Buying a car as a foreigner

JesKaliebe

As I am starting to get sick of the rickshaws and taxis after 8 months of staying in Delhi, I think it would be more convenient (and also cheaper) for me to have my own vehicle.

Just a few questions:

- What is the procedure for registering a car when I'm a foreigner (on a business visa). Any special documents required?

- Will it be possible for me to take a long-term lease on a car instead of buying? This is quite normal in Europe these days, and would fit me so much better. If this is not possible, can any of you recommend good financing options for paying on monthly installments? Around 4,000 per month would suit me well as a budget on either a lease or monthly payment.

- Can you recomment a good used-car dealership?

Thanks!

/Jes

capt_mahajan

a similar thread is at:

Chennai: Used Cars

JesKaliebe

Yeah, I saw the thread before, but it focuses more on where to get the car, which of course is also relevant to me - just not in Chennai

Also, I would really appreciate some info on how I can make the financial construction..

capt_mahajan

sorry have no idea about the procedure for foreigners, or eligibility for finance.

used car dealers... go to any dealer of new cars. many car companies now have in house used car arrangements for exchange or sale. maruti has one too.
in fact, just going to the nearest dealer will also help you get a good idea about registration and finance (since these dealers do both for new and old cars and will know)

hitanshu

You can talk to automartindia and maruti true value dealerships.

SixT/Leaseplan/Hertz all give leases, but mostly for large cars like endeavor, which are too pricey. I suggest you ask some travel operator as used by your office!

PS: 4000/mo might just be too less for most cars.

Nick-H

I think you need a resident's permit.

If you are here on a business visa expecting to stay longer than six months then you'll have registered with the FRO and will have one of these.

might be able to tell more in a few months as I'm moving to a place that will no longer be a walk or a cheap auto ride to everywhere I want to be. Still telling myself that I can get a lot of auto, or even taxi miles for a price of a car that I wouldn't use anything like every day.... (especially if we employ a driver as well)

cdrake

My (untested) theory about used cars is that the difference in price between a 10 year old 120,000 mile(200,000 KM) used car and a 12 year old 150000 mile (250000 km) used car is negligible...and worth the two years you owned the car.

My advice therefore as novice that has never tried this, is to go for a (ideally 10 year old , spacious car(1996 model, ) which is reasonably well maintained(doesn't drop its transmission on a delhi - jaipur trip) and is relatively less noisy.

f you're only doing this to travel comfortably with the money you're spending (othervie) on cars/autos/other vehicles, then try and find a diesel/LNG powered car (it's les expensive to run per kilometer.)

Anna_N

Hi there

we had the same experience in Hyderabad and bought ourselves 2 used cars. We didn't need any special documentation. Only problem was we can't get any credit/loans in India as foreigners, so we had to pay cash which totally emptied the bank account.

We got a 2000 Maurati 800 for about 1.3 lakh and a fantastic 1997 Ambassador Classic (With AC in great condition) for nearly the same. It took us 4 months to find a decent Ambassador that our mechanic wouldn't reject (owning one was a personal dream of my partner's!), but modern used cars are easy to come by.

Anna

JesKaliebe

Yep, staying more than 6 months on a business visa, you do need a resident's permit - which I also have..

Anna_N >> Yes, I expected the problems with getting loans as a foreigner - was hoping that maybe someone in here knew of companies doing long term leases on cars, but it doesn't seem to be very normal in India.. Guess I'll have to pay cash then..

himadventures

I think both ANNA and NICK had compiled very well. And If you are having someone good to go and help you in buying a second hand car-then it is more than you can have in INDIA.

If you are trying to buy a new one-just walkin some dealers place and rest will be taken care of. All he needs is your phone no: and they will be running after you with every information you require regarding this.

SECOND OPTION: Pick up local newspaper- search for dealers who are advt. in them and give them ONE PHONE CALL that you are interested.....everything else will be taken care of ...


GOOD LUCK !!

)

dean

we bought a 1999 ambassador in January for Rs90k. It needed some work. "Penting denting", reupholstering, new AC, etc, about 25k. So it cost about 115 for a car which now looks great and drives well. You can get it fixed anywhere - we just drove it from Delhi to Leh and back via Dharamsala, and it was great. The passes tore the silencer in half, but getting it fixed was no problem. There's a guy in Delhi called Sheetal (+91 9868220195). He buys them from large organisations (mine was Church of North India), and sells them on (small shark), but he photocopied my residence permit and arranged the registration for me.
If you don't want an amby, other cars are usually for sale at the major embassies/high commissions or through the notice boards of the British and American schools.
if you go for an amby, let me know, I'll tell you where all the good garages are.

good luck

Dean

dean

ps my driver says I was robbed and that I should have been able to get the same car for 70/80k!
If you have a friend who has a driver, ask, because they always know where to get the best deals. Also ask drivers about where to register - there are different registration offices for different areas. But if you are resident, it's no problem

Anna_N

But Dean, who wouldn't want an amby?

By the way, I drive my own (did not want a driver) and almost cause car accidents every day as fellow drivers stare at me in shock (blonde lady driving large amby). It almost makes me forgive them for their excessive horning...but not quite.

hoshii2000

Hi All,

I need some advice. I have bought a car and I am having trouble registering it. I have submitted all of the documents they had asked for:

Passport copy
Visa Copy
Lease
Letter from my company stating that I work from the company and I live at my address I resign.
NOC from the Landlord for registering the car at his address.

Now the RTO is asing for a "Work Permit." I don't have a work permit... I only have a visa. What is a work permit?

The only thing I can think of is my Residential permit.

Any one else gone throught this??

Bill

dean

Hi Bill,

i don't have a work permit, only a work visa. Assuming you have a work visa and a residential permit based on that work visa, send copies of both and that should do it. We did ours through the agent we bought the car from.

best of luck,

dean