[shankar.balan]

Guys

Quick info needed.

A friend has come across a Toyota Corolla H4 Trim Automatic version. (2004 April Model).
Pretty loaded - alloys, system etc etc.
It has done 45K kms. Mostly city driven in Bangalore with four or five trips out of town over the last 5 years - mainly Tirupati and Mysore.
Driven by a driver mostly and of course the owner when he was here in India.
Full Service History available. Maintained by Nandi Toyota Bangalore.
Battery never been changed yet.
Tyres are original - since 45K kms have elapsed these may be good for a change shortly.
Asking price 5.6-5.7 Lacs. - slightly negotiable.

This car is being purchased for my friends parents in Coorg for their normal daily use.
They typically do about 6-7k km per annum between their home, clubs and various other running about inside the district.
After purchase, the car may be driven once in a way to Mysore and Bangalore MAX.
They vastly prefer an Automatic for ease of usage. Petrol / Fuel efficiency no problem.
Servicing and Maintenance should be easily achievable and cause minimum inconvenience.
I know that the nearest service for Toyota for them is Mysore.

What do you guys think?

Now, if one were to compare this find to a BRAND NEW SX4 Automatic which costs 8.64 On Road Bangalore, which of the two would the experts on TBHP recommend??

I know that Suzuki service can be done locally in Coorg itself - no need to go to Mysore.
Also we appreciate the High GC of SX4 and Maruti's general reliability.

Question is, is it worth buying a 5 year old Toyota and save 3 lacs OR just spend the extra 3 lacs and buy the brand new SX4?

Quick answers would be very much appreciated since we need to help him decide in a day or two!

Cheers

[AirWind]

The asking is higher, I would pick the Toyota if it was offered for not more than 5L.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Guys

Quick info needed.

A friend has come across a Toyota Corolla H4 Trim Automatic version. (2004 April Model).

This car is being purchased for my friends parents in Coorg for their normal daily use.
They typically do about 6-7k km per annum between their home, clubs and various other running about inside the district.
After purchase, the car may be driven once in a way to Mysore and Bangalore MAX.
Servicing and Maintenance should be easily achievable and cause minimum inconvenience.
I know that the nearest service for Toyota for them is Mysore.

Hi Shankar,
I would vouch for a well maintained 5 yr old Toyota over a new SX4/Suzuki any day if the deal is value for money which I feel it fairly is.

As you are aware, these cars dont age that soon and since the usage of the elderly couple is very limited, they would rather buy a used car which has a better badge value coupled with build quality rather than plonk their money on a new car.

Also, the only advantages the SX4 has which I see here for their use are:
1. Servicablilty at Coorg.
Since Coorg is not very far away from Mysore and service intervals too arent that short, this is not a cause of concern in my opinion. Also, many *** these days have driver pick up and drop facilities and they could avail that as well as they would need a service probably once a year.

2. Higher GC of the SX4 over the Corolla.
I have been to Coorg a few times and given the fact that the car will be used by an elderly couple in a very sane and decent manner, I m sure they can easily tackle the roads there.

3. They need a reliable car, no doubt about it and all of us know that Toyotas are inherently very reliable and the Corolla is a tried and trusted product.

So, there you have my view. Let them go for the "Quality Revolution". a.k.a Corolla.

[vkochar]

Of course the Corolla AT is a far better option BUT a 2004 / 2005 model would not cost you more than 4.5 Lacs. If more than that I would not buy it.

[iTNerd]

5.7 lacs for a 2004 corolla is way high.. A well maintained used 5 yrs corolla should hold value betwen 4.5-4.7 lacs.. and as it is an auto and just 45K on the odo, 5 lacs sounds good.. Also, do note that, you would require to change the tyres, battery, clutch plates, brakes etc and that would sum up the initial cost by 50K.. So effectively, If I were you, I would go for a brand new SX4 auto as the price difference is not by a big margin..just my view

[manikjeet]

get the corolla for around 5.25l

i can just say that a 45k done toyota is still young and good for 2.5l km atleast

[kartho]

I find the asking price too high... as a car, SX4 AT doesnt even come close to Corolla AT, the elderly couple might find the Corolla a safer and reliable ride. 45k on the ODO is nothing for a car of that capability but with tyres and other areas requiring attention in a 5yr old car, I would not pay a penny more than 5L (which is also on the higher side)... no matter how well its maintained and how well you know the service record - at the end of day its still a used car and doesnt justify the price in current market.

Try telling the seller that in a month's time the car would sound one more year older and with more cars flooding the new/used car market he might just agree. Good luck

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by iTNerd

5.7 lacs for a 2004 corolla is way high.. A well maintained used 5 yrs corolla should hold value betwen 4.5-4.7 lacs.. and as it is an auto and just 45K on the odo, 5 lacs sounds good.

Actually an auto box commands lesser resale in the used car market.

[shankar.balan]

very good feedback gentlemen - thank you.

couple of things:
Corolla owner has changed the battery once he said - the second battery is now about 2 years old.
insurance is valid for another month - Jan 2010
This car is gold in colour and comes with leather seats/ upholstery.
He comes across as genuine and as a chap who, like us sounds proud of his car and its maintenance.

Now if i tot up the likely costs we are likely to incur after purchase;

30K for a set of 5 brand new high quality tough tyres.(normal stock radials which are useful for relatively sedate hill driving rather than highway speeding - suggestions of brand etc are welcome.)

About 10K for renewal of insurance at an Insured Declared Value of say, 5 lacs.

6-7K for a new Battery (possibly after another couple of months)

7-8K for a full pucca service job including changing all oils and fluids and so on.

about 54-55K expenses are likely to happen as soon as one buys the Corolla.

Assuming one is able to bargain the man down to 5.25 Lacs for the car, this still means that one ends up spending about 5.8 lacs for a 5 year old Corolla AT.

The fact is that cars in the Bangalore used car market are in general slightly more expensive than their counterparts in other markets like Bombay, Delhi, Pune, Chennai etc.
Another fact is that the H4 Toyota Corolla AT (at least in Bangalore) is a relative rarity, which means the price is likely to be relatively more stable on account of the demand. Residual values of Toyota Cars as we know are quite high.

In comparison with the above assumed 5.8 lacs (including what one needs to spend etc), a brand new SX4 is 8.5L OTR BLR.

Here, as per the other thread on SX4 AT Test Drive, if one is able to negotiate atleast 25K-30K year end bargain price lets say it stabilizes at about 8.2 Lacs.

Hence the price differential between the brand new SX4 AT car and the 5 year old Corolla then narrows considerably to a smaller sum of about 2.5 lacs or so.

Incidentally the SX4 AT comes only in ZXi trim level and barring leather seats, comes pretty well loaded with all sorts of features.

Now based on the above what do you chaps say? Would we still be justified in choosing Corolla over the SX4 or not?

Would really appreciate as much feedback as possible please!

[iTNerd]

Hence the price differential between the brand new SX4 AT car and the 5 year old Corolla then narrows considerably to a smaller sum of about 2.5 lacs or so.

Incidentally the SX4 AT comes only in ZXi trim level and barring leather seats, comes pretty well loaded with all sorts of features.

Now based on the above what do you chaps say? Would we still be justified in choosing Corolla over the SX4 or not?

Would really appreciate as much feedback as possible please!

I had owned a SX4 zxi for 2.5 yrs and it never failed me..If I were you, I would go for a SX4 AT for that extra 2.5 lacs more, because:

* the feeling of owning a new car is always nice
* low cost of ownership and complete peace of mind (not that Toyota is not, but a used 5 yrs old Corolla would not certainly be as reliable as a brand new SX4)
* 2-3 years warranty
* Resale in long run
* Easier Egress/Igress
* Fully loaded

[scooby05]

My vote goes for a New SX4. She is a very sturdy car, is selling also in EU. 5 year old Toyota Corolla will have small issues time and again.

[arjunrudra]

Would definitely close my eyes and go for the toyota.
Purely for the appeal , its looks ,prestige and RELIABILITY.
Definitely Toyota.

[REMU]

Toyota gets my . 45k could be termed as young a car, and toyota engine is known for its realibilty. 5lkh would be the max i can vouch for the car.Considering the comfort and brandimage Toyota stands apart.
Yea servicing could not be compared to the wide network range of MASS, but still toyota should be the bet.

[gods-envy]

Shankar,

We all have seen the Corolla and its positives in terms of performance, safety, comfort, build quality, reliability or anything for that matter.
A 2004, 45k model can be considered as a hardly-used toyota.

The SX4 on the other hand is a 2009 model and with VVT.
I agree Maruti has come a long way in comparison to what they were a few years back, but I still don't think it can match the Corolla in terms of any of the above mentioned factors.
Plus the Corolla is a segment higher.

Inspite of the additional expenditure you have to forgo for the Corolla, I think it would beat the SX4 by a huge margin.
The only advantage of the SX4 is the NEW CAR feel. Nothing else.

And that too at a whooping 2.5L+ difference, I think its a deal.
Just to add, I think the H4 also comes with all the Bells and Whistles.

Just go for the Corolla

Edit - @ITNerd and Scooby5 - I disgree with you guys here.
I can vouch for the fact that a 5 year old Corolla will not have any issues or niggles for that matter and is definitely more reliable than a new SX4. Take my word for it.

I have a 2005 H5 Corolla run 42k and there is not a single squeak from it. (Let me remind you, its still running on stock tyres)
And most of my servicing is the usual oil,air filter replacements etc etc and my servicing cost every 10k is not more than Rs 3000 everytime.

[Car&me]

Toyota reliability is obviously good. But there are 100s of parts that are assembled together to form a car. And all those parts have aged in the 5 year old Corolla. It might still with stand for another 5 years with proper attention. But a new car (forget SX4) you dont have to really worry about anything for atleast 3 years. Given the fact that the car is for eldery people to manage on their own, I am sure they would prefer something which is troublefree and even it troubles its easy to attend to; like a local service center which can take care of it.
Corolla is a great car, but if they dont mind the 2.5 lakhs difference; then I would buy a new SX4 for my parents, than buying a 5 year old corolla.