Thread Starter
#1
Hi All,
I was using an XUV5OO W8 till last month (now sold) which I bought new in 2013. That was a trusted companion and served me very well all these days, am looking for a replacement, another dependable machine. I have not considered any crossovers like Duster, Terrano, Ecosport, etc; though am lured towards Creta, am ruling it out as I need a ‘bigger’ car and want the SUV stance, it difficult to get down from the XUV feel. Also we have one Creta already in the family, with my sister.
Must Haves : ABS, EBD, 2 Air Bags, Good Power, Low end Torque (least Turbo Lag), Good Comfort, Good Drivability in both city & highway, Plenty of space, Very good ground clearance
Good to Have : 4 or more Air bags, ESP, Leather seats, 4X4, Good music system (Double-Din preferably)
Location : Bangalore/ Bengaluru
Budget : Initially decided to have 15L (only for Fortuner), now cringed to 8L, spend a few bucks on upgrades if needed, like Tyres, Insurance, Aftermarket Music system + Amp + SW and planning to Save the remaining fund
Other options under consideration & Ruled-Out:-
Fortuner – One of my beloved vehicles, was considering 2013 or above the second generation as they call it. Found a few specimens in the used market, but almost all (good ones) are in the 20L+ range, outside of my budget. Most of the cars are available with dealers. Dropped
D-Max V-Cross – Good looks and utility, got 4X4, good power & low end torque but lacks almost all the others I needed, especially comfort in the second row seats. Also the Cargo carrier looks may not be that good for family use. Lifestyle vehicles are not too common still in India. Dropped
Creta – Hmm… Not in the expected league, but still better than Ecosport & Dusted (strictly my opinion). Spacious to some extend and has almost all of the ‘must haves’, was looking primarily for the SX(O), used ones available at 15L range. Dropped
XUV 5OO – Well, I contemplated getting another used XUV as well, the revised new look ones. While I love the revised XUV interior, I completely hate the outside modifications done. The Mahindra service and experience was not the best I received, hence not too keen to go back to them. Dropped
Cruze – Yes, I know its nowhere close to the category of cars under discussion, do not have most of the must haves in my list. To be honest this is one of my favourite Sedans ever since it was launched in India. Icing on the cake is that now with the Chevy leaving the Indian market, there are plenty of Cruze on sale at very low price, again considering on 2013+ models. The challenges with this is that the money spent on the car is most likely a complete write off as there won’t be many takers after 2 to 3 years for this car from now, Parts availability would be a major concern, The Chevy might support the customers for max 3 years honouring the guarantee and liability of the recently sold cars, that too will not be dependable as they do not have to worry about sales figures or the company good will. Dropped
After quite a lot of contemplation and discussions, am thinking why not the Safari Storme (used of course)? It ticks almost all my ‘Must Haves’ with the VX variant. Back in 2013 when I bought the XUV, Storme was a very strong contender. Additionally, the Safari has been a dream car for me since its launch. My wife also likes the car very well. We usually drive to our native, Kerala 4 to 5 times a year, with my 4 years old sun, about 650KMs one side, with lots of luggage, to (less) & fro (a lot). Hence need a good car which is comfortable and stress free. Found a few Storms for sale in the online portals at quite reasonable prices. To be honest I cant still digest the price of the new Storme compared to the features on offer with it; hence it lost the duel earlier and I bought the XUV. The resale value of the car is quite low as well, which I would like to exploit now.![[evil]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Evil.gif "Evil [evil]")
No offence to the other cars and their owners, they are all capable and good ones in its own ways, just that I have my reservations with them, entirely my perspective and preferences.
Thanks,
Arvind.
I was using an XUV5OO W8 till last month (now sold) which I bought new in 2013. That was a trusted companion and served me very well all these days, am looking for a replacement, another dependable machine. I have not considered any crossovers like Duster, Terrano, Ecosport, etc; though am lured towards Creta, am ruling it out as I need a ‘bigger’ car and want the SUV stance, it difficult to get down from the XUV feel. Also we have one Creta already in the family, with my sister.
Must Haves : ABS, EBD, 2 Air Bags, Good Power, Low end Torque (least Turbo Lag), Good Comfort, Good Drivability in both city & highway, Plenty of space, Very good ground clearance
Good to Have : 4 or more Air bags, ESP, Leather seats, 4X4, Good music system (Double-Din preferably)
Location : Bangalore/ Bengaluru
Budget : Initially decided to have 15L (only for Fortuner), now cringed to 8L, spend a few bucks on upgrades if needed, like Tyres, Insurance, Aftermarket Music system + Amp + SW and planning to Save the remaining fund
Other options under consideration & Ruled-Out:-
Fortuner – One of my beloved vehicles, was considering 2013 or above the second generation as they call it. Found a few specimens in the used market, but almost all (good ones) are in the 20L+ range, outside of my budget. Most of the cars are available with dealers. Dropped
D-Max V-Cross – Good looks and utility, got 4X4, good power & low end torque but lacks almost all the others I needed, especially comfort in the second row seats. Also the Cargo carrier looks may not be that good for family use. Lifestyle vehicles are not too common still in India. Dropped
Creta – Hmm… Not in the expected league, but still better than Ecosport & Dusted (strictly my opinion). Spacious to some extend and has almost all of the ‘must haves’, was looking primarily for the SX(O), used ones available at 15L range. Dropped
XUV 5OO – Well, I contemplated getting another used XUV as well, the revised new look ones. While I love the revised XUV interior, I completely hate the outside modifications done. The Mahindra service and experience was not the best I received, hence not too keen to go back to them. Dropped
Cruze – Yes, I know its nowhere close to the category of cars under discussion, do not have most of the must haves in my list. To be honest this is one of my favourite Sedans ever since it was launched in India. Icing on the cake is that now with the Chevy leaving the Indian market, there are plenty of Cruze on sale at very low price, again considering on 2013+ models. The challenges with this is that the money spent on the car is most likely a complete write off as there won’t be many takers after 2 to 3 years for this car from now, Parts availability would be a major concern, The Chevy might support the customers for max 3 years honouring the guarantee and liability of the recently sold cars, that too will not be dependable as they do not have to worry about sales figures or the company good will. Dropped
After quite a lot of contemplation and discussions, am thinking why not the Safari Storme (used of course)? It ticks almost all my ‘Must Haves’ with the VX variant. Back in 2013 when I bought the XUV, Storme was a very strong contender. Additionally, the Safari has been a dream car for me since its launch. My wife also likes the car very well. We usually drive to our native, Kerala 4 to 5 times a year, with my 4 years old sun, about 650KMs one side, with lots of luggage, to (less) & fro (a lot). Hence need a good car which is comfortable and stress free. Found a few Storms for sale in the online portals at quite reasonable prices. To be honest I cant still digest the price of the new Storme compared to the features on offer with it; hence it lost the duel earlier and I bought the XUV. The resale value of the car is quite low as well, which I would like to exploit now.
- Is it a good idea to go for a used Safari Storme, the 2013 – 2014 models, Are they really dependable?
- Will there be major issues with the car and would I need to spend a fortune on repairs and maintenance (I mean as a pattern/ trend)?
- The Tata service (TASS) – have read in this forum that a few of our members had good experiences for the Tata ASS. Are they dependable now (particularly in Bangalore) or will I have to go with Season-2 of the Mahindra service experience?
- What could be the reasonable price for a well maintained 2013, 60K driven VX 4X2 in Bangalore?
- I have to expect (mostly) immediate expenses for Tyres, Insurance for the 60K driven cars, any other obvious ones can come in? Like the Clutch overhaul, Suspension repairs or such expensive affairs?
- What are the key things to lookout for specifically in Safari Storme while checking the condition of a used car?
No offence to the other cars and their owners, they are all capable and good ones in its own ways, just that I have my reservations with them, entirely my perspective and preferences.
Thanks,
Arvind.
![[:)]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Smile.gif "Smile [:)]")
i see no point comparing a fortuner to a safari or xuv, its a different league. Both brakes and suspension in a fortuner is easily upgrade able - man old gen owners have done that already. I wouldn't even bother comparing FE in different segments.![[gun]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Guns.gif "Guns [gun]")