Budget Rs. 40 lakh: Need suggestions for a used German luxury car

I would prefer an SUV as I would like to take the car to remote places & single track roads. This could even be a daily car if I decide to return back to India for good from the Gulf.

BHPian sgmuser recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

All,

I am an oldie to TBHP (Sep 2006), and live in here for almost a few hours everyday as automobiles are my passion.

This requirement might sound similar to already few threads, but the idea behind starting this thread is that I would like to keep updating this thread with my search which is going to start in person from July 1st onwards (July 2nd is my birthday, but unfortunately, I can not gift myself the car on that day as I am yet to reach India).

Little bit of background. I have a 2013 Innova which I specifically purchased for my dad and mom for their comfort and nothing else. I lost them both one by one, and but I am still keeping my Innova. He was a car guy and enjoyed the front seat rides a lot (he had a govt. jeep for daily use with a driver when he was working).

In the Gulf, I am driving a 2019 Wrangler Sport 5 door 3.6 v6 and a Prado 2012. So, now, I need a German back home as my long term drive. I am living out of India for the last 22 years. This car is purely a gift to myself .

I have shortlisted a used BMW or a Mercedes. I would prefer an SUV as I would like to take the car to remote places & single track roads. This could even turn out to be a daily car if I decide to return back to India for good. So, I am not bothered even if it is used less if I am out side of India. It will be used/maintained by my brother as he has another car.

I looked at a few X1s (2018 and newer) or Mercs. I can stretch to max 40 lakhs. I decided to look at options from 2018 or newer at the moment.

What should I look out for in the used X1s? The GLA seems to be too small compared with X1. I cannot stretch to get a new GLA which looks good. Audi is out of my list, but Volvo is something I really like but not finding any good options. I might check new ones, and will see any good deal. I do not like the XC40, but XC60 is a great option but none available in my range.

Open to all kinds of suggestions. So, do not worry if something does not make any sense or I need tune up my expectations a bit.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

Would suggest first letting things settle on where you are going to settle . If in the Gulf, buy a luxury German there. If & when you move to India, then plan for the car here. If a German car is left unused for months together, it can create havoc (rodent damage, low voltage problems, rubber going bad).

For 35 - 40 lakhs, I would personally go for a Kodiaq which IMHO is a superior vehicle to the X1, GLA & gang. If absolutely keen on the luxury marques, you'll get lots of 5-Series & E-Class in your budget. Among the SUVs, look harder for an X3 or GLC. Even the Q5.

Here's what BHPian Poorcupine had to say on the matter:

A very happy milestone birthday to you in advance sir!

If you are okay stretching to 40 lakhs you might be able to find newer X1's too, maybe even 2020 or 2021s considering the new one's are 41.xx lakhs ex-showroom. The German's are built like tanks so long term ownership shouldn't throw too many problems at you if you find a good example. Shop around and make sure you get a good service history.

If you don't mind going slightly older, say 2016/17 you could possibly find a good X3 as well. If you want to venture into something not German, you could also consider the Land Rover Discovery Sport.

Here's what BHPian astrodex had to say on the matter:

In case of used cars, it also depends on where you are buying it. Re-registering cars across state lines, especially luxury ones, are a costly affair. I've often found that you get have more choice, but higher prices in metros and tier-1 cities while for other places, the prices and supply is very limited. I had a friend who was looking for an X3 that he found in Goa that was almost half of what was being asked in Kerala. We checked the car out, but in the end there was some issues with registration charges based on original costs etc. that it wasn't worth the effort.

If you are honing in for X1, please keep an eye out for different variants. I believe they had the xDrive and M Sport flavors for 2018 onwards, so look out for them. The initial price differences were more than 5 lakhs and included AWD and lot of tech goodies.

I won't call X1 value for money, since there are better cars available now like the Kodiaq, for the similar price range but if you are looking for the luxury badge and SUV, it is a great option. And they are better suited for indian roads compared to other cars.

Do let us know what you end up buying and good luck on your move!

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