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My experience buying a used 2017 Honda Jazz for Rs. 5.5L

21st November 2022, 14:02 by Ananth Iyer

I finalled the deal at about Rs. 5.5L.

BHPian sanjoos recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Prologue

I had big plans for my first car. Ever since the Slavia came out, I had dreamed of owning a beautiful sedan and powering through an empty highway. Then the Virtus came out, and I was convinced that my first car was going to be a 150 HP German. So, started saving money to invest in a fund, got myself a credit card to improve my credit score, and calculated that early 2024 would be the right time (I tend to plan A LOT.. ).

But, all of a sudden, I had to goto office twice a week, and needed a car in 2022. I live 3 hours away from my office, and choosing public transport would have me go through three different means of transport just to get to the nearest railway station. It’s too much of a hassle for just two days. So, I needed a car and I needed one within a couple of weeks. No time for planning (Imagine the pain).

The Search

A new car was out of the question, since I was not ready to shell out a significant sum and compromise on a car which I would be stuck with for at least the next 5 years. Thus, I came to the conclusion that a used car is the right way to go. Being a lazy bum and socially under endowed, I decided to check the used car websites. Two or three days into the search, I short listed a few cars under 5L. But things looked too easy and convenient and that got me thinking. So I asked some of my friends, what they think about these websites. Surprisingly, everyone had at least one horror story about such websites, even though none of them have bought a used car. I felt like I shouldn’t have asked. It seems everyone has an opinion on everything these days.

A week went by and I was starting to panic. I needed to be in office by Wednesday, and the hopes of finding a car was beginning to wane. Right then, my Mom came to the rescue. Now, you might imagine she gave me a pep talk and raised spirits to go out there and find the car of my dreams right?… Wrong!! She started by questioning me about the car hunt. Slowly, the formal conversation turned into an outright brawl. She was furious that I was trying to buy a car online. My weak arguments about technology and convenience fell on deaf ears. She gave me an ultimatum, buy a car within the next week, or forget about it completely. There is no better motivation than when your mother holds you at gunpoint. So, finally, I decided to get my feet wet, and visit used car showrooms.

Back in 2012, when I was still in school, my dad brought a first gen Jazz home. He was given that from his office for work related travels. I was not into cars back then, but I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it. So did my sister and my mom. As time went by, all of us forgot about the Jazz, but it must have been in the back of my mind, because every time I scrolled through list of cars, I would always stop whenever I saw a Jazz. It was no different when I visited the showrooms either, and Mom was happy about it as well. Now, my mom was not just content with having a specific car, she wanted a specific colour, age and even had reservations about who the previous owner was! So saying that it was hard to find the right car is an understatement. After 3 days of going through different showrooms, I started to question my decision about fixating on a particular car. But since I was not as verbally gifted as my mother, I didn’t try to convince her. Wednesday came, I borrowed mom’s car and survived for the time being. Came back home on Friday, and the search resumed.

Finally

Like most people looking to buy a used car, eventually, I ended up visiting a near by true value showroom. I didn’t have high hopes, since most of the other shops couldn’t give me the car I wanted(or rather, my mom wanted). This was a much smaller showroom, with very limited inventory. I walked in and casually asked the sales guy wether they’ve got a Jazz. “Yes!” he said. “How old?”. “Five years sir”. My eyes grew brighter after each question. I must have smiled, ‘cause the sales guy became overly friendly all of a sudden. Gracefully hiding my joy, I nonchalantly asked him to show the car. He took me to the warehouse, and there it was, covered in dust and mud, a golden brown 2017 model Jazz SV. The interior looked like it had witnessed several cat fights, and it smelled like soiled socks. These guys really need to understand the concept of a first impression. Regardless, a closer inspection under the hood and of the tyres did leave me with a good impression. There were no visible rust, and the engine started without any fuss. I was ready for TD, but first things first. I ran back to the showroom where my mom was, to give status report, and asked her to sit tight. If she sees the car the way it is now, I’ll be back on the road again.

Jazz SV (2017)

The car drove well, had an infotainment system, and even had a reverse parking camera. There was a slight issue with the steering. If it's turned to the left slightly, it won’t rotate back to centre sometimes. The AC was not cooling well, and the brakes were a little dull. I understood the meaning of a weak low end, when I drove this car. If you are lazy about down shifting, you will lug the engine. I later came to know that this was a known issue with the Jazz’s engine. There were no major red flags, and most of these issues seemed to be easily solvable. So, it came down to the price. The initial quote was 5.9 L. I knew they were overshooting a bit, expecting some negotiation from the customer. I haggled it down to 5.5, which we both agreed and confirmed the booking. I was proud of my negotiation skills, but mom was not impressed though.

I know what you guys are thinking. “You confirmed without letting a mechanic check it?”. “Not even checking the service history?”. I knew I was taking a big risk, and to be honest, I didn’t know a good mechanic either. I was in a hurry, and yes, I turned a blind eye, since I was thrilled to find a car that matched all our criteria. But, as it turns out, it would come back to hurt me later on.

Ownership

It has been over 3 months now since I’ve owned this car, and I have to say it has served it’s purpose wonderfully well. The showroom guys fixed most of the issues and even gave a teflon coating before delivery. Transfer of ownership was also done by them, everything went smooth, and above all, mummy was happy .

As you may have already guessed, that’s not the whole story. The next day after delivery, we went for a short trip to Kottayam, which is about 40 km from our home. On our way back, the brake warning light and the ABS warning lights lit up. I panicked a bit, and tested out the brakes. The brakes were fine. All sorts of things started running through my head, and I decided to give a call to the showroom. They seemed surprised about it as well, as they never got it before. They agreed to pay for any repairs or replacements. So, I took the car to a Honda showroom, and asked them to check it. Apparently, the issue is with the ABS, and a replacement would cost me 30k. I asked them to pull up the service history (I know I should have done this earlier). As it turned out, there was a faulty ABS reported on February 2022, and the owner decided not to fix it. Either the first owner fooled both the showroom and me, or it’s the showroom playing innocent. Whatever the case, I accepted this as the price I have to pay for making a hasty used car purchase. I did not go for the replacement, as the brakes were pretty good, and I consider myself to be a naturally gifted feather foot driver. So I should be able to manage without ABS. Yeah, go ahead, you can laugh at me.

I spent around 10k replacing the upholstery and a few other things and finally took it to office the next week. Till now, it has not caused any more problems, and I get an average mileage of 18.5 km per litre (petrol). I’m planning to continue to hold on to this car for the next two years, and by then, hopefully we will have more sedans available on the market.