Buying a used Nexon

The Nexon bug has bit you but due to some reason, you prefer a used Nexon. Set a budget initially and look for options upto 50,000/- above your budget. This will give you room for negotiation and the seller might come to the price you expect. Below is a good read, if you either plan to buy from an individual seller or from a used car dealer. The first and foremost rule - don't trust what the sales person says. Seeing is believing. Get everything verified before trusting anything. Do not trust brands even like Mahindra first choice, Maruti true value, Volkswagen Das welt Auto etc. Remember, all these dealers are for profit only and they may not be ethical about selling a used car.

Mindset Changer: Visit the showroom with the budget you have and ask them for the price list. No I am not mad There is a fair chance the showroom might have some stock in hand and want to clear and push those stocks. If you are looking for a 3+ year old XZ+, you may get a brand new XE or XT from the showroom for the same money.

Point Checks: Don't fall for this century old trick. Companies advertise stating that they do a 300 point check. Do you think they check 300 things? Nope. They don't. It is just a numbering system like say interior check - 150 points + exterior checks 150 points = 300 points. They never mention what all details they check and neither do they share the final check report. It is just a gimmick. I could tell you, I'll do a 1000 point check on your car. Would it hold good or add any value? Nope. Never.

Pre-Selection

1. Set a budget and visit the showroom first. See the options you get for that money. You could compromise variants for a brand new car.

2. Visit multiple dealers and try your luck. One dealer may be eager to push stocks, compared to other dealers.

3. Try to explore what variants you get for the budget.

Used Car

1. If you have decided to buy a used car, ask friends, acquaintances and relatives first if anyone in their circle is selling a Nexon. There is a chance that the acquaintance won't sell you a damaged car or a lemon.

2. If the above option fails, try online and offline.

3. Online prices will be cheaper than store prices as mostly you will encounter a direct seller-owner. Store prices will be costlier as store is a middle man, has overhead costs like capital, rent, staff salaries etc.

4. Online is riskier as we wouldn't know the owner and secondly name transfer is a pain in RTOs of most cities for common man. Used car dealerships help in name transfer and other formalities and would be hassle free for you.

5. You may explore options in other cities in your state. Who knows, you may get a better deal at another city.

Buying from individual seller

1. The first precaution - Do not pay a rupee for any of the below. If seller tells there is a refundable security deposit, inspection charges, society charges, its all a scam. The honest seller would invite you his houses parking lot, offer a test drive and negotiate as a gentleman with you free of cost. If someone is asking some cash, its a clear scam.

2. Take a through test drive and observe for any abnormal behaviour, sounds etc.

3. If the owner doesn't offer a test drive, steer clear of that car.

4. Verify car details like owner name, VIN number, date of registration etc from the "Vehicle Info" app. If owner has lied about something, walk away as there may be a bigger issue.

5. Ensure that the owner is present in person at the time of handing over the money and take the keys. If owner is not available or at a foreign country or sick or passed away, steer clear of that car. You won't know whether that is a stolen car or not. It is just not worth taking that risk

6. Do not negotiate or view the car in a parking lot, highway, mall, railway-station, bus-terminus or some similar common place. It should be at owner's house only. Bringing the car to parking lot or common area is a sign of hiding something. I have sold many many stuff online and all transactions happened at my home only.

7. If the deal is finalised, ask for copies of aadhar card and other documents. The signature and address should match with that of the RC. If he has a different address, ask for proof of current address too (Bank passbook first page etc) .

8. If the RC book shows a hypothecation to a financier, ensure that the financier has issued an NOC letter to remove the hypothecation. If the owner has defaulted on the loan or has produced a fake letter, you would lose your hard earned money and/or your car. You will be liable to pay the amount equal to the dues recoverable by the financier.

9. If vehicle on finance, verify the financier's NOC letter independently by calling their call centre or visiting their branch office.

10. Pay in DD or in electronic format always. Never pay cash as there is no record for paying cash.

Avoid the below

1. Heavily modified cars with or without RTO endorsement

2. Car leaking oil or fluids under the chassis.

3. Cars painted or wrapped in any other colour than the one mentioned in RC.

4. Smoker's car

5. Cars from other states (even with NOC)

6. Cars above or nearer to 1 lac kms.

7. Cars with near bald tyres. New tyres are approximately, 9,000/- per tyre incl fitting, alignment, balancing & taxes.

8. If owner is flying immediately abroad or relocating to another state. He may not be reachable for paperwork,

Finalising and purchasing.

1. The first question to ask is why he is selling the car. If the reason sounds silly or doesn't seem logical, it should ring a bell for you.

2. Whatever price is advertised, bargain for 75,000-1 lac lesser than that. No. the seller wont get insulted. You can politely say that is your budget. You can come up by 25,000/- to please the seller.

3. If you decide the price, ask the seller, whether any repairs are pending or expected. If he is honest, he'll say what's needed else he'll say no repairs needed.

4. Get the Nexon checked at an authorised Tata dealership. They will charge a fee for that but trust me, pay it and get the report. Do a through investigation and ask them to give a report in writing. Pay the required service charges for it. It is worthwhile knowing what faults are there. It could be that the owner doesn't know it too. You could tempt them and say, you will carry out the repairs in their workshop, to make them more interested to do the job. Tell them the seller will pay.for repairs.

5. If the current seller isn't agreeing to get the car checked, he is hiding something for sure.

6. Request seller to fix those issues or adjust the same against the final price, else strike a cost sharing deal.

Dealership analysis report

1. Verify service details and ensure the car was serviced every six months.

2. Ask for an OBD check and report from them. OBD can identify potential internal malfunctions that a test drive cannot.

3. Verify any accident history on the same. Even if the car was accident repaired at a local workshop, the dealership service adviser can easily identify it visually.

4. Watch out for abnormal spike in odometer reading.

5. Ensure odometer reading matches with that of the service. Example, if current odo reading is 25,000/- kms but 4th service was done at 27,000/- kms, its a clear case of odo tampering.

6. Check with the dealership to identify the usage of any non-genuine parts. This means the car hasn't been cared for.

7. Ask the dealership for a repairs/service estimate based on the above report. Adjust this against the negotiation amount or settle for a sharing deal.

8. Ask the dealer to identify how much wire cutting has been done, to accommodate non genuine accessories.

Good to have in a car

1. Genuine low odo reading (verifiable at dealership)

2. Extended warranty is always an added plus

3. Regular service bills

4. Bills demonstrating periodic visits to a car spa

5. Bills of accessories installed.

6. Signs of GPS tracker & other anti-theft devices like gear lock, clutch lock etc shows how much an owner cares for his cars.

7. A stock car with minimal or no modifications. Stickers and custom music system is fine but if he has upgraded to Fat tyres, avoid.

8. A car without financier-hypothecation

9. A car without seat covers. Yes. I personally would avoid cars without seat covers as I wouldn't know what has spilt on the seats and whether an extraction cleaner can get it out. If there are children, either at the seller's house or at the buyer's end, I'd be more careful and choosy. Seat covers start at 2500/- and I don't see a reason why the seller who has spent 8 lacs on a car shouldn't invest in a seat cover.

Accessories:

It is often said that the car is fitted with 50,000/- worth accessories. In the used car market, sadly the accessories doesn't hold any value. The seller cant charge you more for that. You would need to replace or change them to suit your taste OR you would need to replace them in future as you wouldn't know the usage of the accessories. A high end stereo with amplifier and subwoofer might have been always used at its max RMS power and say the cone might be on the verge of tearing.

1. Set aside 30,000/- to have your own preferred accessories.

2. Used accessories neither have reliability nor resale value.

3. Fit accessories may not be to your taste

Insurance:

Insurance isn't transferable from one owner to another as far as i know. It is always recommended to take fresh insurance in your name. 5-yr insurance or 50-year insurance doesn't matter. Take a fresh insurance in your name always. Clarify this over a telephone call with the insurer in front of the owner. There is also a risk that the owner might cancel insurance after you take delivery or report the sale to insurance company to prevent any liability on their side.

Final Delivery checklist

Check for Road tax receipt, delivery challan, RC book, Aadhar card of owner, 5 photos of owner, Owner's current residential proof (if current residence is outside registration city),

RTO Formalities

1. Form 28 - NOC from RTO/Police to ensure that there are no outstanding cases, challans, fines or any other legal implications.

2. Form 29 - Sale intimation to RTO - Through this form, seller informs the RTO that the vehicle in question is being sold to another person.

3. Form 30 - Needed for vehicle ownership transfer to buyer. This will ensure all legal implications are nullified for the current owner.

4. Form 35 - For vehicles financed or still under hypothecation. NOC from financier is required to be submitted along with form 35 for successful removal of hypothecation.

you may need multiple copies of the above forms, so kindly take signature on multiple copies from the seller. It is recommended to visit the RTO under your purview and get a complete list of documents needed from them before proceeding with the purchase. Alternatively you could hire the services of an RTO agent but most agents are not ethical. They'll take money from you beforehand and later tell you that RTO is a govt agency and you cannot hurry up or making things move fast. Most RTOs have a "Public Relation Officer" and they will help you. At least I found helpful people at Chennai Thiruvanmiyur & Sholinganallur RTOs.

Potential / Known issues with Nexon

1. Premature axle failure - Need to replace axles - (Fixable at A.S.S - Rs 15,000/- per side per axle)

2. Door rattling noise (Fixable at A.S.S - free of cost)

3. Steering alignment offset (Fixable at A.S.S - Steering calibration needed - Rs 3000/- at A.S.S)

4. AC compressor failure(Fixable at A.S.S - Rs. 22,000/- to replace)

5. Touch doesn't work on Infotainment system of XZ+ / XZA+ (Fixable at A.S.S - Rs. 40,000/- to replace)

6. Water leakage inside car / spare wheel well (Fixable at A.S.S - free of cost - apply silica sealant)

7. Juddering / Vibration of AMT gearbox (XZA/XMA) (Fixable at A.S.S - costs 80,000/- to replace AMT Assy)

8. Suspension noise - (Fixable at A.S.S - Rs. 10,000/- per suspension per side)

9. Scratches - (Fixable at A.S.S - Rs 6000/- per panel )

10. Dents with replacement - (Fixable at A.S.S - Rs. 10=15,000/- per panel)

11. DRL not working - (Fixable at A.S.S - Replacement needed Rs. 12,000/- per side)

12. AC Vent adjuster knob broken - (Fixable at A.S.S - Need to replace entire AC vent assembly Rs. 2500/-)

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