Imagine A Mercedes For Just Rs 15 Lakh!

Imagine the scenario. You walk into one of the new automobile showrooms gleaming in corporate colours. The newest of cars are there, and then there are diesels and petrols, automatics and diesels and cricket world cup and football world cup versions of the same car to choose from.

Thanks to the times we are passing through, you like the cars but hate the price tags. Yes, even the economy version is too much for you to shell out. You are dejected since the social elevator that the new mid-size car would have been is just too expensive for you. But a calm voice stops you on your way and directs you to a set of cars parked adjacent to the new ones. How about the Calypso Green car? It is powered by the same engine as the new ones and it has spent hardly 15,000 km on road. And it can be yours for Rs 2 lakh less than the new one.

 

You check out the car and you are about to be impressed, when our dealer friend adds that it is ``company approved and it also carries a guarantee and comes with a few free servicings. And if he still senses a modicum of doubt, he will add, `` Of course we can arrange finance for you.

This scene is no far-fetched fiction. In a year from now it could be a reality. General Motors India and Mahindra Ford are considering this, Fiat has given it careful thought and Mercedes Benz is doing it!

Yes, the W 124 Mercedes Benz 220 ``used but with just about 2,000 to 4,000 km on the board and ``Mercedes approved can be yours for just Rs 15 lakh! This is the real thing. A Mercedes complete with the star and one that will run for 10 years without any problems whatsoever. Stop issuing that cheque for a mid-sizer that is just a rental car elsewhere, if you want a Mercedes....you may end up paying only Rs 6 lakh more!

The problem is more than skin deep. Auto majors have not yet created a brand image when the first cars that they rolled out started re-appearing in used-car graveyards.

Today you could buy a brand new three box mid-size saloon with most luxury features for just under Rs 5 lakh (guess which one?) and if you own any other make and want to put it in the used car market it will fetch less money than the new car after the price correction. Hence the concern of the automakers.

The schemes conceived by the auto majors have the active participation of the dealers. A reasonable price will be offered to those who want to dispose of their cars and these machines will be given the company approved stamp that will also have a limited warranty attached to it. The car scales Rs 50,000 to 60,000 in the process and still poses a good bargain for those seeking a specific make and model. For auto majors, getting into the second hand car business brings used car prices now under their control and that is one big advantage in pushing those brand new cars off the shelf!