Used Car Suggestion Under Rs.3.5 Lakh

[sumesh]

Hi guys,

I'm looking forward to buy a used car under 3.5 lac rupees in chennai . My monthly running would be approx 600 kms plus there may be long trip( 1500 kms) once in 2 months.Keeping frequent road trips in mind, i would prefer a car with good highway manners . Other requirements are : Car should be able to comfortably seat 4 people and deliver 18+ mileage during highway runs.

Here are my options :

1) Wagon R : I should be able to manage a fairly new( Hopefully under warranty) WagonR for around 3.5 lacs. have heard lot of good things about Wagon R such as reliability,ability to crunch miles etc etc. Since car would be fairly new, i don't need to worry about repairs . Only thing i hate about WagonR is poor looks.

2) Ford Figo: there are lots of 3 - 4 years old used Figo diesel's selling under 3.5 lacs. Most of these cars have at-least 50k on ODO. I'm not sure if it would be a wise idea to buy a Ford Diesel with 50k on ODO. Only reason i considered figo was because of good highway manners and excellent fuel efficiency.

3) Honda City: i might be able to get 2007-2008 models of Honda city in my budget. From what i read online, City is very reliable car with decent fuel efficiency.

Your suggestions are most welcome. Feel free to add any other models which might suit my needs and budget. I would also like to stress on the fact that, i'm a Novice when it comes to four wheeler's. Although i own a driving license however i have been away from four wheeler scene for almost 10 years now.

Thanks in advance
Sumesh

 

[generalmax]

Re: Used car suggestion under 3.5 lacs

I would suggest you to look out for (2009-10)Swift and (2011-12) Ritz too as they also have good highway performance.You may not only get 2007-08 Honda city's but fiesta classic as well,which is also a good performer .

 

[Akash1886]

Re: Used car suggestion under 3.5 lacs

3) Honda City: i might be able to get 2007-2008 models of Honda city in my budget. From what i read online, City is very reliable car with decent fuel efficiency.

Hi Sumesh, I own the 2011 Honda City (the new shape that was manufactured from 2009 onward, the Ivtec).

​

You can easily get a 2009-10 model also. Honda City as I have owned for past 4 years almost, hasn't given me any issues so far with regards to ride or technical. Only a battery change so far. If kept in good condition with regular maintenance, the 1.5 Ivtec is a reliable engine. I have driven it on highways and its a real good one at that and about seating, the rear seat comfort of Honda City is really very nice and comfortably seats 4 pax surely. The slight issue with this car is about the ground clearance. It scraps on speed-breakers. Efficiency wise it is a economical car.

Regards

Akash

 

[roman]

Re: Used car suggestion under 3.5 lacs

Since you have stayed away from driving for a while now,I would suggest a car with smaller dimensions. city is a highly reliable car but you may find smaller cars more easy to drive. My suggestion would be a honda brio or ritz. They are really fun to drive and very easy to park in tight spots.

 

[Tarik Arora]

Used car suggestion under 3.5 lacs

Maruti wagon r sounds the most sensible buy out of the options listed by you. I have owned one for about 3 years and 80k kms and i can vouch for its reliability. The space is also at premium as compared to other hatch's. I would strongly recommend wagon r and you would be able to grab an almost new car within your budget (if you can stretch, brand new Lxi would be a good buy). Figo is also a good option but it is not known for excellent fuel efficiency and service costs (driving dynamics though are excellent).

 

[sumesh]

Re: Used car suggestion under 3.5 lacs

Thanks guys for the response.
@generalmax
Ritz used is an excellent suggestion considering that it doesn't command a premium like swift in used car market. Seems like i maybe able to grab 2011-2012 Vxi or 2010 VDI ritz under my budget. Is buying a used Ritz diesel a good option or shall i stick to petrol?
@Akash
I would love to get 2009-10 Honda city however it is difficult to find one under 4.5 lacs in chennai. Most used honda city models( 2009-11) are being sold between 5-6 lacs here. For that kind of money, i might as well buy a new car.
@Roman
Thanks. I see that you are from Kollam, kerala. Did you get a chance to drive to Chennai by any chance? Would love to hear about road condition. My hometown is in Varkala, Kerala. I'm buying the car for highway rides to kerala.
@Tarik
Thanks for reinforcing my belief on WagonR. It's indeed an excellent car. Unfortunately new Lxi costs upwards of 4.5 lacs here which is beyond my budget.

 

[roman]

Hello Sumesh. Good to know you are from varkala. I frequently visit the Janardhana Swamy temple there.
I have driven from kollam to Madras quite a number of times. The roads here are really clogged with traffic. Tamil Nadu offers wider roads and are relatively better maintained. But If you wish to take these inter state trips a lot then select a honda city. Second choice would be the ritz but a wagon r on open highways may run out of steam quite easily.

 

[TAIDhana]

2008 - 09 City is a good choice - but if you are buying in Chennai, watch out for rust since the 2008 car would be 7 years old now. If not maintained well, some mechanical issues will also start cropping up.

Figo Diesel is a good car as well if you manage to get 50k kms car for around 3.5L. But for your mileage, petrol car would be ideal. Please check out other petrol sedans like Dzire / Swift as well.

 

[sumesh]

Hello Sumesh. Good to know you are from varkala. I frequently visit the Janardhana Swamy temple there.
I have driven from kollam to Madras quite a number of times. The roads here are really clogged with traffic. Tamil Nadu offers wider roads and are relatively better maintained. But If you wish to take these inter state trips a lot then select a honda city. Second choice would be the ritz but a wagon r on open highways may run out of steam quite easily.

Thanks.

2008 - 09 City is a good choice - but if you are buying in Chennai, watch out for rust since the 2008 car would be 7 years old now. If not maintained well, some mechanical issues will also start cropping up.

Figo Diesel is a good car as well if you manage to get 50k kms car for around 3.5L. But for your mileage, petrol car would be ideal. Please check out other petrol sedans like Dzire / Swift as well.

owners of Used Swift/Desire's are commanding a relatively high premium for their old cars. Some owners wants as high as 5 lacs for a 4 year old used Swift petrol . I could buy similar cars for a lac or two less in delhi. Thanks for the warning regarding rust.

I'm relatively new to this city. Can you guys give me tips on how to go about buying a used car in Chennai. If there is any trustworthy used car dealers, i will be happy to meet them and fix up a deal . I don't speak Tamil so it puts me at a disadvantage when it comes to bargaining.

 

[scorpking]

owners of Used Swift/Desire's are commanding a relatively high premium for their old cars. Some owners wants as high as 5 lacs for a 4 year old used Swift petrol . I could buy similar cars for a lac or two less in delhi. Thanks for the warning regarding rust.

I'm relatively new to this city. Can you guys give me tips on how to go about buying a used car in Chennai. If there is any trustworthy used car dealers, i will be happy to meet them and fix up a deal . I don't speak Tamil so it puts me at a disadvantage when it comes to bargaining.

Hi Sumesh,

Welcome to Chennai, Where are you staying in Chennai?

I am also novice to 4 wheeler's and searching for used Maruti wagon R under 2L.

I am not a pro, but i would suggest you to go for Swift, Swift dzire, Figo or WagonR. You can also get a used Honda City(above 2007 to 2011 ) in your budget. But maruti has high resale value compare to others.

Check the Maruti True Value Shops like Kapico, CarsIndia, ABT, Indus, Popular and they are trust worthy. Also look Olx, Quikr because most of the dealers have their presence on it.

Used cars are mostly priced high here in Chennai and you need bargain hard. There are people who would buy them without negotiating, so you need to be quick in concluding the deal.

All the best.

 

[sumesh]

Hi Sumesh,

Welcome to Chennai, Where are you staying in Chennai?

I am also novice to 4 wheeler's and searching for used Maruti wagon R under 2L.

I am not a pro, but i would suggest you to go for Swift, Swift dzire, Figo or WagonR. You can also get a used Honda City(above 2007 to 2011 ) in your budget. But maruti has high resale value compare to others.

Check the Maruti True Value Shops like Kapico, CarsIndia, ABT, Indus, Popular and they are trust worthy. Also look Olx, Quikr because most of the dealers have their presence on it.

Used cars are mostly priced high here in Chennai and you need bargain hard. There are people who would buy them without negotiating, so you need to be quick in concluding the deal.

All the best.

Thanks for the suggestions. I put up in Ambattur. Lot of car dealership here. Will be looking around to find a good car. Do let me know once you buy your's. Good luck.

Thanks.

 

[scorpking]

Thanks for the suggestions. I put up in Ambattur. Lot of car dealership here. Will be looking around to find a good car. Do let me know once you buy your's. Good luck.

Thanks.

I am also from Ambattur. Good to know that you are staying in the same locality.

 

[TSIVipul]

@Sumesh:
I'd suggest you to search for Swift ZXi for the money you are willing to pay. If you search a bit deeply, then you can easily find some good examples on the road.
Adding to that, a couple of Hyundai Grand i10 or old gen i20 can also be found for the money and they will be good examples I must say.
Looking at your running, a petrol car is much sensible and can be had for a comparatively lower price as compared to their diesel counterparts. After all petrol prices are hiked by 0.63 and diesel prices are lowered by 1.5 rupees 2 days back only

 

[TAIDhana]

In my experience, car dealers (especially the branded ones) demand exhorbitant prices for used cars. While some of them claim to be providing warranty etc, they come at a big premium and lot of hidden clauses. In my opinion, they would markup price of 3-4L car by at least 50K (for profits and also at risk amount for providing warranty). Believe me - they also dont guarantee peace of mind. My first ever car was bought from one such dealer in Chennai and I went through hell a lot of trouble right from time of delivery. In spite of escalating to highest level in the company, I was only provided temporary fixes. And after 1 year of living with a sub-standard car I sold the car and bought a new one (one segment lower).

Loads of used cars are listed in online portals these days, from which you can pick cars which have service history in authorized service centers (and genuine sellers would agree for an inspection at one of the dealer outlets as well). Second option is go check out cars with dealers who work on park-and-sell model (most of them charge 2% service charge / brokerage) - but you would essentially buy from individuals. My recommendation would be to consider one of these options instead of buying from 'branded' used car dealers.

 

[Tarik Arora]

Buying from an individual and getting the vehicle inspected (with service history) at local dealership would be the best option. True value or for that matter any certified used car dealers have very high margins and you would end up paying huge premium.