glad to help anytime - suggest do consider the below;
1. 7 to 8 years is a decent long time for a vehicle in todays world. (one also assumes that earning levels will improve reasonably year on year so economic considerations, while important, need not be the only thing to consider.)
2. If having a diesel SUV will motivate you to take more long distance trips/ out of town adventures and explore more of your part of India via highway travel then it is a good idea. (around 1200 -1500 km per month would definitely justify the extra price IMO - Im comparing it to myself)
3. Your personal preference on high GC and high seating position is important.
4. I would never suggest high speeds in an SUV anyway on account of the high centre of gravity and rollover potential - max 100-110-120 is peaceful on the highways.
5. The Scorpio doesnt cost very much to maintain per se - you need to give it regularly for its detox service,keep it well, wash it on average twice a week, park it in a covered space and/or cover it with a car cover to prevent rust and so on and it will serve you faithfully and well for a long time.
6. the engine will go along peacefully for 200,000 kms as has been proven by a few others on this forum. (at the rate of 1500 km per month one will hit 200,000 kms only after 133 months - 11 years and some!)
7. reliability, cost of spares etc is not usually an issue with Mahindra vehicles provided one doesnt un-necessarily abuse them. For example each service doesnt generally cost more than 3000 including all oil changes and so on.
8.Normal plain old service doesnt cost more than 1500. I follow the quarterly service method which is effectively 4 times a year give or take and I dont spend more than around 10-12 grand a year MAX! I am a bit obsessive so I make sure I get the insides cleaned and so on which costs a bit extra, which is why my service bills may be a little higher. I also get the wheel alignment and balancing and tyre rotation done every 5000 km - this normally doesnt cost more than about 800 or 900 each time and is very important if you want to keep your tyres in good nick as Im sure you will. Ive found this kind of care pays one back in spades considering the cost of replacing a tyre which may be as high as Rs 5000 for each tubeless bridgestone.
9.Finally, you've got to decide - what does your heart say? Do you somehow
want an SUV for its butch kind of appeal, scads of space and general go anywhere tough attitude or would you be
just content with having a run of the mill sedan? Dont forget, you're going to live with the vehicle for some time to come - isnt it better that you buy what you
instinctively find feelings of affection for rather than just picking up something
that simply serves the purpose?
10.In my case, my heart rules over the head when it comes to vehicle purchases - i just love jeep-ish things with some of the extra comforts thrown in,
(love being one of the strongest, most influential emotions known to man) - but I try to temper it by shopping around, test driving several possibilities, negotiating hard with the dealers and then taking the best overall deal which suits me.
11.For me, when pitted against the (then launched) Ford Fusion TDci Plus with ABS etc, I found that the Scorpio fitted the bill to a T given my space and capability requirements and my internal budget cap at the time - I ended up paying 8+ which saved me a couple of lacs from my own budget cap - of course it was achieved after some solid discount negotiations, choosing the variant carefully, pushing the dealer for some free accessories, pushing the insurance chaps to the limit on no claim etc and accessorizing on my own. The Fusion at that time would have come to me at the same price I paid for the Scorp - the main plus point in the Fusion being it had ABS and some other fiddly bits - but the space available was less because I love acres of space to chuck lots of things into. So overall I chose the Scorp.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rouheet I have been following your scorpio thread and its good to see your comment here.
This comment of yours is exactly what i have in mind. I would prefer an SUV but I am just fine with a sedan as well (I do not need to drive at very high speeds nor do i need excellent FE so i can easily go for a petrol sedan). What i really wanted to know through this thread was does my usage justify the additional cost (is their really going to be a difference in maintaining the two) and is it going to require a lot more maintenance in long term? as i intend to keep it for atleast 7-8 years. I can live with a sedan space if that prooves to be a lot more economical to maintain in long run. If their is no difference i don't mind spending extra bucks for the space as it makes lot more sense in long term. |