lakhs more expensive than an similarly old Jetta.

[Rajeevraj]

15-16 Lakhs is probably sweet territory for a Jetta or more realistically an Octavia. Anything else would be too old and too problematic. If the budget is bumped up a bit, maybe an Audi A3 may be a decent choice considering the core requirement of a 'premium german sedan'.

[Alfaholic]

Apart from the cars mentioned above, I would also highly recommend the W212 E-Class. All the powertrains are quite reliable and you could also get the sweet V6 diesel if you are after torque. The petrol engines are also great. This is also one of the very few Mercedes that I could easily recommend to anyone looking for a German barge on a budget. The car can be had in your price bracket too (pre-facelift models).

You could also consider W204 C Class if you want something smaller (again a great machine with excellent reliability). But since the E Class is marginally more expensive and superior overall, the W212 would be my pick.

[vredesbyrd]

Quite simple actually since the requirement is clear cut.

1) Octavia 1.8 TSI/2.0 TDI - both have merits and demerits but can't go wrong with either. As you mentioned, I think your friend already has planned a contingency for the DQ200

2) Superb 1.8 TSI/2.0 TDI - same reasons as above. Quite a stately car as well. Ventilated seats is a big yes since he's situated at Kerala and it's quite humid

3) F30 320d - Yes, this is the spice of life. RWD diesel with a great 8 speed TC. You will find plenty of these within the budget. Costs would only be slightly higher than the Superb but I suppose that is accounted for

Note: Please absolutely force your friend to get a paid inspection done at the authorised service center. Also, avoid Laura. Too old and parts would be difficult to obtain.

Do let us know about his decision! Happy hunting!

[2000rpm]

I think he is in the right frame of mind for such a purchase.

The trick for good deals in used car market is, to be patient. Buying a used car with a deadline is a recipe for disaster.

He should follow the following process

1. Shortlist the cars he wants to buy
2. Decide the vintage he is ok with
3. Decide the mileage he is ok with
4. Decide the maximum (realisitic) budget for his city
5. And wait for the right car to come along.

Always be ok to pay a premium if the car which comes along is in mint condition (because of how well the owner maintains the car). Small details give away these things like ZERO Rattles, tasteful mods, utilities like dashcam.

[carthick1000]

I would suggest him to wait for/find a 6 cylinder (petrol or diesel) E90 BMW from around 2010s in the 10L INR ballpark. Reserve the rest for maintenance and upkeep.

Cheers,
Karthik

[Bibendum90949]

Thanks for all the replies friends. He's currently zeroing in on a single owner 85K run 2013 VW Jetta AT TDI Highline. Negotiations are on after the car has been duly inspected and service history verified. Shall update on the progress.

Originally Posted by akshay4587

For how much?
15-16L, Can get him a decent 2013-2014 F30 320D, and I must say its a reliable car. That Jetta should ideally be half of what he is willing to spend.

He's not quite ready to jump into the big 3. Yes he had set a maximum budget of 15-16 lakhs but was still open to a well maintained car of slightly older vintage too(from the shortlisted models). He wanted to take small leaps into the German territory and would surely be looking up the ladder in few years. For his usage, I too guess it's a pretty decent upgrade as the car is a very well maintained copy with all scheduled repairs carried out too.

[akshay4587]

Originally Posted by Bibendum90949

Thanks for all the replies friends. He's currently zeroing in on a single owner 85K run 2013 VW Jetta AT TDI Highline. Negotiations are on after the car has been duly inspected and service history verified. Shall update on the progress.

For how much?
15-16L, Can get him a decent 2013-2014 F30 320D, and I must say its a reliable car.

That Jetta should ideally be half of what he is willing to spend.