[V-16]

Super thread Ajmat, a thread after my own heart. I always propagate buying these luxury barges from the pre-owned market. Why? Because they depreciate like crazy and then the price suddenly becomes attractive and affordable. Another reason is that these cars hardly get used... well most of them dont and thats because these are not the first cars that people buy.

They are mostly bought as eye candy and hence after a few days of exploitation, they find themselves isolated to their garage under the covers, being used as a "party car". Maybe a few do find their way being used regularly but most dont, that why we find many of them with low mileage. The best is to take them to the company and get a technical evaluation done.

My pick would be the Teana if i were to be chauffeur driven because once you experience the rear seat luxury (or even the front passenger seat luxury) you will know why. Also it would be the cheapest to buy if you were comparing year of manufacture amongst similar cars. I would also go in for the Accord for the same reason but the Teana rear seat comfort is in another, unmatched league.

Then... any post 2010 E/S Class or 7 Series would be the next want. In fact i have been scouting for the above for a bit now.

[S_U_N]

Great thread!
In our complex, I see a BMW 320i lying at the same place gathering dust for the last two years. It is cleaned occasionally, but hardly moves an inch. The backside monogram has long been stolen and the gray color seems a bit faded (maybe due to the dust layer on top).
I was thinking this could go for around 7 lacs some day, but with the rates mentioned in the first post, I think it would be even lower for that petrol car.
What a waste of parking space!

[over.drive]

I've always bought premium cars used and have not regretted my decision so far (touchwood). Not only are they value for money but if you are someone who likes to change cars every 2-3 years then you save considerably by avoiding the initial depreciation hit. Every penny saved is every penny earned!

Have come across really good and tempting deals in the used car market of late. Like someone mentioned in a previous post you could easily find a less used quality car for really low prices. The best thing is that you know a lot of people won't be interested in such cars and can bargain hard.

I bought a well maintained E60 530d used over 2 years ago and I've had a very pleasant ownership experience so far. My thread:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...unlimited.html

I've also bought a w211 Mercedes E220 last year. Value for money wise I think they are outstanding. Just have to make sure you don't rush your decision and wait for the right deal to come by. Look into aspects like availability of service history, previous owner profile, a through inspection, maintenance packages etc.

Quite a few close friends have bought Mercedes Benzs and BMWs and they are quite happy with it. Generally, BMWs were found to be hassle-free to maintain.

Good luck finding excellent deals!

[pgsagar]

Great thread indeed. My pick would be Accord anyday. And only V6. About 3 months back I had an out-of-town 2005 Accrd V6 for 4 full days with me. Oh boy. What acceleration! I found it way faster than Cruze and Laura DSG. I didn't have gadgets to measure but this thing seemed like hitting 100 at around 7 seonds flat. And it was automatic. It looks very bland. Heck, it looked bland even way back in 2005 and today it should look even more bland. But no. People do look at this car for two things. One, it's barge size and two, they are very rare in my state. My state is big diesel-lover. Upper-middle class executive class is non-existent. You have gaggle of hatchbacks, then mid-level sedans and then next stop is Audis/BMWs. Nothing in between. Accords/Camrys? What's that? And in my state, even villages are teeming with Audis/BMWs. No one gives them a second look any more. New rage these days is Minis/Rovers and Jags. Brits catching up with Germans?

The other car I would like is Camry but I guess there is no V6. And, Camry got this taxi image because of EPCG scheme. Incidentally, other than Mumbai/Delhi ( and Mumbai more ), no ther city had Accords in high number even at the peak of Accord's innings in India.

[lamborghini]

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.
  • 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.

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

Hi Mikon,

Very informative post!

Just some clarifications: Most Germans I have seen have run low milage. Heck, our 08 525d has just crossed the 50Kkm mark even after being a daily driver!
A strict background check is necessary to rule out odo tampering, but at the same time, there are a lot of such low mileage cars (majority I would say).

Regarding maintenance - please do research on the car model and engine. Our 2004 E270 CDi - single owner, well maintained, etc. needs regular upkeep of Rs. 1.5 - 2L / year! Last year we got the paintjob renewed, this year the gearbox, next year have the suspension and engine mounts up for replacement, and the list never stops!

As a tip - always check the past maintenance records to see when scheduled maintenance has taken place, as well as past signs of a troublesome car.

[vijaydo]

Great post, and personally, comes with great timing for me. I've been seriously tempted by the Volvos.
A related question - a lot of these seem to be in Mumbai/Delhi. Would anyone know the pitfalls in buying one of them and getting them to Bangalore? How painful/expensive will the registration process be? Thanks for any experience-sharing, ideas etc.

[zulfi hansi]

Getting any expensive car to Karnataka from anywhere in India is a prohibitively expensive and painful affair. The RTO here will not register it unless you have the cars' original invoice bill, also if you want a KA number then the wait is endless, the only thing that the RTO does fast is taking a good chunk of money from you towards state tax.

[sam003]

Does it worth putting money on Second hand CRV 2008-2009, getting it under 8 Lakh, Auto + Sunroof.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

Great thread indeed. My pick would be Accord anyday. And only V6. About 3 months back I had an out-of-town 2005 Accrd V6 for 4 full days with me. Oh boy. What acceleration! I found it way faster than Cruze and Laura DSG. I didn't have gadgets to measure but this thing seemed like hitting 100 at around 7 seonds flat. And it was automatic.

Really? It actually takes around 9 seconds from nought to a hundred. That torque converter saps a lot of power and makes the car feel really lazy IMO. Well obviously a big petrol lump will be faster than a diesel car like the Cruze taking into account power and torque spread however I really doubt it can outpace a 1.8tsi Laura.

[nakul0888]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Really? It actually takes around 9 seconds from nought to a hundred. That torque converter saps a lot of power and makes the car feel really lazy IMO. Well obviously a big petrol lump will be faster than a diesel car like the Cruze taking into account power and torque spread however I really doubt it can outpace a 1.8tsi Laura.

I too have doubts about the v6 accords acceleration times. The american accord has the same engine with the same output but with a 0-100 time of 6.5 seconds. How come there is a 3 second difference between the Indian and american car? Outdated gearbox?

[khoj]

your comment reminded me of a Merc review from long long ago wherein the presenter said "The only thunk you will ever hear in a Mercedes is that of chastity belts hitting the floor."

Great ride indeed, either way

Originally Posted by ajmat

[*]It’s a Mercedes, doors will open, limbs will part[*]Great ride

[kadanaJ]

A pre-owned Volvo S80 looks incredibly tempting. I have a new goal to work for :P.

How's the reliability and maintenance on a Volvo compared to a Merc/Beemer/Audi?

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by sam003

Does it worth putting money on Second hand CRV 2008-2009, getting it under 8 Lakh, Auto + Sunroof.

Of course! A heck of a good, smooth, comfortable, family vehicle. Nice price too! Provided of course, that your wallet can stand the pain of frequent petrol pump visits!

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by GTO

- Mitsubishi Montero: An all-rounded SUV. Great ride quality (unlike the Toyota body-on-frames). Excellent reliability.

- Toyota Fortuner: Lots of choices for 15 - 17 lakhs. Bulletproof reliability is a big, big plus.

You think I did not research prior to booking the 4X4 Scorpio?

Our Classifieds have two Fortuners, one is pegged at 20L & the other at 21L. Then there was one Pajero SFX for sale. Had a counterfeit clutch, LH rear quarter panel was not painted properly after a gash and the 2800 sticker was misaligned. (Had tipped the chauffeur Rs. 500, it worked) Moreover the FE is horrendous, at 7 kmpl. And this is going to be the workhorse. Long trips, vacation, commuting.

And Monteros? Have seen just one.

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Really? It actually takes around 9 seconds from nought to a hundred. That torque converter saps a lot of power and makes the car feel really lazy IMO.

Lazy? Far from it. It is actually blisteringly fast. Accord V6 has no DSG, no turbo, no intercooler, no paddle-shifts. But....it just flies. The one had for few days was an '05 model (3.0 L) with 45K on odo and completely stock. Wonder what it could do with some modifications. In stock form it was spinning wheels in first and second gears. Not only from stand still but the front wheels were spinning even on the move when I slammed on go pedal. I'm sure it takes 7 seconds to reach 100. Certainly not 9 seconds as you pointed out. See the next post where Nakul says American one does it in 6.5 seconds. And wonder what the newer '09 model with 3.5 L would do.