I primarily used OLX, Car Trade and Cars24. Apart from the conventional dealers, there are half a dozen online channels. Used car loans are priced exorbitantly.Exploring and evaluating the used car market:The used car market is complex. And finally, the budget:I had set a limit of 10 to 12 lacs (+ 2 lacs as buffer for an extremely good deal)My average final cost of ownership (excluding fuel) on the car should not be more than 1.5 lac per year for the duration of my ownership.No loan, or at least no car loan. And I firmly believe that it is not worth spending that much today, in the segment that I was looking for. Link: ARTICLE: Buying a New Car vs Used CarPlus, no car of my criteria was less than Rs. I don’t see them as worth spending for in the Indian conditions (I am old school probably).It has to be a used car: GTO’s article on New vs Used car gave me a perspective to this long back. My definition of space Should accommodate 5 + 2 people (occasionally) OR 5 people at their super comfort + 15 days of luggage.No 4×4.Preferably MT (Am i old school?).No preference to the tech features like HUDs, 360 degree cameras, driving modes, auto braking, etc. And hence, the most important criteria that I had was:My heart would have a slightly more weight over my head while making the final call !!!Other criteria which shaped my decision:A rugged, safe and a mile muncher SUV, which would serve me for the next 10 years/150K kms.A spacious one. Impact of rapidly changing automobile trends:Focus shifting to electric vehicles: IMO, this is going to be faster and abrupt than we anticipateRising cost of ownership: Focus shifting to subscription based modelsGiven these factors, I had a feeling that the next car I buy would probably be one of my last ICE cars ‘owned’. We can get a good perspective on this from the below article by GTO.Link: How a more expensive car can work out cheaper (if you hold onto it for longer) So by not selling it, I had the luxury to buy a car which would be exclusively meant for highways, i20 being my city work horse. The beast was doing just fine, and I believe in holding a car for longer term. In this segment I like the Polo more than the i20.Reasons which made me look for a new car:My highway runs have been roughly to the north of 80% of total mileage.Plus, my family has grown over these years, in terms of age as well as number.I also wanted something which could accommodate my friends on occasional trips.For these reasons, I was looking for something bigger, more sturdy and more safe on highways.Aspects which influenced my decision:Decision to not to sell i20. Very risky for someone new behind the wheel.Exterior design: Personally, I am more fond of designs with straight lines and clean surfaces. She is not comfortable at these, and won’t keep you comfortable either.Steering at high speeds: The steering doesn’t weigh up at high speeds. But until you reach that mark it feels like eternity.No ABS: One of the biggest sore points.Frequent gear shifting: The not so good aspect of the 6 speed gear box I guess.Suspension: You cannot just throw uneven or bad roads at her randomly.
#TATA SAFARI STORME 400 REVIEW DRIVER#
A century and a half on the speedometer is effortless.Feather light steering to drive within the city limits.Can munch miles at lengths: Have driven her for 700+kms in a single day.Very practical and excellent quality interiors: No rattles even today, easy accessibility of all the controls, storage for all necessary items, driver side one-touch down as well as one touch up (this one is very rare but extremely important IMO, don’t know why we don’t find this very common), cooled glove box, under-the-seat rear AC vents, etc.Things which did not quite grow up on me over these years:Turbo lag: It’s a beast when the turbo spools up at ~2000 rpm. Things which I enjoyed thoroughly with her:Straight line acceleration.The 6th gear is fun to drive. It’s straight line acceleration brings a wide grin on my face every time the turbo spools up. The 1.4 litre CRDI engine is one that puts many bigger sedans to shame. But the fact is, even today after 11 years it is the same beast. This is my i20 after 11 years/130K kms: Experience with the little beast Hyundai i20 Crdi Sportz:Having graduated from a classic M800 STD, the i20 CRDI initially felt like a jet. So overall I have an experience of driving for more than 20 years and 165K kms. Prior to this, my family had a STD M800, which we owned for 10 years/70K kms, driven equally by me and my mom. BHPian PassionateDrive recently shared this with other enthusiasts.My experience behind the wheel:I have been driving a 2010 i20 Sportz CRDI for almost 11 years and have already clocked a happy 130K kms in it.
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