[Turbanator]

Forget these aggregators, what we lack is a simple classified online place, only for cars. Everyone wins if buyer and seller can get connected directly. There are enough neat cars and good people to make this work.

Look at this place and see how clean is the interface. It's an enormous opportunity if someone can simply create a clone. Getting traffic can happen if we have good contents.

https://www.autotrader.ca

[amit_purohit20]

One of my acquaintance bought a used Tata Indica Vista Petrol Saffire Engine from True Value most probably.
It had different odometer readings when we visited the same car twice before buying. It had different tyres on each wheel. It had alloys (after market) which later turned out to be horrible and couldn't be balanced at the tyre shop.
It had a shunt from behind which was cleverly hidden under the carpet. The suspension had to be replaced, the clutch and battery had to be replaced soon. The gear shift lever was hard to shift (most probably damaged synchronizer rings). The steering was having problems. The carpet and the mat had a big hole below drivers feet , looks like something burned there.

But the car was repainted, polished, alloys painted and was gleaming like new on the outside. The interiors were cleaned perfumed heavily and cheap new seat covers installed to hide the obvious. There were double layered mats and carpet done to hide flaws.

The acquaintance fell for the looks but was a bit aware, I tried convincing him not to buy but his family especially the female folks had already fallen for the gleaming looks and fresh new paint and polish so the deal was signed and car brought home.

I took a test drive of the car and had apprehensions but was not able to point all the problems in the short 5 min test drive the dealership gave. I also saw 3 completely totalled cars being brought to make them brand new to be sold further.

The used car owner was lucky the work came not in one chunk and because of his low running he is able to manage the issues or learnt to live with them.

In short never trust a dealership or a dealer or any agent, when it comes to profits hardly few people have ethics. Better to buy car from individual and get it checked by a good mechanic and to be knowledgeable about cars!

[amol4184]

More people would buy from cars24 if only their search functionality actually worked the way it was intended.

Try searching for cars in Pune and first result is from Gurgaon and sometimes Mumbai. Cars from nearby Pune/suburbs are somewhere down the page or not present at all. I have never figured how it works.

[maxratul]

The biggest win for these aggregators is that they take care of our Byzantine RTO processes. Connecting buyers and sellers directly is fine, but unless the government (state + centre) simplifies our colonial era regulations and makes laws which are relevant to the 21st century these aggregators/agents etc will all keep flourishing.

[MadinMumbai]

I tried selling my car through Cars24 last week. The figures quoted by them were substantially (30-35%) lower than the figures their own website showed for the same age/quality of car. Now, I was there for the inspection and the guy doing the checks told me that the car was in good condition. So, the difference couldn't have been on that account.

Since then I have had 4 conversations with different people. Each time they have valued the car at 10K more than on the previous call. The whole experience reminds me of the "same old same old" used car dealer experience. When I questioned them on the anomaly between prices shown on their website and the prices being offered the customer service exec made all kinds of excuses, including saying that those figures are system generated and not entirely reliable. If Car24 were looking at breaking the old model they seem to have fallen into the same rut that has existed forever.

[Maverick Avi]

Despite of all the shortcomings mentioned in prior posts which I definitely agree with the 7 day return policy trumps all those IMHO. Am sure these used car giants like Cars24, Truevalue etc might not be doing the 150 point quality checks, extensive background verifications and what not. But if you have the car for 7 days and you drive and inspect it at your own disposal and find something amiss then atleast you get to return it for full refund. If this actually works as stated(No questions asked) then its a boon for people who do not have much time and expertise with used cars. Majority of that population including me hence keeps away from used cars as they are worried about getting their hands burnt. I think its a good move and people would definitely get attracted despite of the high premium they would have to pay.

[Mafia]

This is surely a marketing strategy. I can see 10 ways it can fail.

This will lead to a sort of price standardization without having a clear parameter for the product evaluation.

Post pandemic, whenever that is, this idea will slowly fade. We have PDI for new cars to avoid lemons. I simply have no faith in some company to give an honest report at the same time be out for profit.

The honesty of car repairs itself is questionable even in authorized service centers in some cases. Buying a used car online is a total risk.

[auxsend]

Originally Posted by VJ05

The most important aspect of car buying whether pre-owned or new is TEST DRIVE and I don't think they are offering it. For people who are not much car literate and zeroed down on a particular make/model, it may prove to be a good service, just click and buy. However, for people like us who can't buy a car without test driving, this service will be of not much use.

I concur, as one of the main criteria for me when buying a used car is being able to make my trusted mechanic along and to give the car a once over and then talk numbers. I'd rather take some more time and hop from one used car dealer lot to the next and find the one that's the right fit, rather than entirely choosing one online from these new sites (without being able to test drive it) and then having to go thru the whole hassle of regretting the buy & then wanting to return the same.

As someone else has posted, i think there's a huge void in this space for a classifieds type site with a clean design & layout. In terms of the sheer volume of cars on sale, i think OLX probably scores the highest.

[vredesbyrd]

Sold my Superb to Cars24. Poor price but the experience was really good and easy. Sold and payment credited within 24 hours.

Post that, bought my Vento through Cars24 as well. Do not fully trust their reports and definitely take it to the service center for records and checkup. It is paramount. Found out that 2nd service was missed out and battery was dead. They refunded the cost of the new battery (this was done within the 7 day period).

It is extremely easy and convenient but keep your eyes and ears peeled. TBHP PDI will help.
When I try to move to a 5 series/Endeavour (hopefully) in a few years, I don't mind giving them another shot.

[Mohitkumaar]

I am sick and tired of Cars24!

Everyday they call me to ask if I want to sell my old car.

Really annoying despite telling them more than 200 times.

[thehacker]

For selling your well maintained car, Cars24 is the worst channel! Their website's car price calculator is a marketing tool and will show you bloated prices of your used car for luring you in. I sold my used 2006 Toyota Corolla to Cars24 in 2017, only to later realize that I was looted by them. They inspected the car and then started pointing out issues in the car that I cannot be certain of, since I was the second owner.

Similarly, I got my 10 months old, only 6k km driven, Celerio ZXi AMT inspected from them in 2017, they quoted a price of 4 lakhs. The next morning I sold it for 5.2L through OLX, and I had several other offers for 5L+. Mind it, their website quoted 5.1L-5.5L for a decently maintained Celerio, and 5.5L-5.8L for an excellent piece.

And then today, I asked them to evaluate my 2.5 years old, brilliantly maintained, only 5500km driven, Etios Liva VX petrol dual tone. Their website showed me a quote of 5.1L-5.98L depending on the condition. The inspection guy gave all the full points to the car. And later today, as I expected, they called me that my car can fetch only a measly 3.12L. LOL! But what I am more worried about now is, they have my number now and will keep calling me till eternity as if people have hundreds of cars to sell. They did so on the previous number I shared with them.

So, yeah, buying used cars has been a highly profitable business for them it seems, and it only makes sense for them to expand upon it by keeping the good pieces with themselves and selling those for additional profits via their own channel, and sending the not-so-good ones to the used car dealers.

[armaan_singh]

My wife purchased a Renault Kwid from them around 6 months ago, while some of the problems encountered could be due to her lack of knowledge of cars in general, the experience was mostly sour.

1. After transferring ownership she started reviewing text messages about a pending speeding ticket from an year prior about the car being driven at 148 Km/h (Can the kwid do those speeds?) Needless to say it took several emails and multiple visits to the cars24 outlet to get this sorted out.

2. Two of the tires were missing wheel caps and the sales advisor assured he would get them delivered within 10 days, it's been 7 months, we haven't heard of them yet. Despite making multiple trips and phone calls, he keeps, stalling my wife saying that he would refund her 500rs instead but he doesn't have any money. At this point its not about the money but more about the principle involved.

3. This 7 day return policy is a bit shady, because the kwid was covered under this policy however when we asked for more information about how this policy works in practice, the advisor mentioned that they would still be deducting around 20,000rs from the price we paid in case we don't purchase another car from their particular outlet itself. So it's not really a simple don't like it so return it concept.


Anyway most of these companies thrive on the convenience model more than anything else. A one shot sell your car without any hassle, that's something which the urban commuter greatly appreciates given his lack of time and well knowledge in some cases.
Experiences may vary but I've personally found Spinny far better for buying pre-owned cars.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by vredesbyrd

Post that, bought my Vento through Cars24 as well. Do not fully trust their reports and definitely take it to the service center for records and checkup. It is paramount. Found out that 2nd service was missed out and battery was dead. They refunded the cost of the new battery (this was done within the 7 day period).

Did you purchase the car recently, i.e. after the new sales promotion of online channel based sales with a 7day return period? If so, can you explain more on the process you followed with them pre and post-deal and the experience?

- Do they provide service records on request before one commits to the deal?
- When does the 7 day period start? On delivery of the car to the owner's house?
- Are there any conditions during the 7 day period that might prevent the deal to be canceled if the owner wishes to?
- Is the registration process initiated immediately on delivery or after the 7 day period?
- How are concerns (missed servicing and battery change in your case) handled?

Edit: If there's any T&C document/link (not FAQs) provided by Cars24 that gives more clarity on how they & the owner will handle the 7 day return period, please do share if possible

[vredesbyrd]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Did you purchase the car recently, i.e. after the new sales promotion of online channel based sales with a 7 day return period? If so, can you explain more on the process you followed with them pre and post-deal and the experience?

- Do they provide service records on request before one commits to the deal?
- When does the 7 day period start? On delivery of the car to the owner's house?
- Are there any conditions during the 7 day period that might prevent the deal to be canceled if the owner wishes to?
- Is the registration process initiated immediately on delivery or after the 7 day period?
- How are concerns (missed servicing and battery change in your case) handled?

Edit: If there's any T&C document/link (not FAQs)

Hi

I sold and purchased in the last week of May (after being betrayed by Maruti dealers, hence, my shot at telling parents that German good, Maruti bad. They were hell bent on forcing me to buy a new Swift/Baleno). I was not aware of the 7 day period or the 6 month warranty then and considered the deal to be just like any used car affair (i.e. buy and take all the problems on your head). It was a very fast move and I was on to another car within 24 hours of the Superb being sold so I didn't have time to look at promotions.

Now, coming to your points:
1. No, they don't provide service records or even allow it to be taken to the service center. They do provide chassis no. and registration so that we could pursue the history on our own

2. Yes, 7 day period starts when you sign the final documents and get the keys handed over. Not sure about when people get the cars shipped

3. No conditions as such. Post 7 days, they'll dock 10% of the purchase price if you return the car (I do not know the outer limits for the same)

4. Registration starts within a day or so. Was delayed due to lockdown in my case. Happened last month.

5.a. Missed Service: They tried sending the car to some shady garage for missed service without telling us. Me and dad shouted our heads out and told them to bring it back or the deal is off. Missed service was no biggie, we wanted to get it done ourselves

5.b. For dead battery, got it replaced at service center when I went there for the above mentioned missed service and extension of warranty. They just asked if battery bad status was mentioned in the Cars24 report. Post verification, they asked me to send the bill on email. 7k refunded in 36 hours. No questions asked.

Special mentions: The test drive was done in the parking lot on excessive requests. They DON'T allow test drives at all.

The sales representative shared wrong account number. Imagine the consequences of that. Also, the purchase got delayed by a day for the same reason.

The representative's manager had some stranger (his relative, a security guard who protects the ATM outside the colony) sitting in the vehicle till the drop-off point (which was below the flat). Now it doesn't matter who it is. I am being delivered my car. I'd be equally angry if it were Ambani or goddamn Bachhan himself. My car is not a taxi/demo car, is it?

Also, absolutely no scope of discounts or negotiation. Zilch, None, Nada, forget about it. What's listed is listed.

May have to opt the shipping route during future upgrade as very few Endeavour 3.2/530d/520i/AllSpace in Uttar Pradesh

Bottom line: There are pros and cons v/s a dealer

Dealer Pros:
-Negotiations
-Actual Test Drive
-Will fix minor issues and niggles
-More flexibility in test drive/checkup

Dealer Cons:
-Many of them are cheaters and liars (they are even worse than credit card salesmen and at par with politicians)
-May prevent the car from being taken to the service center
-May hide the fact that the car is accidental and/or there is a loan pending
(All of the above cases were true with my Superb and me being a really stupid 1st year MBA student was blinded by the majesty of the car. Though should have gone with the E60 525i. It had full records )

C24 Pros:
-Way cleaner deal
-Don't hide anything from buyer
-Lightning quick paperwork and process
-Willing to deliver from far away states for an unreal and nominal price (13k for an EcoSport from Chennai to Lucknow)
-No selling issues (remember, I sold a Hyderabad 2010 Superb in Lucknow in 2021)

C24 Cons:
-No Test Dive. How do you even buy a car like that?!
-No negotiations
-Be careful of small details like account number and all
-No inspection at service center
-No flexibility
-Shipping from another state is uncharted territory
-Takes a while to get rid of registration (when you're selling to C24)

Bottom Line 2: The Universe is way too random. I'd say you should try C24 first as there is some level of buyer safety but if a dealer offers a genuine good deal, don't miss it.

[Stribog]

Originally Posted by maxratul

The biggest win for these aggregators is that they take care of our Byzantine RTO processes. Connecting buyers and sellers directly is fine, but unless the government (state + centre) simplifies our colonial era regulations and makes laws which are relevant to the 21st century these aggregators/agents etc will all keep flourishing.

Out of curiosity, have you tried doing this recently or are you speaking in general?

Like many processes with regards to anything to do with the Govt (state or centre), these have gotten extremely simplified and easy.

I recently (2 months ago) sold a vehicle of mine and I got the ownership transferred without any Byzantine complications.

Step 1 - Submit the form 29 to the Bank to get the NOC - Time taken 30 mins (this was my fault though, I forgot to get the noc and hypothecation lifted though it expired some 3 years ago). The process itself was simply signing the form and giving it at the bank, but it was the going to the bank and coming back that took 20 mins + 10 mins there.

Step 2 - Log onto Parivahan, pay (I think i paid Rs 500 iirc), fill up the docs, print it out, submit it in the chosen RTO - Total time taken 45 mins (time in RTO was 15 mins or so)

Step 3 - 40 days later done.

That was it.

If one can't spend an hour spread over a week to get the RC transfer and rather pay a tout than it is upon them.

Like RPO's, RTO's have been streamlined substantially in the recent past, payments are mostly online and queues are also non existent (if you have done all the steps correctly).

Yes, 10-15 years ago things were an absolute nightmare. I went 5 times to get my 2 wheeler license in 2001, because I refused to pay a tout, and the RTO guys made me pay for my audacity. It worked because the one time in my life I paid a bribe / engaged a tout was for my car license. I was working full time then (2003), didnt have the time or inclination to make 10 visits to get a license, so very very reluctantly paid off a driving school Rs 2,500 iirc to get it done for me and only showed up for the driving test.

These days I would recommend no one pay any tout / middleman to do RTO / RPO type jobs because it is superfluous and a waste of money.