[rock75]

Finally I've come close to closing the deal and there is another addition to the radar!

please help in picking out one out of these two:

Esteem Lxi Sep 2005
45k kms
alloy wheels, pioneer music system, new tyres, leather seatcover, rear spoiler, gear lock etc
Rs 2.6 lac
excellent condition, service record available

Baleno Lxi (from Maruti true value)

March2006
new tyres,
1 year warranty+3 services free93k kms
2.7 lac
(willing to buy back my 2005 alto LX at 1.55-1.6 lac too)

both prices are negotiable may be around Rs 20 k

I know it's a no brainer (Baleno offcourse) but is it ok to go for a vehicle having 93k kms on the odo. I've asked for free 1lac km service including timing belt change and all oil change as part of the deal. If recommendation is baleno then please suggest what else should I ask for as part of the deal. My drive will be only 5-7000 kms per year so is it ok to buy this high mileage car?

[kiku007]

Originally Posted by rock75

Finally I've come close to closing the deal and there is another addition to the radar!

please help in picking out one out of these two:

Baleno Lxi (from Maruti true value)

March2006
new tyres,
1 year warranty+3 services free93k kms
2.7 lac
(willing to buy back my 2005 alto LX at 1.55-1.6 lac too)

both prices are negotiable may be around Rs 20 k

I know it's a no brainer (Baleno offcourse) but is it ok to go for a vehicle having 93k kms on the odo. I've asked for free 1lac km service including timing belt change and all oil change as part of the deal. If recommendation is baleno then please suggest what else should I ask for as part of the deal. My drive will be only 5-7000 kms per year so is it ok to buy this high mileage car?

3 Years and close to 1L on a petrol car That's some heavy usage man!

[rock75]

maybe the guy was doing 100kms(50x2) a day going to his office/factory out of town!

[longford]

I would not touch that baleno!
Also, for True Value experiences, do a search in this bb and you shall get the true run down on them.

I own a Accent 2001 for the last 2.5 years and I can safely say, I have had no problems with it. Just did a 2500 km drive on it and it was rock solid at 120-130s. Did get a FE of 15-17 kmph. The only problem I had that ten days into the trip, I noticed that my engine oil needs attention and had halved and darkened. Just poured a liter of GTX and I drove home for about 1500 kms without any issues. Of course, after the trip, did get the full servicing done.

Maintenance-wise, the baby does not ask for much. She needs her essential oils and some touchups here and there. The suspension is an area of concern in older accents, but that depends upon the previous owner's styles.Change of shock absorbers, bearings need to be checked as well. Overall, plan for about 15-20k max per year.

Do read the thread on how to buy a used car elsewhere in this forum.

[rock75]

Originally Posted by longford

I would not touch that baleno!

Any particular reason for that strong statement? You have listed strengths of accent but mentioned nothing about baleno.

If a car has run 90k kms in 3 years it has surely run on higways or long distances as otherwise it is just not possible. So wouldn't that make it better than a car which has been used for shorter runs say 3-4 kms at a time having 30-40k kms on odo in 3 years. That's my view, please explain if it is otherwise.

I thought baleno is one of the favourites in this forum, comeon Baleno lovers diffend your turf (and please give me reasons to go in for this one rather than esteem!)

[.anshuman]

Its not a very good decision to buy a car with so high mileage, when other cars with lower mileage are available.

[rock75]

normally 4-5 year old used cars have 60-70k kms on the odo and there too you don't know if the odo is genuine or not, this one is 90 k and service record is available, is it so big a difference? morover I am going to drive only 5-7k kms an year.

[kdp]

Originally Posted by rock75

normally 4-5 year old used cars have 60-70k kms on the odo and there too you don't know if the odo is genuine or not, this one is 90 k and service record is available, is it so big a difference? morover I am going to drive only 5-7k kms an year.

@rock75,

you seem to be really restricting your choices by looking at chandigarh only cars.. as you yourself pointed out; the pre-owned market in delhi is larger and withe prices lower.

what's preventing you from looking at a Delhi car? if not for a better price; than at least for a better choice? a chandigarh car maybe more convenient to buy but from the 2 options you gave; you seem to have pretty poor choices available in the city?

I have never had a car with 90k km on the clock so ir eally cannot coment; but I did buy an esteem with 50k on the clock from true value in delhi and it definitely felt it's age. the drivetrain was (and is) the only part of the car that felt strong. that car is still in the family; with my in-laws. ;-) I can best describe it as - powerful, reliable but rickety..

cheers

[rock75]

@kdp,

Well you can say that I am quite lazy, don't like the idea of going all the way to Delhi to buy a car. Though chandigarh has a pretty good used car bazaar with quite a choice but I had narrowed down to these two models keeping in view my requirements. Baleno I had a look at 2-3 models but others didn't suit me and a lot of used esteems are available but this one had good credentials. Accent I have ruled out because of higher price and poorer mileage. Petra because spares are a problem. Used esteems have rattles generally one factor which is driving me towards baleno.

Incidentally Chandigarh used cars command a higher price because of better road and traffic conditions in chandigarh and maintenance. I have read elsewhere on this forum that chandigarh rans very high as a desirable place to buy used cars from. It also helps that in case of problems in registering or some documents required I can follow up immdiately.

I had a drive of this baleno, started at half a crank, gear shift was smooth,all gears engaged smoothely, power steering gave good feedback unlike very soft one of esteem which somehow i didn't like, accelerated smoothely without a problem. drove over bad roads never felt any problem with suspension. I tried accelerating sharply in 2nd and 3rd it felt almost as good as a honda Vtec I test drove a few days back only difference being in sound, Vtec being more shriller, may be smoother. Brakes had good bite. I did the dipstick test with engine revving, drove in circles to check axle didn't hear any sound. Rest, AC power windows and everything was working normally. only the interiors felt dates but they felt so even in a new Baleno, I guess. Dealer has agreed to replace everything required (including timing belt)at 1lac service at the time of delivery in the same price and price is Rs 2.4 lac with insurance plus any breakdown parts in next 1 year will be replaced as per maruti signed warranty.May be because it's Dec, I could get a 15% discount on the asked price.

Does it still sound a bad deal?

[manikjeet]

@rock75 please get the car checked by someone if you want i can accompany you and check the car as we both reside in chandigarh and what year is the car

[rock75]

@ manikjeet

I've already checked the vehicle in detail with whatever tips i could gather from my search for used car checklist on the net and team bhp. Since I come here only on weekends It would not be possible to go there again immediately. If you are interested I can Pm you the dealer and if it's near your place maybe you can have a look at it.
Strangely many people have been buying 10+ year old honda city with no certification and service record with 1 lac + mileage at 1.5-2 lacs doest it mean baleno is so bad that a 3 year 90 k model with service record that too with Maruti warranty and backing is no good. If it was a model I saw in used car bazaar at sec 7 I wouldn't even have considered it.

I am looking for response from actual Baleno owners, maybe they are offline as this is a weekend.Lets see if I get a different view from them.

[manikjeet]

Originally Posted by rock75

@ manikjeet

I've already checked the vehicle in detail with whatever tips i could gather from my search for used car checklist on the net and team bhp. Since I come here only on weekends It would not be possible to go there again immediately. If you are interested I can Pm you the dealer and if it's near your place maybe you can have a look at it.
Strangely many people have been buying 10+ year old honda city with no certification and service record with 1 lac + mileage at 1.5-2 lacs doest it mean baleno is so bad that a 3 year 90 k model with service record that too with Maruti warranty and backing is no good. If it was a model I saw in used car bazaar at sec 7 I wouldn't even have considered it.

Please PM me the dealers name i will have a look. These dealers are very cleaver i have myself seen many total loss vehicle been bought by them and sold as totaly original car its very hard to tell after the car has been repaired the make all the pillar godas
And what better way to pass my holidays by helping a fellow teambhpian

And a honda is honda dont know why but people buy honda city blindly but in no way beleno is bad car if its not better its not worst either

[rock75]

Mods pls edit the title used sedan in 2-3 lacs: Booked Baleno LXi from true value

@manik,

I just confirmed with the sales guy all oils, spark plug, 3m intererior cleaning, decab+fuel injectors cleaning,spark plugs, timing belt change are part of package. Shockers, disc brakes and rear wheal bearings are OK otherwise they have to be replaced at the time of delivery. Morover everything except routine consumables are are under warranty till one year.

[longford]

Originally Posted by rock75

Any particular reason for that strong statement? You have listed strengths of accent but mentioned nothing about baleno.

My reasons are as below:
1. The car has amassed up a lot of miles. Very unusual.check if it was run as a private taxi service.
2. The cost for a 90k km car appears to be quite high even at 2.4L.
3. A lot of wear and tear has happened on this car, the reliability could become an issue later on. While the original suzuki engine is good, the other parts may be fixed to make it appear good. Get it thoroughly checked.
4. Baleno car is not a very popular car unlike the other cars. The numbers are fewer and problems and solutions are not well spoken about. Service centers can help out with the car but till when? Is the car still in production?
5. The only Baleno owner I knew, was my ex-boss. We used to make fun at him by saying "Oh! its a decent but boring car; just like you" So my conclusions are based on my limited understanding of this model ownership. You could say, I am not a big fan of cars from the Maruti stable.

Sorry,man. I just don't get a good vibe on this car.
Cheers and all the best.

[rock75]

@longford,

your point no 1,2,3 are valid concerns. I had these too in mind but somehow I thought why not take a risk. I am getting it thoroughly checked and all parts that need replacement will be replaced before delivery. 90 k kms in 3 and a half years is not big if one is driving to baddi(industrial) area from Panchkula everyday. I checked certified baleno prices in Delhi for 2006 models they were Rs over 3 lac so Rs 2.4 lac is decent discount for higher mileage. In any case car driven long distances is better than short distance driven car , if maintenance is timely. Any part failure in next 1 year will be covered. My drive is very low i'll use it max 3-4 years around 25-30kkms or so, therefore I don't think i will have heavy maintenance bills.

Regarding point no 4 and 5 , i know it's a discontinued model and that sales were low but then i ain't buying it at 7 lacs. I was getting Optra around Rs 3 lac but somehow a maruti inspires more confidence in me than others.

Looks are subjective to me it looks good, in a classic way rather than modern design. When one is in the lookout for a used car and that too on a tight budget it has to be an optimization solution, you can't have everything. I decided to go with trusted brand name, excellent performance and comfort on a value for money price the maruti backed warrantly being the deal clicher.

And it is going to cost me just 70-80 k after I exchange my alto Lx 2005 so small price to pay for going 2 segments higher.