An SUV on a 30L budget: A used higher segment German or a new hybrid?

The car needs to be an SUV since I already have a sedan. I live in Delhi NCR (specifically Gurgaon), and you know that Gurgoan is known for its waterlogged and pothole laden roads.

BHPian thaithdriver recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I am reaching out to you guys for your expert opinions. To get the basics out of the way first, I don't need a car right now. I own a Honda City Petrol that has been serving me well for the past 3 years. I drive about 350-500Kms monthly or about ~5K-6K Kms annually. As another BHPian put it, and I couldn't do more justice, this is more of a mid-life crisis solver. The urge to buy a new toy. I am doing well financially; I have a stable job with regular income and no EMIs and with that comes an itch to get a new horse.

I have decided that I have 30 lakhs to spend on a car (all inclusive). Here are my requirements.

• Needs to be an SUV since I already have a sedan. I live in Delhi NCR (specifically Gurgaon), and you know that Gurgoan is known for its waterlogged and pothole laden roads. Also, I sometimes travel to Himachal (no hardcore offroading requirement) and need decent ground clearance for that

• Great ride quality and driving dynamics. I don't want something like a MG Hector that is known for its floaty ride on highways since I occasionally do smack that tarmac

• Relatively plush interiors? Honestly, the inception of the idea behind buying a new toy is also to look at those sexy interiors

• Needs to be a somewhat efficient fuel guzzler, I don't want to think twice about going on a 500KM long roadtrip

• Something I am able to keep for 4/5 years at least. I take my decisions after deliberation and stick with them. I don't change cars very often

• If pre-owned then a fairly new and reliable pre-owned. I couldn't get a Fortuner that had been driven less than 80k honestly. Every decently maintained Fortuner/ Endeavour I tried was driven more than 70k KMs

Here is where my conundrums begin. My requirements took me to both new as well as pre-owned cars (luxury) aplenty. In terms of choosing cars by fuel type, my priority list looks like this, but I am pliable and open to suggestions.

• Petrol - Open to buying but not 100% sold since low FE and linear output response. Quite a few SUVs struggle overtaking on highways too.

• HEV/BEV - Open to buying but not 100% sold since my running doesn't justify the premium. Though I love the MG ZS EV motor.

• Diesel BS6 - No go but if BHPians tell me this is making sense. I am open to change my mind.

• Diesel BS4 (pre-owned) - Mostly a no go

I did also come across pre-owned listings of entry level VAG cars X1/ GLA that could be had for as low as 20L. I do want to buy a "fairly" new car that is made post 2020 and has less than 40K on the ODO. I am somewhat into the snob value of a badge and would love to get my hands dirty with one. However, I do understand that there are no cheap/ budget German cars, and I will have to ensure upkeep of those cars through FNGs, sometimes at high costs. I do want to preface that I will buy these through a reputed dealer such as Spinny Max that will provide a comprehensive 2-month warranty on the car. So, if there are any upfront niggles or replacements required those can be done directly from VAG dealerships at zero costs to me directly.

In summary, I have a couple of questions and want to understand a few things:

• Should I buy a pre-owned German SUV or a new car? Given, I am in it for the snob value too and would love to own a badge but at the same time want to balance the cost of ownership tradeoff. I am relatively stable financially but I am not someone who earns >50lakh+ a year

• Perhaps the most important question basis which I will get a lot of clarity. Would the costs of maintaining pre-owned German SUVs through FNGs be significantly higher than say a Toyota Hycross via official dealerships? I have never got any of my cars worked upon outside of official dealerships. Hence, I am quite used to paying 20k for a regular service and sometimes a couple of ten Ks for unanticipated breakdown. What I want to understand is, how much higher will a similar breakdown cost me for a VAG through FNGs? Ideally if I can get my Toyota tail light fixed via Toyota dealership at 20k vs. A BMW X1 tail light fixed via FNG in 25k then it is no problem for me to own a badge.

Ideally, if we could fill a table like the attached (Screenshot attached), that would be really helpful. I know putting a number to breakdown costs is almost impossible but an avg. number that you've experienced in your ownership could help. I know the 1-1.5% maintenance number that GTO posted but I am not sure about that number's definition. Does it only include breakdown costs? or breakdown + scheduled maintenance? Assuming I sort niggles with Spinny comprehensive warranty, is that number still valid?

If costs permit, do entry level badge SUVs make sense over higher end Mahindra's or Toyota's? I know that GLAs are cramped on space with beautiful interiors while X1s are ordinary on interiors. A MG Astor's cabin is sexier to look at compared to X1.

So in short, do entry level VAGs put the current gen domestic SUVs in dust either mechanically, electronically, or otherwise?

If you had 30 lakhs to spend within my car constraints/ requirements, what car would you buy? give me your top 2/3 so I can take a frequency run and go from there.

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

1. I suggest you, buy the pre-owned German cars directly from a used car channel of the brand. Like Mercedes-Benz Certified, Audi Approved Plus or BMW Certified. You can check their inventory directly on their website.

They give 6 to 12 months warranty on the cars which gives Peace of Mind.

2. Costs will be higher even from FNG's-

The cost of a new headlight or taillight of Merc or BMW is above 1 lakh. So in this case getting this repaired by FNGs will only save you on the labour amount.

Regular services like oil, oil filter, and air filters from FNG will cost around 20k in comparison to 50k from ASS. Other items like brake pads and brake discs can be changed to aftermarket companies and will cost around 60-70k in comparison to 1.10 lac from ASS.

3. Depends upon What you want from a car.

X1 and GLA will offer badge value and excellent driving dynamics which no other car can match but lack size, and interior space.

4. What car I will Buy in 30 lakhs-

I will increase my budget a little bit and look for a pre-owned 2018-19 Mercedes GLC/X3, there are plenty of examples in a 34-36 lakhs bracket.

If I want a new car then I will buy a Hyundai Tucson, It is selling at a 2 lakhs discount currently for MY23 models.

Since you have a Reliable Honda in your garage then I think this time you can get your hands on Pre-owned German Cars.

Pre-owned German cars are a hit or a miss. Check carefully before buying that's why I suggested you Merc Certified or Audi Approved plus, buying a car from them increases the probability of getting a good car.

If you find a good car then you will have a smile on your face every time you drive it and if not then game over.

Here's what BHPian Chrome6Boy had to say on the matter:

Since you already have a dependable car with a big boot for highway drives, take a look at new EVs.

While they may not have badges to impress other people, they will simply blow you away in terms of performance, sometimes even matching cars two segments above them.

The BYD Atto 3 and the MG ZS EV are around your price range. If you have access to a 15A plug at home / work this will put a big smile on your face. It is cheap to run, cheap to service and really fun to drive. Both these cars have good tech, decent interiors and powerful motors. Take a test drive and see for yourself.

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

Pre owned route isn’t the best idea for us Delhi NCR people. Diesel options will be BS4, which means major usability issues in winter. Petrol options will not the E20 compliant, which is its own can of worms. Better to buy new.

You say you are well settled and don’t have liabilities, which is a great position to be in. You can get yourself a nice new ride, or you can instead make some big investments which well and truly set you up for the future. That’s your call.

Since what you are looking for is a toy, an NCR compatible toy, may I suggest you consider the Jimny. Nothing quite like getting bitten by the 4x4 bug, and Gurgaon has a thriving off roading scene with active communities and regular events.

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

With a 30 lac budget I'd get the Harrier/Safari or an XUV700 (I did get a Harrier in mid 2023). 30 lacs is really good budget and cars in this bracket get all the features that were aspirational/available only in high end luxury cars a few years back.

Unless you are looking for snob value(which I understand you are), there's really no need to go preowned with this budget. It seems to me that you are still trying to define what your use case is for the new car. Think long and hard as to whether you need an old German car that has the potential to be a white elephant unless still under warranty. But again the heart wants what it wants, maybe yours hasn't communicated clearly yet. And perhaps that's why they call it midlife crisis!

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

Hi, you seek driving dynamics, feature set, relatively low maintenance, good FE.

Based on my past ownership experience of Germans (bought new)

1. There is a big difference in materials, quality of entry level German cars vs their mid and top segment offerings ( compare 3 vs 5 series etc).

2. For 30 lacs and recent model years, you will have to consider entry level german cars. For next segment, you will have to look at 5-6 year old options. 1. Won't suggest buying a pre owned German which is 5-7 years old and out of warranty 2. Even if you do, you need to compromise on feature set. ( my current Verna is plusher / more feature rich than my (then) 2015 E Class and 2017 3 series. The latter especially was a great driving machine but by no means, luxurious)

For 30 lacs, I would suggest you look at

Mahindra - Top end XUV700, Scorpio N

They will meet most of your requirements but will have niggles and petrols won't have great FE ( by the way, most of us spend more on buying /selling our cars than fuel)

If you wish a relatively niggle free experience, then consider the Korean crossover twins ( Creta, Seltos - better FE compared to the Mahindras) or maybe stretch to a petrol Tucson.As GTO says, 25-35 lacs gets you all the car you need and then some more.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.