Need a hatchback for 1-2 years: Used car or subscription

His usage will mostly be around 1,200 - 1,500 km per month and the car will only be used by him and his wife.

BHPian kushagra452 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

My friend reached out to me to help him make a car purchase decision. He is going to get married soon and will be moving to Delhi-NCR by the end of this year. He has a Canadian PR card and plans to move to Canada with his wife in early-2023 (Jan - March). He will, however, need a car while in Delhi to commute to work and a few short weekend trips in and around the capital.

His usage will mostly be around 1,200 - 1,500 km per month and the car will only be used by him and his wife. He is in a dilemma whether to buy a new hatchback, go for a subscription service (like offered by Nissan) or simply walk over to a Maruti 'True Value' showroom and pick up a used car.

Here's what BHPian abhishek46 had to say on the matter:

Subscription plans in India are not at all worth consideration.

The instalment pay-outs are atrocious, and to add insult to injury, there will be a cap on how many km you can use the car in a particular period as well.

You would be better off buying a used vehicle, and selling it off after a year or so of usage.

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

I believe one other important consideration should be what does he/his family drive wherever he is before moving to NCR.

If their existing ride is due for a change/upgrade now or in the next couple of years, it may make sense to buy a car that would eventually replace that one.

He can chose to use the new car or have his parents/siblings use the new one (and take his existing car to NCR).

If above is not applicable, a used car should be the way to go.

You may also want to help your friend in searching for a used car. "Just going over to the nearest True Value and picking up a good example" does explain that he does not want any hassles, but he may be able to save loads if he spends some time looking around.

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

Given it is a hatchback he is looking at, there are plenty of used Swift / Baleno / i20 in the market and if u are buying a 3-5 year-old car, you won't have much depreciation loss too.

Seems like the best option to me.

Subscriptions might work for more premium cars, while it doesn't make sense to buy new for anything less than a 7-year holding period.

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