[wanderernomad]

There are minor scratches here and there plus one major straight line scratch in the middle of the bonnet which has been rather crudely touched up with a paint pencil. On the dash too there are a few minor spots where it seems the rubbing polish has been rubbed a bit too harshly and it has left some smudges. The upholstery is leather (beige) and so are the door trims. One thing however is that the HU is Kenwood while here I read that the post 2007 models came with Blau. No reasonable answer was with the dealer though he said he will ask the owner about it. Another thing is complete absence of badging at the rear.

[punitkakri]

You can consider the NHC exi which woould definitely come within budget. The first generation accord is also an option if you are willing to go that road. Mitsubishi Cedia is a definite option. You could consider an Octavia but then the maintainence part would be an issue. I would love to suggest W124 E250 but the maintainence would set you back considerably.!!

[sukrit7]

you haven't driven the cedia yet?
seems like a good buy otherwise. does this model have ACC?

[wanderernomad]

I ahve driven the Cedia. Thats why the heart wants to extend the budget by another 1 Lakh or so. No it doesnt have the ACC and neither does it have the navigation system the 2009 Cedia comes loaded with. But apart from the above, well!!
Anothger option is a silver Baleno VXI 2006, done 38000 asking price is 3.5 Lakh, which seems slightly on a higher side to me. Is it correct? Car wale gives a valuation of about 2.75 Lakhs for an excellent condition car.

[sukrit7]

baleno's a great car. mine has done more than one lakh km yet is phenomenal to drive. maintenance is a bit on the expensive side though,do keep that in mind.

incase you don't pick up the cedia please send me a pm,a friend is lookin out for one.

[Cesc]

Originally Posted by wanderernomad

There are minor scratches here and there plus one major straight line scratch in the middle of the bonnet which has been rather crudely touched up with a paint pencil. On the dash too there are a few minor spots where it seems the rubbing polish has been rubbed a bit too harshly and it has left some smudges. The upholstery is leather (beige) and so are the door trims. One thing however is that the HU is Kenwood while here I read that the post 2007 models came with Blau. No reasonable answer was with the dealer though he said he will ask the owner about it. Another thing is complete absence of badging at the rear.

IMO these are one things too many. While it is true that used cars will have their fair share of issues but I do feel that you will be able to land a better overall deal (car condition + price). While the price for this one seems right, the condition leaves a few things to be desired - what with the number of visible deficiencies. It looks as if the dealer has replaced the head unit with another not so fancy one (a common practice). I would not be surprised if the Kenwood one starts acting up after some time. Original badging also commands a decent price. Maybe the dealer again trying to make a few quick bucks.

The real problem however is this - you looking at the car everyday and at first glance itself feeling that it lacks. And that after spending 5 big ones. I do not know how much important it is for you to feel that your set of wheels is complete. For me, I would rather buy a car from a lower segment or spend a few bucks extra (depending on the budget situation)to get that feeling rather than taking home something that reminds me everyday of its deficiencies - bonnet lines and missing badges will surely fall in that category. Again differs from person to person. Me just giving my 2 cents here

[msaudf]

why not the Ford Fusion 1.6? its a good car that comes cheap second hand. Or do you strongly stand on buying a sedan?
think bout it, they are cheap about 3 to 3.5 lakhs. they are spacious. 1600cc 100bhp engine. better ride height and handling. excellent aircon. FE is bout 10 -13kmpl. they dont age quickly. good build quality. give it a look too. oh there is a downside, trying to resell the car would seem to be an unpleasant experience. i have first hand experience in that. i bought mine new though and had to sell it for half the price after 3 years. but it a good buy for the second owner. IMO you've include it on your list.

[wanderernomad]

I did include the ford fusion in my list but there seem to be hardly any good cars on sale. There are a couple on bhp classifieds but they are in Mumbai and in the absence of anyone locally vouching for them seem a tad impractical to be bought from there. However if I get a reliable input from a trusted (read bhpian) from a city for a nice fusion Ill go and but it. Though I have people who question the prudency of buying a second hand ford. A lot of voices here say to stick to Japs for reliablity.
@Cesc: I agree with you completely but the kenwood HU doesnt seem to be a low end thing but will check once again. The only major issue troubling me is the absence of badging, nothing else.
@sukrit: Sure thing mate.

[wanderernomad]

Me and Ashish took the car to Asian Motors (the dealership for Mitsu). They gave a very clean and fine track record of the car insisting that nothing major is wrong with it. Both me and Ashish though feel that at least some portions on the left side are painted, though particularly denied by their denter. One interesting fact that came to our knowledge is that the Car belonged to the owner of the dealership itself and was sold to the dealer for 4 Lakhs. Now what?

[sukrit7]

If I was in your place I would get a second opinion from either a reliable independent mechanic or Excel motors, Mathura road, they're rather good IMO.
Isn't 5 lakhs a high price in that case, I'm curious, do dealers make a profit of more than a lakh per car ?
What's the general profit of a dealer on a car that's being sold for abut 5 lakhs ?

[breezydrive]

Originally Posted by wanderernomad

I did include the ford fusion in my list but there seem to be hardly any good cars on sale.

I have seen a Silver Fusion parked at Mahindra First choice dealersip at Noida. If you are interested, I can ask them about details!

[wanderernomad]

@breezy yes I would be interested, thanks mate for taking the trouble, I appreciate it.
@sukrit: I have decided to offer the dealer 4.10. Give it or leave it, Lets see.

[sukrit7]

that seems wise. I hope it works out for you.

[shantanumishra]

Originally Posted by wanderernomad

@breezy yes I would be interested, thanks mate for taking the trouble, I appreciate it.
@sukrit: I have decided to offer the dealer 4.10. Give it or leave it, Lets see.

Hi wanderenomad,

I would say excellent say, you can also directly tell the dealer all the details that you have got from Asian Motors and also tell him that you know they sold this car to him for 4L, and that you also know the complete history of the car, believe me, he will definitely not have thought on you going to this detail, if the car is really good, you could think of increasing the amount to max to 4.25 L and take it,

I know for sure because when I bought my 2003 Accent, I also checked the complete details from the service centre, I did not tell anything initially but listened to all his crap and when I decided to take this car, I told him all details about the history of the car, he was really surprised, and hence, I could negotiate better and paid him a total of 2.45L including comp Insurance for 1 year, RTO charges, his commission and 1 complete service of the car. AFAIK, i saved close to 15-20K in this deal.

[Cesc]

Originally Posted by wanderernomad

Me and Ashish took the car to Asian Motors (the dealership for Mitsu). They gave a very clean and fine track record of the car insisting that nothing major is wrong with it. Both me and Ashish though feel that at least some portions on the left side are painted, though particularly denied by their denter. One interesting fact that came to our knowledge is that the Car belonged to the owner of the dealership itself and was sold to the dealer for 4 Lakhs. Now what?

If you feel that the car is painted then take it to a decent denter and he would very easily be able to tell you if it is painted or not. Better still take it to a good independent garage and get the mechanicals as well as the paint checked. Even if you have to pay a few bucks for that it will be money well spent.
On the dealer margin front - those are more or less directly related to the time the car has been with the dealer. Larger the time period a delaer is stuck with the car lower the margin. The dealer may even offload a vehicle for a loss if he is stuck with it for a month or so to free up capital. If the car was recently acquired the margin he would expect will be around 25k. IMO you have quoted the correct price if indeed the vehicle was bought by the dealer for 4L. If the independent garage is able to verify that the car is good then you should be able to settle on a price around 4.15.