[RRM]

Originally Posted by saikishor

Hi team, consider this as urgent.

Me and my friend drove the car for a good 7-8kms, and absolutely loved the engine. Clutch was a little hard but I guess that is how it is on these big diesel cars. Brakes were weak, my Beat has better brakes. Car has minor dings here and there. Windshield is cracked. Right front fender also appears to be repainted.

Though a great car but you have mentioned enough red flags already like suspension change for 1 lakh, drive shaft needs repair and hence selling it etc.

Originally Posted by saikishor

Now after the test drive, I spoke to the owner on my mech's phone. He quoted 7.2, and I was clueless for a couple of seconds. Later my mech told me his original price was 7.5 lacs.

super heavily priced. If it is sold in seconds market I don't think it will fetch more than 3-4L. Moreover its a discontinued product long back and hence parts will always be a problem. It may open a pandoras box of maintenance. Will have to live with old salvaged parts or sourced from somewhere which is not OEM and may struggle with its quality.

You have better options available in market if you search through

[TorqueSteer]

Originally Posted by saikishor

I found a 2017 Chevrolet Cruze LTZ MT for sale via my trusted mech. Our Beat has been maintained by this guy since the past 6 years. My mech told me about this car a week ago, and the asking price as per him was 7 lacs.

Today I finally found time to go and check the car. Car has done 47k kms and was in mechanically in good condition. It had a suspension replacement worth 1 lac done recently as per my mech and owner. It came to my mech for a driveshaft repair, and that was when the owner decided to sell it off.

Issues aside but pricing is a joke. One of my friend bought a 2016 Cruze top end with 50k on the odo for 5 lakhs a couple of months ago. My guess is that the mechanic is pulling a fast one on you. Suspension replacement at so less mileage is suspicious. My guess is the Odo might have been tempered. IMHO you should stay away from this car if you don't want any regrets later.

[Keneida]

Originally Posted by saikishor

From what I thought would be a perfect car for the next 5 years to losing interest now, thanks for the suggestions team.

No I didn't say the above statement in a harsh way, I am really thankful to the suggestions received. I was aware of the expensive maintenance of the Cruze and was ready to take it despite the early suspension work and driveshaft repair. But now, I guess I am better off walking away from this deal.

This deal is off from my side atleast for now. I doubt if I will be meeting the owner on sunday. I also doubt if he will show up.

Staying off from the chevy deal is better. My suggestion is to get a good gen 4 Honda city IVTEC for the money, At times I get excited to see exotics like the 2007 E class or the 2001 Pajero automatic or a Toyota hilux surf. problem is that these vehicles are a headache to maintain. I didnt like the city but after driving one, my opinion changed and the value proposition it offers is great, better than VW and Skoda (considering DSG and ASC woes ), Better suspension over verna too! and IVTEC is better than a suzuki 1.5.

[VKumar]

Originally Posted by saikishor

Now after the test drive, I spoke to the owner on my mech's phone. He quoted 7.2, and I was clueless for a couple of seconds. Later my mech told me his original price was 7.5 lacs.

Being very honest, the car isn't worth even 5, the enthusiasm and everything else goes out of the window once you face an issue that may result in the car sitting in the garage waiting for some part - that kills both enthusiasm as well as the confidence.

I see you are smitten by the performance, I would suggest you look for something like a Laura TSi or a used Accord or anything else like that, the Laura in itself is a money pit - but the depth of it as a money pit is lesser than that of the Cruze.

My close friend had a Cruze and was happy too (I wrote in the relevant thread) with parts availability and service, but things went down once he faced an engine head repair for which a lot of time was consumed, but the job done wasn't up to the mark still - later he sold the car for around 4 lac rupees (that's what a 6 year old and 33k kms done Cruze commands in Delhi).

I would prefer to stay away from a Chevrolet even if its coming to me at a throwaway price, I prefer reliability and ease of maintenance above the money I save in buying these cheaper options - all the sweetness of the deal turns 2X bitter the day you face an issue with them.

[NEWTON-METERS]

Even if Chevrolet had not left India a 2017 Chevrolet Cruze is not worth more than 4-5 lakhs in todays market.Now taking in to consideration Chevrolets exit I do not think buying it would be wise.
Given its not a mechanically sound car vehicle (apart from its bonkers 164 BHP engine with extreme turbo lag for city traffic).Nor is it a well finished car, it will show its age.

For the same money Honda Accord, Skoda Laura,Honda City,VW Polo GT, etc would be better in terms of reliability, space(except polo) ,over all handling and high speed manners.
Do keep in mind the back seats of Cruise do not have good head room given its coupe like design

[ArTigor]

From your post it seems you are oriented towards Cruise in general, any particular reason? I understand the 2ltr diesel was a rocket, but any engine repairs if at all it comes to (you never know with a 6 year old diesel car) will end up being a hassle for you primarily due to spares issue, and a fortune for your mechanic.

Buying a discontinued almost 6 year old diesel car, from the stable of a manufacturer who has shut operations, a car which already has driveshaft repair done, suspension replaced, Hard clutch, weak brakes, repainted bumper, cracked windshield and an asking price of 7.2 lakhs, all these are really not confidence inspiring, for 6 lakhs you have the option of many other reliable sedans from the VW and Honda stable. Buy a good Accord or even a Jetta and enjoy the engine as well as peace of mind.
I guess even if you buy this Cruise for 6 lakhs you will surely end up paying more in the near future for its clutch, brake, windshield related works.

Well I do not want to sound judgmental, nor do I doubt the competence of your mechanic but after all, he is a mechanic and that car is his revenue source, he will always want the car to be sold from one of his known customers to another known customer, well there is nothing wrong in this if it is really a good car, but with the above red flags it is not really a good piece of advice.

[Strider24]

My advice: unless you are absolutely love struck with Chevy Cruze, for 6.5-7 lacs you can get much better cars in market. keep looking. try finding CIVIC, or Accord if you are looking for big, performance oriented car. or even a 2012+ Corolla Altis Petrol is a fast & reliable car.

A used Cruze with so much maintenance history looks dubious to me. if it was in good condition then the owner wouldn't have decided to sell it. most likely he is fed of recurring repairs and want to buy a new car now. Mechanics can't be trusted at all. they are always looking to make money from such high maintenance cars.

In used car the fear of anything going wrong will always loom over your head. best to buy something reliable unless you want to spend much time with your 'trusted mechanic' rather than on road.

Wish you good luck.

[wheeledwanderer]

Chevy is no longer in India, spares would be freaking expensive and resale will be low too when you decide to sell. Suggest you keep away. Buy something in the likes of Japanese makers if you find something!

[Cresterk]

Originally Posted by saikishor

Now after the test drive, I spoke to the owner on my mech's phone. He quoted 7.2, and I was clueless for a couple of seconds. Later my mech told me his original price was 7.5 lacs. I quoted 6, stopped at 6.1 and told him we will meet in person on Sunday, so that my dad can also have a look. Honestly speaking, I didn't like the way the owner spoke to me on the phone. But I loved the car, hence told him we'll speak in person on Sunday. I have pictures of the car, but do not want to post them as I don't want to mess with the owner's privacy.

Absolutely not! That thing would be worth 3l at most. So many red flags, I agree with what the other bhpians said and I think it's time for you to find another mechanic. I'm guessing he is being cut in on this deal as well.

Where will you find replacement parts for this discontinued car? Just think what you are going to do in case of any minor accident such as losing a mirror or bumper. How are you going to replace it? What about in case of a bit more serious issue? There are so many other good cars with clean histories you can get for 7l, go get one of those instead.

[Sowgandh.Bellam]

This is my first post on teamBHP. I wanted it to be an ownership review of our cars but looking at your predicament I couldn't stop myself from posting. Mainly because I purchased a 2009 model Cruze LTZ in July 2021 for 4 Lakhs. Yes I paid a fair bit more for a car that is 12 years old and has run 1,25,000 Km. But it is purchased from a close relative of ours and he does take good care of his cars(He owns 7 of them, 1980's Ambassador to Mercedes GLE).

I always thought a car which is taken care of with preventive maintenance will run long without throwing tantrums which is proven by our 10 year old VW Vento 1.6TDI that has run 1,75,000 Kms with not even a single mechanical or electrical issue. But I was proven wrong in case of both Chevrolet Beat(Turbo failure and AC issues, bought in 2012 and sold in 2017) and Cruze.

My Cruze's BCM failed which lead to multiple electronics(including horn and headlights) not working and the Bootlid just wouldn't close as it is electrically operated. A new BCM with programming was quoted at Rs. 80000(20% of the cost I paid for the car). I researched a lot on forums and this BCM issue is a widely faced one worldwide. I imported a repair kit from China and got the BCM repaired here which costed me Rs.25000. Next the clutch failed(Clutch pedal sank completely and we cannot engage a gear) abruptly in the middle of an Intercity journey which left me stranded. I thought the Master Cylinder failed, but what I saw baffled me. The clutch plates friction material was completely worn off exposing the metal disc. Clutch replacement without flywheel costed me Rs.30,000. Flywheel costs RS.50,000. I am not a driver who does half-clutching even in terrible traffic. My Vento ran on stock clutch for 1.65 Lakh kilometres and even then there is a fair amount of life left. I only changed because it has become a bit hard and the car will be primarily driven by my 60 year old father. . Apart from these no issues to report in the past 1 year. The car effortlessly Cruzes at unmentionable speeds and that is where her positives end.

Now coming to your case, if your budget is around 6 lakhs go for a well maintained Vento/Jetta/Octavia if driving pleasure is what you seek. If reliability and comfort comes first, go for City/Corolla. But do not go for Cruze as the spares are very expensive and Chevy ASCs will try to rip you off. The car isn't known for reliability either. Moreover lack of experienced and honest technicians compounds the problem. Chevy Beat is mechanically a very simple car but Cruze isn't. So your mechanic might not be able to solve all the issues. By the way you described it, the car isn't worth 6 lakhs as other members also rightly pointed out. You mentioned brakes felt weak and that is probably because brake pads are not OEM. Cruze has very very good brakes. A brake job replacing all four discs and pads with OEM parts will cost Rs.44,000. I doubt if anyone will purchase it for 4 lakhs and to purchase it one has to be as naive and stupid as I am an year ago . There is not a single USP of this car now, except for the strong engine and looks(again subjective). I am keeping it and enjoying it just because time travel isn't possible and selling it now isn't financially prudent. I have put forward the costs incurred just so that you'll get an insight regarding the ownership costs associated. These costs are not too high but definitely high for someone with a budget of 4 to 7 lakhs. I didn't foresee myself spending so much on a well maintained car(1.8 lakhs in the past 1 year for various part replacements) because our Vento has been extremely reliable and I only spent on fuel and general wear and tear items. That is why I felt the ownership costs to be high for Cruze.

I am attaching a few pictures of my 35000Kms ran(in my ownership) 13 year old Cruze just because the post was lengthy, part of it is out of context and this is my first post.

PS: I request the moderators to delete my post if it is out of context. I just went with the flow.

[dicor]

Originally Posted by saikishor

Ok, lets say I still want to get the car even after reading all of your aforementioned points, and I'm ready to deal with the headaches associated if anything goes wrong. What will be the fair price for this car? I was thinking 6lacs would be a fair price for both parties.

Prima facie, I would keep myself away from this deal and if I have to offer, I will throw an offer of 4L.
Now think about another angle: if you sell this car to OLX Auto or Cars24, they will give you between 4.5 and 5.5. So, between 5 to 6 is a good deal.

If I put myself into your shoes, I can take a risk of Rs 50,000 for my passion.


Please also consider immediate or nearing expenses on this car. Driveshaft? Tyres? Clutch plate / Pressure plate? Battery? Touch-ups? Deduct these expenses from your quoting price or ask the owner to get these jobs done at your trusted mechanic’s shop.

[saikishor]

Didn't expect so much of opposition

I did check out other cars on olx but I didn't like them(other models, not other Cruze examples). And my dad lost interest as well, so I guess this deal is off. I have to see if the owner is ready for an in person meeting on this weekend. If he offers a lower price and a clear explanation on all work done on the car, then I might consider it again.

Some pictures of the car, as I feel I didn't convey correct information of the car.

[gururajrv]

I would advise you to stay as far as you can from this car. Not worth paying 6 or 7 for a car that doesn't have it's makers presence for quite a few years now. Look elsewhere for a well maintained C-SUV / a hot hatch which you'd find easily for your budget. I wouldn't even mind suggesting an Ecosport now from the preowned market prior BS6 models.

[RaceCyborg]

Well given from the tone conveyed from the posts of this thread, I think you get the idea. I had a cousin of mine looking for a Cruze as well. However he dropped the idea given the lack of manufacturer support, as a result of which sourcing parts will be a pain. But the car is quite reliable. The engine is smooth and the car rushes to unmentionable speeds pretty quickly.

I would suggest to tread carefully and think long and hard about whether it is going to be too much of a hassle.

Suspension replacement worth Rs 1 lakh within 47k kms is a huge potential red flag. If you still want to go ahead, 6-7 lakhs is too much and try to get a better deal.

Cheers and all the best !!!

[Reinhard]

From the images it looks to me that the front right fender, front bumper and rear bumper OR boot lid have been repainted. If I were shopping - I wouldn't buy a car with these many panel fixes & known work upwards of 1L INR on the suspension. Definitely not at 7L. Thats a joke of a price in my opinion.

Back in the days the Cruze definitely was a stonker of a car & I wished to own one some day. But thats past-tense. Well maintained specimens are generally going to be rare - and owners with them - don't really have much reason to sell them since the new alternatives are not many anyway.