[armaan_singh]

So I've been on the lookout for a cheap and fun to drive automatic used vehicle, and one of my first preferences was the Honda Civic.

I saw a few options in the area but none really matched my preference, until I saw this one Ad on OLX for a 2008 Civic which has 108K on the ODO, it was a third owner vehicle and the asking price was 1.2L. I threw a shot in the dark and sent him a message saying I was interested to buy it 80K, to which he responded in the affirmative and asked me to come and close the deal.

The car looked in decent condition (in photos), required some denting and painting work, but seemed okay, thought what set me thinking was that the owner told me he bought the car from his friend before the lockdown but didn't get it registered in his name, and that he was looking to sell ASAP as he doesn't have the money to pay rent and wanted to go back to his country which is Afghanistan, and needed the money to pay for flights and hence he was willing to part with the vehicle at 80K as well.

So now we are looking at a prospective 4th owner vehicle though we don't have a full tally, also the entire story seems a little fishy to me, I could be entirely wrong, but thought I'd take some advice from all of you before I make the trip of nearly a 100kms to see him and finalize it because the deal seems too sweet to pass off on.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by armaan_singh

So now we are looking at a prospective 4th owner vehicle though we don't have a full tally, also the entire story seems a little fishy to me, I could be entirely wrong, but thought I'd take some advice from all of you before I make the trip of nearly a 100kms to see him and finalize it because the deal seems too sweet to pass off on.

This sounds too good to be true. Anyways, this is not the last Civic which you will find, be patient and keep looking. I would recommend forgetting this car, why take a chance and go into a potential headache situation.

Cheers

[V.Narayan]

Doesn't just smell but stinks. As @Cyborg says this isn't the last Civic around. Keep looking. When a seller agrees to drop price by 33% over text messages then clearly he hasn't invested financially in the asset. Afghanistan? might mean you'll never ever find him again!

[saket77]

If you’re interested, why not ask directly to the registered owner? You’ll find the actual registered owner’s name in the parivahan site. Ask the seller to share the friend’s name and phone number. Call up directly and verify. To make the transfer, the registered owner will have to submit his valid photo ID/PAN/Aadhar. Ask for those documents. It’s not a big thing to verify these details online.

Also, if you have any doubts after speaking to them; you can always walk off. A few grand here and there won’t matter if you have peace of mind. Civic sold well in its hey days, which means there isn’t any dearth of used Civics here.

[wildsdi5530]

Stinks, but a great deal. Have seen deals like this during college days. Remember an NRI settling his coffee shop bills with his Maruti 800 car. So do go check it out, pay in cash and get NOC and paperwork done. You can probable get the price down further. And enjoy.
Of course during paperwork, you will be meeting the original owner too so it can be a direct transfer on paper.

[Thermodynamics]

Fishy, walk away.

If he needs immediate money he can sell it off at cars24 or any used car dealer perse. My guess is, this is either a stolen car or it has been used in illegal activities. He is going nowhere, there are no flights to Afghanistan or to whatever nationality he claims to be. He's got time. If he really wants to go back, he can walk into Afghanistan embassy and seek deportation.

I guess, he is playing the usual scam techniques. Invoke greed (too good a deal), Hasten victim (time running out, now or never), The bait (token advance to block deal etc.,). Please walk away.

[momsonlydriver]

Is this the new way of selling a stolen vehicle? Most vehicle theft happens in Delhi. I have a feeling that when the car was stolen, all the original papers were inside the car.

You might fall in trouble if you pay for the car and he promises to shift the ownership in future.

The moment he said he hasn't paid for the rent and considering the given distance. He will ask for an advance payment (scam alert)

Stating Afganistan means that even if he gives you the car, he will dissapear. This car might have some serious problem for being dirty cheap or some legal issues.

[Amrik Singh]

Ask any of your friend to call up as another prospective buyer and negotiate. Later let him check the documents and history of the Car. Respecting unanimous decision of "A Fishy Deal" you must move a step further to understand the mystery and learn the modus operandi.
Of course keeping in mind that you do not part with any money till you are satisfied and find that the documents are in order. First thing should be to demand his Aadhar Card copy to verify his authenticity.
A little efforts and a lesson to learn, is worth.

[stormy]

The deal does sound fishy, could be a scam. It is as if someone who urgently needs to sell the car.

But you are safe as long as you dont make any cash transfers. As suggested above, please check details on parivahan. Contact last registered owner and cross check details. If it doesnt match drop the idea. Otherwise you might have a potential deal and you can go check out the car in person and negotiate further.

[bad_azz]

This civic has been on OLX for many months. I clearly remember seeing it before because of the orange-brown upholstery. And looking at the pics on OLX the car seems to be in a pretty bad condition. High chances of you having to spend some money on it fix things.

If you increase you budget to 1.3-1.5 lacs you can get a much cleaner civic.

[akash_v12]

Originally Posted by armaan_singh

So now we are looking at a prospective 4th owner vehicle though we don't have a full tally, also the entire story seems a little fishy to me, I could be entirely wrong, but thought I'd take some advice from all of you before I make the trip of nearly a 100kms to see him and finalize it because the deal seems too sweet to pass off on.

Hey Armaan!

I would not recommend you to go ahead with the deal. It seems very much like a target scheme to me.

Points to note here:-

• The first and most scary point - The ownership transfer. As BHPian Saket77 said, Try and get hold of the registered owner’s name from the mParivahan application by the registration of the vehicle and just ask him to name his friend. If these names match, ask him to give the contact number of his friend for ownership transfer. If he resists, Walk Away.
• If you’re 100 KMs away, try and get a friend to get the car checked. If no one, then try and get someone to check the car preferably with a mechanic. Only buy it if the ownership transfer is sorted and the old owner has been verified and the mechanic has approved the condition of the car.
• The most important thing - The guy is from Afghanistan & is ready to sell a car for this cheap? Sounds very sketchy to me. This could very much indicate that this is a scam or the car is stolen or used for illegal purposes. Once you pay him, he might as well leave the country and you would get nothing in case something unfortunate happens.

As BHPian Cyborg said, this will definitely not be the last Civic that’ll come up for sale. There will be more soon enough as more people try to sell their cars (specially in Delhi due to the NGT Rules ). You will find something better than this, hopefully very soon.

[Kishen.padiyar]

Slightly OT but worth noting - if the number you are using for WhatsApp is the same that is linked to your bank account, please be careful for the next few days at least. Everything from the price to the ownership history to the seller being an NRI is suspicious so stay vigilant!

[2000rpm]

Friend, regarding the civic. Please stick to the facelifted model. You will be able to maintain ownership longer.

This deal looks fishy, stay away.

Also I am so jealous of Delhi walas, this same car in Bangalore will be 2 lakh plus minimum.

[armaan_singh]

Thanks everyone for the various suggestions, I stuck with my gut and all your opinions and have hence decided to let this pass. I informed the seller of the same, citing personal reasons, and he asked me if it's a financial reason, he can even settle for 70K, further making me believe that it's good that I let this deal go. Thanks Again !

Originally Posted by 2000rpm

Friend, regarding the civic. Please stick to the facelifted model. You will be able to maintain ownership longer.
.

My budget is strictly around 1.5 Lacs, I don't forsee the facifted version coming in even 15 lacs.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by armaan_singh

My budget is strictly around 1.5 Lacs, I don't forsee the facifted version coming in even 15 lacs.

I think he meant post 2009 model. There was a subtle facelift given by Honda to the Civic. And slightly stiffer suspension which doesn’t bottom out as easily.