Quote:
Originally Posted by Balthazar Hello
I have just started my search. This will be my first car, and I haven't settled on anything yet, since I have only just begun actively looking for something d the list is quite vast at this point. I need some advice on which cars to avoid, what to look for, so I can make a shortlist and start from there. I live in Delhi, which means diesels are out. I do not want any CNGs at all, so I am avoiding that. Anything older than 2010 would not be fruitful because of the 15 year lifespan of petrol here.
Please point me in the right direction folks. |
Hello Balthazar!
I recently helped someone select their car. The said person had the exact same set of requirements as yours. I looked at online portals, Maruti True value website and even visited a couple of used car dealers in Safdarjung Enclave. Based on this, I would like to state a few points that might be helpful to you.
When we started our research, the idea was to get a good mid-size sedan or premium hatchback. We were only looking at post 2010 petrol cars because of the NGT rule. We came across several examples of Civics, Citys, old Corollas, SX4s and Ventos/Rapids. In that budget, the newest cars of these models that we could find were 0f 2011, while most other examples were from 2006-2009, and hence pretty much useless with only 2-3 years of validity remaining. But the most major deterrent was the fact that most of these cars had a few things in common;
1. They had seen several owners and had clearly tampered odos.
2. Almost all the cars that we saw had aftermarket CNG kits; you can never be sure of how well was the kit fitted. These things could be potentially lethal if not done properly.
3. Most cars, being old and high mileage had sagging seats, stinky interiors and rubbish body work.
This was when we decided to look for a segment lower. We were now looking at hatchbacks. I simply avoided the Skoda Fabia and VW Polo because those cars have very expensive spares and most examples needed the usual expensive repairs- Suspension, steering racks etc. These cars were reasonably cheap, but the parts bill would surely mount up to 30-40 percent of the price one would pay for such a car. The only decent cars we could find were 2010-13 Maruti Ritz, 2010-2014 Ford Figo, 2010-2013 Toyota LIVA/Etios and a couple of later Esteems/Ambassadors/Accents in decent shape. We also found multiple Swifts and Dzires, but those cars held their value very well and the sellers would not negotiate much, given the fact that these cars are still in high demand.
Eventually, one thing was clear. Whatever car you buy, a 10 year old car is bound to require work. Yes, you can find a few reasonably neat cars, but an old is an old car and things will go wrong. Since the man wanted a hassle free commuter, I suggested him to look for 2016 and later Maruti Alto800/K10, WagonR, Ritz, Hyundai Eon, Hyundai Santro and Renault Kwid. Datsuns were also considered as a wildcard entry because we saw many nearly new ones going for less. Eventually, we found many low mileage examples, especially of Renault Kwid and Alto, all being post 2015. We had almost finalised on to a red 2016 Renault Kwid RXT with merely 28k on the odo, but this was when we got an awesome Hyundai Eon, 2015 model that had only done 2.4k Km on Cars24. We even verified the odo reading through the Hyundai dealer and they confirmed that it was indeed that low. He test drove the car and it drove just like a new one. the rear seats even had the plastic coverings intact. He immediately paid the deposit to reserve the car. It had been advertised for 2.5 lakhs and we got it down to 2.37. The owner is very very happy with his purchase, he got a nearly new car with validity upto 2030 and no niggles/issues. It is an awesome commuter car and the interiors also feel very premium for the price.
TL;DR- Look for a
post 2015 Alto800/K10, Renault Kwid, Datsun Redigo, Hyundai Eon or Tata Nano. You can easily get a reliable, newish, low mileage example that would be an efficient and reliable commuter. If you are keen on getting something bigger, Look for good deals on
Ford Figo, Hyundai Accent, Maruti Ritz and Toyota Liva.
hope this helps
Sanidhya