[jd10ent]

This thread comes at a real opportune time. Just when I was also thinking of replacing my ride due to suspension & clutch problems. Have done over 70k kms and my ride has been super reliable. Never the slightest problem on any of my long or short trips. So this thread has made me sit up and rethink my strategy of selling due to repairs. I guess clutch and suspension rank way up high on the list of 'wear and tear' items. One more convert to the repair rather than sell motto.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by GrammarNazi

My older brother is abit like the "old school" chaps & plans to keep both the Nano & Linea upto their 10th year!

A value the current young generation would do well to emulate.

Modern cars are built to last and usually they can go for 10 years on just a change of battery and tyres, apart from consumables changes. And much longer thereafter with care that will still cost less than a new car will.

Along with the cars, the young change everything in a hurry, using the EMI thing to the max. None have calculated the amount it will take to live once retired, when their children may well not be able to or want to look after them - things in India will change on this old tradition by the time the current young grow up. Few are accumulating capital, most are accumulating negative capital - debts.

Living longer past the retirement age is another problem - many may live 20 years in that mode. None make the calculation of how much capital they will need to have in hand when they retire to do so in reasonable comfort, with inflation taken into account. And India has nothing to offer as a financial cushion for that time, other than the self accumulated capital. This is a disaster that will hit many 20-30 years from now.

Which is why this, I believe, is a thread that needs to be widely read here.

[Fiddler]

To the Gentleman who has posted regarding Skoda cars.
My apology I do not know how to use the quote function on mobile.

I bought a 2006 pre owned Octavia Rider in 2009. It has been with me ever since.
Contrary to what I read it has been relatively trouble free.
It does throw in a couple of niggles. Other than regular service my expenditure was
2011- aftermarket compressor 30k
2013- Clutch replacement plus some suspension 50k
2015 Suspension overhaul 30 k
104000kms

The lower costs were fortunately due to good mechanics outside the dealership.

You can see from the above that the cost of ownership is still significantly lower than new car purchase.

I expect to keep the car till re-registration that is another six years. Fingers crossed.

My Innova costs me much more to maintain on Annual basis. It is 2008 and 156000kms.
I plan to keep the car for 15 years as well.

[manishkapadia]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

Living longer past the retirement age is another problem - many may live 20 years in that mode. None make the calculation of how much capital they will need to have in hand when they retire to do so in reasonable comfort, with inflation taken into account. And India has nothing to offer as a financial cushion for that time, other than the self accumulated capital. This is a disaster that will hit many 20-30 years from now.

Which is why this, I believe, is a thread that needs to be widely read here.

While i one hundred percent agree with your view, i can bet that 20 years down the line the concept of reverse mortgage would already have caught up in our country. People will be using their own house to pay for their own retirement. There will always be a market product that will be there for you to consume. Overall comforts, luxuries, vehicles and lifestyle jumps are very fresh in our country, seen only in past couple of decades. Conspicuous consumption will happen. Once a generation is done with consumption, often excessive the concept of Wealth Creation and Multiplication will set in.

Personally I do not advocate the consumption theory but have stopped telling the young to not live on the edge or beyond their means, as its not often taken rightly. Sorry for going off topic.

[jensjoseph]

The cost of repairing a car may be eye popping but if compared against the total cost of ownership of a new car, it makes more sense to pay up and repair a car. And the sooner issues are repaired, the cheaper they actually are.

There are so many pre-worshipped cars out there that I wouldn’t spend money on a brand new car. If I had to buy a new used car, it would only be because the repair bills are much higher than the resale value of the current car.

Some people I personally know just opt for a new car because they have had enough of their old car. Some reasons leave me stunned. One such reason was ‘I like diesel’. The said person sold his petrol Swift and brought a diesel i20 after he drove his friend’s i20 to Bangalore from his home town. And some don’t have a reason.

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by alpha1

I said even if you were to spend 1 lakh, it would be cheaper than buying a new car of 10 lakhs!!!

There's a simple term for that, subconscious reasoning.. I feel your friend isn't looking at this as much from the point of view of saving money as he is, trying to find reasons to buy a new car. In anycase finance is a very tricky thing best left to banks and the investment firms which specialize in draining the funds dry off the people hence creating maximum advantage for themselves before giving a fraction back. Even when buying a new car there will be slight benefits in terms of progressive tax-savings, realizing optimum resale for old car (marginal gain) and also having a newer product which will sustain value for 3-4 years before its resale takes a large hit. New cars will have more expense in terms of insurance & road-tax.

These are just numbers, I feel a car shouldn't be associated with numbers. It is a depreciating asset but an asset nonetheless. When one buys what he/she can comfortably afford and account for service charges, replacement costs etc as a natural part of car ownership then there should be no problems. An expense of close to 1 lakh every 70-80k kms or 7-8 years is only natural and merely works out to 10-15k per annum. In the end if you compute a resale of between 35-40% and calculate the potential costs of an equivalent mode of travel via public transport (cabs/autos) then it almost equates to no expense with the bonus of convenience & safety.

I think the best way to buy a car is to buy within the means, anticipate a rough estimate of 15k per annum as contingency & service costs (for modern cars) + extra for insurance then there should be no problem. Problems happen when say, someone has the means to buy only a hatchback and yet stretches to buy a mini-SUV or sedan costing twice the amount and then complains of excessively high repair costs. As an owner of a 7 year old car myself I am fully in favour of retaining a car as long as one still is comfortable with it and deems no other car as a suitable replacement. Repair costs/service costs/deemed obsolescence are all subconscious reasoning which aren't fully factual.

[greenhorn]

there are two ways to approach car ownership

if you look at a car as an asset or a posession, the benefits of which are mainly to boost your social status or for fun, then i suppose you will need to sell often.

On the other hand, if you look at a car as something that enables transportation, then look at how critical it is, how much you are willing to spend a year for it, and how reliable do you want it to be.

an old car, though it might cost a bomb in terms of service, will save you insurance, depreciation, insurance on car loans etc.

My indica is 8 years old, and my criteria for ownership is 40K cost of ownership a year, and not more than 2 breakdowns a year. over the past 8 years, there have been 3 times the car has refused to start - twice due to a dead battery, and once due to damaged fuel lines. it has never left me stranded.
it costs me 50K this year (tyres, 80K service, insurance etc) but thats because its not been used or serviced for the past 1 year when I was abroad)

people when they get hit by a large bill panic , but the thing to keep in mind is, are you sure you will continue to get hit by large bills, or is this a one off? look at things from a long term perspective

[csateesh]

Hello BHPians,

Would like to share my experience.

I drive an Accent CRDi which is just crossed 10yrs (completed 1.2lakh kms)

The last few years have had the following items to be fixed

1. Clutch plate - 12k
2. Complete suspension - 48k
3. A/c condenser - 18k
4. Drive shaft - 24k (my mistake - realize the boot cut 2km after the cut - damage was done)

Almost spent 1 lakh over the entire year but if I look at the cost / km it is just 1 Rs/km !!

And I know for a fact that the car is now probably good to go for another 2 yrs or 45k kms

Unable to decide my next car as I am torn between XUV , Creta and S-Cross

Hope to keep my steed running till I decide

Cheers

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

There's a simple term for that, subconscious reasoning.. I feel your friend isn't looking at this as much from the point of view of saving money as he is, trying to find reasons to buy a new car.


Repair costs/service costs/deemed obsolescence are all subconscious reasoning which aren't fully factual.

You are right, I said almost the same things, in fact that is what he also admitted finally that he is bored with the current car.

Originally Posted by Sawyer

Few are accumulating capital, most are accumulating negative capital - debts.

A very scary situation indeed.
But then most people never have any foresight.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by manishkapadia

Overall comforts, luxuries, vehicles and lifestyle jumps are very fresh in our country, seen only in past couple of decades. Conspicuous consumption will happen.

Remember though that in all this Indians are copying the habits of people from countries that have some kind of a safety net for the aged that aren't earning anymore. The net may not be perfect in some places, may be better in others, but Indians have NONE except a self created one via own savings. And there is no sign of one being in place 20-30 years from today.

[Golf Pro]

Originally Posted by Golf Pro

I own a 2011 Bmw 320d which has done 52,000 kms. It's never had any issues and has been regularly serviced with the chennai dealer. Currently it's got a engine oil leakage issue and is in the service garage with replacement of oil filter housing, thermostat and oil cooling housing replacement. I was shocked to know of this issue as German car engine are high in technology. Anyways now need to decide if this car is going to get further troubles in the long run. I planned to use it well upto ten years hence my decision to upgrade to Bmw. Have you heard of any such failures in their engine? The Bmw service guy says it's a common problem with the Diesel engines and they are giving a two year warranty on the new parts but it all adds upto a 70k bill.

I got the car back from service today with a total bill of Rs.68,250 including the yearly oil change service and annual maintenance as it was due.
The new oil filter housing looks different from the original, and a tag with the product details info is placed in engine bay near housing as photo shows. Hopefully look forward to the next year of hassle free driving.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by Golf Pro

I own a 2011 Bmw 320d which has done 52,000 kms. It's never had any issues and has been regularly serviced with the chennai dealer. Currently it's got a engine oil leakage issue and is in the service garage with replacement of oil filter housing, thermostat and oil cooling housing replacement. I was shocked to know of this issue as German car engine are high in technology. Anyways now need to decide if this car is going to get further troubles in the long run. I planned to use it well upto ten years hence my decision to upgrade to Bmw. Have you heard of any such failures in their engine? The Bmw service guy says it's a common problem with the Diesel engines and they are giving a two year warranty on the new parts but it all adds upto a 70k bill.

Honestly - hassle free ownership for 10 years + Germans don't go together.
While BMW is amongst the better brands as far as reliability is concerned, after 6-7 years they start throwing up small niggles owing to our climate (and also the technology in the case of Audis and Skodas - Air Suspension, DSG, etc.).
For peace of mind = Japanese (Honda/Toyota).

Such high bills are also par for the course, as some parts are imported, and for others - they are BMW genuine parts (those 3 letters add a lot of value).

Our 2008 525D had an engine oil leak recently too after 7 years of use, along with other minor work such as engine mounts, etc. However, as it is due to wear and tear of the parts, and not a failure - it made sense to get the work carried out.

[trumpet]

One of the many reasons why I like team-bhp. Lots and lots of practical value. My Getz (1.3 Petrol) bought in 2009 has completed 57k on the ODO. Auxilary replacements were the order of the day - at their end of life periods like a normal running car.

The comfort factor was unsurpassed, till date i've never felt anything wrong with the car. People who travel with me still say it feels and handles like a new car. Exterior body has started to accumulate rust at places, but besides that it still gives a lot of other hatches a good run on the highway.

I've not had major repairs. Other than normal maintenance, i've had to replace the condensor unit, AC gas, water hose, radiator. The last three replacements happened only last year...That's all. So, this post reassures me that the Getz will continue on....

Drive safe!
Trumpet

[The Rationalist]

I ain't 15 years old! Even after all these years this one brings a smile. This is a daily driver ( 140000 kms) and I think this one can run for another 10 years. The resale value is so abysmal that I cant even buy a good smartphone for the price! This one was a gift by parents, so would be a keeper. Needs few touch ups and interior color restoration. Will wait for few years before stripping and repainting. One of the best car to start and learn driving. After upgrading to the EPS of Ford, I have nothing but appreciation for the manual steering of Zen. I have serviced her every 5000 kms, but work pressures have made me bit lazy about the exterior.

[blackasta]

6+ years and 61000+ kms later, I sometimes think of trading in my i10 AT for a newer car.
Then again I just cannot find any fault with with my current ride, and coupled with the resale value which is quite low now, I decide to live with my i10.
Honestly speaking - the i10 AT is not an exciting car to drive, and the design is 2 generations old. But the car itself is very easy to drive and fits my requirement to the T.
Furthermore, I have invested about 50k in the 5th year on road tax/new battery/new tires - so it's almost certain that I shall hold on to the blackbird at least till the 10th year.