Looking for a used German sedan with Rs 16 lakh budget

He is looking for the pre-owned route only. An automatic option is a must. He's okay with either petrol or diesel, with slight inclination towards diesel.

BHPian Bibendum90949 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Dear fellow BHPians,

This is on behalf of my friend who wants to upgrade his car.

Location: Kochi, Kerala.

Current ride: Mahindra TUV 300 since 2015.

Past rides: Etios, Santro.

Budget: 15-16 lakhs (more or less fixed)

Body Style: Sedan

Family size: Four - Two adults and two kids at 15 years.

Usage: His annual usage is very minimal, more so now with WFH more often. Pre pandemic, it was 7000-8000 km an year.

Use case: Office commute in very moderate traffic (15 km a day) and once a month drive to his hometown which is 200 km round trip. So monthly running of 500-600 km assuming things would come back to normal like it was prior to pandemic. No driving holidays to far distance as his kids are averse to travelling by road.

Reason for upgrade: Primary reason is he wants to enjoy the European car ownership and a more premium experience. He wants an upgrade in that sense. Hence he says no to Maruti, Hyundai, Tata, Mahindra etc. He's very clear on this part.

Requirements: He is looking for the pre-owned route only. An automatic option is a must. He's okay with either petrol or diesel, with slight inclination towards diesel. His use case doesn't truly warrant a diesel though.

Options I suggested: Skoda Octavia, VW Jetta and Skoda Laura - all in both TSI and TDI. He's open to Laura only if a well maintained copy comes along and can be bought with way less than half of his budget too. The saved money he may spend to spruce up the car with a suspension upgrade, a remap and interior upgrade in the case of Laura.

Jeep Compass is another option outside of sedan style. He's not very comfortable with the perceived poor service standards of FCA besides its future in India.

He's very well aware of the risks involved in going for VAG DSG and is prepared to face it in case something goes wrong. Besides, he knows the yearly maintenance costs involved in the upkeep of a German car. In short, he's pretty much prepared on all counts to take the plunge.

Also please note he's selling the TUV and contemplating to buy a pre-owned Nano AMT or Santro AMT to do the city run abouts. He's not in a hurry and ready to wait it out till a well maintained car comes along. He plans to sell the TUV as soon as he buys a Nano or Santro for which the hunt is on.

He would like to take the bhpians' opinions on the choices he has shortlisted and other possible suggestions. Thank you in advance.

Here's what BHPian vishy76 had to say on the matter:

Go for an Octavia/Jetta. Both these cars are an upgrade over the TUV 300 in terms of whatever factors you have listed and they aren't as heavy on the pocket in terms of maintenance or as electronically complex as the big 3. Be advised though, things like Wheel speed sensor failures, ac compressor issues, ABS modules are issues universal to all Germans in general. Your friend should account for these.

Personal suggestion would be to get an Octavia TDI DSG. Reliable engine and gearbox for the most part, great interior quality, younger examples would be easy to find and interior space is also more than enough. Only issue I see is the rear torsion beam suspension. The diesel doesn't get the superior independent setup and it does make quite a lot of difference to the ride and handling.

If you can find an example young enough, a Jetta is also a good choice. It's just that interior quality is harder wearing at some places than plush. The plastics will outlast those of the Octavia, but are rock hard in many places. Mechanically, it's a sorted car for the most part except for the ABS module which costs 6 figures to fix if it goes bad. Sourcing a used unit or refurbishing the current one is a far better option.

Lastly, if your friend has the risk appetite and is inclined towards a petrol, then the Octavia TSI DSG comes into the picture. Outstanding engine and gearbox (and an independent suspension) with the only Achilles heel being that gearbox and the thermostat and water pump housing on the 1.8 TSI which is known to go bad.

I would suggest you look no further than the D-segment. You may stretch to the D2 segment and also have a look at the Superb if your friend is chauffeur driven, but my suggestion is to not look at the big three at this point. Let him graduate to one of the aforementioned cars first and get a taste of German car ownership, then get a full size sedan like the 5 or the E in the future if he's up for it. The 15-16L budget also means it will be difficult to find well kept, young examples of the big three down South.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

You're on the right track. Because he is coming from a TUV300 & Etios, a problematic Benz or BMW will give him "German car bills shock". On the other hand, he could easily get a lovely well-maintained Octavia or Jetta in his budget. Go for the more robust Diesel AT with the 6-speed DSG rather than the DQ200 petrol DSG which can & will fail. A good Octavia Diesel AT will give him 75% of the C-Class experience at a much lower price.

If he is very keen on a luxury brand, he can go for the nicest & newest 320d in his budget.

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