1.68 lakh for a 13-yr-old Toyota Etios: Should I get it as my first car

It is a 2011 petrol model and a second-owner vehicle that has clocked 45,000 km but there is a gap in its service history.

BHPian wheelspinner recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I have been searching for a decent reliable used car within a low budget for about a year without much success - every car I found came with costly repairs or niggles that make it an unworthy deal. Then, I came across this 13-year-old Etios 2011.

The car has run around 45,000 odd kilometers, and was with its second owner when Cars24 acquired it. Now my question is whether this is good enough to invest my hard-earned money.

My Rationale

I can afford more, but right now I don't have much use of a car. It is just to get better at driving a car, and explore if I would like to get a more expensive car. I suffer from buyer's remorse - so jumping to an expensive car is a no-go for me. Having said that, what I want is a fuss-free, good-looking, and cheap car. So does spending this much on it, so that it lasts me a couple of years seem reasonable? What do you think?

Also, I might go abroad this year for job-related relocation in a few years. So avoiding any big purchases.

Few concerns

The service history ends at 33,000 Kms in 2019, and beyond that, there is no service history. It has run 12,000 Kms since then.

I got this car checked by GoMechanic. But, for some reason, I find the mechanic's words untrustworthy as if the seller has coerced him to say good things. It is clearly visible in the picture that the boot door is repainted (see paint marks on the G badging). However, he told me only the bumpers were repainted. He also told me that the car had check engine lights on, but they were because the "history" data had not been cleared. It was visible in the OBD scanner report. However, he assured me that it was gone when he deleted the error code with the OBD scanner. But he didn't share the same with me (the report still indicated fault code in the Current section and history section) - in the report, there was a "P1604" startup malfunctioning error. Is something suspicious here?

He told me that the shockers and suspension were fine. There is some noise on braking. The advisor informed me about a hole in the silencer - that could be fixed, but then the mechanic failed to find it (wondering why). He did tell me that the coolant needs changing and that three of the tires had gone old/dry due to staying unused for long periods.

So my question is, considering everything - will this car be a good option for me? I can consider spending 10-20k more on it, but the question is if it will make sense to do so.

Here's what BHPian SafariMan had to say about the matter:

I purchased the same car, 2011 black Etios from Cars24 Kolkata in 2022 for 2.4 L. Changed 4 tyres, new Exide battery and changed the suspension set in 2 years. It is good enough to go for another 10 yrs. I purchased it at 36kms. Has Crossed 1L km.

Have been to Tawang and Zemithang twice, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Ladakh including Turtuk, Hanle to Munsiyari, UK via Manali and Auli. Munsiyari to Pokhara Nepal via Banbhasa border crossing Kathmandu, Tanki border to Siliguri, Kolkata and back to Bangalore. Madhya Pradesh entire state tour ex-Nashik, all the places before Indore, Ujjain, Bhimbetka, Amarkantak, Jabalpur, Khajuraho Orchha, Jhansi, and every place in MP. Many Bangalore-Mumbai-Nashik runs. Bangalore Mysore, Coorg (Kodagu), Wayanad, Thekkady, Munnar, Marayoor, Allepey, Kochi, Kollam, Trivandrum Balarampuram, Attingal. Entire Kerala entire state till Kanyakumari to TN Rameswaram Madurai and Bangalore last July.

I have got an average of 14 - 17kmpl on highways with the AC always kept on 1 or 2. Mostly 3 pax Ladakh to Munsiyari 4 pax and more than 150 kgs of luggage in the humongous boot. (We even carry a 20 litre Bisleri pump water can) . In Bangalore, Mumbai or Kolkata average falls to 13-14 kmpl. Just don't push the accelerator much. It can pull at very low speeds all the way to changing to 5th gear at 55 kmph.

Etios petrol is a very well-built peppy car. A breeze to drive on highways and reaches 160 kmph on Purvanchal Yamuna or Lucknow-Agra super highways in 185 Contis. Low cost of maintenance, barebones but highly capable. Just change the tyres to 185 contis. Go buy it and enjoy it.

Here's what BHPian getgoing had to say about the matter:

Please check out some of the issues which I noticed with a 2014 Toyota Etios owned by one of my close relatives.

Engine vibrates when the car is switched on and I also felt the car shakes and creates noise. Further, when the car is moving on the road, a great amount of sound from the tyre reaches inside the cabin which is very irritating while driving.

Secondly, the pickup is very low at all the gear as observed by me. The most important aspect is that the mileage of Etios is very low. In normal city conditions, you will hardly get an average of 10 km/l.

Here's what BHPian Iyencar had to say about the matter:

13 yrs+ two owners + unknown service history for 12k kms + discontinued model + asking over 1.6 L and certified by a GoMechanic guy no less = more red flags than in a communist convention.

As a used car buyer myself, yes, it’s a great way to save some serious cash but needs a lot of patience, diligence and some luck. Go for a single owner, 2-3 lakh car, around 5 years old and run less than 50k.

Shouldn’t cost you more than this. As for inspection, just take it to any dealer and tell them to do a paid general inspection.

Here's what BHPian asit.kulkarni93 had to say about the matter:

Etios is a fuss-free car. It's important to look for a non-accidental car. Rest mechanical and electrical issues are easy fixes. The car that you are considering is the G variant and doesn't look like the G sp. Please consider getting a variant with ABS and airbags.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.