[Mission_PGPX]

Originally Posted by giri1.8

I am sure it would be a bad idea, to empty my account, but I do need some inspiration to fill it first Young entrepreneurs would understand my current situation.

TSI is well within my dad's reach, he could get one by taking a loan, will consider this option if nothing goes right.

you reminded me in my mid 20s. Although i am no entrepreneur, the risk appetite was well available. My philosophy was to take a huge loan ( Home, car etc) to make you earn more money. I sailed through 2 big loans but wouldnt really advice, unless a fall back option is available in the family to sail you through.

Regarding car, used car market is buyer's market. You can crack a good deal soon. But remember, its easy to own one and damn difficult to maintain one. Would you want a car thats giving trouble to dad during one of his long drives? I would not want. You have to keep a budget of 50K to 80K a year just for maintaining a 6-7 year old german Luxo in top shape. I would rather suggest to buy a TSI or may be GTI, which is new and german and exclusive.

[giri1.8]

Originally Posted by Mission_PGPX

I would rather suggest to buy a TSI or may be GTI, which is new and german and exclusive.

Dad is getting his daily drive in a month or so, its going to be a compact hatch, this is just a gift for his retirement !

I understand my post makes little (or no) sense, but if things don't fall into place, I would surely skip the option all together and put my money else where, feel I am young enough to take risk trying, but old enough to back away from it if things go wrong.

P.S: Loan is a big No for used car, since interest rates would be sky high.

[asit.kulkarni93]

Originally Posted by giri1.8

I always shy away from older Benz or the ones above B class, service is said to be expensive when compared the other two, but will surely have it in mind when I make a final list.

Engine and gearbox components are shared between the entry level luxury vehicles like A/CLA/GLA/B with the C-class. So I really don't think the maintenance is going to be very high. And most importantly the C does feel like a luxury vehicle.

Honestly if you are considering the basic entry level luxury vehicles, you might as well consider cars like the Jetta/Octavia/ Laura/ superb or Passat. They are much better than the entry level luxury segment vehicles.

[rocksterraghu]

Originally Posted by ToyotaFan

I feel the 320d will be the best fit for your requirements. The E10 i.e. models before 2013 should for your budget.

You mean E90 right? His dad will find that car extremely stiff. Suspension and steering both.

Originally Posted by giri1.8

Merc is everyone's dream ride for sure, only concern is it's cost of regular service! GLA fits the bill perfectly, but that engine might be a big turnoff.

Both the cars are on my mind, 325i might be hard to find, but wish to know if it is decently reliable. X1 petrol too seems okayish.

Finding a GLA in that budget may be difficult. A 325i/330i or even an older 320i may be possible.

But. I would personally suggest you stay away from all these options unless your budget is good enough to buy a 2-4 year old German luxury brand. These cars can be absolutely notorious with their service costs. Cars that are over 5 years old start showing signs of ageing with failing sensors. Your car will keep throwing up errors, then eventually the errors will turn out to be genuine. The parts will actually fail.

Independent garages can get it right but they can go completely wrong too. Imagine how many 325i cars a garage in Chennai sees in a year? You will turn an already unreliable car even more unreliable. And you wouldn't want your dad to be stranded waiting for flatbeds first and parts after. And those parts can take months together. I have seen a 3 series with a failed MAP sensor parked for over 4 months now.

[giri1.8]

Originally Posted by rocksterraghu

But. I would personally suggest you stay away from all these options unless your budget is good enough to buy a 2-4 year old German luxury brand. These cars can be absolutely notorious with their service costs.

I think had made up without much research, wish to change it now! When people make extra effort to point something out, there has to be a solid reason/real life experience behind it, glad I posted here before making any silly decision.

Will just get him a reliable and easy to maintain hatch for now, rest can wait for later. Couldn't have made better decision IMO.

[harish619]

Originally Posted by giri1.8

Guys this one is a weird query, I am in my mid 20's, and wish to gift my dad some car for weekend use, I am aiming to save around 15L(will need a year to save this thanks a lot demon) for this to make his wish of owning a luxury car come true.

Requirements:

• Strictly from the German trios.
• Only purpose would be for him to drive it few kms on weekends.
• Petrol would be a better option, since petrol cars are cheaper, hence I can save up sooner.
• Should at least put out around 180-200Bhp, or dad won't be impressed
• Decent features to make it feel like a luxury car, and not some platform shared budget car.(sunroof, ambient lighting and so on).
• Need not be practical.
• Fuel efficiency doesn't matter.
• Maintenance should be around 50K a year.(Independent garage)

I am being too optimistic to get this done, being a middle class guy struggling at business, with zero backing form anyone, but wish to gift him before he stops driving cars all together.

How about a pre-worshipped Volvo S60 T6 or S80 3.2? These two meets your requirements list except the first one.

[IshaanIan]

Going out of your way to buy a decently modern entry level German luxury car from the used market and then expecting a 50k annual cost of upkeep is slightly unrealistic. You've heard that Mercedes spares cost a lot, well guess what BMWs are averse to puddles and are far more temperamental, Audi doesn't have a good service backing and any A4 that comes in your budget will just be a Jetta. The truth is you are taking a huge risk over here. Never buy a car that was worth upwards of 20 lakhs whose parts are all imported, if you do not have the same amount of money left over to be able to comfortably maintain it. The service bills will shock you trust me on that and it never gets old, you will need plenty of money left over to be okay with spending what are in my opinion unnecessarily highly taxed and exorbitant amounts on parts for maintenance. You don't want to be one of those guys who ends up having to buy Yokohama Earth1 tyres for his luxury car because he spent all his money resolving an issue with the valves and didn't have any left over for a good set of tyres.

As others have suggested, the Polo GT tsi is a very good option. And if you absolutely must have a luxury barge then look at the Volvos they are better built for our Indian road conditions, and are more reliable as well. Try looking at an old Volvo S80 with AWD and the Yamaha engineered V8. Should definitely tick all the boxes and a 2006-2010 example should fit comfortably under your budget leaving loads of room for spares. Your dad will love the space, build, and understated looks, not to mention it well surpasses your requirement of 180-200 horsepower its got a fricking V8. Perfect weekend car for your Dad IMO

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by giri1.8

I am being too optimistic to get this done, being a middle class guy struggling at business, with zero backing form anyone, but wish to gift him before he stops driving cars all together.

If you need a year to save the said money then you are asking this question a bit too early. As an entrepreneur myself with about 3 years experience now (6+ years employed in business consulting), all that I can say is that you should plan 3 times before taking a single step at this stage. Business runs on rotation and unless you have all things set-up for you beforehand, which doesn't seem to be the case as I read the highlighted part above, then you should focus on each day and each month, be prudent and maximize as much as possible. Leveraging is key and in most businesses you won't see the results of leveraging for 3-4 years.

As for the car portion of the question Rs.50k per annum and independent garages both seem highly unlikely if its the big 3.. double that and maybe there is reality. BMW run-flats cost something like 20 grand and they wear out pretty fast. Spares and wear/tear parts are notorious in Mercedes and Audi as well.. their labor charges and subsequent taxes etc are much higher than common brands and understandably so.

I was eyeing used Mini/3 Series myself, but at the end of the day I had to admit that I wanted an everyday, reliable car and that I'd be wasting way too much money maintaining these white elephants and settled on a safe and practical choice at the end of the day which I bought brand new for much less money.

If money is no object the big 3 fit the bill just fine, just do not expect 50k service costs when GST itself has blown the prices of luxury services and goods sky-high. I'd say, gain more insight and experience of the workings of the business in general and this particular business first, and when it is time to buy you'll automatically know. Insurance+service costs+part failures can easily cross 3 times the cost that you're hoping for p.a. I've known exactly 3 people who've splurged big time on either a luxurious white elephant on their first 1-2 years of working or who've bought two vehicles of regular brands.. none of them were better off due to those decisions.

Again if money is no consideration and if risk seems to bring a high, its possible to get a few cars from the big 3 at that price after heavy negotiations, but they will be quite old for sure. People reduce prices substantially only if the battery or tyres are on their way out and if insurance is valid for about 3-4 months. People who can afford such brands aren't fools.

[giri1.8]

Originally Posted by harish619

How about a pre-worshipped Volvo S60 T6 or S80 3.2? These two meets your requirements list except the first one.

I love Volvo's cars, but dad is not familiar with it, which sort of defeats the purpose of the purchase, hence had to let that idea go! Frankly I would take Volvo over the Germans anyday(only in certain segments )!

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Try looking at an old Volvo S80 with AWD and the Yamaha engineered V8. Should definitely tick all the boxes and a 2006-2010 example should fit comfortably under your budget leaving loads of room for spares.

This was one car I had been looking for, for a long time! sadly only one seems to be on sale in my state, and has been in the classifieds for very long time !!! Anyway, decision has been made to let go of this mad idea of middle class guy getting a luxury car.

Originally Posted by dark.knight

If you need a year to save the said money then you are asking this question a bit too early.

Again if money is no consideration and if risk seems to bring a high, its possible to get a few cars from the big 3 at that price after heavy negotiations, but they will be quite old for sure. People reduce prices substantially only if the battery or tyres are on their way out and if insurance is valid for about 3-4 months. People who can afford such brands aren't fools.

Thanks for such a detailed reply, helped me reinforce the decision I have made earlier i.e. to skip the idea all together.

My rule of thumb so far on any purchase has been, to buy it only if I could afford to lose it. Somehow I didn't apply that logic here.

[StepUP!]

Hello TBHPians!
Seeking your valuable advice on my dilemma.
I am into mid thirties, have been driving Figo TDCi since last 6 yrs. She is one wonderful car, has clocked 85000kms and still going strong with no faults as such.

However, I am bored and feeling the itch to get myself something better. I tried to juice her up with ICE upgrade and Wolf remap. But, that was short lived
If new, I want to buy something in D segment, mostly vRs. But I am not willing to spend that much amount at the moment.

So I thought why not to get a preowned car? Budget would be 7-8L at max. No loan. I will replace my Figo with this car.
My requirements:
1) Petrol mill. Buying a diesel does not make sense looking at the diesel bans setting in
2) It will be my daily drive which is 40-45kms. All in city. Occasional road and outstation trips
3) Powerful engine with minimum 150 bhp, involving to drive
4) I am okay with manual transmission as we have an automatic hatchback in the family (Figo DCT)
5) Better seats, spacious, reliable and should not cost a bomb to maintain

I am thinking of below options:

Superb 1.8 TSI or Passat 1.8 TSI - I think in my budget I will get 2013 or earlier cars. What to look for in these models? What would be typical fuel consumption of 1.8 TSI motor in the city? Typical maintenance bills per year. Please help!

CRV 2.4 - Comfortable over bad roads, commanding view and good road presence. I kike thr looks as well. However I heard its fuel guzzler. Is this true? Will it be difficult to maintain?

Should I consider any other cars? Please advice.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by StepUP!

Should I consider any other cars? Please advice.

Mitsubishi Outlander. Meets all of your criteria, but the FE could be similar to the CRV. But the CVT is supposed to give the best possible FE for such a large vehicle.

[djpiiyush]

Originally Posted by mikon

Fanatastic Thread!
I would like to add few points before buying a used premium car (Audi/Merc/BMW) in 10 to 15 L category. These are my views from my research only and it may vary from person to person.
I'm not de-moralizing anyone, but please consider these points before buying a premium used-german car.

• Easy to buy; Tough to maintain.
  A single yearly Service cost for a 3,C,A4 costs somewhere around 30k to 35k. This cost is only regular service, incase of brake pads change etc. the price goes north. Imagine the cost for a 7-year old 5,E,A6.
  • A 2008 Audi A6 Tdi regular yearly service cost at 1,20,000 kms is around ~ 65000 INR.
  • If there is work in adaptive air supension of Audi A6 then be ready to shell out more. Replacing a single air supension is 1.25L INR
  • Replacing a 17" tyre of Mercedes Benz C250 Avantgarde is ~19000 INR at Merc Service.
  • Wheel-alignment for an Audi A4 is ~ 4000 INR at Audi service.
  • Simple front bumper re-painting of an Audi A4 is ~ 18000 INR at Audi service.
• High miles
  In this price category, there are lots of 2007-2008 BMW 5/A6/E are available. However with ODO reading starting somewhere around 70,000 kms going to 1,00,000 kms+.
  More amount of kms, more the risk.
• ODO tampering
  2007-2008 5/A6/E are very much prone to ODO meter tampering with dealers. Be very careful while shortlisting - 50,000 kms on a 7-year old car should raise questions.
  • E.g: A friend of mine had selected a 47000km 2008 BMW 523i for 10-11 Lakhs. The dealer was not keen on showing the car to service center. Upon forcibly insisting it was found that the car was accidental and it was last serviced at 66000km 2 years back!
• Malfunction Light
  While starting the car look very carefully at the malfunctions on the MFD/MMI.
  • I was checking out a 2008 Audi A4 Tdi with 90,000kms + on ODO at a lucrative price. The test drive was good and I had completely missed the malfunction light in the first round. Upon another round, found that the car wasnot shifting from D3 to D4!
• Service Records
  Be very careful in checking the service records, rather insist hard upon gettin the service record. Donot fall for the dealer trap "You'll get the service record at the showroom. Go and check". Nowadays, to check the service records you need an authorization/email from the owner. Be ready with an email from the owner before you go to check the service records.

Happy Hunting!
MODS, if necessary kindly move this post to appropriate thread.

I am getting a BMW 525i 2010 model... ODO reading 38k for 11 lac rupees. The service record is genuine and it is a 1st owner car... need help in deciding between a 2014 Santa fe wdone 1,24,000 kms vs BMW 525i 2010 petrol done 38,000 kms... both at the same price.

Mod Note : Please avoid typing with excessive dots.........like................this. Please also proof read your posts before submitting them. There are several grammatical errors in your post.

Thanks

[Iyencar]

Originally Posted by StepUP!

CRV 2.4 -

However I heard its fuel guzzler. Is this true?

A friend recently picked up a used CRV. He gets an FE of around 5 kmpl in the city. The best he has seen is around 7 IIRC.

[balderash_12]

Originally Posted by StepUP!

Hello TBHPians!
Seeking your valuable advice on my dilemma.
I am into mid thirties, have been driving Figo TDCi since last 6 yrs. She is one wonderful car, has clocked 85000kms and still going strong with no faults as such.

However, I am bored and feeling the itch to get myself something better. I tried to juice her up with ICE upgrade and Wolf remap. But, that was short lived
If new, I want to buy something in D segment, mostly vRs. But I am not willing to spend that much amount at the moment.

So I thought why not to get a preowned car? Budget would be 7-8L at max. No loan. I will replace my Figo with this car.
My requirements:
1) Petrol mill. Buying a diesel does not make sense looking at the diesel bans setting in
2) It will be my daily drive which is 40-45kms. All in city. Occasional road and outstation trips
3) Powerful engine with minimum 150 bhp, involving to drive
4) I am okay with manual transmission as we have an automatic hatchback in the family (Figo DCT)
5) Better seats, spacious, reliable and should not cost a bomb to maintain

I am thinking of below options:

Superb 1.8 TSI or Passat 1.8 TSI - I think in my budget I will get 2013 or earlier cars. What to look for in these models? What would be typical fuel consumption of 1.8 TSI motor in the city? Typical maintenance bills per year. Please help!

CRV 2.4 - Comfortable over bad roads, commanding view and good road presence. I kike thr looks as well. However I heard its fuel guzzler. Is this true? Will it be difficult to maintain?

Should I consider any other cars? Please advice.

Please consider the Laura 1.8 TSi MT. You should be able to easily get your hands on a few clean ones. It is definitely more manoeuvrable in the city than the massive Superb.

1) Check
2) Check
3) Check
4) Please take the manual ONLY. There have been enough instance of DSG failures chronicled on the forum . The 1.8 TSi is a joy to drive with the Manual!
5) It definitely has better seats and has sufficient space (at least, my opinion.)

Reliability? This is best not answered. But I know a neighbour with a Laura 2.0 TDi DSG and it has not suffered from major problems. Do keep in mind that he owns the base Ambiente variant with minimum electronics. I think the 1.8 TSi Ambiente MT best suits your needs.

[shankar.balan]

A friend bought an A6 Audi with the 2 litre TDi engine for ~20 lac around 5-6 months ago.

It is a 2015 top spec car. Very low mileage run. Just about 25000kms.

And it cost about 60 lac or so when new. It is just too good with that electronically adjustable self levelling Air Suspension and different drive modes and automatically operated window blinds and electrically driven full sleep / flat bed/ business class recline front seats and different settings for the rear seats and all the bells and whistles. My God. The list is endless.

The same level of car in that trim level now costs approx 70plus.

So there is really truly a lot of merit in this pre owned luxury barge purchase idea.

The only downside is the sheer size and bulk in this crowded world.