Car & Bike Buying a used car (less than 2 L)

[hotshot05]

I am really short on money currently. Looking for a 2nd hand car which costs between 1L - 2L.
Don't know driving at all. That is why I want to learn using a 2nd hand car first.

Any suggestions regarding the cars that I can look at?

Usage - Travelling to office and back a few days everh week (around 35KM round trip distance), some nearby sightseeing places (300+ KM) a few times a year.

The Tata Indica seems to be a good workhorse. Spares are cheap. Car is a stable performer. Price is lower since it is not a Maruti Suzuki car.

 

[bking]

Don't bother yourself with an indica. It'll only give you trips to the mechanic and nothing else. Try to get hold of a swift petrol.

 

[Parix]

my recommendation would be to get a used Alto, it is reliable, fuel efficient, stable, easy to maintain.
A 3 year old specimen should set you back around 2L - 2.2 L. based on KM's run.

Yearly maintenance should be around 6000 - 7000 Rs.

I got it as a 2 year old second hand car, I used it for nearly 4 years, I still miss its zippy performance and compact dimensions, esp. In Bangalore traffic.

Getting a swift in your budget is going to be very hard, I think most 3 - 4 year olds are in the range of 3.5 - 4L, and you don't want a older car than that.

 

[sunny27]

A 3-5 year old hyundai i10/accent with 50k plus kms will cost around 1.8 ~ 2.5 lakhs. They're reliable and frugal to run. Also consider the 2nd gen Honda City commonly referred to as Dolphin it retails for anywhere between 1.5 ~ 2 lakhs for a 50k km plus car. Ford fusions/ikons/fiesta classic are available in this range too but are expensive to maintain. Avoid kickass deals frequently available on Skoda cars they will bankrupt you in terms of spares and repairs unless you have a good reliable mechanic

 

[dissel]

For learning purpose as well familiarize with 4 Wheel Drive get the Alto - It is the best for beginners car.

 

[mithun]

A Hyundai Santro maybe! Best car to learn driving IMO. The Alto is too cramped to be practical, but again lakhs of Indian citizens think otherwise. On the brighter side a new Eon(with discounts) / Renault Kwid / Nano / Alto 800 can be bought at less than 3 lacs for their bare basic versions, which would carry more equipment than a pre owned Alto / Santro and provide peace of ownership too. The new AMT Nano is extremely easy to drive.

 

[rock_ya_baby]

The price depends on your location, for eg in Bangalore people will quote you 3L or whatever nonsense comes to their mind for a 3 year old Santro. New one costs 4L or something on road.

 

[goDofWar_skr]

I'm also having similar requirement.. Looking at quikr cars, the prices quoted for 2-3yr old cars with 80k kms running are barely 50k-1lac less than brand new ones..

 

[hotshot05]

A Hyundai Santro maybe! Best car to learn driving IMO. The Alto is too cramped to be practical, but again lakhs of Indian citizens think otherwise. On the brighter side a new Eon(with discounts) / Renault Kwid / Nano / Alto 800 can be bought at less than 3 lacs for their bare basic versions, which would carry more equipment than a pre owned Alto / Santro and provide peace of ownership too. The new AMT Nano is extremely easy to drive.

Will the discounts be available for first time owners? Mostly there are exchange bonuses.
The Eon DLite on road cost is coming to around 3.5L.

I love the Nano. But no one in my family does.
Love the Kwid. But it has a very long waiting period. And some people have reservations regarding the flimsy body and generous use of plastic. Highway driving is good it seems. And kwid has the biggest turning radius. So it will be a bit problematic for beginners. And ASS network of Renault is questionable right now.


There are a few used Zen Estillo (2010) available on cartrade.com for around 1.8L.
How much will the ownership transfer + insurance + RTO registration + road tax cost? Another 50k or more than that?
I am in Kolkata.

Is i10 much better than the Zen Estillo?

 

[Parix]

Will the discounts be available for first time owners? Mostly there are exchange bonuses.
The Eon DLite on road cost is coming to around 3.5L.

I love the Nano. But no one in my family does.
Love the Kwid. But it has a very long waiting period. And some people have reservations regarding the flimsy body and generous use of plastic. Highway driving is good it seems. And kwid has the biggest turning radius. So it will be a bit problematic for beginners. And ASS network of Renault is questionable right now.


There are a few used Zen Estillo (2010) available on cartrade.com for around 1.8L.
How much will the ownership transfer + insurance + RTO registration + road tax cost? Another 50k or more than that?
I am in Kolkata.

Is i10 much better than the Zen Estillo?

Estilo is a decent car to drive, quirky looks apart,
Both cars are easy for first timers and from my experience maruti ownership should turn out to be cheaper.
I would always recommend that the first timer learn on a second hand car for a couple of years and then get a first hand car.

apart from the cost of the car, add additional 3K - 4K for RTO transfer, and based on the number of months remaining in the current cars insurance, you need to factor in around 6K for a full years insurance or a few hundred rupees for the insurance transfer.

 

[mithun]

Is i10 much better than the Zen Estillo?

The Estilo is basically a re-skinned 1st gen Wagon-R, so it should be a safe choice from reliability and maintenance perspective. Ever thought why these comes as cheap as Altos in some cases? It's because it's a market dud and owners outgrow the car quickly (thanks to quirky looks). The same might happen to you as well. However, should not matter if you plan to upgrade after a couple of years.
Post purchase costs include registration charges(2-3k) plus pending fines, insurance renewals(max 5k) and road tax. Being 2010 models, do inquire if road tax has been paid in 2015. Else you are looking at around Rs.25,000 in road tax only(plus penalties if applicable which is a steep 100% as per MVA). Tires will need immediate change too in a 5 yr old car and that will set you back by another 12-14k. You will also spend anything between 5k - 10k for servicing and 10-20k on accessories.

The i10 albeit the better car would cost much more to maintain than an Estilo of similar vintage and will give you a frown with its mileage figures.

My cousin reportedly got an EON D-lite for 3.1 lakhs few months back. With some freebies too. This is sans any exchange bonus.

 

[sunny27]

Go for the i10 it is a more rewarding car to own and drive. The zen estillo was a failure for a reason it was maruti junk unreliable and unstable at speeds over 80 kmph.
Do bear in mind that once a car hits 40-60k km on the odo a lot of major clutch/engine troubles start.

 

[manu1991]

i10 and Swift have very good resale value so in your budget you would only get very old models.

Indica is extremely unreliable.

The best bet is to buy a car that is well made but doesn't sell much because of the brand etc. I'd lookout for the Chevrolet Beat, maybe even a (1.2 petrol) Punto.

 

[sunny27]

Btw I own a 2010 Oct i10 purchased in june 2012 for 2.7 lakhs which had 40k km on the odo. I have done 40k in the last 3 years and was just offered 2.5 lakhs for the car. When I bought it it came with a double din sony xplod music system and 4 speakers (replaced the rear ones with JVC after one blew up) and a lovato cng kit. Although I did spend a lot on my car and almost everything that could be changed has been changed apart from the engine (cumulative expenditure including all service costs/spares/tyres/repairs etc stands at 1.2 lakhs as of now).
The reason for this expense was the fact that although I have been driving since 2005 this was my first car and I absolutely thrashed it. It is used as a goods vehicle - transporting furniture, washing machine other olx/quikr purchases. It assisted me and my better half in shifting from AMD to BOM. I frequently do long trips (500~600+ kms) and the car is a decent performer. I have clocked 160kmph on petrol and 140 kmph on cng frequently. Speeds in excess of 120 kmph leaves the car with a light steering sort of sensation.
I have done Mumbai-Ahmedabad close to 20~25 times. Frequent trips to Pune and the surrounding areas, Ahmedabad - Udaipur/Mt.Abu, Ahmedabad - Kutch/Saurashtra, Mumbai - Mahabaleshwar/Goa highway weekend jaunts, etc
My car is as good as new and good both cosmetically and mechanically for another 50~60k km hence the offer of 2.5 lakhs. Overall I am extremely happy with the car and will be driving it for a year before I get something new but can't bring myself to accept the fact that I will sell it - it is more like an irritating dog naughty at times and throwing silly tantrums but is extremely cute and lovable.

 

[mithun]

The best bet is to buy a car that is well made but doesn't sell much because of the brand etc. I'd lookout for the Chevrolet Beat, maybe even a (1.2 petrol) Punto.

No offence but these two are the worst choice for a beginner owner/driver. The Beat is very lethargic in the city, suffers extremely poor all-round visibility(low seating with high mount dash and high window sills) and a notchy shifter with sketchy and unscrupulous GM service. While the Punto fares a bit better, it's still a lot of dead weight for a new car owner/driver to carry. It is one of the clumsiest car to maneuver for a new driver with it's weird ergonomics. Maintenance and servicing will also not be as new user-friendly as a Maruti/Hyundai.
I have a 2010 Beat petrol with 70k on the ODO, sitting almost idle in my garage. I've just driven it for less than 100 kms in the last 2 years since I got myself a Figo TDCi.

 

[sunny27]

Consider a ford figo/fusion you can pick them up really cheap. They're well built cars albeit with a slightly higher maintenance cost but infinitely more rewarding than anything from Maruti.

 

[thirumalkumaran]

Piggybacking the thread... (As my requirements are exact carbon copy and dont want to start a new thread just for it)

I'm 6 ft tall and 100Kgs with 44Inch frame.. (So the options are quite limited interms of space)
I'm having Wagon R in mind... Not sure if its the right choice?
Also, currently driving a friends santro (rarely) and feel ok about its vehilcle dynamics and space.
Moreover, My driving is really rusty and need to consider as just a notch above beginner.

But i'm a pure layman in terms of Car selection and values...

Help me as well guys.

 

[sunny27]

I suggest the i10 - I am 6 feet tall. It has excellent handling and is nippy in traffic stable at high speeds (120-140 kmph).

 

[thirumalkumaran]

Just took a drive of both i10 and wagon r.. Awkward as it might sound, I liked wagon r a lot. the space and response was better.... Is it that so or did I get to try a dud i10?

 

[hotshot05]

Consider a ford figo/fusion you can pick them up really cheap. They're well built cars albeit with a slightly higher maintenance cost but infinitely more rewarding than anything from Maruti.

Won't the fuel efficiency of an old Figo/Fusion be very very low compared to i10/Zen Estilo?

I would love to buy a structurally sound car. I have seen the video of NCAP tests of Indian cars. Would have had loved to buy a VW Polo.

Another thing, what is the best time to buy a new car?
In December, most brands are offering discounts and freebies. But I am planning to buy sometime in March/April (just after I get my yearly incentive). Will 2015 model cars be available till then? If I buy 2015 model cars in March, won't I get even better discounts?
I am looking at new and used Hyundai Eon's. Very few used Eon's are available though.