How to buy Used Car in India

I have been searching for a nice blog which guides me on buying a used car in India, but couldn't find a complete article. Hence i thought of writing one based on my experience.

Step 1: The Search
There are umpteen websites which lists cars of various make and model. Below are the factors to consider while searching-
1. Try to find a car which has been driven not more than 40 - 50k Kms. Cars beyond this range tend to have many niggling issues or would be on the verge of a major part replacement.
2. Try to find a car which is a minimum of 3 years old and maximum of 5 years old. Recent ones tend to attract high price while the older ones are not worth it as you would end up spending more on its maintenance.
3. Make, variant & Color: Everyone has preferences but keep this as a variable. It is highly unlikely you would get your choice of colour or variant. On the other hand, this becomes your bargaining chip while negotiating.
4. Registration: Look out for cars which belong to your city, transferring across cities is a pain. Moreover avoid cities which are closer to beaches, hill stations or heavy rainfall. Parts tend to worn out faster in these cities.

Step 2:  Shortlisted Cars
It is extremely important to shortlist at least 5 to 6 cars for test drive. Dont have any prejudices before test driving the car. Look for the following-
Exterior  
1. Look for dents and scratches, variations in paint and variations in reflections. Any change in paint should warn you that a part might have been replaced. 
2. Open the door and look for the factory fitted beading (this is generally of the body colour and underneath the rubber beading). If a door is replaced then you will not find the factory beading.
3. Tyres - check for tyre baldness including the stepney.
4. Lights - check if headlights, parking lights and indicators are working fine.
5. Wipers - check if the wipers are in good condition.

Interior
1. Seats - take time in checking each seat. Ensure they have some life left in them.
2. AC - turn ON the AC and check if they are just blowing air or really cooling.
3. Music System - check if all the speakers and tweeters are playing music.
4. Dashboard/ Instrument Cluster - check if the instrument cluster is in tact without any tampering on the corners.

TestDrive: Take the car for a drive and check the following
1. Steering- It must be smooth without any vibrations in the steering.
2. Clutch - It must be soft and gear change must be easy. Hard clutch or shuddering when you leave the clutch on first gear indicates that the clutch needs replacement. If you have trouble while shifting gears or if you are not able to shift to one particular gear, its a warning that the clutch might need replacement.
3. Suspension - Don't drive on smooth roads. Take the car on a road filled with potholes and try dipping into every pothole. If the shocks are good the car just hovers on them, else you will feel every inch of it.
4. Brakes - Speed drive and suddenly apply brakes, check if the car stops as intended. Also check if you are getting any noise when applied. A hissing or a harsh sound indicates a need for brake pad replacement.
5. Niggling Sounds - check for any niggling/ rattling sounds inside the car. More or less the car must remain silent on the inside other than the engine noise.

Step 3: Make your choice
Once you have selected the car based on the test drive check the following-
1. Documents - RC book/ smart card, Comprehensive insurance, Bank loans and service history.
2. Check with a service centre - take the car to any closest service centre and get it checked from a mechanic. All service centres oblige and would charge a nominal fee of Rs 500/- or less for a thorough all round checking.
3. Price Negotiation - try to bargain for all those negative points in the above mentioned checklist. 
4. Maintenance - Know the maintenance costs of the car. While upgrading set your expectations right, you will no longer get the same range of bills. Brands like Maruti, Hyundai, TATA have a wide range of service centres and shouldn't be a problem. While Skoda, Volkswagen, Renault, BMW, Mercedes and Audi have limited service centres and most likely you are at their mercy.

Finally, while taking the delivery of the car, don't forget to ask for duplicate keys.

Open Source: Way to Growth

First it was Android from Google, later came BADA from Samsung and now Symbian from Nokia. Symbian which platformed more than 500 million Nokia phones is now an Open Source and it was launched as a freebie in a USB stick at Mobile World Congress 2010, Barcelona. The compelling force behind rapid open sourcing of different platforms is undoubtedly Google. The unveiling of the Android distribution on 5th Nov 2007 was announced with the founding of the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of 47 hardware, software, and telecom companies devoted to advancing open standards for mobile devices. Google released most of the Android code under the Apache License. Though open source platforms are not new, the impact of open source and the momentum it has garnered in a short span in the Mobile Industry is commendable.

But, Why would Samsung or Nokia make their code open source which was their USP and fetched Billions? Firstly, it would fuel rapid tandem development. When iPhone 2G was first released in 2007 it brought a new dimension of touch screen phones. It took Apple an year to launch the next version iPhone-3G in July 2008 with most of the bugs fixed and enhancements. It took Apple another year to launch iPhone-3Gs in June 2009. On the contrary, Android which was first released on November 2008, released version 1.5 in April 2009, ver 1.6 in Sep 2009 and ver 2.0 in Oct 2009. Thanks to the Open Handset Alliance where developers worldwide contribute to the open source. Today there are more than 24 mobile handsets which are powered by Android. In order to draw alongside with Apple which has sold over 50 million handsets so far, the rest of the biggies have no option left than to go open source to expedite their implementation.

Secondly, today there are 175,000 iPhone Apps on the net which are downloadable. Apple's Application Development Kit is open source. On an average 150 Apps are being added everyday !! The emphasis on the Apps is so significant that so far more than 3 Billion iPhone Apps have been downloaded which have an average price of 1.5 USD. Apple has a 30% slice of the total App Revenue. Most of these Apps are of social networking category which induce high data activity and are great ARPU generators. The data activity is so high that the existing 3G networks are being used to its maximum capacity forcing the Network Operators to upgrade to 4G. In 2011, majority of the Network Operators will roll out either LTE or Wimax networks to facilitate the Network crunch. An open source Application development platform increases the number of the Apps that will be developed in quick time.

From Network Operators perspective, open source provides a greater control to them. Until now handset manufacturers held their platforms closely that they dictated release of the handsets which made the network operators dependent on them. Now, network operators enjoy a greater freedom and can easily switch to other handset manufacturers. Even if Nokia stops making phones one day, there will be ample number of other handset makers from which network operators can get a Symbian phone.

Lastly, these mobile open source platforms are not limited to Smart phones, they are extended to other converged devices like Tablet. Android based Tablets will soon hit the market in couple of months. The line up includes tablets from Dell, Archos, Asus, Compal, Notion Ink, MSI, Quanta and Vega.

iPhone 2G: More Bugs than Features

The Indian perspective is completely missed out. In a highly price sensitive market, how did Apple think that it can sell iPhone at a price of Rs 31,000 and with many basic features missing? No video calling,no AD2P on the Bluetooth,CAN'T share ANY (mp3, images,videos....) files via bluetooth, can't use as a wireless modem, (you pay ridiculous data charges to activate internet on your phone, but cannot connect it to your PC and browse when you are at home) no copy and paste,(cannot copy a part of a.... say.... email & send it....have to type it out yourself)no 3.2 or 5 megapixel camera,(the 2MP camera it carries is worst camera i've ever seen..... photos look like they have come out of a VGA camera) no video recording with camera,no front camera,no flash.no JAVA supportNo physical keyboard (BELIEVE me! this alone is a dealbreaker...touch keyboard as good as it looks...once you use it then only you come to know about the importance of having a hard keypad)No 3G network yet in India..so why pay for expensive 3G phone if you cant use its 3G services ... so, for India, iPhone 2.0 is no better than its first versionNo removable battery. (You cannot change battery. Have to send it to apple outlet.. Come on now!!!!...This is not an iPod. Its a bloody phone. You cannot live without phone for 2-3 days) No haptic feedback andcannot send MMS,can't use as external storage device (16 GB of utter waste..next time you go to your friend's house & find some interesting songs, movies, etc...sorry you cannot connect your '16 GB' phone and share it!!!! no FM radio,can't use your mp3 files as ringtones,(This is heights man!!!) cannot insert any other SIM card….completely tied to iTunes... Connect to your friend's iTunes & you risk erasing everything on your phone.list goes on & on & on….

The total iPhones sold so far across India is just 500 pieces. It was launched by Airtel and Vodafone. Did Airtel and Vodafone go wrong? Or was it a simple Brand Positioning strategy? Airtel and Vodafone(formerly Hutch) are the biggest Telecom players in the Indian market. With several years of experience they would have a thorough understanding of Customer Buying Behavior. Both these players knew that they couldnt sell more than 1000 phones at that price !!! The strategy they are following is a Brand Positioning Strategy. Apple was making its debut in the Indian handset market. Being late to the market, brand positioning becomes highly significant. Brand positioning is defined as the way the customers perceive this brand in their minds. Is it something ordinary or is it a status symbol or is it a "must have" product. The image that iPhone creates is "Status Symbol". iPhone brand has already achieved this position. Very soon iPhone will be available at almost half of its price tied to a tariff plan from the network operator. This will push the sales to a great extent as people will perceive this a "Status Symbol" at cheaper price !!! Suppose iPhone was priced lower at the beginning itself, customers would perceive this phone as stale apple rather than a status symbol. iPhone has pulled off a wonderful entry strategy. Watch out for the strategy unwind in the coming months.

The Nuke Deal

Undoubtedly, UPA has won the trust vote. The irony is that one of India's best Prime Minister Dr ManMohan Singh had to face a trust vote for the nuke deal. The deal which solves India's Energy problems has been misinterpreted and tainted to look like a threat to India's sovergnity. The sources of energy for India are thermal, wind, solar and hydro power plants. With the growing need for energy, alternative sources are an immediate necessity. Currently, the nuclear reactors are mainly used for defence and lacks the technology for using nuclear power for civil services.

The American laws prevent USA to make any nuke deal with India. But Hyde Act provides an alternative method that breaks the barrier to enable USA make a deal with India. The Indo-US nuke deal provides India with 14 nuclear reactors out of which 8 of them will be used for power generation and 6 will be used for military operations. The deal assures India of fuel (uranium) for power plants and also does not restrict India from purchasing the fuel from other uranium rich countries. The deal also does not refrain India from carrying out any nuclear tests as a part of covert operations. Clearly, India is not dependent on US for fuel nor does it have to loose its sovergnity by signing the nuke deal.

The Left parties withdrew their support to the UPA government stating that India would loose its sovergnity. The Left front which encompasses majority of communist parties has always been against the US. They are too conservative and against any radical development. Left front is a culmination of many parties with different visions hence they lack a common vision and are unable to visualize the benefits of the nuke deal.

On the other hand, BJP is opposing the deal because it would bring credit to the Congress. With this year being an election year, BJP cannot afford another feather in Congress's success cap. From the beginning of the nuke deal, BJP demanded for revising the deal and when the deal was out on internet, it retracted its arguments and started opposing the speed in which the deal was sent to IAEA for the second round of discussions. Leaving all the politics apart, nuke deal is clearly beneficial for India and is also endorsed by India's top scientist and ex President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam.

Conscious vs Subconscious Mind

Every moment of life offers a number of choices for us to choose. It’s the ability to make a choice that determines the outcome. Some choices produce success and some failure. The irony is that at the time of decision making not all information is available to make a choice. The uncertainty that is linked with the choice is the beauty of the nature - the inevitability.

When making a choice every human is equipped with two decision making elements – the Conscious mind and the Subconscious mind. The conscious mind controls the organs in our body like the movement of hands, legs, mouth etc and is responsible for active presence of mind. The subconscious mind is a store house of memories. Good ones, bad ones, important ones or not so important ones, every thing gets stored in the subconscious mind.

The conscious mind receives its input from the five sense organs. This input is subjected to logical reasoning in the conscious mind and a decision is made. This decision is then sent to the subconscious mind. This decision along with its reasoning is stored in the subconscious mind. Unconsciously the subconscious mind is being trained by the conscious mind. When the conscious mind is faced with choices, the subconscious mind takes over. The past experiences that are stored will be applied to arrive at a decision. The conscious mind which trains the subconscious is dependent on the subconscious mind to make a decision. Hence, the subconscious mind holds the key to decision making.

This leaves us with a question as how do we train the subconscious mind to arrive at right decisions which in turn affect our actions. The only way to train is to induce right thoughts consciously. Once the subconscious mind is filled with right thoughts there is a high probability that subconscious mind arrives at the right decision.

Rendezvous with Sir Richard Branson

It was the first day of CTIA - International Telecom Conference at Las Vegas convention center and i was exhilarated. My anxiety woke me up early in the morning and i was ready in an hour with a dashing black shirt, black trousers and cream blazer. The keynote session was to be given by none other than the God of Branding- Sir Richard Branson. Being a marketing guy, there cannot be anything else that would excite me.

Me and my collegue arrived at the convention center on time in a bus that was arranged for CTIA exclusively. It was a big convention center with more than 100 conference rooms. We were asked to follow the red carpet to enter the Keynote session. A marvellous red carpet ran miles until we finally reached the keynote conference room. Whilst we were hunting the room, it was already half an hour past the keynote start time. There was another speaker and i thought i had missed him. I had begun to lament. Soon the speaker ended his speech and the anchor called the CEO of Virgin group. The CEO dint speak anything else other than introducing Branson. A small video clipping ran for about a minute showcasing the GOD's past stunts of launching the brands which he is well known for. The video ended, the audience were in silence, after a pause for 15 seconds the CEO finally said what we all had been craving for.... Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Sir Richard Branson....... The uproar was sky high, awesome music played at the background, the focus lights pointed at the entrance of the stage.. 3, 2, 1... the Master Showman Chairperson of Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Mobile USA, Virgin Records, Vigin Mobile India, Virgin Galactic, Virgin Health Bank, Virgin Comics, Virgin Communications, Virgin Broadcasting, Virgin Hotels, Virgin Publishing, Virgin Radio, Virgin Trains, Virgin Brides, Virgin Cosmetics, Virgin Active entered the stage.

As cool as he is ever, he came with a plastic glass with water and the action began. He spoke about the way he started the airline business and other ventures. He explained the global warming and responsibilities that one should take to fight it. He told about the Virgin Galactic that gives people a chance to goto space. Ofcourse, there is no stopping for the Branding Guru, his new venture, his company had teamed up with Google to form VIRGLE which would put people on Mars !!! The catch is people would not return back ;-)

He approached the end of his speech and the showman threw a question to the audience asking them to raise hands those who were interested in going to Mars. I was ready to be a part of anything that he did and i raised my hand too. Then to my surprise, he called all of us on stage. I was in a dream world. Without even giving a thought, I rushed to the stage and climbed up. I turned back to see a huge bunch of paparazis flashing lights all over. The live video coverage captured this amazing moment. I went close to Branson and put my hand in front of him. The golden hand came down and the tryst was made. I still cant believe this happened to me. After pinching myself now, i am continuing my blog - Then we posed for the photographers for about a minute and raised our hands showing the victory sign. The magic was coming to an end as he left the stage. Though the magic ended there, these were one of my memorable moments which i would cherish through out my life.

Nimitz gives way for Speculations

The wait is over, the mouths which were on raves are now amazed with the extravagant breath stopping Nimitz finally docking off the Chennai coast. The world's largest warship occupies a mammoth 4.5 acre and is powered by two nuclear reactors. It is loaded with 90 aircrafts and helicopters, 6000 personnel, 50 bedded hospital and a barber shop too. Its a veritable city in itself and is a feast to the eyes.

I regret the protests undertook by environmentalists and other so called leaders (Jayalalitha to name) who questioned the enviromental hazard it may create due to nuclear reactors. The carrier has 6000 personnel on board and i dont think Americans are dumb enough to create a threat to their own lives. Failing to understand this, ironically many of the environmentalists staged a protest.

After the warship bliss with a bit of regret, its time to get into the speculation or may be they are facts. Many questions remain unanswered with the arrival of the carrier as the real intention of its journey still remains in the dark. One of first thoughts is that they are identifying strategic positions on waters. Through out its journey, the anchoring positions have been identified and the radars, aircrafts are being tested. If this is true, then are Americans looming for a war?. If yes, then who could the adversary be. The first guess is China. USA might be preparing a war against China as this is one of the strongest communist base which is an economic threat to the Americans. Accidentally or should i call it perfect timing, Rice calls for a dissolution of NAM explaining it to be irrelevant to the current scenario of the world. Americans have clearly identified India as the pulsating, dynamic and the fastest emerging super power on which they have to depend on for the rest of the years if their ambitions have to be fulfilled. So if India walks out of NAM and becomes a strategic partner of USA, then the advantage that America gets is priceless. With the deteriorating relationship with Pakistan and the political turmoil that is haunting Pakistan, India is the inevitable choice for them to curb the south asian countries leading to their achievement of goals.

The geographical position of India also adds an advantage as India is at the center of China and the middle east countries. Strikes on China and middle east can be carried out if Indian waters are a base. By saying this, can this be treated as the lightening before the thunder. Economically, the warship boards the F-18 Super Hornet which the USA wants to sell it to India. This can be considered as a demo displaying the capabilities of the aircraft which are commendable.

Let the reason be political, geographical or economical, the ripples the Nimitz has created and the perfect timing of Rice has made this a splendid convivial ambience of the Nimitz gala.