[F150]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

the Yeti comes in at 21.05 on road which means a loan is required. I dont like taking large loans.

the used Tuc at around 9ish and no loan will be taken.

got to think deeply before committing

Is the TFort too far from 21.05 lacs ? What is the OTR price of TFort in Bangalore ? I dont see why you should go for Yeti if it doesn't satisfy your primary luggage requirements. Tucson doesn't qualify as a good per-worshipped buy.

[SS-Traveller]

Shankar, there are better options in SUVs when choosing a used vehicle - a Fortuner or Pajero come to mind, preferably the latter. The Tucson has been out of production for some years now, and I wouldn't risk running around for overpriced spares as and when the need arises.

As to a new Yeti, I have my personal reservations about buying a Skoda. Perhaps a new GV, with the money saved being used to pay for the extra fuel cost? The Aria has also been suggested, the XUV500 is an option, the Force 1 needs looking at, and the Duster is on the verge of being released. If you didn't specify a small SUV, I'd even have said an Endy would be worth looking at.

I am afraid I am not voting for either of your choices.

[shankar.balan]

sridhar - yes I dont like big EMI's. Also I dont see any reason why I need to pay double the price in India for a perfectly regular UTE which is sold at half the price abroad. Your point about the Insurance hit is also a valid one and matches with the financial analysis that I have also done, in this regard. Hence, to me these other utility vehicles here in India dont qualify as "high end" at all. I wont buy a CBU ute here in India at these kinds of prices. A Santa Fe costs about 18 lacs in other parts of the world. Here it is priced at 29 lacs for the top spec. why would I spend that kind of money only on account of government duty?

F150 - the Fortuner (and Pajero and so on) are too large for my needs and I dont like the thought of these as my daily driver. Also Im not looking for a "butch" SUV. I also feel that the new Fortuner at 25.3 on road bangalore and used 2009 Fortuners in bangalore at 20-22 lacs are rather over-priced and hence not worth it.

SSTraveller -Unfortunately none of the vehicles you've mentioned meet my particular need/ want state. Ref the Duster I dont want to wait for one more year and then book it and buy it. Also I am reliably informed that the Duster is coming to India initially in its basic 2WD avatar - to take on the likes of Force 1, Scorpio, Safari etc. Going by Renault's pricing strategies so far, I have reason to believe that they are not initially introducing the top end Duster 4WD with all its bells and whistles because their market research consistently says that India only needs the 2WD version because overall sales of 4WD are very low anyway. If they do bring in the Duster top spec even in 2013 or so based on popular demand or change in strategy, theres no problem, I will evaluate it and pperhaps buy it then. My horizon is 2-3 years use for the Tucson because I dont want to use the Scorpio any longer - too tired of it. In any case by that time, there will be lots of interesting options available, including the Korando and Rexton and perhaps even some used Koleos's/ Santa Fe's etc, all of which are definitely going to be better bets than the present choice of SUV's we have here as of this moment - either new or used. The XUV 500 and Force One are yet to be proven in the real world (indian day to day conditions) and I dont want to be one of the first guinea pigs.

I would like this time, after several years of buying and driving only brand new vehicles, to experiment on the "used" route - largely on account of the fact that the initial depreciation hit has been taken by the first owner and because the vehicle in question is really a first class one - very well kept.

Perhaps if this venture works out well, I might decide to stay with the used car route going forward as well, because I would prefer if possible to buy an used vehicle of choice outright rather than take a car loan, if this is at all possible. Let me see whether my thought process is vindicated by experiencing it at first hand.

[itwasntme]

Hi Shankar,

Have followed this thread with a lot of interest. My 2 bits is to go for the Tucson due to your unique combination of averseness to a loan (I empathise 1000%), the difference in total price (9L vs 21L), your focused usage period (3 or 4 years), the known provenance of this particular Tucson (crucial) and last but not the least, the ghost of Skoda's after-sales and stupendous cost of replacement spares.

I'll say go for it immediately!!!!

[shankar.balan]

thanks!
the loan climate is horrible right now.
11.5% car loan (brand new)
16.5% (used car)
18.5% (personal loan)
11-12% - (home loan)
Buying a new Yeti would mean I will take around 10 lacs loan.
I would be paying approx 30000 per month if the loan tenure is around 4 years or so.
At the end of the period I would have paid quite a bomb towards both interest as well as insurance and the other aspect of huge depreciation. generally not worth it in this scenario.
these expensive cars tend to depreciate a huge amount over 4 years as I ve noticed, so in a way it is good to become a second owner thereby taking advantage of this fact.

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Hi Shankar,

Have followed this thread with a lot of interest. My 2 bits is to go for the Tucson due to your unique combination of averseness to a loan (I empathise 1000%), the difference in total price (9L vs 21L), your focused usage period (3 or 4 years), the known provenance of this particular Tucson (crucial) and last but not the least, the ghost of Skoda's after-sales and stupendous cost of replacement spares.

I'll say go for it immediately!!!!

[SS-Traveller]

Shankar, is your requirement specifically for a 4WD vehicle?

[shankar.balan]

yes it absolutely is required for me as of now because I have been managing for the last 6-7 years with 2WD SUV's (Bolero and Scorpio) which met most of my requirements except those of modernity, good fit, finish, ergonomics, safety kit and 4WD.

My requirements are summed up simply as below:

4WD, Proper Safety Kit like Airbags and ABS, TCS etc, Modern, good quality fit and finish, Good Ergonomics, good handling characteristics so preferably a monocoque chassis, car like on the inside for max comfort, Diesel power, high ground clearance for the horrible roads we drive on, small SUV with sufficient and well designed luggage space. reasonably fuel efficient, easy to run and maintain overall. reasonably strong and reliable.

I use my vehicle as a daily driver and on my trips every 2 or 3 months to the jungles and hilly places in South India where I will go onto smaller tracks, estate roads and slushy terrain now and then. Only one vehicle, hence it needs to be an all purpose beast.
And as I ve said I dont want to have to spend big bucks on a perfectly regular ute.

The Tuc would have been my vehicle of choice if I had the funds to buy it 4-5 years back. But I was always displeased that it was overpriced in India on account of the duties for a CBU.

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Shankar, is your requirement specifically for a 4WD vehicle?

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

...easy to run and maintain overall...
The Tuc would have been my vehicle of choice..

I like the Tucson too, except in the department of ease of maintenance. At the risk of repeating myself...

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

The Tucson has been out of production for some years now, and I wouldn't risk running around for overpriced spares as and when the need arises.

...things like clutch, brake components, driveshafts, turbo, engine / GB mounts etc. will need attention during your ownership period, and all these are freakishly expensive as well as difficult to procure, even directly from Hyundai. You might want to research this aspect more closely with dealers/service centres in your local area before investing in the Tucson, however well-maintained the vehicle you have in mind may be.

[shankar.balan]

in normal circumstances this would be my worry too
this particular vehicle has had its clutch replaced recently
also a set of brand new tyres
and a new battery
and the ABS chip was malfunctioning because the light kept coming on unnecessarily - that was also changed recently.
the main thing is that the vehicle's complete history is available and it comes from a person who has owned luxury cars for a long time - long before any of these cars were as common as they are nowadays.
I am planning on this vehicle because the credentials are absolutely impeccable.
I really like the tuc and I think my faith will be rewarded - hope so anyway!

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

I like the Tucson too, except in the department of ease of maintenance. At the risk of repeating myself...

...things like clutch, brake components, driveshafts, turbo, engine / GB mounts etc. will need attention during your ownership period, and all these are freakishly expensive as well as difficult to procure, even directly from Hyundai. You might want to research this aspect more closely with dealers/service centres in your local area before investing in the Tucson, however well-maintained the vehicle you have in mind may be.

[rjstyles69]

shankar lets do some out of the box thinking here. You want an SUV with all the mentioned bells and whistles and no large EMI's what so ever, why don't you go back and take a look at the Scorp' VLX AT itself ?

Requirements are very simple:
1. Small-ish SUV only - no sedans please
2. Max Safety Kit - ABS, Airbags, TCS, EBD, ESP blah blah
3. 4WD
4. Utility and flexibility of space - we are just 2 people most of the time with our luggage and golf stuff. Occasionally the dogs may get taken to the vet in the vehicle, usually one at a time, not all three dogs at once!
5. Reasonably compact for use as a the primary daily driver in the city but yet flexible enough for those quarterly trips to the hills - typically Ooty, Coorg etc.
6. Reasonably tough and reliable
7. Diesel power
8. good handling characteristics especially in the hills
9. good ground clearance to handle Bangalore's craters
10. comfy, plush and car like inside so that one's daily drive is comfortable rather than a chore.

A used Tucson wont come cheap and finding one with less mileage is a herculean task in Bangalore. Considering the fact that you already have owned a scorp' nothing comes close to the offerings from Mahindra is terms of service/power/toughness/reliability et all.
The Scorp' has almost every thing to offer in the above list mentioned by you and the service network is pretty good. Some of the features does cover your list of requirements.

• 6 speed fully electronic automatic transmission
• Airbags
• Tyre Pressure Monitoring System
• Intelli-park
• Rain & Light Sensors
• Cruise Control & Audio Control on Steering wheel
• 4WD

Think about it !!

[Guna]

My suggestion is to go for a used Tuscon, use it for a year or 2 and shop for a 'ideal' new vehicle. By then there must be plenty of choice, like the Duster, Ford mini SUV, Mitsu SRV etc.

[sudev]

@shankar.balan : If you are leaning towards a Tuscon I'd only say that look for one in price band of 5~7lacs maximum. Anything above to me is not intelligent "mind" decision.

[dr_anurag]

If you are considering a pre-owned Tuscon, why not look for a well maintained Forester? They are known to have excellent off-roading capabilities.

[Abhi_Automobile]

Originally Posted by sudev

@shankar.balan : If you are leaning towards a Tuscon I'd only say that look for one in price band of 5~7lacs maximum. Anything above to me is not intelligent "mind" decision.

In NCR region, a used Tucson will not go for more than 5-7 lacs (at the max.), irrespective of the condition of the vehicle. However, Shankar is buying the car in Bangalore, which is notoriously famous for its insanely priced second hand cars. The most obvious reason given is high cost of purchase. While this is a valid reason, I don't think it is the primary reason. If a NCR regior car say Civic V AT which may be of the same purchase value as Civic S MT in Bangalore, would typically fetch lower value (than SMT or similarly priced car)as compared to Bangalore. It s mindset thing. Up north, most people use cars and then let go of it easily. Down south, the tendency is to try and 'squeeze' the max out of a fairly ordinary car too. The lack of availability and high demand are also reasons for high purchase value.

Anyway, although I am quite confident that you won't do so, I still hope that you are not paying anything more than 8 lacs for the car. Its not worth it. Do you mind sharing the cost? Some of us may be interested in a similar purchase. If you are not comfortable sharing the cost in public, you can PM me.

Best of luck!
Abhishek.

[shankar.balan]

rj - thanks but frankly am tired of the Scorp - user fatigue. it wont be easy to buy another one in all honesty. cant face the thought of driving it everyday. I just dont like its driving dynamics and bounciness at all. I dont want to buy another new Scorp at 15.5 lacs on road bangalore. It is just not worth that kind of money in my book. And I dont want any loans - just want to pay and drive off without the loan headaches.
guna - thats exactly the plan - buy now, use for 2 years or 3 years, then keep looking in the market and shop around and buy as more SUVs come into the market at fairer prices than the current ones.
Sudev & Abhi - yes point taken but Bangalore prices do rule high. Am looking at about 8-8.25 lac settlement on the deal max. No broker fees etc.
Abhi - your points are absolutely spot on - ref used car pricing and consumer behaviour here. Also your inputs on pricing are very well taken on board. Im of the same mind after having done a lot of thinking and research on this subject for the last 3 months.
dranurag - I love the Forester. But the Forester is petrol driven and the only examples up for sale are 6-7 years old. I dont want that kind of vehicle at all. There is no comparison between the Foresters available here and this particular Tucson Im looking at, in terms of what I want from a vehicle.