Ownership experience: My pre-owned Chevrolet Sail U-VA

The first-year experience has been 99% hassle-free, with no expenses other than the ones spent on fuel.

BHPian Arayan5614 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

About a year back bought a preowned car through Spinny (not a sponsored post).

The very first delivery experience was mixed:

• Team came on time as requested to deliver (wanted it to be delivered at my place in a specific time window - Muhurat!).
• The car wiring had rat bites and all the lights weren't working.
• The team was super prompt in taking the car back and solving the issues.

The Car: Chevrolet Sail U-VA, 2014, 20k km, 1st owner :

Lazy me using the pics from Spinny, avoiding extra work of hiding registration plate Though the car is in 99% with the same look till today.

Why a preowned car?

• I am an ex-entrepreneur, run a travel startup and never felt a need of owning a car.
• Moved to Bangalore after an exit from my startup and was mostly using cab services, scooty and carpool.
• Somewhere there was also a plan to move abroad and a new car would have been a liability / loss-making decision given depreciation on a new car.

"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face" - Mike Tyson.

• The Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown followed was punch on the face to most of us or on our plans at least.
• Long story short, with little uncertainty of cash flow, most international borders closed I was left with a very few options.
• Also this was the time I got severe knee pain and had to take Dr. help, just to visit a Dr. 5km from my place my co-brother had to drive from another edge of Bangalore (30km one side) to pick me up and take to the Dr. and then he would go back the same distance to his family.

So, there was an immediate realization of the need for a car and a preowned, certified and budget car just seemed to fit the situation perfectly.

I went with the Chevy Sail U-VA for three reasons: An LT came at just Rs. 2.85L, Chevy still has a service centre in Bangalore and the car's seating is as spacious as a Dzire, i20 etc

1st year my ownership experience:

• The first-year experience has been 99% hassle-free, with no expenses other than the ones spent on fuel.
• There were minor issues like noise from the timing belt, fault in indicators and hard AC knobs - which the seller's team was able to solve for me ( the car came with one year warranty and all these issues were solved under that warranty including free pick up and drop).
• We took some long drives with this car covering coastal Karnataka in 7 days trip - Bangalore > Mangalore > Udupi > Shivasamundram > Shimoga > Bangalore

Happily relaxing in Udupi resort:

The warranty of the car got extended by 6 months from the seller platform on the ground of almost no running during lockdowns, which was again a welcome and satisfactory move.

IMO two major repairs after 1st year are:

• Change of water pump - cost Rs. 4844 ( pump + coolant + labor )
• Change of Tensioner and Bracket - Cost Rs. 3418 ( parts + labor)
• Minor - Paid Rs. 250 for window motor wiring carbon removal.
• Upgraded lights to 90/10 from 55/60 - ~2200 for bulbs and relay + 250 labor.

Few more pics of the car:

By now you would have guessed that this is my first owned car and I love it like a high-school sweetheart.

Now the big question:

• Am I happy with my decision to buy this car? - Absolutely 100% - in this budget, this kind of service, reliability, comfort and space - exceeds my expectations every day.
• How long will I keep this car? - I shall keep it for one more year at least or as long as I'm not going out of the country for a long time.

While I was writing this article, realized I need to get double-check the accuracy of the fuel gauge given its erratic readings in recent days.

Coastal Karnataka trip deserves a dedicated post, would try soon share that.

Thank you!

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

Great car at a great price not many folks understand what good value a used Chevrolet (one that's made in India) is. Sure the Cruze and Captiva might be tough to maintain but cars like the Spark, Beat and the UVA are comfy honest to god little no-nonsense hatchbacks with solid engineering that's gone behind making them reliable and robust, as well as cheap spares since they were produced here.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.