[ayushagarwal26]

Even though I'd recommend the XUV for its sheer value proposition as a whole, do remember that a 2011 XUV with 76k kms will have niggles. Especially since it's used and you haven't been around to witness its history.

I own a 2011 XUV that has done 30k kms. Excellent car which does a lot of stuff it's expected to. I love it. No kidding. But it's one of 5 cars in my house, which means we care about outright reliability only when we take it out on the highway.

What I mean is, if I had to trust a TATA / Mahindra as one of my primary two cars in the house, I simply, well, wouldn't. I'd look at an Innova.

A used XUV with 76k kms? Not at all a smart bet.

The XUV is a very capable machine but it is NOT reliable in the long run. Take that from an owner. Although Mahindra's quality of service and warranty replacements are awesome, a car that breaks down does sort of leave you stranded on the street. Help comes only later.

My car has faced a failed headlight, some interior lighting issues, replacement of the central entertainment system/computer unit, a failed (sunken) clutch due to master cylinder failure, a brake pad failure, and a power steering oil leak due to a leak in one of the rack/pinion assy hydraulics. The last three meant I couldn't drive anymore, wherever I was. The car needed to be towed.

All in less than 3 years and 30k kms, when serviced regularly at A**, and maintained with a lot of love and care. Repairs under warranty were promptly and satisfactorily done, and the car was always picked up and dropped / towed for free. But a car that fails in major mechanical areas within a short duration of its lifespan doesn't give you confidence. We've been out of town repeatedly in this car, thankfully with no issues - but every time I go out on the highway, I feel a little jittery. It is a Mahindra after all.

[puneetnay]

Wow! Such a long list of replies. That's why I just love tbhp!!
Thanks everyone for putting your thoughts on this and helping me out.
The way I understood, I shouldn't rely on the MFC dealership at all. This model of XUV might not be the one for me. Still I'll go for its inspection and test drive this weekend. I will definitely pressurize for service history and try to verfiy all the records in detail. I'll keep you updated.

Ertiga, though a great car but somehow it fails to impress me. Last row seating is the deal breaker there. Looking forward to Mobilio though.
I am actually a great fan of XUVs aesthetics and it keeps attracting me.

Thanks again for your kind words of caution.

[sachinayak]

I would go against the tide here and suggest you to go for it, provided you have access to the service history (which seems very doable) and there is no accident history.

Niggles are expected undoubtedly, but most important differentiator what you get is
- Safety kit including 6 airbags, ESP with rollover mitigation, ABS + EBD and all-wheel disc brakes (picked up from T-BHP review)

Unless you get a top-end Innova or a top-end Ertiga, you will not get any safety features in them, and even top top-end models do not come with 6 airbags if i understand correctly.

Your choice - Reliability or Safety, where can you compromise?

I am exactly in your situation, except that the resale values in Bangalore are ridiculously high and hence sharing my point of view.

[SDP]

A good query and some fantastic answers.
Here're my views:

1. 8L for a 76K run vehicle is just too high. I dont know what could be the right price, but most likely it would be at least 1-1.5L less.

2. 2011 vehicles are first batch vehicles and are best avoided. Having said that, if you are a bit adventurous and want to take a calculated risk, you may still look at this particular piece albeit at a much a lower price.

3. I would specifically call your attention to ayushagarwal26's post and the failures he has mentioned that had left him stranded. Please note that clutch failure and power-steering failure are known problems from initial batches and have been solved with better-design/better-quality parts subsequently. Brake-pads and balancer-bar bushes have also gone through multiple redesigns and the current ones seem to be working decently. By going through the service history, you would be able to figure out if these problems have been solved in this particular vehicle.

4. I have a 2 year old 20K run XUV and the interiors are still as good as new. So I would tend to believe that the plastics and seat-leather is of decent quality and the car would age well with time.

Do have a look at it and consider it only if you are completely satisfied with the service-history and if the price is right.

[Sommos]

Originally Posted by puneetnay

I am actually a great fan of XUVs aesthetics and it keeps attracting me.

If that is the case then this XUV was put up in the classified section last month :http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...00-kms-up.html

I'm not sure whether it is still available but you surely can vouch for a very well maintained XUV, though you may need to streach your budget. I think there is no harm in contacting the owner and hopefully he may make some consideration for a fellow member.

[trucksingh]

I recently bought a used 2010 Safari Dicor and I went through similar situations. I would suggest you wait, 8 lacs is a very good budget and you will find a good used SUV for that. Below is what I would suggest:

# Look for private dealers through personal contacts, olx, quikr, company classifieds... I am in bangalore and lots of folks leave for US, they have good cars selling for cheap. Used cars dealerships are notorious and have great expertise in rolling back the ODO I would not suggest buying a car from them unless it is a CPO.

# Go for a car that has < 40k kms.

# Make sure all maintenance is done at the dealership. For my Safari it was exclusively maintained at kht motors and they did not hesitate to give me all the records when I provided the vehicle registration #. Cross check the service interval miles with the miles on the ODO, extrapolate and conclude the kms on the car are genuine.

# Next come the mechanical checks engine n transmission, do your due diligence. Check the SUV for under carriage damages coz folks do offroading an stuff, check any hits on the shaft bro!

All the best! I hope you find you car soon.

- Singh

[.anshuman]

Majority of the niggles in the early batch cars have been rectified under warranty. I own a 2012 Jan vehicle and my vehicle is almost niggle free(check ownership thread for details).

[dreamz_mak]

I have a 2010 SX4 ZXi odo @ 35k kms and would be starting to look for buyers in June 2nd Week.

After much thought for my next upgrade i decided to look at the XUV500 W8 AWD variant in the used car market.. I've heard these are hard to come by because dealers usually quote dirt cheap prices for them stating that none wants them? is that true?

I have a budget of 10 Lacs and looking for 2012 - 2013 model as well, i have yet to find one.

@OP, I would not go for any car which has driven over 50k in the used car, 76k kms is a bit much, and if not now within the next year it would start to give you very high maintenance. as replacement of certain parts are necessary (as mentioned in the manual)

As a general rule DO NOT trust any dealers for what they say, unless you know the person well. as for odo Tampering you can check the service record available from the Mahindra ASC, they record the date, time & kms at the time of service. so if that also says 76K Kms and all past services have been done within 10 - 15k Kms then it would be safe to say that there has been no tampering with the odo.

[Ocizer]

Originally Posted by puneetnay

Ertiga, though a great car but somehow it fails to impress me. Last row seating is the deal breaker there.

isnt the Ertiga's third row better than the XUV's which is only best suited for kids

[SDP]

Originally Posted by dreamz_mak

...After much thought for my next upgrade i decided to look at the XUV500 W8 AWD variant in the used car market.. I've heard these are hard to come by because dealers usually quote dirt cheap prices for them stating that none wants them? is that true?
....

As you might be already aware, the AWD bookings were stopped immediately after launch and remained that way for a significant amount of time. The rumour is that they were facing serious niggles in the AWD at the launch and took it off till they sorted out the mess.

So there are not too many AWDs from the first year on the road. That could explain why they are hard to find in the used-car market.

[puneetnay]

Originally Posted by Ocizer

isnt the Ertiga's third row better than the XUV's which is only best suited for kids

I don't know the exact dimensions but, I am telling from my experiences.

Once I had to go to my office at Gurgaon in Ertiga (cab) from Delhi. I was unwanted passenger in that cab with front and middle row seats already taken. So, had to find solace only at the last row. I am 5' 10", average bult guy and for me settling in that last row was too much of an ask. I found Ertiga too cramped.

My experience in XUV as a last bencher was much comfortable when I went to Agra with a friend of mine. May be my lust for "Cheetah" turned me into a kid that day!!

Originally Posted by Sommos

If that is the case then this XUV was put up in the classified section last month :http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...00-kms-up.html

I'm not sure whether it is still available but you surely can vouch for a very well maintained XUV, though you may need to streach your budget. I think there is no harm in contacting the owner and hopefully he may make some consideration for a fellow member.

The "Sita" has been sold but, thanks for the pointing me to that thread!!

[anjan_c2007]

Going by what condition the W 8 variant from 2011 could be in, having done 76 K kms, I would too not venture, as it is quoted by Mahindra First Choice who are famous in quite a few things they can do to boost sales to gullible customers.The XUV 500 was launched sometime in Aug- Sept 2011, so this one must be two years some months old now.

Apart from all the facts stated by our members here, I would suggest that you check the make, date of manufacture and condition of all the five tyres fitted and the one being used as stepney. The make of the tyres fitted gives clues about the changes. Incongruity (viz. if thre tyres of the same make and one different and so on) should raise suspicion.The date of manufacture gives us clues as to when the tyre was changed, as during its 76 K run (if genuine) the original set of four should have gone nearly bald at 40 K kms and new ones fitted sometime in late 2012 or early 2013 (mid life of the SUV now some 2 years some months old), when the SUV had done 40 K kms. And logically, these should have reached the end of their life by now with the tread now in the last stages. Or else, if the owner has been canny and careful, he must have changed the set of four very recently. So the date of manufacture, if new tyres are fitted should be some month of 2014.

But practically, tyres are now a days changed in batches. The front tyres go first to get replaced by new ones. Then later ,the owner again fits new tyres to the front wheels and puts the front tyres on the rear wheels.

The driver's seat (removing the seat cover) condition, can also give you an idea of the abuse if any, the SUV has gone through. This is because the driver's seat is most important to get an insight about the use/ abuse the car/SUV was put to. Also get all the new seat covers fitted by Mahindra First Choice (they are famous for fitting new ones over the tattered original seat fabric) removed and you can visualise the use/abuse the SUV has undergone.

It is always better if the second hand purchase is undertaken from a seller who is known to you or someone close to you.

Delhi market is quite famous for selling many doddering cars, that are reconditioned to a spick and span condition, with the intention to obliterate their past history.

[SDP]

Some really good pointers there anjan_c2007 !!

Please pardon me for nitpicking: the W8 comes with leather seats and due to side-airbags, they carry a tag advising against putting seat-covers. So I doubt if this particular specimen would have seat-covers. But as you pointed out correctly, with First Choice, anything is possible.

Quite a few things to learn from your post. Will keep that in mind if I am in the market for a used car. Thanks for sharing!

[puneetnay]

Hello,

As expected, on Friday evening I got a call from one Mr. Bhuppi from MFC dealership at NSP, New Delhi. An appointment for Saturday was fixed. I told him that I would verify all the service records and a friend of mine would check the mechanical for me. He agreed to it and 11 AM slot got scheduled.

When I reached there, Mr. Bhuppi was nowhere to be seen. I was told that he was on leave. I knew it there and then, it's not a good omen. Something is wrong here!!

Anyway, I went ahead and asked another guy to help me out. Mr. Shail. He was friendly and asked me what I was looking for. I told him that Bhuppi has called me to inspect an XUV 500, 2011 model with 76K run. Shail immediately took me to the white XUV parked outside. My mechanic friend, Radhey, took the keys and opened the bonnet immediately and started doing his job. Meanwhile, I started chatting with Shail and I asked him to fetch me all the service history. Without any hesitation he went inside and got me all the papers. To my shock, the vehicle got serviced only 5 times in the total of 76K run and last service was done recently when odo was at 74.5K. The second last service as done at some 40K Kms. Good 36K difference between the last 2 services. Anyway, that was not important as I had already made my mind that I am not taking this vehicle home. Out of curiosity I asked Shail if he knew about the owner of the vehicle and how he managed to run 76K Kms in just 3 years. Shail told me, this XUV belonged to a local MLA. It was not used but abused during the recent Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. The vehicle did over 40K in just 10 months. Once I heard this, my ears stopped listening to anything more.

Radhey, finished his work quickly and it was a plain "No" from him. I didn't ask him much about why he reached at this conclusion.

I casually asked the price. This time I was told 7 lacs (1 Lac less from what Bhuppi told me over phone). I had nothing more to say to Shail. Radhey and I took leave from him. End of the story for this XUV!!

But I am glad, Shail didn't try to pretend or hide anything. Kudos to him for his honest work!!



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[me_sid]

76 K on the odo, for a 3 year old vehicle, means it has seen extensive use or abuse. And yes coming from the first batch they had the maximum number of niggles. Though Mahindra is extremely proactive in sorting the niggles out, but at times, this is quite irritating. I own a 2012 Sept W6 and trust me when I see this. ( Don't forget I have seen a engine swap in my XUV ). My two cents, don't even think about this vehicle, try searching for Q4 2012 or better still 2013 vehicle, might be a shade costly but worth every penny. Also take the registration number to any service center, ask for a service history, if you cant pm me. And once you are convinced then take the car to any service center for a thorough check up before paying a dime.