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Pre-worshipped car of the month: Buying a used Mahindra Thar (2nd Gen)

3rd June 2024, 13:02 by Kanad Kalasur

The second-gen Thar will be completing 4 years soon. So it looks like a perfect time for someone considering a used car. Given the high sales numbers, a lot of them have found their way to the used car market.

BHPian Omkar recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

The car that we’re going to talk about needs no introduction. It was the Team-BHP Car of the Year in 2020 and has sold over 1,50,000 units since its launch. That’s a big number for a 2-door lifestyle off-roader and shows how much people have loved the Thar. At the time of launch, the Thar was available only in 4x4 configuration with 2.0-litre petrol and 2.2-litre diesel engines. Both engines were offered with 6-speed manual and 6-speed automatic transmission options. Later on, Mahindra introduced a rear-wheel-drive variant as well with the 2.0-litre petrol (only with an automatic transmission) and a smaller 1.5-litre diesel (only with a manual transmission).

The second-gen Thar will be completing 4 years soon. So it looks like a perfect time for someone considering a used car. Given the high sales numbers, a lot of them have found their way to the used car market. Of course one of the reasons is that people realise after buying that they can't live with the 2 doors and a bumpy ride. There are different powertrains to choose from as per your requirement and also you can choose between a hard top or a soft top variant. So if you were in the market for a used lifestyle off-roader, would you buy the second-gen Mahindra Thar?

Used Mahindra Thar Pros

Still very fresh in the market. You will get the ‘New Car Feel’
Good availability. With multiple powertrain options, there’s something for everyone
Modification & personalization options are limitless! No 2 modified Thars are the same. Terrific after-market support
Fun, fun, fun! A loveable car that will bring you loads of laughs & smiles
Handsome Jeep styling & brute character. Tough build too
Far more user-friendly than the ol’ Thar due to superior interiors & the amenities
Very competent, refined turbo-petrol & diesel engine range
Butter-smooth 6-speed Automatics available with both engines (2.0L Petrol & 2.2L Diesel)
4x4 hardware, offroad capability & 226 mm GC. There’s also a cheaper 4x2 (RWD) variant available
Practical hard-top or fun convertible available in the Thar – take your pick
Features such as removable doors, ESP, cruise control, hill hold / descent, TPMS…
4-star rating in the GNCAP crash test (more information)

Used Mahindra Thar Cons

You could buy a new Thar 4x2 (1.5L diesel) instead of a used 4x4 (2.2L diesel) Thar
Very bumpy ride quality. The Thar is never settled, no matter what the road or speed
Poor road manners at high speed. Best to cruise at 100 - 110 km/h only
Impractical due to the 2-doors, 4 seats (not 5) & difficult access to the back seat
Laughably pathetic boot space. Worse still, Mahindra hasn't given the Thar a full-folding rear seat
4x2 available only with a hard top; owners will miss the convertible!
Mahindra silently deleted some features - related thread. You may not get all the features in a more recent car
Petrol AT is thirsty due to its hefty weight, 150 BHP & torque converter AT
No automatic available on the 1.5L diesel, and no manual available on the 2.0L petrol 4x2
If you are a family man, the Thar cannot be your primary car. It is best as the 2nd or 3rd car of the house
Sad feature list. No reversing cam, auto-dimming IRVM, auto headlamps & wipers, electrically-folding ORVMs, rear wash & wipe…
Niggles are reported by owners. Mahindra's after-sales quality can be a hit or amiss

Related Threads

Things to watch out for in a used Mahindra Thar

2nd-gen Mahindra Thar Niggles, Problems & Solutions
Thar Diesel and Petrol official recall (turbocharger actuator linkage, timing belt and auto-tensioner replacement)
Mahindra Thar diesel AT recall - Radiator replaced & other changes
Avoiding DEF issues on my Mahindra Thar
Mahindra Thar instrument cluster issue
Paint cracks on my month-old Thar 4x4
Check if your vehicle is among those recalled by entering the VIN on Mahindra's official website
Be careful of Mahindra's silent feature deletions - related thread. Check the car thoroughly before finalizing and maybe you can negotiate some price reduction

Mod Potential

Huge! Just look at the ownership reviews of the Thar on the forum, a lot of them are customized already. In fact, GTO modified his Thar completely even before the odometer crossed 500 km. The Thar has always been a car that people have loved to modify. You will see many highly modified previous generation Thars and the same applies to the current generation. Aftermarket aesthetic mods are plenty and companies like Bimbra and Azad 4x4 have huge catalogues for Thar modifications. Also since the Thar comes with fixed rear seats, plenty of owners are opting for a split-folding rear seat for more boot space.

In performance mods, there aren’t many ECU tunes for the petrol engine, but there are some tuners that have remaps for the diesel engine. Do note that with a limited number of Mahindras getting tuned, there’s not much data for the tuners to rely on. Although, honestly the stock performance figures of the Thar (150 BHP in petrol and 130 BHP in diesel), are more than enough for the dynamics of the car. If you are going to use the Thar for off-roading, then mods like underbody protection, all-terrain or mud-terrain tyres, auxiliary lights, etc. are worth investing in. Here's an interesting thread on modification options for your 4x4 with pros & cons.

Availability

Given the amount of hype around the Thar, many people bought it. However, some inherent shortcomings of the Thar are difficult to live with in the long term. The most common are bumpy suspension, single-digit fuel economy (Especially of the ATs), impractical 2-door design, poor NVH in the soft top version, lack of boot space and more. Hence you will see quite a few examples in the used car market with very low mileage. The availability is good and you can easily find well-maintained, under warranty Thars. Check out some examples on sale here.