Help me pick a used car

H

Budget: around 3L.
This is going to be my first car and I want to get a used one. Will be learning to drive on this car. Do not have access to known mechanic who can evaluate cars. But have a few colleagues in office who may go with me to evaluate the car (All of them have bought new cars though so don't know if they can evaluate old cars properly)

I have been going through Olx/Carwale/Cartrade used car sections for almost the past 1 year. This would be my first car and I have no experience of driving cars. So I wanted something used so that even if I make a mistake while learning, it would not dent my pocket too much.

ABS and airbags are priority for me. So most of the old cars(love the old Figo diesel) are directly eliminated.
I had zeroed in on a Chevrolet Sail UVA LT ABS model as it matched my criteria. But did not get much time to talk to the seller and within 1 month the GM pullout happened. So I am back to the portals again.

In this budget I found very few Honda Brio S(O) MT 2012 cars. These have 2 airbags and ABS. There are 2 options available in my city.
1. One of them is certified and put on sale by multiple dealers with different prices. So I am confused who has the actual car. I checked on parivahan website and it is still registered in the original owner's name.
2. The other options is not certified and most likely is being sold by an individual rather than a dealer. This guy has posted on the portals 2 times in the past 3 weeks. First time he gave the variant name as S(O) MT. 2nd time around he mentioned Honda Brio S MT. I checked the RC status online and it is not possible to differentiate between variants based on online records.
If I do go to check out the car, how would I understand if it is the base variant or the option pack? Honda does not seem to write ABS on the back panel (unlike say Maruti Ritz or Swift)

Also is it a better idea to buy a certified car (odo 40k in 5 yrs) or a cheaper car from individual (odo 10k in 5 yrs and 30k cheaper in listing price)?
Currently I don't know any mechanic. I was thinking about getting an inspection done via Droom.

In case of the brio , when you start the car the Speedo will display the abs and airbag light for a few seconds and then go off . This will let you know if the car is equipped with abs and airbags .

Also on the brio if airbags are present the steering wheel will have the SRS AIRBAG logo also the same logo will be present on the dashboard on the passenger side above the glovebox .

In the engine bay there will be a Bosch abs unit located and so labelled too .

Cheers . Ankush .

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^^ That is some on the spot and specific solution. Nice reply.

I wonder if we can detect if a car has airbag using the method described by you, or is it specific to Brio?

H

Vyom said:
^^ That is some on the spot and specific solution. Nice reply.
I wonder if we can detect if a car has airbag using the method described by you, or is it specific to Brio?

As far as I know, airbag is marked on all cars which have airbags installed. It is there on the Polo, Kwid, Redi-Go. Saw in the review videos of these cars.

Thanks for the pointer regarding ABS.

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H

ankushv said:
In case of the brio , when you start the car the Speedo will display the abs and airbag light for a few seconds and then go off . This will let you know if the car is equipped with abs and airbags .

Also on the brio if airbags are present the steering wheel will have the SRS AIRBAG logo also the same logo will be present on the dashboard on the passenger side above the glovebox .

In the engine bay there will be a Bosch abs unit located and so labelled too .

Cheers . Ankush .

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Have you driven a Brio? It does not have a seat height adjustment option. I am 5foot 5. In the reviews, it is mentioned that seating is pretty low. Any idea if I will face problems because of height?

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I've driven the brio s version twice . I'm 5'10" , did not have any issues with seat height .
PS I have the Honda amaze vx mt idtec for almost 4 years now which is quite similar to the brio interior wise hence I may know a thing or two about its younger cousin the brio .
Also my top end amaze has seat height adjustment and I do use it , but did not seem to need it on the brio .

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B

An out of context query, my cousin is taking driving lessons in a driving school. He plans to buy a new sedan after completing his course. But the majority of people who I know buy a second hand hatchback, keep it for a few months and then buy a new one. Their logic is that they will practice in the second hand car. Is it necessary to do this practice or a person can move to a new car directly?

Not entirely necessary . I learnt to drive on a brand new maruti 800 way back when I was 18 years old .
Practising on a friends car after he gets his licence may help a bit .
He can drive the car first after 11 pm or early morning when the traffic is much lesser to get the feel of the car and then gradually move on to driving in the traffic hours .
Cheers .

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B

ankushv said:
Not entirely necessary . I learnt to drive on a brand new maruti 800 way back when I was 18 years old .
Practising on a friends car after he gets his licence may help a bit .
He can drive the car first after 11 pm or early morning when the traffic is much lesser to get the feel of the car and then gradually move on to driving in the traffic hours .
Cheers .

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He is confused how he will bring the car from the showroom, which is in the other city, to his home in the first place lol. Which is the best automobile(specially car) forum in India?

My Bad .
I apologise I've misunderstood his query ...

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billubakra said:
He is confused how he will bring the car from the showroom, which is in the other city, to his home in the first place lol. Which is the best automobile(specially car) forum in India?

He/You can ask the dealer to deliver it to the place of your choice.

B

Flash said:
He/You can ask the dealer to deliver it to the place of your choice.

Both cities are 200 kms apart. Anyways he wants to buy a new one after his lessons are finished, but people are confusing him too much.

B

10 things that no one tells you about buying USED cars

H

It is almost a year and still I have not bought a car. Finally done with my learner's license and now looking to get a car.

Getting a Ritz Vxi 2014 for around 3L. Does anybody feel that the asking price is a bit too high? The seller is an indivual and not a dealer.

Also looking into Ford Figo Titanium options available in the market. But I don't trust their odometer reading. Also diesel cars have much higher maintenance cost as they age. But ABS + Airbag at 2L price is very tempting.

Ritz is the only maruti which I can get for cheap as it is already discontinued and also it did not sell well overall. Wagon R and Swift seem to be atrociously priced.

hotshot05 said:
It is almost a year and still I have not bought a car. Finally done with my learner's license and now looking to get a car.

Getting a Ritz Vxi 2014 for around 3L. Does anybody feel that the asking price is a bit too high? The seller is an indivual and not a dealer.

Also looking into Ford Figo Titanium options available in the market. But I don't trust their odometer reading. Also diesel cars have much higher maintenance cost as they age. But ABS + Airbag at 2L price is very tempting.

Ritz is the only maruti which I can get for cheap as it is already discontinued and also it did not sell well overall. Wagon R and Swift seem to be atrociously priced.

Ritz uses many parts from the Swift. I don't think you will face parts shortage for the near future. Which year model is the Ford Figo ? the 1st gen Figos had low ground clearance and 2 of my relatives faced engine issues too.

H

Stormbringer said:
Ritz uses many parts from the Swift. I don't think you will face parts shortage for the near future. Which year model is the Ford Figo ? the 1st gen Figos had low ground clearance and 2 of my relatives faced engine issues too.

Figo's are mostly 2011 or 2012 diesel ones.

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Hyundai Grand i10

hotshot05 said:
Figo's are mostly 2011 or 2012 diesel ones.

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I would skip those Figos and look at slightly newer ones. The one before the new generation ones. 2014 ones (my cousin has one from that year.Ground clearance was increased and he hasn't faced any issues).

H

Does anybody know how to check insurance history before buying a second hand car?
If I want to know if the car has been in any accident or not, what are my options?

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B

hotshot05 said:
Does anybody know how to check insurance history before buying a second hand car?
If I want to know if the car has been in any accident or not, what are my options?

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If you are transferring insurance from the seller, then inquire from the insurance company.
Find a good mechanic, he will tell you everything after checking the engine and all.

H

billubakra said:
If you are transferring insurance from the seller, then inquire from the insurance company.
Find a good mechanic, he will tell you everything after checking the engine and all.

Looks like insurance is over/almost over. What should I inquire from the insurance company? IDV? Or should I directly ask them about the accident record/insurance claims etc?

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B

hotshot05 said:
Looks like insurance is over/almost over. What should I inquire from the insurance company? IDV? Or should I directly ask them about the accident record/insurance claims etc?

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Note that policy number and ask the insurance company whether any claim has been provided or not in the past. This could be tricky if the seller had an insurance from some different company in the past. Your best bet would be to find a good mechanic who can tell you about the engine, paint etc. just by seeing it means an experienced one.

H

Found a tata car which is 1 year old. Called insurance and they told me 50k claim was made and 48k amiunt was settled. This does not seem to be major damage. But exactly what damage it was, I cannot figure out. Any guess?

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hotshot05 said:
Found a tata car which is 1 year old. Called insurance and they told me 50k claim was made and 48k amiunt was settled. This does not seem to be major damage. But exactly what damage it was, I cannot figure out. Any guess?

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At 48k the damage does seem significant for a Tata car .
It's best to take the car to Tata service and get it inspected for a small fee before you decide to buy it .

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H

ankushv said:
At 48k the damage does seem significant for a Tata car .
It's best to take the car to Tata service and get it inspected for a small fee before you decide to buy it .

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Found out that the bumper and right side door was replaced. This car is being sold by a tata motors assured (pre owned) dealer. And these guys evaluate cars themselves. I am not even sure if the airbags were deployed because of this. Replacing airbags would be costly and wont be covered by any Amc plan or warranty!

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hotshot05 said:
Found out that the bumper and right side door was replaced. This car is being sold by a tata motors assured (pre owned) dealer. And these guys evaluate cars themselves. I am not even sure if the airbags were deployed because of this. Replacing airbags would be costly and wont be covered by any Amc plan or warranty!

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how extensive was the damage to the bumper ? Was it the front bumper ? If the Airbag was deployed the whole dashboard part will be replaced. That would increased the cost of repair.

H

Stormbringer said:
how extensive was the damage to the bumper ? Was it the front bumper ? If the Airbag was deployed the whole dashboard part will be replaced. That would increased the cost of repair.

It was the rear bumper. I have no idea how extensive was the damage. I got to know of the damage by calling the insurance company.

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If the rear bumper and door was replaced , kindly find out if the chassis took a hit and if it's not bent now .
If the chassis is bent you have to walk away from the car .
Generally during a wheel alignment one can find out if the chassis is bent or not .
Also if the back door was replaced most likely the car got hit from the side , also check if the side step if it was bent and if it was repaired .

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H

I did not take the Tiago in the end.

I have found a 2014 Brio. 33k on odo. Direct seller.

It had the following things done in the Dec 2017 service -
ENGINE WIRING HARNESS REPLACE DONE
FR BOTH SHOCKER LOWER ARM BUSH DEFECTIVE NEED TO REPLACE
INFORM TO CUSTOMER

And in Nov 2016, the following things were changed -
Replace PAD, FRONT BRAKE
Replace BOTH DISC, FRONT
BRAKE
SET.PAD FR
DISK.FR BRAKE (24

Does the lower arm bush cost a lot?
Since it already has had its engine wiring harness changed due to engine starting problem, is this car worthy of being bought?
I plan on keeping this car for 1-2 year max.

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Generally a disk set for a car doesn't need replacement at 33k .

Pads need regular replacement I can understand .

Verify from Honda if mileage is correct .

Also front lower arm bush pair change is too early for 33k KM's .

Unless driven over bad roads or driven harshly .

Verify why the harness was changed .

Was is a rat bite or a short circuit .

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H

ankushv said:
Generally a disk set for a car doesn't need replacement at 33k .

Pads need regular replacement I can understand .

Verify from Honda if mileage is correct .

Also front lower arm bush pair change is too early for 33k KM's .

Unless driven over bad roads or driven harshly .

Verify why the harness was changed .

Was is a rat bite or a short circuit .

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It was a rat bite. Mileage is correct as I got all service info from Honda Connect app itself. Last service was done in december.

Now I am looking for documents to be used during the sale.

Does anyone know about the format of a money receipt?
I called a RTO Agent(tout) and he said signed money receipt is mandatory. On the Team BHP thread (how to sell used car?), only delivery note format is provided. No format given for money receipt

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Wow this is interesting. I am also swinging between getting a used car or a new FZ25

Will get used car for not more than 2.5 as I want to set my hands on it..will get a new after 2 yrs.