[AppyS]

Sir, I agree with the Sell Vento keep Micra posts above. Since you are willing to compromise, do so with the NVH levels modded out with better insulation, I am sure ways for which can be detailed aplenty by the worthy FM's here.
Keeping the Vento without a warranty might be a risky affair and trust me we all VW owners know how expensive maintaining VW cars is especially the repairs part.It will give you enough cash in hand to smoothen out your financial planning at least by some margin for the next two three years.Once conditions improve swap the Micra when you really feel like it. Love for cars is one thing but being practical and spending where needed,especially if your pockets are tight is a totally different ball game. No point for you retaining both esp in this situation.

[Mithrandir]

Dear thoma, to be honest, I am still enjoying my first car (VW Polo) and hopefully will not be selling it for few more years. But if I face the same dilemma as you are facing now, then probably I will sell both the cars and buy a new one. Here is my argument:
1. I own a VW Polo so I know the build quality of VW cars is simply superb when compared to Japanese or Korean cars in the same range. But as a VW gets older, the repair and service costs will mount up. My 3 year old VW Polo already had one battery replacement and is ready for a new starter which may cost over Rs. 10,000/-.The spare parts of VW are very costly. So retaining an aging VW is going to cost you more and more money in future.
2. I don't have much experience with Nissan Micra. But as you are saying it has already clocked over 25,000 km, may be its wise to let it go. Long term reliability of Nissan cars in India is yet to be verified.
3. If you sell both the cars then you may get about 10 lakhs (as you have mentioned). You can get a new diesel car for that price. If you are looking for a fun ride then Figo could be an option, or may be something from the VW stable itself. If you want trouble free ownership with minimum expenses then go for Swift diesel.

[King_pin09]

At the outset, let me express apologies for hearing the unfortunate incident in your family.

Coming to the main question, I do appreciate that the main reason behind your decision to restructure the composition of your garage is to ease up finances and have sufficient funds at your disposal.
Beginning with the Volkswagen; albeit the vehicle has not run adequately thus far, at the same time one cannot ignore the time related costs associated with a VW car that is older than two years. Going by the history of VW cars, it is essential to set off sufficient funds well in advance to meet the sudden cash demands that may arise in near future.

With the Nissan, it may technically meet your requirements well and appear a much viable option on papers. However expecting 4 lakhs in exchange for a Nissan, seems a distant possibility. As you are already uncomfortable with the NVH on the Nissan, one can only expect it to grow further in the times to come.
It is therefore important to strike the right balance between the financial aspects and the desired levels of comfort and convenience. With this back ground in mind, I would consider it apt to dispose both the vehicles forthwith and go for a Swift Vdi, from the used market. In buying the Swift, the entire money acquired from the Micra plus say some 1 lakhs from the Vento needs to be parted with. In return what you get is a reliable and hassle free car that seeks lower cost of ownership.

Even if you decide to sell off the swift in future once your finances turn healthy, it would move off smoothly like butter on the bread and fetch justified returns.

[gopzdoc]

I agree with Vid6639. Depending on the money you need, sell of the vehicle that is closest in achieving your financial goal.

Another thing that is on my mind, is the Ford service much better (cheaper, yes) than the Nissan or VW? If your mind is on a hassle free ownership experience go for one of the Japanese in my opinion. The cost of maintenance of a Toyota for instance is ridiculously low.

[Lobogris]

To begin with, I offer my sincere condolences on the situation you are handling.

If I were looking to buy a new or used car and found your Vento, I would have purchased it immediately as it is practically a new car. Why would I spend 11 lakhs when I can get a nearly new one for say 5 lakhs from you. My point is that your Vento is a practically new car. I see no benefit in selling it at half price and then buying a lower grade swift/ Figo. Even if you were to spend an extra 100k on some potential issue with the Vento in the next 5 years, you are beter off than buying a new car. Why get rid of your nearly new reliable Vento when nothing is wrong just for the fear that something could go wrong? Keep in mind that the actual price you get is often lower than what you believe you should fetch when you sell your vehicle.

[cooolsunny]

Originally Posted by thoma

Oh my! Overwhelming responses here and thanks all.

(I would love to hear more on this through the private messenger)

there is no need for private messages, this is not some secret. if you want to discuss something we can do it in this thread or create a new thread, it will also attract more positive and negative views from other members and that is good for all. BTW later I realized that buying a luxury sedan may not be possible from 2 lacs investment in 5 years from these companies , but they will do far better then fixed deposits.

[The Brutailer]

If your income is low, just sell the micra and save the cash. Vento is practically new and there's no reason to swap it for a lower segment car. Why do you want to do unnecessary expenditures?!

[blackwasp]

I may go slightly off track on the issue. OP wants to get rid of the cars due to their high maintenance. I have a radical solution.

As it is, OP will take a big hit on depreciation, so selling both the cars is not an option. Why not convert both cars to T plate ? This way, you can convert your cars to assets. Also, commercial vehicles have annual tax, so you'll get some refund of the LTT you paid for both the cars. This refund amount can initially be used to fund the maintenance of both cars till you find a reliable driver for them. Put vento on uber Monday to Friday and Micra on weekends - assuming you use Micra on weekdays and Vento on weekends.

This might take you some effort (time) but can get you decent income with an option to retain both your cars. You'll only have to make a commercial vehicle license to drive them. Few years down the line, you can sell them or retain them depending on the income you get from uber.

Note uber was just an example, you can even ask local taxi guy to put the car in his service.

[Lalvaz]

Keep the Vento and sell the micra. The money that you get from selling the micra can be kept in a fixed deposit and the interest income can take care of maintenance charges and parking fees ( assuming 30000 per annum )

The Vento is a solid car, and should easily serve you well for the next 3 years till your finances improve.

Also the fd will help in case of any emergency. Please don't waste money buying a new car at this stage. It's simply not worth it.

[crdi]

Even though my car's injectors went bust twice, I am holding on to a 1.6 tdi machine just for the love of that engine. There might be better diesels but i somehow like the 1.6 tdi engine car combo and knowing that the engine is no longer available makes it even dearer for me. I don't recommend a used car at your present situation, unless it is a personally know one.

[asit.kulkarni93]

Suggestion 1-

Sell the vento and keep the Micra. The 1.5 DCI is fairly reliable and once you move to a FNG for servicing your service cost will further reduce. If you get bored you can always add a tuning box or get the Micra remapped. You should simply sell the vento because you need a small car as mentioned by you. On top of that you have a comfort line which has no safety features plus in the future the service costs are going to Increase also there is always a fear of an expensive part replacement. It's best to make a practical decision now.

Suggestion 2-

Sell both the cars and buy a used Swift/Ritz/i20. Set a budget of 6L for the purchase which will get you a decent car. You will still have 5-6 lakhs with you with a fairly new, reliable and a powerful car.

Asit

[Lobogris]

Originally Posted by asit.kulkarni93

Suggestion 1-



Suggestion 2-

Sell both the cars and buy a used Swift/Ritz/i20. Set a budget of 6L for the purchase which will get you a decent car. You will still have 5-6 lakhs with you with a fairly new, reliable and a powerful car.

Asit

That is what he has now. Two fairly new and reliable cars.

Apart from the lack of safety features there is no reason to sell these cars. OP has indicated that he would buy the lowest version if he sells both cars and thus the safety factor would remain the same.

[Aaron:)]

What I assume is that you really need the money and don't have parking space for a car like the Vento. Here are the possible options -

Option 1 - Sell the Vento
Your Micra is fairly new, and should prove to be reliable in the long term. It's a diesel so running costs will be low. Also, it is the top end variant so it has ABS and airbags, which your Vento lacks.
Maintaining the Micra will prove to be cheaper than the Vento, and you can always spend some money on sprucing her up (damping to reduce NVH, leather upholstery etc).
It will definitely seem like a downgrade from the vento, and highway trips won't be as fatigue free, but you can always rent a car for those trips. This is the most cost effective option.

Option 2 - Sell both, buy a new car
Now this is a tricky one. A new hatchback like the Figo or Swift will cost you around 7.5 lakhs, money which should be put into better use given your situation. Also these cars won't feel like a big step up from your Micra, and will definitely feel several steps down from your Vento.
You could look at the pre-owned market, which has great value to offer. Buying from a reliable source will minimize the associated risks. But since you're going to keep the car for 7-8 years, buying a car that's already 5 years old is questionable. Also, the car you chose should be such that it has the best of both worlds i,e, the Vento's space and dynamics and the Micra's reliability and ease of driving.

What I suggest is that you sell off the Vento first, and put that money to some constructive use. Then keep an eye out on the used car market. For example, a 2012 Ford Figo diesel or Honda Jazz would be perfect for you. ( Do go for a variant with safety features ) Besides, 2012 is not that far back . Both these cars are spacious, comfortable, safe and easy to run and maintain. They would also perform well on highway trips, where your Micra would feel a bit out of depth. If you do happen to find such a suitable car, replace the Micra. But till then, keep it.

[biggrin]

Originally Posted by Lobogris

Apart from the lack of safety features there is no reason to sell these cars.

Originally Posted by Aaron:)

Your Micra is fairly new, and should prove to be reliable in the long term. It's a diesel so running costs will be low. Also, it is the top end variant so it has ABS and airbags, which your Vento lacks.

Micra XV Premium has got only a driver airbag. ABS and passenger airbag are absent. This gives it 'one point' over the Vento CL.

[asit.kulkarni93]

Originally Posted by Lobogris

That is what he has now. Two fairly new and reliable cars.

Apart from the lack of safety features there is no reason to sell these cars. OP has indicated that he would buy the lowest version if he sells both cars and thus the safety factor would remain the same.

There is a thought process behind every comment on this thread and I have explained mine very well. I guess you did not understand mine. Let me explain a few of the parts quoted by you.

1. Two fairly new cars agreed but reliability I doubt. The Vento will never be as reliable as the Micra Diesel. The 1.5 Dci has proven itself in India since the launch of the Logan. He is looking at a practical choice and reasons have been clearly mentioned by him. So, in that case, my suggestion 1 makes sense.

2. The Micra Diesel is the XV variant which comes with ABS and airbag (driver side) which makes it safer and provides an edge over the comfortline Vento. As I have mentioned under suggestion 1.

3. Now coming to my suggestion 2 which can give him a powerful hatch with safety features. It is very easy to get an i20 Asta, Swift ZDi or Ritz ZDi. All the 3 mentioned cars are fairly reliable, easy to maintain and have a terrific resale value.

I hope I have clarified myself. Now let's leave it to the OP to judge our suggestions.

Asit