Used car for a new driver under 5 lakh: Petrol, manual & first owner

My plan is to buy the vehicle in Delhi NCR and then ship it to Bangalore as I am working there.

BHPian blackpanther13 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi BHPians,

I am planning to buy my 1st car as a newbie in driving so a used car is the choice for me. I am 30 and married, belong to Delhi NCR and work in Bangalore.

Thinking of getting a used petrol car in the Delhi NCR area.

NOTE: Going to send it to Bangalore as did not find a lot of options in Bangalore.

Budget: 3-5 Lacs

Important Criteria:

• No Major Accidents
• <50k Kms on Odo (Little Negotiable)
• Only 1st Owner
• Make 2015 and above
• Manual Transmission (Want to start with this obviously)
• ABS / Airbags

I have only checked Spinny and Cars24 for now and shortlisted some cars. (Please suggest if there are other good offline / online options). Some of the cars which match the requirements and also my preferences are below (Please feel free to suggest a car if you think it suits the scenario):

Swift / Tiago / Grand i10 / Amaze

Details of the cars I have shortlisted are below. Will start taking test drives next week.

Swift Zxi 2015: Spinny Gurgaon : 36K kms : 4.26L

• Interiors condition food with all electricals working / Exterior condition average, some dents and scratches present.

Swift Zxi 2015: Spinny Gurgaon : 64K kms : 4.59L

• Interiors condition good with all electricals working / Exterior condition above avg, minimal dents and scratches present (Cleaner than the above Swift).

Swift Lxi (O) 2017: Spinny Dwarka : 24K kms : 4.68L

• Interiors condition good with all electricals working / Exterior condition above Avg, minimal dents and scratches present. (Cleanest Swift)

Tata Tiago XT 2019 : Spinny Ghaziabad : 37K kms : 4.58L

• Clean interiors with all electricals working / Exterior condition average, some dents and scratches present.

Tata Tiago XZ 2018 : Cars24 Gurgaon : 53K kms : 4.37L

• Clean interiors, Seat cover torn / Exterior condition average, some dents and scratches present. Some fog light issues.

Apart from the above, there are some good Grand i10 options available.

If required, I am assuming a full body Dent Paint will cost around 25k. That's max for exterior refresh? (Is it advisable to go for it? Right after I get the car or after some time?)

Keeping another 25k for accessories and any other stuff.

I have gone through some posts on the forum regarding buying an old car. Will take a mechanic along with me and also double-check the service and accidental history from the authorized dealer and insurance claims history.

Please feel free to add any suggestions/advice or things I may be missing. Planning to finalize by the end of November 2023.

Here's what BHPian arnav17 had to say about the matter:

Out of all the options you have Shortlisted, this seems to be the best.

I would still suggest that you look for cars in Bangalore itself. There are innumerable options and you saying that there are fewer options was slightly shocking.

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

Check out Maruti TrueValue as well, a major plus is they can show you the service history for Maruti cars, of course, if you ask for it. From a pricing point, in Bangalore, all these organized dealers (spinny, cars24, TrueValue) are almost the same. Given their access to service history TrueValue has an edge from the buyer's perspective for Maruti branded cars.

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

I think within 3-5 lacs a used Honda Jazz should serve your purpose well.

Honda's are generally fuss-free and reliable. Jazz also has good space and is generally a safer choice.

Here's what BHPian Bhupesh_2628 had to say about the matter:

I think buying a used car in Bangalore is more logical as compared to Delhi-NCR.

The reasons are as follows:

• You do not have to transfer the vehicle from Delhi-NCR to Bangalore and vice-versa (in case you plan to sell it back in Delhi-NCR).
• Any vehicle registered outside Karnataka can now ply in Karnataka for a full year without paying lifetime tax.
• But if you are keeping your vehicle beyond 1 year, then you have to pay lifetime tax as laid out in the Motor Vehicles Act and have your vehicle re-registered in Karnataka.

You can refer to this thread for more information.

The used car prices in Bangalore are higher than that in Delhi-NCR. However, if you plan to keep your car for more than 1 year, then the higher cost you pay in Bangalore makes more sense. It saves you from paying lifetime tax + re-registration procedures + difficulty in selling out-of-state car.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.