For an auto consumer in Pakistan, there have always been very limited options available when it comes to low-budget affordable (new) cars in the market. Due to limited purchase power, people generally look for a car that is cheap to buy and easy to afford and maintain.
But like they say ‘mehenga roay 1 baar, sasa roay bar bar (buy once cry once, buy cheap cry forever)’, people who spend less initially or compromise on quality, generally have to spend more later. Instead, the ‘buy once cry once’ phrase defines spending a lot upfront so people won’t have to spend even more over the long term.
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People generally compare the prices of spares and decide this is cheaper to maintain than that. But how many of us have evaluated whether they will need to replace that part in the ownership tenure?
I have owned quite a few cars and can safely say, that every time a Suzuki no matter how good you maintain it, eats more out of pocket compared to the cars that have an otherwise daunting impression of expensive maintenance in our market.
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A brand new Suzuki Alto VXR we bought in 2005 needed to replace three of its outer door handles and 2 of its inner door handles within just two years. Not because of negligence, but simply because the parts were poorly made and couldn’t withstand sunlight. No car other than Suzuki ever needed to go through this sort of maintenance expense.
Similarly, the alternator and self-starter went out of order in the Suzuki Khyber sooner than any other car we have ever owned. And when it comes to suspension, the smaller cars take a lot of beating as compared to the expensive ones as their suspension lasts longer and despite being expensive up front, proves to be cheaper in the longer run, thus perfectly defining the ‘buy once cry once’ axiom.
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A used Honda City 2000 worth PKR 515,000 (in Karachi) proved to be more economical and easy on the pocket than a 2009 Suzuki Cultus VXRi worth PKR 670,000 (back in 2013).
If you take into account all these anomalies, such as the self-starter replacement, alternator replacement, suspension repair once each year, electrical glitches here and there innumerable times, door handles replacement, side mirror replacements, bumper clips adjustments or replacement, exhaust manifold & silencer issues, door trim adjustments, window opening mechanism malfunction and the amount of time one has to spend on fixing these issues as well as the amount of money needed to be spent, it indeed cost a fortune.
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Now if you calculate the cost of spares, they will sure be inexpensive but in the case of any other (better) vehicle, you simply don’t need this sort of maintenance to be carried out. People simply calculate the cost of a spare part of a cheaper car and compare it with the cost of an expensive one, without taking into account the quality and longevity.
And it doesn’t mean every expensive car is cheaper to maintain and vice versa. It again depends a lot on how well you maintain your vehicle. The key is to find the right equilibrium between expensive and cheap and make your decisions wisely, rather than blindly follow the herd. There are plenty of people who buy expensive cars and still spend way less than those who buy cheaper cars and spend a lot on their maintenance ever so often.
Related: Guide: Buying a Used Car in Pakistan
Although we do have very few options when it comes to buying a car in Pakistan, but since new car prices have gone ridiculously high in recent times, one can still opt for better and more economical options in the used car market which are perhaps expensive upfront but easy on the pocket in a longer run.
A computer animation professional with over 23 years of industry experience having served in leading organizations, TV channels & production facilities in Pakistan. An avid car enthusiast and petrolhead with an affection to deliver quality content to help shape opinions. Formerly written for PakWheels as well as major publications including Dawn. Founder of CarSpiritPK.com
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