[Thilak29]

I am on a similar boat.

5 years, 90,000 on ODO - with Ford's exit, wondering if I should part ways with 1.5TDCI Figo.

[amol4184]

Cut the losses and move on. In few years, the resale will take even steeper dive. Right now, Ford's promises are strong and fresh making people hold and look what happens in future. So you might still get good resale, considering it is a fairly popular vehicle with enthusiasts. That won't hold true as time goes and more and more people turn away from the brand. By 2022 year end, pretty sure many used car buyers will not even remotely consider old Fords except Endeavors.

For new car, if I was you, I will look for S Scross. I liked how the car drives on bad roads. Quite comfortable and vastly better than rest of the MS products as far as quality goes. It genuinely surprised me since I had some different image in my head. Otherwise, Nexon (diesel) used to be my favorite but I see you are looking for petrol. All the best!

[arindambasu13]

Absolutely no sense in selling a lovely vehicle which has no real replacement in the Indian market at this time. Service support should be fine for the foreseeable future, and given the inherently reliable nature of the vehicle, there should not be any real concerns on this front. Panic selling is the last thing you would want to do. Keep the vehicle and enjoy it for its stellar abilities.

[Voodooblaster]

Please don't sell a very competent vehicle, as you will be taking a huge depreciation hit. This is in addition to the EMI load you may have to bear for a new car

When Chevrolet quit towards end of 2017, there was a huge distress sale, and many owners lost money.

After a year, the used Chevrolet price actually increased especially for Tavera and Beat diesel models.

The continued availability of parts, though at a slightly higher price re assured customers to an extent.

The price hike after BS4 also helped to shore up value of the older Tavera and Beat.

Govt is pushing for CAFE2/BS7 norms by 2024. Also it's mulling higher blending of ethanol to petrol. This will of course need the engines to be redesigned. To further muddy the waters, govt is also considering phasing out ICE for EV


My humble advice, use the car for at least 5 more years, and switch to an EV.

If you still feel like getting a new car, don't rush to sell. Wait patiently for a good offer and then sell

[Jhinchak]

You should definitely keep the car, the car has no issues, you enjoy the car and you are happy with it. Until there is an issue with it why want to change it. Ford leaving india has many second guessing to sell their car or not. Ford will continue manufacturing for export markets so I don't think there will be an issue regarding spares.

[veyron_head]

Would certainly suggest keeping the car. I am a ford customer myself and I only see the service centers being more proactive in reaching out for service reminders, now that their livelihood depends completely on it. As long as my current is in good condition, I see no reason to sell it.

[amitayu]

Hi.

I own a 2019 Freestyle Petrol Titanium+. So, I quite understand the dilemma of the thread starter. My family members have been panicking more than me about the whole thing, and have been pestering me with questions to which frankly I don't have any answers!

So, this is my though about the whole situation:

My car is barely 3 years old and still under hypothecation given a 5 year car loan I bought it with. Selling now will get me very poor price which will probably not cover for the prepayment. Generating more down-payment for a new car will be a big hit for the finances, a risk I am not willing to take under ongoing COVID crisis.

MY car, as a product, is awesome and has been serving me well. Given it is pretty new (It was barely run last year in Delhi lockdowns) and with no nagging issues, I expect the product to serve me well for atleast another 4 years. I owned my previous car for 7 years before I sold it, as slowly it started giving me regular maintenance headaches. I had similar timeline for this one as well even when I bought it.

I understand I will barely get any resale value; it was expected when I bought a non-Maruti and things have only gone worse. But the only cover for low resale value is to use and depreciate it to the fullest!

This then leaves concerns about servicing. That is the real grey area for me. Have to live it out to discover what it translates to in real life.

Things have not been easy for us with the exit of Ford, but then it is not in our control, right? So after the initial venting of frustration, it makes sense (to me) to try to figure out how to live with it.

[shreevishnu]

The resale value of Fords will be bad in the future as the company has exited.
But right now, there is a fire sale as people are skeptical of the service/spares.

You have a petrol car, that's unlikely to need too much maintenance.
Keep it, run the wheels off it, and atleast be satisfied on having a "nice" car to drive at the time you bought it.
Safety and fun-to-drive feeling is its own justification.

Suppose you want to upgrade in the future, maybe scrapping the car will give you better benefits that selling at low resale values!
Hindsight bias doesnt help anyone.

p.s. - We have a beater 2008 chevy spark at home, no resale value, but the car works just fine - it doesn't know there is no resale value!
Spares availability for "popular" cars continues, though some wait times could be longer.

p.p.s - Our average acceptable car age seems to be below better endowed countries financially, we should run our cars longer with better maintenance.
https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/a...rs-microchips/

Buy more expensive cars that run longer, then run the wheels off them.
Dont upgrade 1 segment at a time (Alto--> WagonR--> Baleno--> Ciaz in that order is a bad idea).
Buy the variant with most safety features so that you dont feel unsafe later.

[ashenoy]

I own a 2016 Figo AT (the infamous DCT version) and have been through one gearbox swap under warranty. The car is working just fine to date, and frankly the gearbox post swap is perfect too. So am keeping the car for a couple of years more before considering a replacement. Hang on to the Freestyle for now!

[sumathindra]

I own the 2010 FIGO 1.2 Titanium variant and after 11 years, still going strong. Post the announcement of Ford, for a second it did come across my mind if a change is needed. After long deliberations, decided to retain it. I guess at the end of the day "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"

[Mafia]

If there is dip in resale value, you have already lost the money as soon as Ford announced its exit. Your car is just 3 years old.

You can own it for another 3-4 years without too many hassles in spare part procurement.

The reason to sell for you must be an upgrade and not because of Ford's exit.

[RoadMonkey]

The pessimism with respect to ownership of a Ford is all time high right now (exhibit A - this thread) and you'll have to book serious losses on your car. People were similarly concerned about Chevy cars but they seem to have done just fine with respect to maintenance. Unless you have a specific problem with the car itself, I would strongly advise against selling it.

It would also allow you to save more in the meantime, or invest and grow any money you might put in a car now. Remember, a vehicle is a depreciating asset, even if a Maruti. Unless the current car has stopped fulfilling your needs, you really should not look to sell it. The damage is done, the largest chunk of depreciation is done. You won't lose much by driving the car a few more years and seeing how the spares/repair scene turns out.

Suppose you end up putting ~5-6L more on a new car right now. If you keep the car for 4-5 years and save/invest that money, even at 10% CAGR, it can bring you in Creta/MG Astor territory for your next purchase - a true upgrade.

[Annibaddh]

Originally Posted by Thilak29

I am on a similar boat.

5 years, 90,000 on ODO - with Ford's exit, wondering if I should part ways with 1.5TDCI Figo.

Absolutely not! At 90K you're pretty much out of dealer territory anyway. Move to an FnG. Stick to your Figo. It's a damn sweet car - drove one extensively last week - and that diesel is a gem for long-mile munching. Also, hardly anything to upgrade to, no?

[jithin23]

Originally Posted by bhaskar.guru

Now with the news of Ford shutting down in India and also hearing some news of service centres closing down in some cities, I’m concerned about future of the service and availability of spares at a later time. I use my car daily(regular office times once normalcy returns) and during weekends for errands and family trips.

I need your suggestions on –
1. Should I keep my Freestyle or replace it
2. If replace, what car should I think of

Hi Bhaskara, since your car is 3 years old and had a lot of life left, you can continue to keep the freestyle. If you sell it now, it'll go for a loss and people will try to low ball.

I'm in touch with a dealership for an excel sheet of all the spares list for all Ford cars and boodmo will be our best buddy for uncommon parts. Plus there's a guy in Chennai who can give genuine Ford parts for a slightly lesser amount.

You've got a lovely car which is an absolute package and enjoy it till the vehicle gives up on you(if won't if you maintain it diligently)

Originally Posted by bhaskar.guru

Well, all the above requirements were met by my Freestyle except Cruise control

Cruise control can be installed in Freestyle as well. Already one person in TN has installed Cruise control retrofitted in a petrol Freestyle with Idumbakumar's help.

Originally Posted by Thilak29

I am on a similar boat.

5 years, 90,000 on ODO - with Ford's exit, wondering if I should part ways with 1.5TDCI Figo.

The TDCi can still run more miles provided if the maintenance is done punctually and no heavy mods such as remaps. There have been instances of EcoSport and Aspire TDCIs running for 3.5L km without a sweat except for replacement of wear and tear parts.

[ZenMaster]

Even if want to sell your vehicle, selling it now is probably a bad idea. There will be a lot of Panck sellers in the market and lots of buyers/dealers low-balling on offers considering the situation.

Since its a Petrol Manual, just keep it.

The Freestyle is considered as an fun-to-drive vehicle by many. Once the hoo-haah about Ford's exit dies down It might even turn out that, there might be enthusiasts looking for an affordable and reliable fun-to- drive car.

The one thing I would advice is to find a good reliable FNG where you can service your car and can source parts if needed.