[condor]

@Venu, while no vehicle should be left un-used for long periods, in some cases like yours, you will need to take a call on what you would like to do.

In case you decide to keep the car for the time being, then pls check this:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...-donts-15.html

Regarding the XUV hybrid - I would suggest a wait & watch approach. The XUV has it's share of niggles - esp electronics. The XUV hybrid would be a first by an Indian Manufacturer, and hence would be better to wait to confirm product stability before buying one.

[imp!]

Originally Posted by venuvedam

J

Now, I have a 2013 XUV500 W8 FWD with 30K on the odometer.

But the only person who can drive the car in the family doesn't live there and so it would be driven only once a month probably.

There is a high chance that the UK stay would get extended beyond 5 months.

My family is going to be in India these 5 months. (Wifey can't drive the XUV) Should I take a decision after 5 months then?

Is it OK to leave a diesel vehicle unused for so long?

(Selling it off now and buying an XUV diesel hybrid when I return is a very tempting option )

Doesn't make sense to leave it parked for so long. There will be a bunch of niggles once you start using it again. Doesn't make sense selling it within the first year or two of ownership as you will take a large depreciation hit .

You don't know when you will return, so keep the car, hire a driver so your family can enjoy it, keep it in working condition and sell if you like once you are back.

imp!

[shady_lawyer]

Originally Posted by venuvedam

Just got news that I would be traveling to the UK for a new assignment.

Take a call at the 5 month mark, if you feel that you will be extending your stay, then you can make arrangements to sell the car. I'm sure your friends and family will pitch in. Keep it for now, why be in a hurry, you can ask the missus to start the car up every few days and a friendly driver can be asked to do a hop around your building complex/locality and check tyre pressures.

All the best for your UK Stint!
PS-I know its a long shot and highly dependent on your comfort level- but ask the HYD bhpian's if they are willing to house your car, just perhaps there might be someone, who knows- if they are willing to drive it and maintain it at their expense; it's a win-win, your car is in safe hands and the person housing it has a great vehicle.

[BurningHeart]

Originally Posted by KMohanan

All of us replied so sincerely to your request for suggestions. Now, I request you to post what you have decided or what you have done. Then only this discussions come to an end.

So there it is. Here is a big thank you to TBHP for helping me decide.
Thanks for writing. TBHP was my favorite forum when I was in India and then I have not logged on for last 18 months (sorry GTO) and now I see this. Apologies for being late.

I sold my 2-year old Cruze LTZ for 11 L (ouch!) to someone in Bangalore. The car was parked for 6 months, with my wife driving it occasionally (and she cooked the clutch once and got worried too when it reeked). The Spark has gone to Kerala to my parents who passed off their M800 to someone else. I wanted to give the Cruze to my parents but it would have been too much for my father to take care of and they liked a small car always.

I travel a lot in the US for work and whenever I get a chance I drive a Cruze. I miss the Diesel Cruze in India, my son and wife miss it too. We loved that car and had loads of memories (only beautiful memories). Sometimes, when I drive around in a rental Toyota or something else I still miss the Diesel grunt. Watching the cars fade away in the RVM was a wonderful feeling when you drove the Cruze in India. No such feeling here with Cruze LTZ coming with a 1.4 L Turbo Petrol (but I must admit it is way more fun and has a nice exhaust note too). I had a fiery red long term rental for 3 months and I got a speeding ticket in it (the first one).

So in conclusion, if you're planning to leave India for anything more than 2 years, I strongly recommend NOT buy a new expensive car. And if you bought a car and then made the plans to leave India for over 2 years, I strongly recommend that you do the following:

• Get yourself in to good mood (e.g. watch a movie, play with children, etc.)
• Bite the bullet - Decide to sell
• Walk down to the car and identify all spots that need to be retouched
• Get it retouched and get it back to showroom condition
• Get pictures, post it and negotiate like crazy
• Send the morons away and give your car to a car lover
• Take the money, wipe your tears away, get yourself in to a good mood (e.g. watch a movie, play with children, etc.)
  

I think you will see me more often now. If you see a White Cruze in BLR with plates KA 53 Z 7610, please pass on a flying kiss to my baby.

BH.

[vasoo]

I too have to move out of country for about 6 months and concerned about what to do with my Civic. I am used to having trips of up to 2 months and never had issues with my car when I return. I also did not do anything special including disconnecting batteries etc. However I think 6 months is a bit troublesome. I have a covered basement parking slot. Some of the suggestions I read here include,

Disconnect batteries (both terminals ?)
Fill up tyres above normal pressure (up to 40 psi ?)
Keep a full petrol tank (not sure if this helps)
Use moth balls/repellents and anti fungal agents
Use rat repellents

Am I missing anything else here? Is it a good idea to get a full service before leaving it idle? I think this helps in getting a fresh dose of oils and greases. Do I need to keep the car covered or let the cleaners do a wipe once every week?

Btw, there is little chance of handing over the keys to anybody as I don't have any relatives or friends living in the neighborhood.

[batterylow]

Originally Posted by vasoo

I too have to move out of country for about 6 months and concerned about what to do with my Civic. ....
Btw, there is little chance of handing over the keys to anybody as I don't have any relatives or friends living in the neighborhood.

Many people also suggest not using the parking brake as the constant pressure from the brakes may cause it to jam. Try some other methods to restrain the car from moving, wheel chocks for example.

[Aroy]

You need not fill up tyres with excessive pressure. Over five years of ownership, my K10 has had 3 or 4 air top up.

I would not suggest a full fuel tank. That is a lot of fuel to burn in case of any accident. Better keep 5 to 10 liters only.

It will be better to have the car serviced after you return, rather than now. That would ensure that every thing is checked and any defect that has creeped up due to long idle will be rectified.

[SwatiS]

Hi All.

I have a similar situation. I have an Amaze that's just completing a year and has run only 5000 kms approx. I would be going to US for atleast 6 months to 1 year.

1. Should I sell it? My parents wound not use it when I am not here. (I am inclined towards selling it after reading this thread).
2. I have a 7 year EMI with HDFC for the loan (Big mistake). Fore-closing the loan is a big mess with them. How does the loan situation work if I sell it?
3. Can I transfer the car ownership to my dad so that he can sell it in my absence? Or is there any way I can authorise him to sell the car (Its currently in my name). Would that make the new buyer as the third owner?

[Rahul Bhalgat]

Originally Posted by SwatiS

Hi All.

I have a similar situation. I have an Amaze that's just completing a year and has run only 5000 kms approx. I would be going to US for atleast 6 months to 1 year.

1. Should I sell it? My parents wound not use it when I am not here. (I am inclined towards selling it after reading this thread).
2. I have a 7 year EMI with HDFC for the loan (Big mistake). Fore-closing the loan is a big mess with them. How does the loan situation work if I sell it?
3. Can I transfer the car ownership to my dad so that he can sell it in my absence? Or is there any way I can authorise him to sell the car (Its currently in my name). Would that make the new buyer as the third owner?

Hi SwatiS,

6 months to 1 year is not too long a period (like 3 years or so). If you have liked your car, keep it.

Suggest your parents to call a rental driver once a month and go for a small trip of 10-20 km. In Pune, we get them for Rs. 400 per day for intra-city duty and Rs. 600 per day for intercity duty.

Or once a month they can call some friend / relative of yours to take out the car and drive 10-20 km. If you personally know a BHPian who resides nearby, he will be glad to do this, I suppose.

Or ask the authorized service stations to pick-up the car for servicing and drop it back. Just ask them to wash, clean the interiors, check air pressure. Charges will be around Rs. 500/- plus pick-up and drop charges. Some companies (like Suzuki) offers free pick-up and drop if the car is registered in the name of lady. Choose a service station which is around 10-15 km away. The car will run for 20-30 km per month. For a monthly expense of Rs. 500-600, the car will be maintained.

There is one more funny idea. Once a month, post an ad online (quikr or olx) to sell the car. People will come for a test drive. After 2-3 test drives, take back the ad. Tell the people who had the test drive) that the plan to sell the car has been cancelled.

If there is a loan on the car, it is mortgaged to HDFC. So you cannot sell the same bypassing HDFC. Even to transfer the mortgaged car in the name of your father will be little complicated. RTO formalities plus HDFC formalities. And this is not really necessary IMO.

[KiloAlpha]

Originally Posted by SwatiS

Hi All.

I have a similar situation. I have an Amaze that's just completing a year and has run only 5000 kms approx. I would be going to US for atleast 6 months to 1 year.

1. Should I sell it? My parents wound not use it when I am not here. (I am inclined towards selling it after reading this thread).
2. I have a 7 year EMI with HDFC for the loan (Big mistake). Fore-closing the loan is a big mess with them. How does the loan situation work if I sell it?
3. Can I transfer the car ownership to my dad so that he can sell it in my absence? Or is there any way I can authorise him to sell the car (Its currently in my name). Would that make the new buyer as the third owner?

I was in a similar situation when my car was a year old - I had to travel very frequently for 3-6 months at a time.

I did not sell the car, I would leave it with my mother - who does not know how to drive, but she would take care to make sure that the car was safe and cleaned.

I would recommend that you leave the car with your parents.

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

Hi SwatiS,

6 months to 1 year is not too long a period (like 3 years or so). If you have liked your car, keep it.

Suggest your parents to call a rental driver ...

Or once a month they can call some friend / relative of yours ...

Or ask the authorized service stations to pick-up the car ...

There is one more funny idea. Once a month, post an ad online (quikr or olx) to sell the car. ...

If there is a loan on the car, it is mortgaged to HDFC. So you cannot sell the same bypassing HDFC. Even to transfer the mortgaged car in the name of your father will be little complicated. RTO formalities plus HDFC formalities. And this is not really necessary IMO.

Rental driver or friend/relative driving the car once a fortnight/month is an excellent idea, and one that I have done too. My mother would call a driver or a friend, and they would take my car out for a 10-15 km drive. Typically once a week. Worked well.

Personally, I wouldn't recommend the free ad idea - you really don't know who will turn up for a test drive and how they will treat your car. Quite an innovative idea though.

HDFC will charge you an arm and a leg to foreclose the loan. Plus you will be taking a MASSIVE depreciation hit. From a financial stand point, it is a really bad idea. The process of selling it will also be a hassle, because once the buyer is found, then you have to take the cash, foreclose the loan, cancel hypothecation with RTO and then transfer the vehicle. If you are selling it to a dealer, they will take care of this process but you stand to lose a lot more money in the bargain.
So no, don't sell the car.

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by SwatiS

Hi All.

I have a similar situation. I have an Amaze that's just completing a year and has run only 5000 kms approx. I would be going to US for atleast 6 months to 1 year.

1. Should I sell it? My parents wound not use it when I am not here. (I am inclined towards selling it after reading this thread).
2. I have a 7 year EMI with HDFC for the loan (Big mistake). Fore-closing the loan is a big mess with them. How does the loan situation work if I sell it?

You cannot transfer the car to a new owner while it is under hypothecation. The process to remove the hypothecation involves you closing out the loan, getting the NOC from the bank/financial institution (which is usually valid only for about 60 days), and then approaching the RTO your car is registered with, to get this removed. This process can again take a couple of hours or even days depending on the whims and fancies of the person you encounter at the RTO.

Originally Posted by SwatiS

3. Can I transfer the car ownership to my dad so that he can sell it in my absence? Or is there any way I can authorise him to sell the car (Its currently in my name). Would that make the new buyer as the third owner?

I dont think you can do so while the loan stands, but do explore adding your parent as a co-owner which should enable them to be able to manage this. Or maybe even some letter of authorization to act in your absence on your behalf.

In my case, when i sold my Scorpio, i got the funds from the new buyer, paid the company as the car was under lease, and then got them to issue the NOC. Needless to say, make it clear to the buyer in advance that the car is under a loan and hence the process involved.

[SwatiS]

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

There is one more funny idea. Once a month, post an ad online (quikr or olx) to sell the car. People will come for a test drive. After 2-3 test drives, take back the ad. Tell the people who had the test drive) that the plan to sell the car has been cancelled.

If there is a loan on the car, it is mortgaged to HDFC. So you cannot sell the same bypassing HDFC.

Hahahaha the test drive idea is really innovative and funny

Originally Posted by KiloAlpha

Rental driver or friend/relative driving the car once a fortnight/month is an excellent idea, and one that I have done too. My mother would call a driver or a friend, and they would take my car out for a 10-15 km drive. Typically once a week. Worked well.


HDFC will charge you an arm and a leg to foreclose the loan. Plus you will be taking a MASSIVE depreciation hit.

Thats a great idea. That was one of the things I had in mind.

Originally Posted by benbsb29

I dont think you can do so while the loan stands, but do explore adding your parent as a co-owner which should enable them to be able to manage this. Or maybe even some letter of authorization to act in your absence on your behalf.

In my case, when i sold my Scorpio, i got the funds from the new buyer, paid the company as the car was under lease, and then got them to issue the NOC. Needless to say, make it clear to the buyer in advance that the car is under a loan and hence the process involved.

I will check on the process of making co-owner

Thanks Rahul, KiloAlpha and benbsb for your advice. Foreclosing HDFC loan is such a headache. I am trying to find out how to do it without much hassle but not having much luck there.

[CR-V]

I am quite interested around the idea of co-ownership. Are there any pointers around how to go about doing it - any links?

[shankar.balan]

If you've got more than one car, then dump the less favourite one.
Keep the preferred vehicle garaged and under cover after disconnecting the battery leads from the terminals.If possible jack up the car and keep the tyres off the ground so that they don't lose pressure and slump when you're not around.

Else, have a rental driver come along once a week and have the car started and idled for some minutes. If your parents or anyone are at home while you're away, ask them to take the car out for a spin with a rental driver once in a couple of weeks or so.

The car will be pristine even when you return.

[aspire]

Hi,

Was reading through the posts, where some folks are handing over the cars to their neighbours/relatives etc, to drive around intermittently, so that the car remains in shape, was just wondering, what if the person meets with an accident? Too much of a hassle, would advise to sell it and move on.

Regards
Shailesh