Driving For Ola / Uber: Which Car To Buy?

[kkn13]

Id say get a used Ritz Diesel, Wagon R CNG (Maybe AMT because no clutch pedal and good efficiency etc in traffic)
I just sold my own Ritz VDI and believe me it was a gem , but I needed something with ABS and airbags for highway runs so sold it even though it was in excellent condition and low maintenance
Average was always 20+ even if I did a very heavy right footed drive

I have a friends Wagon R AMT with me for a while now till I decide and buy my new car and its actually not bad at all for the price
steering and visibility is excellent and you get a nice high seat which is great for the back for taller people like me
AMT takes time to get used to and it can be a bit annoying initially but once you get used to it , youll enjoy it in traffic
Efficiency is also good for a petrol car

 

[ss80]

One of my friend bought a Etios for Ola purpose
Costing 8.6Lacs on road, nice to see Toyota giving ABS & Airbag as standard on all cars.

One useful info for prospective buyers:
Do not get National Permit when you buy a yellow board car
Instead buy a State permit. Most taxi companies are gonna stop their attachments with Cabs that possess National permit.

Not sure why this trend is emerging, I had been to the Uber office in Parangipalya, Bangalore.
The whole experiences was pretty bad & that's when a Uber employee informed me that from 10.12.2016 they will allot rides only to State permit cars.

 

[AbhisekVerma]

I think you should consider Verito and Amaze also in your list. I have been lot of times in Verito through uber/ola and the rear seat comfort/ under thigh support is immense and better than Etios. Amaze D is very fuel efficient and compact and should serve your purpose very well and if I am not wrong they provide good disc to cab owners for new car. Tata Zest D is also very fuel efficient and very comfortable so if you're getting a good used one do not neglect..

 

[vikyjoshi]

Bolt will be a good choice for your friend. Not sure if Zest XE can be got in that price range. Any other car like Datsun, Alto etc they will be considered as micro cars and not mini cars. Rate obtained would be lower. But for cars like Bolt and Liva they fall under mini segment which is higher than micro.

 

[Gurrala74]

Go with Verito eyes closed !! its really a workhorse with very less maintenance cost..you wont regret

 

[kkn13]

Go with Verito eyes closed !! its really a workhorse with very less maintenance cost..you wont regret

Yeah I owned a Logan Diesel for 3 years
In fact we had 3 of them in my family

Absolutely practical car and built like a tank

We sold them to our usual used car broker
Apparently his 2 sons and a friend still have the cars and have crossed 2L km mark without any major repairs (They run a Taxi service of sorts somewhere in Nagpur or something)

 

[Gurrala74]

Yeah I owned a Logan Diesel for 3 years
In fact we had 3 of them in my family

Absolutely practical car and built like a tank

We sold them to our usual used car broker
Apparently his 2 sons and a friend still have the cars and have crossed 2L km mark without any major repairs (They run a Taxi service of sorts somewhere in Nagpur or something)

Its its really very sturdy and practical car. I see first generation logan run under Meru cabs in Hyderabad airport which have crossed 5L km and are still intact.

 

[Narenderpathi]

Guys,

I am looking to buy 60,000km driven, 5 year old Aria 4x4 pleasure for 4 lacs for taxi purposes, is it good to buy Aria? I see spare cost similar to Safari when inquired in nearest tata dealer.

Car is badly treated but only 60K on ODO is what makes me interested in the buy. it was used by a Hotel thats why less on ODO. I have to invest another 35K atleast to make it up and running.

1) 60K servicing - 10K
2) one fog lamp and tail lamp broken - 7k
3) Inside rear view mirror is broken, currently sticked with a glue - 3k
4) one door doesnot open from inside, need to fix it.
5) Seat covers - 7-8k
6) Anti rust and car rubbing required - 4k
7) all 4 tyres are brand new
8) Service history till 50k,

Guys Please advise should i buy new Enjoy for 7.2 lacs on road OR this one.

 

[Narenderpathi]

Guys,

Aria deal is cancelled as the seller has changed the word and he is saying he wont give less than 5 lacs.

I came across a used Xylo 2012 model D4 97K driven from a broker. I test driven the car and quite liked it. Engine seems to be in good shape, very less vibrations.

Finalized the deal for 4.1 lacs, Immediately, I have to do below work.

1) 2 Tyres are wornout, 2 are decent for another 10,000 km - 2 tyres ~ 14k
2) Insurance will expire in december - New insurance ~ 25k
3) 100k km service, have to change drive belt and all oils (Transmission, clutch & Engine), Need to replace coolant ~ 15k
4) New seat covers, full matting, New Mats ~ 10K
5) broker will do rubbing and Teflon
Total Cost - 4.75K

Please advise how is Xylo can it run for another 100 to 150K kms? How is the maintenance cost?

 

[AbhisekVerma]

My in laws have xylo which has done 1.75L km. Maintenance I am not very sure but its moderate. Depends if something breaks then it costs otherwise day to day running maintenance is low. They too purchased used one when it had done around 90k-1L km. Its a good car. I have driven it mutiple times in city and on highways as well. Fuel efficiency is decent for the size.

 

[Narenderpathi]

Thank you Abhisek, I will keep 20-30k for unexpected service costs.

 

[AbhisekVerma]

Broker might even not do Teflon as its not visible and Teflon is waste thats what everyone says.

I would suggest not to go for Yokohama tyres if new. They burst on my in Law's xylo at 120kmph only after doing 700kms long ride.
I even purchased good condition used tyre for 2k after bargaining in a tyre shop and as per condition was a good deal.
Insurance feels on the higher side. May be because of cab insurance? Did you check with all the vendors?

All the best.

 

[hemantp]

I too join those suggesting Toyota Etios, Liva.

Absolutely practical car and built like a tank

Just a thought, when Mahindra's premium and best selling (after Bolero) Scorpio failed GNCAP test miserably, can we trust the build of lower segment cars they produce?

 

[Narenderpathi]

@Abhishek - Thanks for valuable information, really appreciate it.
Teflon - Its complimentary, so i don't have anything to say but exterior of this car is not great lot of scratches, I am not expecting any improvement.
Tyres - Thanks a lot, i thought of Yokohama first, I will switch to Bridgestone.
Regarding Insurance - Its high because its commercial vehicle, Best quote i got is from Reliance general insurance for 23K

Guys, I have one general question, can I register this car(Taxi) on my wife's name ?, she doesnot even hold a driving license.

 

[amitpshelke]

@Abhishek - Thanks for valuable information, really appreciate it.
Teflon - Its complimentary, so i don't have anything to say but exterior of this car is not great lot of scratches, I am not expecting any improvement.
Tyres - Thanks a lot, i thought of Yokohama first, I will switch to Bridgestone.
Regarding Insurance - Its high because its commercial vehicle, Best quote i got is from Reliance general insurance for 23K

Guys, I have one general question, can I register this car(Taxi) on my wife's name ?, she doesnot even hold a driving license.

If the car is going to driven by you then its OK. But you are going to give it some driver then don't ever register by your wife's name.