[shankar.balan]

I think you will easily get a Scorpio at 6 lacs.

Try and get one of 2010-2012 vintage because those will be of the newer type, better engines and in general, revamped suspension and better seat configuration.

These are very tough cars and will generally serve a person comfortably for years.

Try and buy one from an individual city user rather than from a dealer.
Also do try and buy one which comes loaded with Airbags and ABS etc.
All the best.

[king of cochin]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

I think you will easily get a Scorpio at 6 lacs.

Hi Sir,

I have been scouring several second hand cars sales portals online and I see such cars being listed at around 9 lakhs and more!! I would be happiest to get a car with ABS and airbags as I consider them vital. So is it really possible to get such a Scorpio for 6 lakhs?

Also is there any approach that I am missing? How do I find individuals selling Scorpio if not through these online sites like cartrade and carwale?

Thanks.

[amrisharm]

Originally Posted by king of cochin

Hi Sir,

I have been scouring several second hand cars sales portals online and I see such cars being listed at around 9 lakhs and more!! I would be happiest to get a car with ABS and airbags as I consider them vital. So is it really possible to get such a Scorpio for 6 lakhs?

Also is there any approach that I am missing? How do I find individuals selling Scorpio if not through these online sites like cartrade and carwale?

Thanks.

You can also try Olx and Quikr. There are hundreds of listings there, and the ads are not as well laid out as on carwale or cartrade. So you have to analyse the ads in detail. If you still cant find one then keep looking on these sites regularly, do keep in mind good and cheap cars are posted by individuals regularly, but they wont last long as usually dealers grab them immediately to resell. So if you see one you like then act immediately.

[sriramaero]

Hi Guys,

I am on the lookout for a SUV probably a second hand one, But I couldn't come down to any single choice because I am not able to find the right balance between the cost, performance and comfort. I am posting this hoping that you experienced people with put in your thoughts in nailing down a choice.

Here goes my requirements :

• This is my first Phase - 70 % of the time I will be Cruising. I will be using my vehicle on the highways along with my family for long distance cruise between Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. I think, this phase as with what everyone generally expects, I would like to have a good comfort in ride since we will be traveling with family and sometimes over-night trips, etc. Keeping these in mind, I thought to go for a Bolero or Scorpio since we don't need any 4x4 vehicle for highway cruises.

• Now, my second phase is Exploring. 20% of the time, I will plan for trips to quench my wildlife photography thirst. This is definitely not on highways. Most of the time, in my previous trips, I have ended up with bad roads, mud roads, steep climbs, where you really don't need a 4x4 but you need a good ground clearance. As I know ground clearance is the factor here I checked my filtered vehicles - Bolero and Scorpio. I found that both are having 180 mm ground clearance.

• My last phase is Off-Roading. The remaining 10% of the time, I will be using my vehicle for good off-roading. Since I will not be doing any hard core off-road trips to Leh, Ladakh, other North Indian places,I am not expecting a hard core off roader like Thar, Jeep, etc. However, I will be doing some considerable amount of off-roading in the National Parks in South India. I would prefer that my vehicle doesn't gets stuck in the mud in case if there are heavy rains and I would expect it to cross some jungle streams as well. So, I am sure that I need a good vehicle which can tackle difficult terrains. But my question is, Can Bolero do it? If Bolero can do it I will be saving a lot of money than investing in Scorpio

I have explored our Team-BHP forum and seen lots of videos in youtube as well. I have seen lot of off-roading been done in Bolero 4x2 as well. If you think that there are some other vehicles in the same range, please help me understand why I should consider them. And most importantly, I will be using the vehicle for 5 years and then I am sure I will upgrade to another vehicle afterwards. Your feedback and help in this would help me nailing down the right vehicle.

[shankar.balan]

Clearly your needs will be met by a Safari, a Bolero or Scorpio.
Of these the Safari and Scorpio are better Cruisers with the Safari winning by a long mile.
And these are quite good on off road as long as you don't take the 2WD versions deep into water, slush or sand because then their inherent weight will cause them to sink and no amount of engine traction will pull you out.
You can even get a lovely used Safari at very nice low prices because of the Tata vehicles' inherently poor resale values and this vehicle, by far, is the most comfortable of the three.
Given your 70:20:10 ratio across the three use cases, I do believe that you will thoroughly enjoy the Safari most. It is the best designed, extremely comfortable inside, will not give you back ache and will enable you to transport a large number of people and your equipment across different types of terrain.
Try and get the V2 Dicor 2.2 engine - if possible, the VX version with Electric 4x4.
They are superb vehicles. Just that they are not practical in terms of their huge size, for the cities. They are perfect for the highways, cruising, medium off road and definitely for exploring.

[sudev]

Bolero.

1. Easy and widespread repair network including garages that cater to taxi jeeps etc.
2. If that 10% is really important and difficult get a winch. Even better extrication than 4x4 in case of slush mud.
3. GC is more. AFAIK the reported 180mm is with some plastic cladding.
4. VFM

Getting a good second hand one may be a problem as most of the people who own them keep running them till its ready to give up ghost.

[Nik2772]

According to your requirements, look for a 4x2 vehicle with good off roading characeristics because 70 % of your drive is on levelled roads. That 30 % offroad drive can be managed with a 4x2 also with capable chassis.

Ground clearance of both the vehicles (not sure about Bolero though) is more than the indicated clearance. As sudev said, there is a plastic cladding which allows for a lower GC, and a tax saving for these vehicles. This can be easily removed and the clearance under the axles is actually more. Bolero and Scorpio are very capable cars and can handle mild off roading very well, in the 4x2 avatar.

I would suggest the Scorpio. Bolero is a dated model and might not be as plush on the highway drives that you would plan. A used vehicle would be preferred since you would be selling it off in 5 years. Bolero and Scorpio owners keep their vehicles for a longer time (8-10 years) and finding a good condition used car would be difficult, but you will be happily selling it off in another 5 years without taking a hit by the taxes and depreciation.

PS. Please give your budget details and are you looking for a new or used car?

[Rahul Bhalgat]

Originally Posted by sriramaero

Hi Guys,

I am on the lookout for a SUV probably a second hand one, But I couldn't come down to any single choice because I am not able to find the right balance between the cost, performance and comfort. I am posting this hoping that you experienced people with put in your thoughts in nailing down a choice.

Hi sriramaero,
Besides Scorpio, Bolero and Safari, you can also consider Duster. The ride is very comfortable and it has good ground clearance.

[gypsyFreak]

Originally Posted by sriramaero

Hi Guys,

I am on the lookout for a SUV probably a second hand one, But I couldn't come down to any single choice because I am not able to find the right balance between the cost, performance and comfort. I am posting this hoping that you experienced people with put in your thoughts in nailing down a choice.

Here goes my requirements...

I see that you are now in the same boat which I was in 2012.
I too was looking for 4wd tourer, my options were pretty wide at the beginning including used imports (Toyota Hilux, Terracan, Pajero...) and local heavyweights (Bolero, Scorpio and Safari).
The imports were ruled out because additional maintenance headaches (parts/labour skills...)
So it was down to Bolero, Scorpio, Safari (and Gypsy + Thar).

Let me share my research on these vehicles.

Since I was looking for a family tourer, I ruled out Gypsy and Thar mainly due to lack of creature comforts (AC + PS) and no closed cabin. Although these could be retrofitted, but I was not keen on spending money, time and effort on these.

Bolero is the cheapest of the lot. But problem is it is underpowered for highway cruises (50 - 60 BHP, compared to 120 and 130 BHP for Scorpio/Safari). Imagine a family of 5 plus luggage on a highway.
In the current line-up there is no version of Bolero with AC and 4x4. Although there was only one version Slx 4wd with XD3P engine, that is no longer on sale since 2010. Finding a used Slx 4wd is out of question. So, either you have to buy a Bolero 4wd (DI engine) and get AC retrofitted (done by our forum member "BlackPearl") or just go for a 2WD Bolero (mDicr engine)

Scorpio although expensive than Bolero ticks all the marks (comforts, luggage space for 5, 4wd). I bought a new Scorpio Lx 4wd in 2012, since my better half was not keen on a used one. Also, used Scorpio 4wd are difficult to find.

Safari, would have been my first choice, if there was a Safari LX 4wd. But the non-availability of it plus the attitude of Tata sales put me off. Safari also ticks all the boxes, but the 4wd is more expensive than a Scorpio. It is available in VX trim only which is a cool 3-4 lakhs above Scorpio Lx 4wd.

In the end I bought a new Scorpio Lx 4wd and simply loving it. Have participated Mahindra Great Escapes, driven in Jungle trails(Karnataka National parks don't allow private vehicles inside, unless you are pretty well connected), completed Karnataka and South trip with 6 persons and luggage with comfort.

Also, a 4wd is not a necessity in all places. A 2wd with high GC and good AT/MT tyres should be enough. But having a 4wd would give you peace of mind. For example, i had taken my Scorpio to Mandalpatti (near Abbey falls, Madikeri). Here the last 200 mts there is no road, only a dirt track with a small steep dip/incline. There was a 2wd Scorpio in front of me, where everyone had to get down and the driver gunned the incline. In my case, my family were quite curios, i asked them sit tight and just shifted to 4Low and crawled smoothly...
In the second case, on the way to Gaalikere (Bababudangiri). There was a Zen in front of me, who stopped at the last 100 mts and walked up. I was able to take it up the incline in 4Low. The look on their faces on seeing the Scorpio was priceless ..

This is my research.

Considering that you are looking for a family cruiser, i guess AC, PS, leg room and luggage space would be of priority. If you are open for a second hand option do look out for a Scorpio 4wd or Safari 4wd. Reach out to contacts if you have any in Madikeri (chances of finding a used Bolero 4wd are better there). If your budget permits do check new Scorpio S4 4wd or used Fortuner 4wd (both around 12 lakhs).
Only recent addition is Duster AWD, but it is 12+ and i have no idea about it's offroad capability. (a nice discussion on this can be read if you search Sandkaphu + Duster).

[sriramaero]

Dear gypsyFreak,

Originally Posted by gypsyFreak

Considering that you are looking for a family cruiser, i guess AC, PS, leg room and luggage space would be of priority. If you are open for a second hand option do look out for a Scorpio 4wd or Safari 4wd. Reach out to contacts if you have any in Madikeri (chances of finding a used Bolero 4wd are better there). If your budget permits do check new Scorpio S4 4wd or used Fortuner 4wd (both around 12 lakhs).
Only recent addition is Duster AWD, but it is 12+ and i have no idea about it's offroad capability. (a nice discussion on this can be read if you search Sandkaphu + Duster).

Thanks a ton for your elaborate words and sharing your research work while you were buying your Scorpio 4WD. Your words mean a lot to me.

[gypsyFreak]

Originally Posted by sriramaero

Dear gypsyFreak,



Thanks a ton for your elaborate words and sharing your research work while you were buying your Scorpio 4WD. Your words mean a lot to me.

Check out the Scorpio S4 Plus 4wd if budget permitting, the one with Airbags, ABS, EBD and 4wd. Simple 4wd without electronic gizmos and complete safety for family.

- Sudeep

[busydrive]

Looks like this thread hasn't seen any update for sometime. Reviving it!
I was looking for an used suv - automatic for sometime. Found one 2015 Scorpio having done roughly 35 thousand kilometer. Asking price of 10 lakhs.
Would like to know from the experts who have owned Scorpio automatic on the potential issues I can encounter on the gearbox and if it makes sense to go for it. The car looked ok not much rattles etc. Overall find it ok just that little worried with the DSI gearbox. If it needs repair not sure if there is any shop who can do so as it is out of production for sometime. Not sure how to check the clutch condition as Scorpio had this issue as well.
Looking forward to opinion from experts in this forum.

[Ronnie]

I used to own a 2004 Scorpio even if I had sold it by late 2005 and eventually moved out of India as you could see I have mentioned elsewhere. I was literally out of almost everything happening in India for last 10+years, I don't even know the models they sell.

I haven't also been to India since 2018. But I guess that's all going to change soon. I am going to be spending more and more time in India come next year.

My 2004 GLX (chain drive engine) was bought for INR 820K on road Bangalore.

I can see many Scoprios are available under INR 100K on OLX, FB etc. That is like 1/8th the actual price in 18years? And may be 1/20th the price once inflation adjusted. While Boleros from similar age fetches almost double that amount. Even the slow-speed (International engine), 3spd 2WD Mahindra jeeps fetch sometimes more than 100K.

When I sold mine in 2004, I kind of regretted it. But now I wonder why are they so cheap. Are they very heavy in maintenance compared to rest of Mahindra vehicles from the era? or why?