[speedfreak77]

Originally Posted by niceguisuku

Hi All,

I am looking for Pre-Owned car for quite some time. I currently own a Grand i10 Petrol Asta(O) and it has served us just well for over 6 years now. The current ODO is at ~110000 Kms. For last 6 years i live in Chennai for my job and the car is primarily used in my native. Hence I am thinking in two ways.

1. The pre-owned machine would replace the Grand i10. And the Grand i10 can be driven in Chennai, as i am averse to get a big car due to traffic hassles.
   
2. Pre-owned one could be used in Chennai as i am vary of maintaining a pre-owned car in a tier-2 city.

Requirements are as follows.

1. Budget of around 6 - 7 Lakhs
2. Seat 4 Adults and growing kid (6+ years) comfortably.
3. Good build quality and Safety
4. Comfort should be top notch as it would be used by elders as well.
5. Large enough boot space for 5.
6. More power than 1.2 Petrol (~Read Torquey Diesel~) for occasional spirited driving by me.
7. Usage could be around 15K Kms per year.
8. No-Nonsense maintenance even if i am not around in the same place

Shortlists:

Maruti S-Cross Alpha 1.6:

• European build and manners.
• Torquey diesel should bring smiles.
• Width make it easier for 5 Adults to sit.
• Reliable maintenance from Maruti even in tier-2 cities.

Skoda Yeti:

• Very much VFM for what Yeti offers
• Meets most of the criteria excluding the maintenance part
• Hard to find facelifted ones in pre-owned arena

Volkswagen Jetta:

• Solid machine all around
• Manual Diesel preferred as AT could be hard to maintain
• If maintained well, it should serve for long time
• Mostly finding 2011/2012 models at the price range mentioned

Other shortlists could be Ecosport / XUV300 but i am unable to convince myself on the asking prices for them. From the choices above, S-Cross fits all the criteria expecially from the maintenance criteria. For Skoda / VW, we may need a reliable FNG and so it can only be maintained in Chennai. Also due to covid and restrictions, it is not very easy to look at and test drive the cars as well so going little slower on the purchase. Looking forward to your suggestions.

---
Sukumar

Hi!
For all the options you have enlisted, The S-Cross will be the best fit to your stable. Though, the 1.6 is very rare to find. If you find one, Buy it because that engine is a charm.
A Yeti or a Jetta with less kms will be hard to find. For the budget i’d say a Vento or a Rapid TDI.
Might I suggest you the Duster? Its a beautiful car and you can rely on it running lakh kms and still running like a dream.
You can also find a well maintained Honda City if you stretch your budget a bit.
If you cannot find a 1.6 S-Cross then even the 1.3 will be a great fit but i’d say if you see a 1.6, close your eyes and buy one.
It all comes down to your preferences!
Cheers!

[niceguisuku]

All,

Out of all the S-Cross 1.6s I have considered, i got the service history of one car from a near by place. The car looks to be in pristine condition based on the pictures received. I could not verify the car in person or verify the history with MASS. When inspecting the service history, i got few doubts on few entries which are done in the space of two years. Below are the details.

History 1:
22113M65M00 BOLT, CLUTCH COVER
23820M79J20 CYLINDER ASSY,CLUTCH OPERATING
22000M55LA1 CLUTCH ASSY
GA01R31 CLUTCH COVER ASSY AND/OR CLUTCH DISC ASSY FOR DIESEL WITH INPUT SHAFT BEARING

History 2:
81850M64M00 BALANCER,BACK DOOR,R
81860M64M00 BALANCER,BACK DOOR,L
PE06R01 BACK DOOR BALANCER (ONE SIDE) WITH OPPOSITE SIDE

History 3:
71832M64M00 HOLDER,RR BUMPER SIDE,L
77260M64M00-5PK GUARD ASSY,RR FENDER SPLASH,L
71821M64M00-5PK BUMPER,REAR LOWER(BLACK)
71811M64M10-5PK BUMPER,RR UPR(BLACK)
ZA64L0 OUT SIDE LABOUR
ZF9992 DENTING CHARGES
ZF9993 PAINTING CHARGES

History 4:
64111M64M00 PANEL,SIDE BODY OTR,R
71811M64M10-5PK BUMPER,RR UPR(BLACK)
84580M64M00 GLASS,QTR WINDOW,R
71831M64M00 HOLDER,RR BUMPER SIDE,R
99000M24120-460 DG SEALANT SET WITHOUT PRIMER
99000M24120-883 AIR DRYING SEALER ( PU 92)
90900M11242 FASTNESS (BOLT, NUT, WASHER)
SK02R0 TUNER ASSY
ZA64L0 OUT SIDE LABOUR
ZA64L0 OUT SIDE LABOUR
ZF9992 DENTING CHARGES
ZF9992 DENTING CHARGES
ZF9993 PAINTING CHARGES
ZF9993 PAINTING CHARGES

I think history 1 talks about normal wear/tear in the clutch assembly and i do not care much about that. However, i get the doubts from histories 2, 3, 4 that the car has met with an accident. It seems it was rear ended and major portions of the rear has been damaged. Most of these repairs are covered in the insurance as well as per the history document. I would like to know your thoughts on whether does this look like a major accident involved here so that i can make an informed decision. Thank you in advance.

[speedfreak77]

Originally Posted by niceguisuku

I think history 1 talks about normal wear/tear in the clutch assembly and i do not care much about that. However, i get the doubts from histories 2, 3, 4 that the car has met with an accident. It seems it was rear ended and major portions of the rear has been damaged. Most of these repairs are covered in the insurance as well as per the history document. I would like to know your thoughts on whether does this look like a major accident involved here so that i can make an informed decision. Thank you in advance.

Yes indeed. This car has met with an accident. The car needed a door balancer and it is used mostly when the door doesn’t open or closes. Quarter glass, Fender splash and body panels. I’d say this car isn’t worth buying. As much as 1.6 is exciting. A badly crashed one can cause troubles later. By assessing the damage I’d say it’s not a lot but you can clearly see the panels, fenders, bumpers and quarter glasses were damaged in the crash.

[CrossLife]

Originally Posted by niceguisuku

History 2:
81850M64M00 BALANCER,BACK DOOR,R
81860M64M00 BALANCER,BACK DOOR,L
PE06R01 BACK DOOR BALANCER (ONE SIDE) WITH OPPOSITE SIDE

Boot balancer (hydraulic struts) has failed . It is a normal failure. Does not look like an accident case.

Originally Posted by niceguisuku

History 3:
71832M64M00 HOLDER,RR BUMPER SIDE,L
77260M64M00-5PK GUARD ASSY,RR FENDER SPLASH,L
71821M64M00-5PK BUMPER,REAR LOWER(BLACK)
71811M64M10-5PK BUMPER,RR UPR(BLACK)
ZA64L0 OUT SIDE LABOUR
ZF9992 DENTING CHARGES
ZF9993 PAINTING CHARGES

This looks like a hit from behind.

Originally Posted by niceguisuku

History 4:
64111M64M00 PANEL,SIDE BODY OTR,R
71811M64M10-5PK BUMPER,RR UPR(BLACK)
84580M64M00 GLASS,QTR WINDOW,R
71831M64M00 HOLDER,RR BUMPER SIDE,R
99000M24120-460 DG SEALANT SET WITHOUT PRIMER
99000M24120-883 AIR DRYING SEALER ( PU 92)
90900M11242 FASTNESS (BOLT, NUT, WASHER)

This looks like a hit on RR Quarter portion.

Check body condition. Do check Rear alignment values and suspension condition. Take an extensive testdrive. Take a call based on that.

[niceguisuku]

Originally Posted by CrossLife

Boot balancer (hydraulic struts) has failed . It is a normal failure. Does not look like an accident case.
This looks like a hit from behind. This looks like a hit on RR Quarter portion.
Check body condition. Do check Rear alignment values and suspension condition. Take an extensive testdrive. Take a call based on that.

I looked at the service history again to check the cost of these repairs and they are between 14K and 30K. So that confirms it is not a big accident rather it looks like someone rammed the car from behind when the car is standstill or in a traffic signal. Gives me some confidence to proceed further however cannot check it in person until the lockdown is lifted.

[niceguisuku]

Guys,

Update: Finally a deal for pristinely maintained barebone Stock SCross Alpha 1.6 is done. The long wait is about to get over and I am going get it on this Sunday. Very much excited and will keep the updates flowing!!!