Buying a Used SUV - Budget 4.5 Lakhs

[roman]

hello all.i am new to this forum.i am basically a planter based in kollam.i used to have a 2007 tata safari 3.0l which i sold after clocking 1.85 lakh kms on it.
i am on the hunt for a used suv to cater my needs of long distance travelling to my farms.my budget is around 4.5 lakhs.

i have shortlisted
tata safari 2.2 vtt
mahindra scorpio mhawk

i personally liked my old safari but after 1.5 lakhs on the odo the car's maintanance costs were escalating i haven't used any mahindra product so i am confused.

which model to consider as a used car.
expecting your kind replays.

 

[AMG]

Look , the fact is that while buying used cars, you dont look at the brand, you look at the condition.
A dying merc is worse than a good condition maruti.

so I'll stick to my tried and tested advice, get a trusted mechanic, go inspect all the curs, and then take his advice, a professional cant be wrong.

 

[Theferrarifan]

Dude just do what amg said and avoid the Vtt IMO it had reliability problems.
Also try the Chevrolet Forester but spare parts are a prob.

 

[roman]

sorry for not being specific.i have located a dicor 2.2 and mhawk in similar conditions.both around 50k on odo,does not have problems with mechanics both are well maintained.my main priority is making pretty long trips(around 800 km )at a stretch monthly.my daily errands are satisfied by my faithful zen.this suv will be reserved exclusively for the highways.please suggest which one should i go for?is tata's 2.2 dicor less reliable than the old 3.0 litre?

 

[Theferrarifan]

Go for the Mhawk man(unless you want to do some serious offroad). I dont know about the 3.0 but knew a few dicor owners who used to start their day with pushing their cars.

 

[AMG]

Yep, the Mahindra is the one to go for.

 

[hari_hyderabadi]

Go for the scorpio once you have duly checked the condition. Bargain for a minimum price and be ready to shell out some more money for minor repairs. People usually sell their vehicles when there are several minor problems which are pain to get repaired.

Do extensive inspection of Engine temperature and check if there is any heavy noise or rattling at higher RPMs. Drive both on highway and city. Check for wobbling at high speeds. Check for any play in the steering which may be due to faulty Steering rack. Check tire tread left. Check if RIMs are bent, vehicle will wobble at high speeds. Check for radiator leakage. Check for suspension condition. SUVs are seriously abused on bad roads and suspensions could be critically damaged. Check clutch play, AC, power windows if available, rusting underbody.

Like other guys here said, do not look for brand. TATA, Maruti and Mahindra vehicles are the safe bet in used vehicle department as spare parts are cheap and are mostly available at any place you go. Even if the vehicle breakdown occurs at deserted road, it is not hard to find a mechanic to work on these not so complex machines.

All the best

 

[roman]

i drove both these vehicles the scorpio is more nimble and has a smoother gear box.but the steering is too light at higher speeds. the safari is more stable and quicker when cruising in top gear on the highway.my old safari was a good mile muncher but electrical and suspension problems forced me to sell it.but the engine was still going strong.i still prefer the safari for it's ride quality.could anyone compare the cost of maintenance of these cars considering that i intend to use it for another 1L km.will the safari become a white elephant?

 

[Theferrarifan]

Again here,Scorpio wont burn a hole in your pocket.

 

[roman]

i checked conditions of both these vehicles scorpio seems to give out a noise when steering is fully locked.it also has poor headlamps.everything else seems to be ok.price asked is 5.6L model is 2009 end with 58000 on odo.
safari is having a slight problem with the alignment and during hard breaking the vehicle moves to the left.the safari also has a problem with the handbrake cable. the model is 2009 lx with 40000 km on odo asking price is 4.8L.

based on these info please help me take a decision

 

[Vishwas]

i checked conditions of both these vehicles scorpio seems to give out a noise when steering is fully locked.it also has poor headlamps.everything else seems to be ok.price asked is 5.6L model is 2009 end with 58000 on odo.
safari is having a slight problem with the alignment and during hard breaking the vehicle moves to the left.the safari also has a problem with the handbrake cable. the model is 2009 lx with 40000 km on odo asking price is 4.8L.

based on these info please help me take a decision

Both have run lesser, is it from an individual or from dealers?

I think 5.8L is beyond your budget, if you are satisfied with the price of the Safari and its condition, then i would recommend for the Safari itself. Nevertheless to mention Mhawk Scorpio is good for the asking price.

In Bangalore the SLX non-Mhawk starts from 6.50 Lakhs, the M hawks starts from 8 lakhs onwards.

 

[billa9909]

Sorry I'm a bit too late. I was just curious, have you considered the other options you may have as well? I have no idea about maintenance costs or anything about of these vehicles except for the Safari. These are your options:

-Tata Sierra (A bit old but have seen many threads boasting about their reliability)
-Tata Safari (Nice choice, but difficult to get at 4.5L with low miles on the odo)
-Mahindra Scorpio ( We use these as on site vehicles so I have sat in a Scorpio Automatic once, but thats about it)
-Tata Sumo Grande (This should be a choice you should look into)
-Mahindra Bolero
-Hyundai terracan (Reliability is not great at all)

 

[Theferrarifan]

Hyundai terracan? thats a very fake looking car.

 

[alexddas]

i checked conditions of both these vehicles scorpio seems to give out a noise when steering is fully locked.it also has poor headlamps.everything else seems to be ok.price asked is 5.6L model is 2009 end with 58000 on odo.
safari is having a slight problem with the alignment and during hard breaking the vehicle moves to the left.the safari also has a problem with the handbrake cable. the model is 2009 lx with 40000 km on odo asking price is 4.8L.

based on these info please help me take a decision

M hawk wont come in your budget,scorpio with the second turbo engine would be a good choice you can get it for 3.5max for a good one below 60000km. the initial power is a bit low as there is a turbo delay but the maintenance is low as compared to m-hawk and safari and the mileage is more compared to crdi and m-hawk,and for the comfort on suspension whether it is the coil one or the older one all are the same.I have one, crossed 200000kms and happy.

 

[roman]

both cars are from individuals.i recently checked both with the help of a friend who used to be a mechanic in tvs trivandrum and he said the scorpio's ride quality is no where near a new model scorpio and the steering is also behaving erratically at speeds above 80 km/hr.
he says the shock absorbers,steering suspension has to be fixed.head lamp units also gave out a poor beam.i am willing to pay 5.6l but concerned about the above mentioned problems.

safari on the other hand has problems with alignment and a faulty handbrake cable. vehicle's aircon is emitting water drops which we found quite unusual because the cooling was pretty good.

my friend says that though the safari's condition is slightly on the better side still the scorpio is a better buy.

i have kept out options like tavera and sumo because i have to use these vehicles on steep climbs to my farm with a good amount of load in the back. both seems to run out of steam on these steep climbs.

is the safari dicor such an unreliable car in the used car segment just like my friend advices?should i spent atleast 1 lakh extra just to avoid a tata product
expecting some kind suggestions.