[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by vigsom

5. No dealer is fully trustworthy. My only good experience with a dealership was TSM Chennai but there again, they touch up cars and make them look all original. Chinks in the armour are seen six months down.

Not to mention, TSM Chennai overprices their cars. Their cars are better samples in comparison to other dealers too.

[adi.mariner]

Best place to find used premium cars is through known people or having references. I got my pre-owned X3 last year through Luxor Cars in Pune. He was referred to me by BHPian asit.kulkarni93 who helped a lot throughout the shortlisting and buying process. Pre purchase inspection and servicing was done at The Mechanix Automotive which is co-owned by a BHPian. I was really surprised with the ease I got my first pre-owned premium car just because of this forum.

[gkveda]

Some useful tips about pre-owned car dealers

As per my experience, there will be one master financier or master dealer who manages the entire city. You go to any dealer and ask for a car, he will contact master dealer and get the car from there for you.

Whether you want to sell the car or purchase the car, the price is determined by the master dealer. You can test these dealers. They will ask for certain details, call up their master dealer, get the price and let you know the price with some buffer.

Coming to type of dealers,
Pre owned car dealers are of two types

1. Those who sell good cars that are accident free, well treated by owners. Usually, the price at these dealers are very high.

2. Those who deal with accident cars by repairing and making up the cars. Price here would be comparatively low.

The moment the dealer you meet checks the car, he will easily get to know whether the car is genuine or manipulated / accident car. Based on the genuineness, they will contact the secondary dealer and get through the deal. And the price is always determined by the master dealer.

[snap2329]

Originally Posted by Aarvee76

Hi all!

The past three months have been spent searching for that unicorn - the perfect pre-worshipped car in the premium/luxury segment with a budget of 20 L. During my search I have pored over hundreds of threads, browsed various websites and visited multiple used car dealerships (in Delhi only). Some observations during this search:

4. How much should we negotiate from a listed price of 20 L? I was looking at the Camry and the Octavia. I saw a 2019 model Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI L&K having done 19000 kms listed at 20 Lakh in Delhi and 18.5 Lakh in Kolkata. Similarly, a 2016 Camry hybrid having done 75000 km was listed at 20 Lakh in Delhi and 18.5 Lakh in Pune.

I am pathetic at bargaining. What should be my initial offer and what would be a decent price for these cars. I am OK with buying the car from anywhere as long as it is reliable.

Cheers

Moderator - I opened a new thread since I did not find this topic covered anywhere. If you find this frivolous, please delete or merge with any other existing thread. Thanks.

Guess I found my mirror image. I have been in the same boat looking for used cars from exact same time. Infact, I happened to come across a well maintained one year old abatth which got finalized but met with an accident two days before I could transfer the amount.

Since then I have increased budget and have been looking for higher variant cars like 3 series and Octavia/ Jetta as there are many examples all over India ( no particular restrictions on single state for me either)

cartrade/carwale are mostly dealer cars but the listings are genuine. I have checked many cars listed on Cartrade in hyderabad and have found most of the details to be inline with the Ad. Many of them have even got sold by now which shows that there is genuine interest in buyers and you need to be quick in decision making.

I usually am very bad at bargaining and quote one fixed price that comes to my mind on personal inspection of the car. It is always better to take some person along for negotiations as we tend to get elated once we find the right car. Also, best price is subjective to many conditions. What’s best price for me might be overpriced for you.

Coming to octavia, I guess we are both looking at the same black 1.8 Tsi in kolkata. I was there last week but did not get enough time to check that particular car. Let’s see who gets to see the car first

[RGK]

It is the buyer who should be well versed about cars to buy a preowned one.

My recommendations are

- Try to get from a known source (friends, relatives, known dealers etc). The reason is they will (should !!) have some hesitation to sell a bad car to you, but you should do your homework well before finalising.

- Preowned dealers like True Value, Autoterrace etc., sell good cars and give warranty also for a year. So your investment is protected and the documentation will be genuine, but the price may be high.

- Websites and Apps will get you more varieties and models, but one should be very very careful in analysing the car and the documentation.

Be patient (inner excitement will drive to expedite the deal by paying extra, but never do it) and never compromise on quality till you get a vehicle of your taste. Definitely, you will get it. I saw 32 preowned cars before finalising the present one. Some of them were very good but did not click due to high pricing.

[fine69]

Originally Posted by gkveda

As per my experience, there will be one master financier or master dealer who manages the entire city. You go to any dealer and ask for a car, he will contact master dealer and get the car from there for you.

Maybe true for small towns but are you really suggesting that Delhi or Mumbai has one master car dealer?!

There are several players in the market, user car business is also not for the faint-hearted, you win some you lose some like any other trading business but I can assure you there's no single car financier or dealer managing thousands of dealerships!

[procrastinator]

The car is likely to be cheaper where the road tax or new car is cheaper.
Af course, second factor is demand.

You will be able to find premium cars for less price in several tier 2 cities because of less demand or at very high prices due to _ _ _ _ demand.

My preference has been individual seller.
Most of the times such sellers are less.
If they exist, they charge high price than market.
The sellers who are fine with market price or less, they sell their cars to dealers.

Dealers do their own job in fixing dings, odometer tampering and make it an excellent offering with slightly premium pricing.

In all these things, what I have found to be most valuable is car and its condition. A good car can come from anywhere.

It may take some time to find the one. Sometimes we have to be quick to evaluate, and close the deal.
Perhaps not for expensive cars, but certainly for cars available at prices appealing to mass.

Any car that satisfies the team bhp used car criteria and touches your head/heart(depends on your personality) is the right one.

TL;DR
Wherever the right car is available. Be it Droom, cars24 or OLX.

[Pashin]

This is one area where I think I may be able to share some insights with our fellow Bhpians from my broad experience of buying used cars.

Let me start by saying that owning and maintaining a pre owned car is not for everyone. If you are someone who doesn't care about timely upkeep and maintenance / repairs, then a new car is the best option for you. Used cars even if run for a few thousand kms may need fixing which you should not neglect. Its a slow and tiring process and may turn out as a not so good experience in the end. Also a used car should be considered only if you are getting a significant segment upgrade over the car you can buy right off the showroom. Ex. A 3-4 year old low kms Elantra for the price of a Ciaz.

Pre-Scouting decisions:
1. Decide the max age and kms for the car you are looking for.
2. A. Typically if you want "almost showroom condition" the car should be Single owner, less than 3 years old with 25k max on the odd. Such cars mostly have a certain amount of warranty left or have the option of extended warranty. A budget of around 50-65% of the On road price should be in mind for such cars.

2. B. For those who like a bit of adventure and don't mind getting their hands dirty, you can look at 3-7 year old cars with upto 50-60k on the odd. These cars should be available at about 30-50% of their price. Remember they may need a lot of inspection / care before you can make it fit for regular use. (Ex. Verna/ Civic/Accords/CRV etc)

3. Decide on a broad budget and a body type. The body type will help you narrow down your search otherwise you are left considering every car that comes across. Diesels in India have commanded a premium in the used car market and continue to do so.

4. There are certain brands I avoid in the used car space, it is a matter of individual choice but I prefer to stick to the Indian/ Jap/Korean breed. Unless I know the cars history and there's extended warranty on offer, I prefer to look away from other brands. Must admit I have strayed from this couple of times and have luckily got good cars.

Finding the right car: Avoid typical dealers especially if you are new to the space.
1. Start with your society and area. If you have a trusted Driver/ mechanic ask them to keep an eye out for a good car. Is there a friend/relative/common friend whose car you've always liked or someone who keeps their cars well. Such cars may cost you 10% over the market but there's a lot of trouble saved. I usually avoid cars from other cities.

2. Online portals: Most dealers list their cars on multiple websites while owners directly post on maybe one or two sites. Look for sites that connect you directly to the owner. Remember there are dealers masquerading as Owners so use your intuition well. Owners tend to quote high prices so ensure that you have some market data available to present at the appropriate time. So here you have the double challenge of first getting them in the right price zone and then negotiating the final offer

3. I usually start by sending a whatsapp to the owner asking about the car details, his profession etc. Avoid calling/texting at odd hours. Small etiquette measures go a long way in building a relation. The 1st thing to confirm is the availability of service and claim history of the car. Fix a convenient time during the day to see and drive the car over short distance. During the visit, first spend 10-15 mins looking at the car from outside. Look for imperfections in body panel alignment, paint shade variations, stance, tyres brand and condition, The next 10 mins should be spent looking at the boot, the engine bay and interior. Once again look for imperfections, look at the body seals, oil leakage etc. While driving the car keep the music off, ac on slow air mode and watch out for odd noises from suspension, steering. If you wish to push the car, take permission before doing so, its not your car yet. Ideally do not take a mechanic along in the first visit and logically the mechanic and car owner shouldn't come face to face. Many a commission deals get fixed with just eye-movement

4. Negotiations are subjective as there are a lot of variables at play.

Remember, the best car is the one that is still with the owner and is in "as is" condition without any sales prep.

Will add to the post as I recall things, feel free to DM for any queries.

[Cavityavenger]

Great thread..!

I've bought and sold cars in US and India and the process is much more streamlined in the US since you get car history reports via CARFAX and accurate car valuation via Kelly Blue Book. However, it's not the same situation in India.

I've been in the market for a used premium SUV for over 9 months and it's hard to find a lightly used vehicle that is fairly priced as well. My experience with the Chandigarh car dealers has been pretty bad so far.

There is one dealer Modern Car Point that does false advertising on OLX and their website by putting up cars that don't exist. When I called them about a certain car they listed, they inform me it's been sold, however, it's relisted again 2 days later and has been the case for the last 6 months. I would never buy a car from a dealer that indulges in false advertising.

My rule of thumb for luxury SUV's is:
1-year-old - 20% depreciation with 10-12K
2-year-old - 35% depreciation with not more than 25K
3 year old - 45-50% with less than 40K

If the car has an extended warranty, I would be willing to go up another 5% on the price.

However, most owners who list their cars via dealers mark up their prices considerably.

For eg. A brand new Volvo XC 90 Inscription is about 85L Ex-showroom. Typical discounts offered by dealerships range from 8-15 Lac depending on the time of the year. So the OTR cost in Chandigarh for the car ends up being close to the Ex-showroom price 80-85L.
With this information, the typical car price should be:
2020 Model (20% dep)- around 65 L
2019 Model (35% dep)- around 55 L
2018 Model (45% dep)- around 46 L

However, most of the advertised cars are grossly overpriced with 2018 models asking for 60L plus with almost 40K on the odometer.

I would love to hear thoughts on this from folks who've bought or sold premium luxury cars/suv's about the depreciation and asking price vs actual selling price.

[nikhil_pon]

Originally Posted by Cavityavenger

Great thread..!

For eg. A brand new Volvo XC 90 Inscription is about 85L Ex-showroom. Typical discounts offered by dealerships range from 8-15 Lac depending on the time of the year. So the OTR cost in Chandigarh for the car ends up being close to the Ex-showroom price 80-85L.
With this information, the typical car price should be:
2020 Model (20% dep)- around 65 L
2019 Model (35% dep)- around 55 L
2018 Model (45% dep)- around 46 L

However, most of the advertised cars are grossly overpriced with 2018 models asking for 60L plus with almost 40K on the odometer.

I would love to hear thoughts on this from folks who've bought or sold premium luxury cars/suv's about the depreciation and asking price vs actual selling price.

Hello Cavityavenger,
Thank you highlighting the luxury used cars/ SUV depreciation percentages. These are quite realistic figures but unfortunately in Bangalore, the dealers hardly price it in this range and individual sellers of luxury vehicles are hard to come by. For example below is the ad for 2018 BMW X5 (not M sport variant) quoting INR 63.5 lakh. I have seen it on sale since last 6 months, dealer keeps reuploading same vehicle ad. Going by expected depreciation, it seems costlier than current market value. I am not exactly sure how much it costed in 2018 post discounts. Is there any website where we can check the vehicle exshowroom price in the past (like say 2017 or 2018 models)? Carwale and other site show the current pricing. I might have to find old car magazines like Autocar/ Overdrive who publish the vehicle prices in the last few pages of magazine
https://www.olx.in/item/bmw-x5-30d-2...iid-1619447624

[Cavityavenger]

Originally Posted by nikhil_pon

Hello Cavityavenger,
Thank you highlighting the luxury used cars/ SUV depreciation percentages. These are quite realistic figures but unfortunately in Bangalore, the dealers hardly price it in this range and individual sellers of luxury vehicles are hard to come by. For example below is the ad for 2018 BMW X5 (not M sport variant) quoting INR 63.5 lakh. I have seen it on sale since last 6 months, dealer keeps reuploading same vehicle ad. Going by expected depreciation, it seems costlier than current market value. I am not exactly sure how much it costed in 2018 post discounts. Is there any website where we can check the vehicle exshowroom price in the past (like say 2017 or 2018 models)? Carwale and other site show the current pricing. I might have to find old car magazines like Autocar/ Overdrive who publish the vehicle prices in the last few pages of magazine
https://www.olx.in/item/bmw-x5-30d-2...iid-1619447624

Hi Nikhil,

A couple of car websites have car value tools - droom and cars24. You can give them a try, but it's not consistent with market pricing.

I recently happened to check out a 2018 BMW X5 DPE with a Msport body kit - 50000 Km's CH registered with 9 months of extended warranty still remaining. Chandigarh Audi pre-owned was selling it and was asking for 48L. Later they decreased it down to 45L but my guess is they were looking to close the deal around 42-43L.

I think the best way to gauge the true market value for the car you're looking to get is to maybe call a couple of local dealers and tell them that you're looking to sell your car and ask for a ball park number for the estimated market price for the car. You'll be surprised at the margins these dealers keep for selling luxury brands.

Happy hunting..!

[Aarvee76]

Originally Posted by vigsom

6. The cheapest cars I've seen pan India are in WB; don't know why. Don't buy a GJ car.

Hi,
I'm getting a reasonable price on pre owned Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI L&K. Your advice not to buy from GJ is holding me back. Is this due to the driving conditions, odometer tampering or reliability of dealers? What if the car is certified by the so called 'reliable franchises' such as true value, Mahindra first choice or skoda pre owned?
Would appreciate your insight.

Cheers

[matizcrazy]

If I was in the market to buy a sparingly used car like an Altis, Creta etc, which would be the best place to look for them ?
Online car portals, the used car dealer shops or the used car divisions of Toyota, Honda, Mahindra etc ?

[aquavelva]

There are a lot of Youtube Vloggers making attractive videos with multiple Car dealers who themselves have their own Youtube Channels.

They really masquerade as the best Do-gooders who are there to help everyone get the best deals. They showcase some well-finished cars and lots of new users get attracted and many of them later make videos blaming the dealers.

People get carried away and do not research before buying a used vehicle.

[achintatri]

Dear Friends,

I am getting a pre-worshipped Innova Crysta Touring Sport 55000 km 2017 MH02 registration model in 15.5L on road from Cars 24. It's non accidental and the online report is good. However, it's a 3rd owner. If I go for it , I will be the 4th owner.

Just wanted to have your opinion on whether I should go for the car. I plan to get it inspected by a Toyota engineer before making final purchase decision.

Thanks again!

Best Regards,
Achint