4 Reasons Why You Should Buy A Used Car NOW!

From cost savings and upgrade potential to available options and safety of private transport, the reasons to buy a used car just keep adding up

Buying a used car has always been a tricky choice for many. For some, it doesn’t imbibe the pride that buying a new car does. For others, it seems too risky. After all, the used car market in India has been unorganised and unreliable for the longest time. 

That has changed significantly over the years though. In fact, well-established players in the market have made the buying and selling of used cars a strictly regulated process. Still not convinced? Maybe the following factors will change your mind:

Depreciation Is Your Friend

As much as we love buying a new car, depreciation is something that hits quick and hits hard. From the day a car is registered, it loses thousands of Rupees in value with every passing week.

That pain flips into gain when you’re buying used. Popular cars like the Maruti Suzuki Baleno and Tata Nexon can be yours for less than the ex-showroom price! And that’s for cars that are less than a year old and have barely run 10,000-15,000km. And yes, there’s more room for negotiating, so when it comes to savings, the sky's the limit.

There’s also another rule that works to a buyer’s favour -- the more expensive it is, the harder it depreciates. Luxury cars lose lakhs off their value every year. A 2-3-year-old current-generation Mercedes-Benz E-Class that has run around 20,000km can be yours for over Rs 20 lakh less than what it costs for a new one! You almost feel bad for the sellers who have to lose all this value, but your dream of owning a luxury car can be fulfilled several years in advance.

But what if you opt for financing? Isn’t there a disadvantage? Yes, the loan interest payable on a used car can be 4-5 per cent higher than that of a new car. But the lower purchase cost means you’re still heavily in the positive.

No Unknown Variables

No matter how attractive a new car may seem, it’s always safe to steer clear of buying one in the first few months of sale. The reason? No matter how much a manufacturer tests their car, the chances of owners facing new issues are always high in the initial production batches. These issues, minor as they may be, are taken as feedback and rectified at the production level. Sometimes, the issues even result in a recall.

When you buy a used car, all these issues have been brought to light, so you don’t have to wonder what the common problems are, how much they could cost to fix or most importantly, face these problems yourself. At best, these concerns have been identified and fixed, at worst, your research helps you spot potential issues and gives you bargaining power.

Certified And Regulated Cars

The best course of action while buying a used car is to opt for an organised and approved seller. The TrustMark showroom by CarDekho Gaadi, for example, shows you options as per your requirements, brings cars to your doorstep for test drive, and offers the TrustMark certification - a 217-point check up that ensures only the best and most reliable used cars are offered for selection. Through test methods like TrustMark, damaged, unreliable and mechanically unsound cars are filtered out. You even get a detailed report card that walks you through a car part-by-part.

To make the process feel as trustable as buying a new car, you also get a 6-month/7,500km warranty on the engine and transmission! It’s unheard of but that’s the importance of a strong test method. It gives both parties the peace of mind of a warranty that neither ever wants to see used. In fact, the brand goes a step further and offers a 7-day shield i.e. if your car has any issue in the first 7 days after purchase (aside from accidental damage), it will be fixed free of cost.

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The Freedom Of Safety

This is a discovery that, unfortunately, many have made during this COVID-19 lockdown. The convenience of a car means many who have to travel a few kilometres for their grocery runs can do so with ease. Others either had to struggle and balance a week’s worth of shopping on a motorcycle or walk long distances. Taxis and rickshaws remain largely unavailable and the ones available aren’t risk free, given the number of people who use them.

With emission and safety norms making new cars harder to reach, opting for a used car opens a wide range of options. Even for a strict budget of Rs 2.50 lakh to Rs 3 lakh, you can get everything from a Hyundai i10 or i20 to a Maruti Suzuki WagonR and even Honda City. Aside from getting you a car for a low budget, it also gives you the option to get a car from a higher segment for a considerably lower price.

There are some smaller advantages to used cars too. You can save thousands in insurance expenses and it doesn’t hurt as much when your kid who’s learning to drive scratches or damages it. You can also get cars that are no longer on sale, like BS4 diesel models that have been discontinued in the BS6 era (S-Cross, Vitara Brezza, Rapid diesel DSG, etc).

So, with a used car, you can have all the peace of mind you expect while parting with a smaller piece of your hard-earned money.