[tilt]

Originally Posted by manveet

You may already know this, but seller expectations on Thar prices are usually (mistakenly) hugely inflated. If you see a vehicle you like, do quote what you feel is a fair price, the seller may actually come around. Also, rather pay a premium to the direct seller (in case you can find one) than go via the reseller route.

Like you rightly mentioned, apart from tires and maybe a hard top, all accessories are a sunk cost for the seller. Infact, any mods more than those, should make the vehicle go down your priority list.

Patience is the key. There's a Thar for everyone Best of luck!

Thank you. I did find one (Car 0) and make an offer that I thought was reasonable (and it was quite a bit more than my original budget, more than what I could afford), but the seller preferred to wait for better offers or not sell at all until they receive better offers.

So, until I find another decent piece, or the seller decides to accept my offer, I am in wait-mode.

Thank you and cheers

[ramnaresh_2000]

Thar is a dream car for many. I wanted to buy one for myself as well 2 years back, but went ahead with TUV 300. I still regret my decision whenever I see a Thar on road. I would suggest to go with direct sellers than re-sellers.

In my opinion the Car 2 looks good, but Car 1 has front facing rear seats (if this is something you want). If you can get a good deal on Car 2 then go for it, the condition looks great, tires are looking in good condition.

Check it with local MASS and if no accident history, then a max of 6.5 lakhs would be a good price for this Thar. Anyways best of luck.

[TaurusAl]

Friends, Off late the off-roading bug has bitten me.

I keep watching the off-roading videos on YouTube as well as the ones shot in Ladakh. I own a XUV and a Swift Petrol. The Swift does local duties and XUV is used mainly on weekends and if doing long interstate tours.

Now I am planning to sell off the Swift and replace it with a used Thar CRDE 4X4.

I have driven a friend's Thar a couple of times in Goa. More than that, I know nothing about the vehicle. My friend happens to be a female who is not car savvy and restricts the Thar only to ferry her 4 legged family. So naturally she is of little help to me in terms of giving inputs about the vehicle performance and maintenance apart from the normal service that she does religiously.

I am looking for a used Thar alright, but I know nothing how to check on how much the vehicle is abused.

I have the following questions

1) How is the maintenance of the Thar, compared to the swift. (Just for comparison)
2) What should be the signs to check for if the vehicle has been abused and not taken care off.
3) Is it a comfortable vehicle to drive down for about 600 kms at a stretch ? Does it get heated or anything like that ?
4) Any other suggestion that I 'must' consider before taking the plunge.

PS. My budget is about 5 lacs.

[TaurusAl]

Originally Posted by tilt

Hello,



Car 1:
https://www.olx.in/item/mahindra-tha...iid-1520163837

Car 2:
https://www.olx.in/item/mahindra-tha...iid-1518400799

Thank you all and cheers

Can you update on what did you finally do ? I am in the same boat and looking to learn from your buying experience of an used Thar.

[DirtyDan]

Originally Posted by TaurusAl

I am looking for a used Thar alright, but I know nothing how to check on how much the vehicle is abused.

I have the following questions

1) How is the maintenance of the Thar, compared to the swift. (Just for comparison)
2) What should be the signs to check for if the vehicle has been abused and not taken care off.
3) Is it a comfortable vehicle to drive down for about 600 kms at a stretch ? Does it get heated or anything like that ?
4) Any other suggestion that I 'must' consider before taking the plunge.

PS. My budget is about 5 lacs.

0.) I would take it to a trusted body shop (painter/denter) and have it inspected to see if it has ever been in an accident. Painter/Denter will know
in 2 minutes or less, if he is any good.

1.) Maintenance...probably a bit more than Swift. This will be true of any 4x4.
Ball joints, tie rod ends, steering components need routine inspection
and replacement on Mahindra Jeeps. To NOT DO SO is courting disaster.

2.) It would be nice if the previous owner kept a vehicle log of maintenance and repairs. That is what I do, I keep a little book of ALL repairs, oil changes, tyre purchases, alignments....but nobody does this except me I think. Ask for oil change records. Changing motor oil and proof thereof is hugely important.

Tell the guy you want to take it out for two hours and that you will put fuel in it.
Make sure you run the motor for at least 30 minutes straight. Then observe the exhaust and look for smoke, over-heating etc. Better yet, spend a little money and take an old road-side mechanic with you. He may know from the sound of the motor and experience whether you got a cream puff or a lemon on hand. Spend a few hundred here and maybe save yourself tens of thousands of Indian rupees later.

3.) No. Not comfortable for 600km. I routinely take mine on long trips, but I take breaks. The rear seats are flat torture and are a violation of the Geneva Convention on treatment of war prisoners. You can change out the seats front and/or rear. You can add padded seat covers. But a Thar will generally chew your.....

4.) I own a 2013 Thar and a December 2018 Thar. I am not in love with them. But I am "In Like" with them. They serve my purpose, they are adequate to slightly above adequate here at the Front Range of the Himalayas. I dabble as a "Bad roader" as opposed to a hard core "Off-roader". They are some value for money compared to what else is out there in the market. I routinely take my Thar on a 1700km trip across North India into Nepal. I have done this 12 times or so. It has never let me down. It has always assaulted my backside a bit. But I limit my trips to two people. Beyond two is unthinkable except for short trips.

There is an old American joke about Harley Davidson motorcycles that may apply. "The Divinity owns 5 Harleys. One on the road, 4 in the shop." It helps if you live near a GOOD Mahindra mechanic or shop and/or own more than one. If you have 5-6 lakh, then I would buy for 4-5 lakh and keep 1 lakh in the "war chest" for repairs and mods. Good tyres can make or break a driving experience with a 4x4 even more than a 4x2. How many times do you see 4x4s stuck in the slush on YouTube because they have lousy tyres? (LOTS!)......Neither of my Thars overheats on hard usage e.g. on the Leh-manali road. Not even close. This is something I watch closely as over-heating is a good way to damage an engine very quickly. I flush the entire cooling system every 20,000km or so and use coolant, not just water, to prevent corrosion.

There are some other little tricks you can do with a used Thar. Look thru threads on this site.

[tilt]

Originally Posted by TaurusAl

Can you update on what did you finally do ? I am in the same boat and looking to learn from your buying experience of an used Thar.

Nothing is happening, am still in wait-mode :(

Cheers

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by tilt

Nothing is happening, am still in wait-mode :(

Is it because you are not coming across good examples?

[tilt]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

Is it because you are not coming across good examples?

Not necessarily. I have other things to take care of before I get back into buying mode.

Cheers

[Kosfactor]

If you are having a new Thar CRDe, maintenance is just routine, there is 4 year extended warranty now, so all good there. As long as you don't mess with the specs, nothing will go wrong. All service centers do not have guys who are trained on this , so be careful there. This is not a Swift, there are a lot of points for inspection during routine service, like the suspension bits , hoses, belts etc.

If you are like me , I insist on all servicing and repair be done at Mahindra itself , so a used Thar should have full service history, and should look reasonably stock, I will stay away from anything where they have gone too much beyond the specs, huge tires , suspension lifts , engine mods, aftermarket air filter , cuts, drills , welds, local hard tops that will rust etc.

On it's fifth year I expect the following expenses. (If the previous owner hasn't done it already)

1. Tyres
2. Battery
3. Clutch
4. Weather strips
5. Canopy
6. Rubber hoses
7. Vacuum modulators
8. Tie rods
9. Suspension bushes
10. Wheel bearings
11. Brake rotors and pads

9&10 if the wheels and tires were out of specs.

Is it comfortable for a 600km trip? Yes for two or three and a lot of luggage, take breaks to stretch out a bit. Soft top will make noise, but you will get used to it. Overheat? Nope!
It will however spill some of the coolant, some batches have this problem, so a top up maybe required more often than Swift.

[DirtyDan]

My 2013 has 122,000km on it. The engine is very sound, burns no oil. I change the oil religiously. Here's the story:

1.) Rebuilt alternator
2.) Two new batteries
3.) Whole clutch rebuild including plastic hydraulic pieces, clutch plate assembly. throw-out bearing....about 12,000rupees...this fixed it.
4.) 6 wheel bearings, not too expensive at all. Maybe 300 rupees each plus labor.
5.) Cloth top disintegrated, went to a metal half-cab.
6.) Two drive shaft universals.
7.) Ball joints and tie rod ends 3 times.
8.) New water pump
9.) New windshield wiper motor (on warranty)
10.) rebuilt starter motor
11.) New heater/Air cond switch
12.) Radiator leak fixed.
13.) Brake pads front and rear...3 times.

[Abh!$hek]

Hello fellow BHPians.

This is my first post and a cry for help.
I recently Moving to Pune. I am looking for a used Mahindra Thar to satisfy my college dream of owning one.
Things i am looking for in a Thar:
1. Was/ has/ will be mesmerized from the way she looks.
2. Want to start off-roading (currently have no experience).
3. As i am young comfort is the last thing i am looking at.
4. Can do with front 2 seats also.(bachelor)
5. Should be under 5 lakhs.
6. Will use as my primary vehicle.
7. Usage will be 3 to 4 years or until my parents bury me in the responsibility of marriage and have to buy a practical car.

First owner Thars are off my list because of exorbitant price they are asking, which is upwards 7 lakhs. I might as well go and buy a new one for a more few lakhs.

Presently shortlisted on two Thars (4x4 Crde):

1. A 2013, 57k on odo with a second owner:
Vehicle is stock except alloy wheels and H/T tires.
Innova seats in front as well as rear but the condition is poor.(new
seat-covers needed)
rust can be seen in some places on the outer body.
Under an impression of a leaking roof.
Asking price 5.2 lakhs.(negotiated price)

2. 2011, 80k on odo, second owner:
offroad wheels, maxxis A/T tires, offroad bumpers, fitted snorkel.
Asking price 4.5 lakhs. (non-negotiated)

Is it okay to buy 5 to 8 years old mahindra vehicle?
As a Mahindra Jeep is much known for its rattles than anything else.
Are Mahindra thars reliable to be bought used?

Current options:
1. Buy one of the above two.
2. Buy a new 2019 Thar.
3. Wait for new-gen 2020 Thar.

Please advice on the above 3 options.
PS: Don't want to wait for the next-gen thar, even a day feels like a year now. (Need a Thar ASAP.)

Also a good Thar/Mahindra mechanics contact to get the vehicles checked will be deeply appreciated.

[alpha1]

Have you experienced the Thar for extended period of driving?
IF no, I suggest you do that ... I did it while I was in Goa: I rented Thar for a few days and did few centuries of kilometers and decided that Thar (for me) is one those things that are good for temporary pleasure only.

Ofcourse this stand may change with the soon to be released new Thar which is touted to be considerably more modern with amenities and refinement.

[2000rpm]

Originally Posted by alpha1

Have you experienced the Thar for extended period of driving?
IF no, I suggest you do that ... I did it while I was in Goa: I rented Thar for a few days and did few centuries of kilometers and decided that Thar (for me) is one those things that are good for temporary pleasure only.

Ofcourse this stand may change with the soon to be released new Thar which is touted to be considerably more modern with amenities and refinement.

Exactly my experience. The THAR cant be a daily use car. PERIOD!

On Normal roads, a Maruti 800 is a much better car than a THAR from all perspectives (pickup, handling, gearshift, steering, etc).

Some using THAR as a daily drive is either a "Shiner" or Masochist.

[Abh!$hek]

Originally Posted by alpha1

Have you experienced the Thar for extended period of driving?
IF no, I suggest you do that ... I did it while I was in Goa: I rented Thar for a few days and did few centuries of kilometers and decided that Thar (for me) is one those things that are good for temporary pleasure only.

Ofcourse this stand may change with the soon to be released new Thar which is touted to be considerably more modern with amenities and refinement.

The problem with me is have been head over-heels for the vehicle.
I know its impractical, but that does not play a part here. But you are right i should be able to get some hands-on experience before jumping onto a decision of buying one.

[tilt]

Originally Posted by alpha1

Have you experienced the Thar for extended period of driving?
IF no, I suggest you do that ... I did it while I was in Goa: I rented Thar for a few days and did few centuries of kilometers and decided that Thar (for me) is one those things that are good for temporary pleasure only.

Ofcourse this stand may change with the soon to be released new Thar which is touted to be considerably more modern with amenities and refinement.

Originally Posted by 2000rpm

Exactly my experience. The THAR cant be a daily use car. PERIOD!

On Normal roads, a Maruti 800 is a much better car than a THAR from all perspectives (pickup, handling, gearshift, steering, etc).

Some using THAR as a daily drive is either a "Shiner" or Masochist.

I do not know which generation of Thar the two of you drove; but I recently drove a 2018 Thar from Bangalore to Jaisalmer and back (2000 kms one way). Other than the flapping noise of the soft-top I did not find it even the least bit uncomfortable or back-breaking or tiring.

And 2000rpm, no issues with pickup (pretty decent, not a screamer, but not at all bad); handling, gear-shifting or steering. All of these were in my opinion on par with your Maruti 800 or even my old 2014 i20 Asta.

Please note, this comes from a man whose daily-driver is a 2015 facelifted Volkswagen Jetta TDI 2.0 with a DSG; a fully loaded car with electrically adjusted seats, climate control, power-everything; and someone who has done over 90000 kms in merely four years of ownership.

So, anyone who says a Thar cannot be a daily driver has not driven a recent model-year Thar.

Of course, it cannot be a daily-driver for someone who needs more than two seats on a regular basis, or someone whose cruising speeds are way higher than 120 kmph or someone who is an audiophile. For everyone else, there's absolutely no reason to say it cannot be a daily-driver.

Is there a negative in my opinion? Yes - if you have a soft-top, you'd better park your car where you can keep an eye on it while travelling, especially if you have luggage, because the car cannot be practically locked.
Cheers