[sibot]

Hi everyone,
We're looking for a hatchback for a budget of around 2 lakhs. We're okay with increasing it to a maximum of 2.5 lakhs. Factors for consideration and requirements are as under -

1. Age of the car - Must be at least a 2010 model.
2. The car should be FNG friendly and the original spares should be available over the counter or at retailers.
3. Fuel efficency - should be 12 plus. My weekly running is about 200kms maximum.
4. Should be a petrol
5. Would mostly seat 2 people and occassionally 3.

After perusing the forum and classified websites like OLX to get a general idea of the cars in my budget, the following cars have come up for consideration -
1. Maruti Swift Second Gen (?) 2010/11 - The Swift has been Maruti's work horse and I don't have much against the car except that the second gen looks dated.
2. Volkswagen Polo 2010/11 (Trendline/Highline) - Afaik the Polo is a well built sturdy car. I was surprised to see it selling it close to 2L. I'm not quite sure what attributes to it's low resale value. From what I could gather, the A.S.S. is poor and I'm not quite sure about the availability of spare parts. Afaik, the Highline model comes equipped with Airbags and ABS. I could be wrong, but if it does, that really gives it one up over all other cars.
3. Hyundai i10 2011 - This car has been a big seller for the Hyundai stable. I don't really have anything against this car. I'm not sure about the FNG friendliness of this car though.
4. Hyundai Santro 2014 - The car looks dated and the finishing quality doesn't match up to the i10. What I do stand to gain is a later model, i.e. 2014. I'm not sure how the Xing engine matches up to the 1.2 K series of the i10.
5. Wagon R 2012/13 - This is probably a car that ticks all the requirements. Having said that, I do not find the boxy look of the car appealing and the car's image struggles with the taxi tag in the city.

I'm moving on from a Honda City 1.3 2003 Dxi (OHC), whose registration is up for expiration this year.

I'd love to hear your inputs and whether there's any other car that you'd suggest. Any help would be much appreciated!

[sgautam]

Hi, the Swift should tick all the boxes since they are FTD, reliable and easy to get serviced. Also you can resell it whenever you want to.

However no car in your list is a bad choice. You may include Punto/Linea as well in this equation. Low resales mean nicer cars to get for same money. It applies for VW and Skoda as well but they are difficult to service whereas a Punto is easy. I am a Fiat fan having owned 3 from their stable.

Most importantly it depends a lot on whom you are buying from. Stick to single owner cars as far as possible. Better still, buy from your friends or family even at a slight premium. Happy searching.... good luck.

[IshaanIan]

If the Polo's build and safety tech entices you and allows you to forgive the less than stellar after sales service of the Volkswagen Auto Group, then why not also look at the Fabia? It is basically the same car with more space on the inside and a Skoda badge

[pganapathy]

In this budget you would get essentially any hatchback from a Nano/Alto to a Swift/Polo. Essentially any hatchback sold for upto 10 Lakhs max. Are they any other features that matter to you like safety, dealer etc. The reason I ask is because you will even get cars like the Nissan Micra of that age or so in this budget but dealers may be a problem. If it will only be FNG then any car will do. Otherwise look at Maruti and Hyundai first and then move onto the other brands. Another good option as a car is the Fiat Punto but service is the question.

[autorahul]

You should look at cars like Honda Brio and Toyota Etios Liva. Both very reliable, but did not sell very well, which means that there resale vale would not be as high. In particular the Brio should be available for lower price.

You can also look at Maruti Ritz. Basically, not too successful models of brands like Maruti, Honda, Toyota are what you should be looking at.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by sibot

Maruti Swift Second Gen

Hyundai i10 2011

Both of these should be your top choices (the Swift more so for the fun-to-drive factor). Since both were successes, you'll find ample options in the market. Plus, both are competent & reliable cars.

I don't have much against the car except that the second gen looks dated.

Really? I think it's still a great looking car. Heck, even a 1st-gen Swift with nice rims turns my head.

Volkswagen Polo

Avoid. Petrol engine is just average, with its only talking point being the driveability. Long-term reliability isn't good either & parts will be expensive. Not a car to buy for 2 - 2.5 lakhs.

Hyundai Santro

Avoid. Too old & outdated compared to the i10.

Wagon R 2012/13

Avoid, since Swift is on the consideration list.

Other cars you should shortlist:
- Fiesta 1.6. Am seeing lots of options in Delhi
- Civic. They go for c-h-e-a-p in the used market due to zero demand. I sold my pristine Civic for 2.5 lakhs. Well-built car that will be a suitable upgrade from your Honda City.

Good luck shopping!

[akshay380]

I can vouch for Fiesta 1.6 though IMO it's an overkill for your requirement. You can also check Figo 1.4 TDCi. Excellent dynamics and easily maintainable at Fangs with original parts.

[Nissan1180]

Someone I know bought a Ritz VXI (2014) for Rs. 2.1 lakhs last month. It was a pristine car with more space than the Swift, sturdier build than the WagonR and better efficiency than the i10. The Ritz was discontinued last year so you can get one at a good price. Another option, if you are open to sedans, is the SX4. Good examples rarely cross 2.5 lakhs these days. A Maruti will always be FNG friendly.

[.sushilkumar]

I am also in similar boat as you but still have time to decide. Why not a first gen Alto K10. I did found few examples in True value outlets but they were priced exorbitantly to say the least.

To be honest, it is a capable car with excellent FE and any FNG can repair it if needed.

[sibot]

Thank you all for your wonderful inputs and insights. They've really given me a good bunch of options. After due consideration, I think I've eliminated Polo, Wagon R and Santro from my list of choices. Polo, because of it's high maintenance costs and expensive spares. Santro, because the car looks dated, the interiors are very bland and with the i10 in the fray, I think the latter would be a wiser choice given it's build quality. The Wagon R, sadly because of it's taxi tag and I'm not very taken to the boxy design.

As for Fabia, et al, while these cars are worthy considerations, it doesn't inspire much confidence in me since you see so few on the road and the FNG may or may not be adept at fixing them. Also, the high costs of spares is a downer. They probably suffer from the same issues as a Polo would.

So between the i10, Swift and Ritz. Which one would you guys recommend? Here are the pros and cons I see -

i10 - Options are aplenty when it comes to second hand i10'. This is one car you'll lose count of driving on the road. I'm not quite sure about whether Hyundai spares are available OTC or what the service/spare costs are of the car. I don't really see any cons as such, except for the soft suspensions and lackadaisical steering wheel with almost no feedback that doesn't inspire confidence at higher speeds. Did these issues improve over later generations?

Swift - Great car, very reliable and very FNG friendly. Only down side I see is that the later version of the Swift, 2012, would be a bit above my budget. But I'll have to scour for a good deal.

@Nissan1180 recommended the Ritz and it seems like a worthy consideration. From what I know, it's based on the Swift platform, but is roomier, thanks to the tall boy design, a good planted ride and has better boot space. While I'll probably get a 2011 Swift in my budget or maybe a 2012, I may find a Ritz 2014 for the same. Finding a good Ritz would be tough though, since there are so few on the road. As compared to the Swift or i10, which are available in plenty.

Originally Posted by GTO

Both of these should be your top choices (the Swift more so for the fun-to-drive factor). Since both were successes, you'll find ample options in the market. Plus, both are competent & reliable cars.

Other cars you should shortlist:
- Fiesta 1.6. Am seeing lots of options in Delhi
- Civic. They go for c-h-e-a-p in the used market due to zero demand. I sold my pristine Civic for 2.5 lakhs. Well-built car that will be a suitable upgrade from your Honda City.
Good luck shopping!

Sadly I couldn't find any Civic's selling in my budget.

Originally Posted by autorahul

You should look at cars like Honda Brio and Toyota Etios Liva.

I couldn't find either of the two in my budget, they all seem to be priced higher.

Originally Posted by Nissan1180

Someone I know bought a Ritz VXI (2014) for Rs. 2.1 lakhs last month. It was a pristine car with more space than the Swift, sturdier build than the WagonR and better efficiency than the i10. The Ritz was discontinued last year so you can get one at a good price. Another option, if you are open to sedans, is the SX4. Good examples rarely cross 2.5 lakhs these days. A Maruti will always be FNG friendly.

That's a really good price. If I could find a Ritz 2014 model for that price, I'd buy it with my eyes closed. Was that price heavily negotiated or is that what the car usually goes for? Thanks for the wonderful suggestion!

[SoumenD]

Originally Posted by sibot

...

So between the i10, Swift and Ritz. Which one would you guys recommend? !

I will recommend the Ritz. Reasons Being:

1. Its a swift after all with lesser price tag( in used market). An equivalent Swift will cost you much more upfront with almost similar experience (FE, A.S.S etc). The depreciation hit would have already been taken by the first owner, so you don't stand to loose any further (substantially).

2. Build quality is pretty good with planted ride. Have covered some decent distance on highways in a Ritz and it's a good solid drive compared to the i10.

Originally Posted by sibot

That's a really good price. If I could find a Ritz 2014 model for that price, I'd buy it with my eyes closed. Was that price heavily negotiated or is that what the car usually goes for? Thanks for the wonderful suggestion!

Depends on location as well. Not sure about Delhi but here in Bangalore it's not that low. A close friend had to sell off his 3 year old Ritz urgently due to onsite and he easily got 3.5+. Vxi ABS it was.

Wish you all the best

[Nissan1180]

Originally Posted by sibot

That's a really good price. If I could find a Ritz 2014 model for that price, I'd buy it with my eyes closed. Was that price heavily negotiated or is that what the car usually goes for? Thanks for the wonderful suggestion!

This was in a Kolkata True Value store. Ritz is not a fast moving model. In Kolkata, small cars like the Alto or Eon command a premium but bigger hatchbacks are available at a discount. I guess the situation is different in Delhi. A quick OLX search showed that similarly priced cars are available in Delhi too.

[greendream]

Swift will be a great choice.

The second generation will be on the roads for a long time. A competent FNG will help you maintain it in great shape in a economical manner. As the car you purchase will be around 7 years old and ideally would have done 60000km, budget for expenses like suspension overhaul, tires, battery etc. once all that is done, the car will run many years comfortably.

[Captain Haddock]

Ideally I would suggest a SWIFT but you might need to stretch your budget. Ritz is also a very good option. Another safe but underrated car is the TATA VISTA. I personally feel that i10 is too small a car for some one who used to drive a city. Before including VISTA please check how TATA service is performing in your city. If none of them is feasible, a Ford Figo can be a viable choice.

[sibot]

Hi guys, the plans to buy a car were temporarily put on the back burner due to some work that I was preoccupied with.

I went to a few second hand car dealers to check out some of the shortlisted cars. One of the dealers suggested a SX4 2010 ZXi model in my budget. It got me thinking. I'm not sure why the after market value is so poor for a sedan that was pitched as Maruti's luxury offering. The only drawback that I saw was related to the poor mileage, but coming from a City 2003 that gives me 10-12 kmpl in the city, I found the SX4's figures were at par.

The second issue that I read about were the poor performance of the AC. Is this an issue inherent to the car? Or just a bad job done by the FNG.

The third issue is the spares, are spares really that hard to come by in Delhi? Or can a mechanic source them with a little effort? The Honda City wasn't so easy to get spares for in the aftermarket either.

So, my question is whether the SX4 is a worthy option and what are the factors one should consider before buying one?

Thanks