[shantanumishra]

Originally Posted by prguru

As rjstyles and shankar.balan have pointed stay away from dealers and look for direct owners instead. The dealers have a margin of say about 10k or 20k or 50k or even more depending on the car. No one will quote you less at the very instant you ask for the price as they try to increase the margin by as much as they can. You need to look at different places or search the whole of bangalore for that matter to get an idea of how much the cars sell for and based on that you can bargain (if you are looking at autoshops). Otherwise after searching all over bangalore you will have a fair idea how much the cars sell for , with that in mind if you contact any owner directly for a deal you will definitely get an asking price which is much lesser than those quoted in those autoshops( in most of the cases). So again bargain with the owner and you will get a good deal for yourself

BTW, I made an interesting observation while searching for my used car, some places in Bangalore had a higher price for a similar condition same car model in comparison to the others, People in Places like Koramangala/JP Nagar/BTM/MG Road/etc ask for a premium than in places like Marathalli/KR Puram/Banaswadi/Kammanahalli/etc, couldn't get to know the reason though.

[Abhi_Automobile]

Shantanu,

No offence to anyone..But to me the clear division is the number of outstation people. The areas you mentioned has more number of people who have come from other cities to work in Bangalore. They are either ready to pay the premium or do not know about the market.

Like you, I am a part of the 'floating population' in Bangalore and have clearly seen the trend. In fact, the newer areas in Bangalore like BTM, Koramangala, Jayanagar, JP nagar are generally costlier than the older areas!

Who drove these prices up is another issue- whether it is reckless paying by outstation IT guys or locals making quick buck is debatable.

[gou]

Originally Posted by idofsuresh

I came across some inspiring threads about the value of buying an used car and decided to look out for an used car instead of buying a new one. After my analysis it seems to make a great sense in Bombay or Delhi where the used cars have a reasonable price tag.

In Bangalore I find the asking price of most cars ridiculous. For example a 2008 Fiesta Sxi is quoted at 7 Lakhs. There are worse examples .Take into account the higher interest rate for an used car, I guess this will be a costlier deal than buying a brand new car.

Any experience or suggestions in buying used car in Bangalore from experts welcome. I am also thinking it is probably cheaper to buy an used car from Mumbai and change the registration to KA.

Thanks in advance for the help.

I have bought used cars twice in Bangalore and I am very happy with my decision.

Two reasons for used car being costlier in Bangalore than Mumbai (or Delhi) are:
1. Tax is more in Bangalore than Mumbai. So the new car itselft is bought at a higher value
2. I feel in Bangalore there is a huge demand for used cars. In mumbai there are many people who are rich and change car regularly. I remember my friend buying a 3yrs used Zen in Mumbai in 80,000 in 2003, when the owner had 11 other cars to use so this was never/rarely driven.

So I guess you will have to scout more and buy a car which is relatively older than what you will get in same price in Mumbai.

Also for buying a car, specially a used car I won't advise taking a big loan amount. My first car, Santro, I took loan for an year and for recent OHC I paid cash. I think thats the advantage of buying a used car that you can save youself (to somewhat extent) from burden of an EMI.

I think the amount you are planning to buy a used car should be less than the amount at which you would buy a new car instead. Lets say, you could buy a new car worth 8 lacs, then you should be looking at used cars worth 5 lacs or less. This is because the maintenance would be higher and there might be some unexpected expenses if something goes majorly wrong.

Wish you all the best!!!

Originally Posted by amitoj

Heard a little birdie say that all this is going to change soon and you will be allowed to drive a car from any state in any state without all this trouble.

I also heard the same thing some time back, but I don't think it is going to happen anytime soon.

[kristalsoldier]

Can anyone please give me an idea as to how the Lifetime Tax and Road Tax in Bangalore is computed? I am thinking in terms of an Accent (2003).

Currently, the car has an MP registration.

Also, I have the option of getting a car (again Accent 2003) from Bombay and which has a MH registration. If I get this car to Bangalore, then (1) I will have to change the registration and (2) pay the lifetime and road tax.

In the second case, how will the computation of costs be done?

If you can provide me a link to where I can find this info, it would also be very helpful.

Thanks in advance.

[JLN]

I have tried to capture below the summary of my learnings over the last 4 months with trying to buy a great used car (2/3 year old, low milage, mint condition car) specifically in Bangalore. I have also attached an excel sheet of the best cars I found - almost none of these will qualify as a really great deal, so this is more of a "Best of What is out there" kind of list. For context, I did find an OK car at the end of the 4 months -details in the other thread "Finally got my pre-owned hardly used Verna Diesel Rocket".

These learnings are all from first hand experience and I have no links with any of the vendors mentioned. I have tried not to repeat the stuff mentioned in other threads, except for this first one:

1) Look for the top end variants in whichever car model you are interested in. The price difference in the used car market between the low end and the top end variants is small. Also look for cars where the owner has added expensive and useful accessories - e.g. leather seats, premium music system, VKool sunfilm etc.

2) Getting a great deal on a great used car will be very frustrating - exactly like searching for a needle in a haystack. If you find a great car, be willing to give in on the price and be ready to pay about 25-50K more than what everyone advises you to pay for the car. As a guideline, if you get a car at the Carwale recommended individual pricing for a good condition car, you can consider the deal to be great.

3) If you find a great deal, be prepared to move quickly, but don't compromise on any of the steps in the TBHP thread "How to buy a used car".

4) Unless you are looking for a D segment car or above - Civic, Corolla etc., you may be better off buying a new car. The discounting in the price you get is not worth the risk, effort and time you will spend. A few cars you may find great deals in the used car market: SX4, Optra Petrol, Verna Petrol, GETZ petrol.

5) carwale.com and sulekha.com are your best bets for searching online. Owners who list cars directly here generally expect ridiculous prices for their cars and seem very unwilling to negotiate significantly. So do a lot of pre-negotiation on the phone and take the effort to visit only if the chances of a deal happening are high.

6) Dealers are not worth the effort except for the following:
a) Mahindra First Choice Koramangala - Limited selection of cars, but the guys seem very professional, customer focused, non pushy and give an all-inclusive price.
b) Nandi Toyota UTrust Hosur Road & Popular Automatch in Yeswantpur - Good cars, but prices seemed high for every car I saw there.
c) Classic Jayanagar/BTM - If you are looking for a good deal, you probably will not be able to buy a car here because of the atrocious prices they quote, but this is a good place to browse for cars non intrusively - i.e. they have a large selection of cars with a sticker on each of them with all the info on the car including pricing. So you can get a good idea of the used car market here.
d) Trident Hyundai Used Cars, Indiranagar - They seem to have good Hyundai cars at good prices. In contrast Advaith Hyundai used cars are more like Classic's - highly priced.
e) Any of the Maruti True Values - If you are looking for a Maruti, don't waste your time going anywhere else. These guys are professional, have a large car selection at reasonable all inclusive prices and give a 1 year warranty on almost all Maruti cars they sell. I epecially like the unit on the Outer Ring Road (between Martahalli and KR Puram).

5) About the dealer I bought my car from: The Car House Koramangala.
These guys have some great cars - they seem to have a network of rich & famous guys who have multiple cars and change them frequently. But the guys are a bit too pushy and arrogant for my liking. If you are dealing with them, tread with caution, cover every small angle and do not do the deal unless you feel really good about the car and the price. Push them to let you deal with the owner directly and be prepared to walk out if you are uncomfortable (even slightly) at any time

[GTO]

JLN, those are some phenomenal points! As a fellow fan of pre-owned deals, I couldn't agree anymore. Thanks for sharing, I'm going to copy your post to the Used Car Article to give it the exposure it deserves.

[JLN]

Originally Posted by GTO

JLN, those are some phenomenal points! As a fellow fan of pre-owned deals, I couldn't agree anymore. Thanks for sharing, I'm going to copy your post to the Used Car Article to give it the exposure it deserves.

Thanks GTO. I have used the forum so much in the last 4 months that I felt that I owed it to the folks to share my experiences and learnings.

[idofsuresh]

Thanks very much JLN. I was out of Bangalore for a few months for work, so had to pause the search. As you put it is a hard search, but now I have started to enjoy the search! I cant agree more about the individual prices.

I figured out it is easier to search if I narrow down my search to one or two cars. Started the search again - with Civic in mind. I was looking for a Fiesta and I see no point considering the value for money it offers and the rarity to find a good one in used car marked versus the VFM offered by Civic. A much more modern car with space, safety features and what not with ~4 lacs extra. The availability of civic also seems to be very high compared to Fiesta and I hope to land in a fair deal.

[blackbeast]

Originally Posted by GTO

Bangalore new car prices are higher than Mumbai & Delhi, right? Isn't it then logical that used car prices would also be proportionately higher?

The proportion is not justified. People quote horrible prices and realize it wouldn't sell after few months.Dealers place ADs on Internet to prey on some MNC employees.Look at carwale listings for a skoda in bangalore.You'll know what i am talking about

Originally Posted by idofsuresh

Btw, I am looking for a Fiesta 2008+ 1.6 zxi or sxi.

Dude, not for a Fiesta.If you want to bring in some 15L + vehicle, it is worth a while to go to mumbai

[shankar.balan]

you are absolutely correct in your statement below.
even I have observed that the carwale ads placed by dealers are bordering on the ridiculous or have already crossed the border into no mans land on account of asking price!

Originally Posted by blackbeast

The proportion is not justified. People quote horrible prices and realize it wouldn't sell after few months.Dealers place ADs on Internet to prey on some MNC employees.Look at carwale listings for a skoda in bangalore.You'll know what i am talking about

[idofsuresh]

Thanks a million guys for all your help. Started with Fiesta (See post 38) and finally purchased an used Civic Automatic IN Bangalore. I had enjoyed the search and gained a whole lot of knowledge in the process. Without team-bhp, your inputs and a whole lot of articles on used cars especially by GTO, it would not have been possible for me to buy an used car, forget buying - I would not even have thought about buying one.

I have handed over all the papers to Automobile Association of South India. Paid 450 bucks for the complete transfer charges. A no objection from the existing RTO and the name change would take one month, I was informed by them.

I have not driven the car much, I am going for a long drive in the weekend. I will post my initial ownership experience after that. I will also post my opinion about "Does it make sense to buy an used car in Bangalore".

[blackbeast]

Congratulations A wise choice at the end. Ford service and spares are poor. I'm waiting for you to start on initial ownership and buying/searching experience with pricing and negotiations.

Back to the topic, Look at the price for the superb and captiva. they are premium ads meaning they have paid up for placing the ad.

Having said that, If you work really really hard and keep your patience levels up,then you will end up with a good deal. But you should be cash ready and pouch on it. I once lost a deal of 9 month old 9k run 2.2dicor vx at 8.5 L.

[floyd.bell]

Originally Posted by mkh

Seems like i am an odd one out on this. Having bought 3 used cars and helped a few friend buy also, i have cn that tho many quote absurd prices, you do get good deals at times. There is a deal, not sure still valid now, Fiesta SXI 2008 for 5.2 lacs and 20K kms. Thats not a high price by any means, tho not a killer deal too.
One has to look for the deal of choice which esp comes when a guy is leaving abroad and NEEDS to sell it and cant send it back home etc
One has to visit different forums. About 6 months back i saw a Fiesta for 4 lacs, about 2 years old on craigslist.
PM me if you need some help/guidance on it, i have a couple of deals that i know of for you.

How about a used W124 E220 deal? Would you be having any idea about a used W124 in Bangalore?