[ronk]

hi guys.. i would like to get some info about automart indias used car services.. read some really bad stuff about it on the net...do any of u have any idea , or maybe any experience with automart india.?

anyways, i would also like to know whether its a good idea to go in for a second hand scorpio.. in calcutta.. budget of around 4L, so im guessing we'll get a 2003 model.. the other option being new santro(we already have one '99 santro).. or maybe at the most a swift ldi, but thats a lil beyond our budget.. and we want a car that performs well on the highway.

oh and finally, can anyone pass some advice on how difficult it would be to maintain an old fiat uno in bombay.. want it mainly for recreational use such as - tbhp drives!! looking for something around 40k.. need to find a way to finance it too, since im just starting work, and i don't intend to us my parents money on my first car!!

[777]

I think you should also try out online portals like autoindia.com. Heard that used cars at good condition are listed in plenty there, that too at reasonable prices. Its my personal opinion.

[lohithrao]

@ronk: Would suggest you do a thorough check before you buy the vehicle.
There is nothing diffrent between them and the other used car dealers.
and automart always qotes high price so be very carful.

btw why a scorpio?

[GeekSrik]

ronk,

dont go to automart india. always do a direct deal. my palio was sold by them to someone, and since i didnt read the fine prints, had to lose a bit of money and peace of mind with them.

my two cents, be out of this.

[tsk1979]

If your car has a market price of X, automart india will give you 20% lower than X if you are lucky, but in most cases its 25-30% lower than X.
Then they will sell the same car to somebody for X+10%

[benbsb29]

Ronk, stay away from automart. I nearly ended up making a purchase from them, but some instinct told me to stay off them. Went in for a new car instead.

As mentioned by the others, do try out some classified listings for the vehicle you are looking for. IMO, they are a more deent bet over these guys.

[ronk]

hey..thanks guys guess i pretty much got the point.. better avoid automart..thought that since they provided a warranty , the extra price made sense..
anyways, now if anyone could help me with my other doubts regardin used unos and scorps..

[drpartha]

Originally Posted by GeekSrik

ronk,

dont go to automart india. always do a direct deal. my palio was sold by them to someone, and since i didnt read the fine prints, had to lose a bit of money and peace of mind with them.

my two cents, be out of this.

I belong to Hyderabad. I am currently gong through a nightmare, having sold my MARUTI-OMNI in an exchange offer to hem. his happened in 2005. Even till oday, the ownership of the car has not yet been transferred to their name (or their customer's name), and the car is being used for all kinds of violations of the law. As the registered owner, I keep getting threatening notices and challans from the Police. I tried contacting hem to sort out this matter. They have posted a cunning/conning Manager (Mr. Sachin Kamte) who keeps bluffing like nobody's business. I have sent them regsitered letters, they happily consign my letters to the dust bin.

If you love peace of mind -- just burn your car or throw it into the deep sea, but NEVER EVER get into a deal wit Mahindra First Choice. I can give you all documentary proof of what I say. Just ask me.

Prof. Partha
partha@gmail.com

[esteem_lover]

I do not know about how First Choice is, but when it was Automart, it was simply awful. They were worse cheats than the common middleman dealer. Their cars were pathetic & the prices were sky high.

@drpartha.. Did you inform the RTO about this ?

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

@drparatha - what exactly happened? Do post your experiences here. Calling people names (cheats, etc) so saying that you have been harassed 10 times does not help; but posting your experiences definitely does.

BTW, even if they did not transfer the ownership to the buyer's name (probably, the buyer is cheating them too?) you can notify the RTO about your sale.

[gd1418]

And why not? Anything wrong in selection of the make?

Originally Posted by lohithrao

@ronk: Would suggest you do a thorough check before you buy the vehicle.
There is nothing diffrent between them and the other used car dealers.
and automart always qotes high price so be very carful.

btw why a scorpio?

[anup7649]

Hey buddy, you are way off in terms of segments. A New santro/ Swift D would surely be good interms of reliability. Since if you are going for a Scorpio at 4lacs, expect atleast 60k-70k run in the vehicle. And to top this up I was told by a mechanic that in scorpios, they open up the engine at 60k once. So god know whether you get a real good engine or a whacky gone-case kinda scorp. So I would suggest go for Swift LDi. That surely will impress you in all ways.
And yeah White Ldi looks awesome man.

Oh boy, why do you want to be in terrible situation by owning a Uno. It wont surely give a mental satisfaction anytime at 40k. I would rather suggest buy a Apache RTR/ some other bike and make your dreams come true at this phase (since you said you are starting ur career now).

Anup

[drpartha]

Originally Posted by drpartha

I belong to Hyderabad. I am currently gong through a nightmare, having sold my MARUTI-OMNI in an exchange offer to hem. his happened in 2005. Even till oday, the ownership of the car has not yet been transferred to their name (or their customer's name), and the car is being used for all kinds of violations of the law. As the registered owner, I keep getting threatening notices and challans from the Police. I tried contacting hem to sort out this matter. They have posted a cunning/conning Manager (Mr. Sachin Kamte) who keeps bluffing like nobody's business. I have sent them regsitered letters, they happily consign my letters to the dust bin.

If you love peace of mind -- just burn your car or throw it into the deep sea, but NEVER EVER get into a deal wit Mahindra First Choice. I can give you all documentary proof of what I say. Just ask me.

Prof. Partha
partha@gmail.com

This is a followup to my earlier post about the used-car scamster Automartindia, Hyderabad.

Forward this message to all your friends and colleagues.
Save them from unscrupulous used-car dealers.

Visit the site :

<A HREF="http://algolog.teamfree.info/marutiweb.htm">
Beware -- used-car fraud -- Beware
<\a>

for a real life story on how these dealers cheat you, and
hoodwink you, and the police and all law-enforcing
agencies.

partha

[manson]

From the many 'real' stories i have heard, all these larger so called true value hubs are a pure hogwash. Most cars they sell come through via they various investors that are linked to them, and the cars they buy are also disposed to their investors. Thats exactly why the transfers are do not take effect immediately which you would mostly expect. Their knowledge of the vehicle's past history is mostly nil if not rubbish.
It is mostly ideal to find a car directly from a seller who is known to you, if not try getting in touch with a dealer who may be known to you, your friends or relatives. This way the chances of you getting cheated are greatly reduced.

manson.

[manson]

Originally Posted by anup7649

And to top this up I was told by a mechanic that in scorpios, they open up the engine at 60k once.

That is a serious misconception. I have a 2004 Scorpio which has done over 90K, and there has been no need to open up the engine.
Infact, i remember GTO posting that M&M have tested the Scorpio motor for a good 3L kms before needing a redo of sorts.
All you would need at 60K would be a third brake pad, and a first clutch change apart from the usual scheduled service.

manson.