Thar petrol v/s Thar diesel: Which to buy for better resale value later

Also, is the depreciation hit more pronounced in RWD vs 4x4?

BHPian Bit recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Once the heart is set on a Thar Automatic, there is no backing out. However, the question here is the fuel type that has been baffling me. My monthly run would be around 500-700 KMs at maximum with the car being parked idle for even up to a month at times.

Now, the obvious suggestion for my running requirement would be the Petrol. I’m from MP where there is no apparent Diesel ban (at least as of yet) but fuel prices are on the higher side (Petrol at 110 RS, Diesel at 95). With the abysmal FE of 5-6 KMPL for Thar Petrol AT, I have the following questions:

1. What would be the reselling price for a Thar Petrol AT? I plan to keep the car for 3-5 years and I’ve heard that that the used-car market doesn’t really appreciate Petrol AT Thars to the extent they don’t even find any takers! Is this true? This is my biggest concern. Also, is the depreciation hit more pronounced in RWD vs 4 x 4?
2. How much is the difference in the maintenance/service cost of petrol vs diesel Thar, including DPF issues (if any)?
3. And finally, @Aditya’s words from the Official review “The diesel is very smooth & peppy. In fact, after spending time with it, we were hard-pressed to think why anyone would buy the petrol over this (main market = Delhi-NCR & its 10-year limit on diesel cars). Not like the Thar Petrol is substantially cheaper to buy either. The diesel will give you higher FE than the petrol, a longer tank range (important for highways & offroading) and durability (going by Mahindra's long expertise with diesel).

Would I be a fool to take the Petrol Thar then?

All suggestions are appreciated to help a confused soul.

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

Buying a car purely for resale is the wrong attitude. It's like staying at the Taj and ordering a naan less to save money.

Buy a car to enjoy the ownership experience & drive quality.

My situation was similar. I chose the petrol for its performance, refinement & zero-DPF / BS6 hardware issues.

Poor. In the history of the Indian car scene, if there is a petrol-guzzling SUV and it has a fuel-efficient diesel sibling, the diesel has better resale while the petrol is a depreciation disaster.

I don't understand why you are hellbent on selling it in 3 - 5 years. Why not buy the right car and hold onto it for longer? In a BHPian poll, 75% voted for owning a car for 8 - 10 years - link.

If you still want to drive it for just 3 years, then buy a used Petrol Thar. You'll get it for a great price and then don't have to worry about depreciation.

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

Diesel will be my preference. It's pretty refined and whatever shortcomings are there, it mostly involves steering and the ride. Your running expenses will be lower, and so will it have better resales. Beyond NCR, I don't think of any negative reasons. Even here, I helped a friend book an X7 in Diesel recently, as his running is higher, and he hasn't kept the car for more than 4-5 Years.

Update:

Your use case - Petrol

Resales - Diesel

So, if you are concerned about resales at the time of buying, get a Diesel. As I mentioned, you won't miss Petrol if you get Diesel, it's a heavy Jeep and not a sports car.

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

Petrol AT with Convertible top.

Black if you like black, Red if there is plenty of greenery around.

Drive around in the night with the top open, and enjoy a new way of motoring.

Here's what BHPian shankar.balan had to say on the matter:

My running is 700 - 800 kms per month on average. I find Petrol to be sensible for this kind of running. The Diesel requires regular highway runs at constant speeds because it requires one to keep the revs constant for reasonable periods, or else the DPF clogging issue keeps popping up.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.