Sedan or mid-size SUV: CarToq True Price tells you what to buy in Delhi’s used car market
Of late, sedans have faced tough competition from SUVs—both compact and mid size. On the new car market, sedans and mid size SUVs fall in the same price range—Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 15 lakh. Is that reflected in the used car prices too? Or the fact that sedans are out of favour has led to relative newer sedans being available on the cheap? Or the fact that SUVs sell many times more than sedans tilt the scale in their favour? How do options stack up if you hit the market with a budget of Rs. 8 lakh? Which category offers more bang for the buck?
To answer that question, you first need to find a way to identify best deals in both categories. And used car website don’t help much—they give you lots of filters but no way to compare cars across models, variants, age, usage.
Also read Buyer’s Guide for Competing Models: Honda City
With the Cartoq TRUE PRICE model, we can identify the best deals for you – after accounting for all sorts of variables – brand, model, age, mileage, car type and more. Read here how we estimate the TRUE PRICE.
The best deals on sedans and compact SUVs listed below are based on our analysis on May 18, 2019. These specific deals might not be available by the time you read this. And the list is for used cars available in Delhi NCR. But the list is still useful for the generic pointers that this shortlist has thrown up.
1. You can get an automatic or diesel sedan within your budget. These cars are more expensive and so your are getting a bigger discount on the new car price or,
2. You can target much less used but petrol / manual mid size SUVs.
Let’s now look at the 3 Best Deals each in sedans and mid-size SUVs
Sedans
Recommendation #1: Honda City VX CVT i-VTEC
Year: 2016 / Mileage: 19,000 / Used Car List Price: Rs. 793,800 / Ex showroom Price: Rs. 13.08,000
WHY BUY: It’s an Honda which means its well made. It’s got automatic—the smoothest and the most fuel efficient one in its class. And it has just 19,000 km on the odo…so we would says its pretty new. Finally, it is available for about 40 percent less than the new car’s price.
Recommendation #2: Honda City VX MT
Year: 2016 / Mileage: 34,000 / Used Car List Price: Rs. 764,4600 / Ex showroom Price:: Rs. 12,66,000
WHY BUY: This Honda—the same variant as above sans automatic—and has done 34,000 kilometres which is not a lot since Honda’s are usually good for at least a lakh km. It’s 30 quid cheaper that the number 1 entry.
Buy it here
Recommendation #3: Honda City VX MT Diesel
Year: 2016/ Mileage: 58,893 / Used Car List Price: Rs. 750,000 / Ex showroom Price:: Rs. 13,10,000
WHY BUY: Another Honda on the list—this time a diesel. Not the most refined in its class but easily the most fuel efficient. Plus all the good bits you expect from a Honda.
Buy it here
Mid size SUVs
Recommendation #1: Hyundai Creta 1.6 E+ VTVT
Year: 2017 / Mileage: 14,581 / Used Car List Price: Rs. 800,000 / Ex showroom Price: Rs. 10,00,000
WHY BUY: Just two years old, with only 14,000 km on the odometer at about 25-30 percent discount to the new version—that’s a reasonably good deal. One caveat though: Creta is not the most fuel efficient car so its ideal if your daily drive is limited.
Recommendation #2: Hyundai Creta 1.6 E Petrol
Year: 2016 / Mileage: 28,000 / Used Car List Price: Rs. 742,900 / Ex showroom Price: Rs. 9,60,000
WHY BUY: Another sparingly used Creta at 25-30 percent discount to new car price.
Recommendation #3: Hyundai Creta 1.6 E Petrol
Year: 2016 / Mileage: 9,500 / Used Car List Price: Rs. 800,000 / Ex showroom Price:: Rs. 9,60,000
WHY BUY: While the price is right up the top end of your budget, it still is an attractive buy because it has not even done 10,000 km.
In summary:
If you are looking for newer car, then mid size SUVs have better deals—just don’t expect higher versions in your budget. If you want a feature-packed, or automatic or a diesel, then sedans are your best bet—they would come with a few more kilometres on the odo but they still have plenty of years left in them. Just get a good mechanic to run through before signing the cheque.
Also read Best Used Sedans under Rs 4 Lakh in Delhi-NCR, under 6 years of age: From Cartoq TRUE PRICE