Mahindra Scorpio... Should I run away scared and screaming?

[Maximo]

HI Guys,
I have really appreciated the well considered posts in this forum. I signed up a few months ago but all the answers I needed have landed in my lap without posting questions... until know.

I have recently moved to UAE. fully planned on a mid 2000 Pajero as people mover plus camping needs. Now faced with limited cash and at bottom of the 4WD rung.

Considering a friends 2000 Hyundai Galloper with 120 000km for about 24,000dhs but tonight discovered a Mahindra Scorpio- 2005 model 18000km 27,000dhs.
What is this car? I've never heard of it. The warning bells are going off.
What's the catch? Are parts unavailable? I don't care about resale. Your thoughts would be really appreciated.

[root]

Its an Indian SUV made for the Indian market primarily.
I've not seen one on UAE roads yet, so it aint popular and spare parts will be an issue, unless you can source them from India somehow.

I would run away scared and screaming. But thats me. My reasoning is that its a low-cost SUV for a local market and not for the international market. The quality/build normally is very different.
Secondly, resale might be a problem.

In your budget, you're not going to find anything great, so whatever you buy make sure its thoroughly checked up, as your cost of 24k can easily become 34k if some major repairs are needed.

[root]

Maybe someone from India can chip in their views! My views are as someone who's never seen the car!

[WSF]

Ive seen a couple of Scorpios here in the UAE... It is a poorly built car & they say it has an underpowered 2.0 engine... It not a guaranteed car in the UAE apparently, u could be taking a risk by buying one... The Galloper could be a choice id go for if it had less KMs on it...
Check for 2nd hand Suzukis theyre compact & have a low resale value you could bargain a good 2nd hand 5dr Suzuki Vitara who never went offroad, for example??


Hey Root or TNT what are your toughts of the Ssang Yong Korando?? Ive seen many driven around in Jumeirah... seems a good but very ugly car??

[T.N.T]

The Mahindra Scorpio is selling here officially. It is sold locally by Galadari and I don't think parts would be a problem. Yes it is poorly built and underpowered but then it is a bargain if you want something with SUV looks. And, I am not Indian.
The Korando is ugly but is popular among off-roaders. Its got a 3.2l Merc V6 (think previous-gen ML320) and almost all Korandos I've seen are with lift kits, aggressive shocks and large tires.

[ewap8]

Oddly enough, the first time I saw a Mahendra Scorpio in any international market was in Barcelona last week! An old spanish lady driving it up the flyover

[Brembo]

dont buy the scorpio, having driven it personally i can say it sucks.
the rear seating is horrible, no legroom and highly uncomfortable. build quality is quite bad, safety is zero. no airbags, and i think no abs either.
avoid it even if your looking for a car in India!!!

[root]

Oddly enough, the first time I saw a Mahendra Scorpio in any international market was in Barcelona last week! An old spanish lady driving it up the flyover

There was surely more to do in Barcelona than car spotting

[Maximo]

Thanks for the sound advice guys.

No doubt you heard me at about 6pm as I left the car yard.

I took the Scorpio for a drive, it purred like a baby for a few minutes, but it started to lose power. went to a garage having a quick look over. The mechanic told me not to do it and had stern words with the dealer about selling crap cars - a funny sight.

On the return leg the car lost all power to the point I was scared to enter traffic for fear of stalling. After limping home I politely told the dealer no thanks.

Very scared of useed cars now. Leaning back towards the Galloper even with the high mile s- based on the fact I know the guy and the cars history. Still tempted by a later model with less k's as suggested but...

[root]

Well, the car seems like it oughta be good value for money.
The engine is a from Mercedes (I think some Jeeps also had a similar engine) and the looks are'nt that bad either. Price is very affordable. The dealer also had some good warranty/financing going on for new models.

Have never driven it, but like TNT, have seen a few offroading (and it was always stuck ...but in fairness that was the Rexton low-powered ones, and the drivers were the major problem).

What I can tell you is that resale has been traditionally quite bad for them. There is a new range of models now, so I cant say about them - but the old ones were hard to get rid off.

[root]

Hey...also ask yourself the question on how often you need a 4x4!
Many think initially that they will be camping or offroading a lot but reality is that very few do that.

Maybe you dont need a 4x4 after all, and in your budget you can find a decent sedan instead. For the odd camping trips, you find buddies who have such cars, or rent one! Probably cheaper that way in the long run.


Also, if you get stuck in the city with a broken down car, its easy to call a tow-truck. If you're in the desert, then that's another story.

[Maximo]

A good point Root. The good woman I and I have been up and down on our approach to this.

The state of the "scorpio" has scared me into looking at a newish car again. Possibly a 2002 -2006 Pajero. (I'm in RAK and a 2006 with leather seats, 16 000km is available for 77 000 Dhs).

But... considering your 4 wd comment the option of a new/near new sportage, Sante Fe might do it (the pretend 4WD option?!)

The main draw back would be the loss of extra seating With that in mind we

[atishrakhe]

Mahindra Scorpio.....I am an Indian and have moved to UAE a while back. I have used the Mahindra Scorpio for close to three years now and it is an excellent car. The pick up, the speed and the performance of the car is outstanding. The AC in the car is phenominally good. Have driven around in the hottest places in India whilst freezing in my car!!! So, if you are planning on buying a Scorpio, rest assured. It is a great deal.

[kapil]

hey ppl,

long time out.. here';s my chip.

its a strong car. no body noise or rattle or squeeks will develope even after lonf off road stints.

Its sole with a deisel in india that will put the 3.0 lt pajero and wranglers to shame. The only thing about the engine is that its only a 2.o lt petrol version in the uae which might appaer slighly under powered.

The plastics on the interiors might look cheep but they hole very well. The ride in teh middle seat might feel a lil bouncy but if there are 6 people in teh car its rock study. It might also appear to have a roll but actually it holds pretty well. braking was an issue on teh earlier models but got fixed in about 4 years ago.

spare are really inexpensive, hardly needed and easily avalable.

its is excellent value for money.

caution: check 10 times when buying ANY used car!

[khaloods]

Hi,

My advise is not to buy any odd car, as it will give you trouble after sometime.

Now a days very good 4x4 are available in the market with very good price due to recession, as you said you will be camping too, so you need a SUV which should be reliable to give you good service not trouble. it all depends on your budget as per my analysis you will find below cars within 35k Aed.

Nissan Pathfinder 2001 - 2004 28k to 35k " You will enjoy the ride "
Mitsubishi Pajero 2000 - 2003 28k to 35k
Nissan X-Trail 2000 - 2004 30k to 35k
Nissan Terrano 2000 - 2003 15k to 25k " Very nice Suv but stick shift "2.4l

Hope it will help you .