Need a used beater/cheap daily driver until next summer [2-2.5L]

[khan75]

Apologies for my relative lack of knowledge about the used car market out here in India. Anyhow, I just got a call to confirm my position at a firm over here which means that I'll be working out of Delhi for a couple of quarters (about 6-8 months) and need an el cheapo car for the commute from south Delhi to Gurgaon (23kms each way or roughly 1500kms/month). I certainly don't want to spend a lot on a car and then get burnt by depreciation, so I've set my budget in the 2-2.5L price bracket which should hopefully net me a decent set of wheels.

Can anyone recommend the best car in this price range? I went over to the usual web sites for used cars (Maruti TrueValue, AutoMart) and it seems that this price bracket is occupied by three primary suspects in various guises:
1. 2004/05/06 Santro Xings (30k-60k kms)
2. 2004/05 Ford Ikons 1.3 & 1.6 (40k-60k kms)
3. 2001/02/03 Honda City 1.3 & 1.5 (50k-60k kms)

Would either of these cars be a good buy for long commutes or should I be looking at something else?

I think I'll need to fit a CNG based solution to the car since it probably works out to be cheaper over the relatively long distances that I'll be driving, so diesel or petrol doesn't really matter as long as maintenance costs are low.

[sushrutha]

I would suggest you to get hold a Honda city, Very reliable, Service costs are nominal & Fantastic resale value

[vkochar]

The cars you have mentioned in your signature profile are nowhere near the cars you have listed as your temporary ride in delhi !! You would have quite a tough time adjusting

That said, I would recommend you a used i10 or a brand new Santro at about 3 - 3.5 Lacs.

Forget CNG, a New Santro would give you a FE of about 13 - 15 kpl in the NCR.

After 8 months when you sell it, the Santro gets you maximum resale value and expect almost 80 - 85 % of the value bck if in good condition and about 20k on the ODO.

If you still want a second hand ride then go for a second hand i10 at about 3 Lacs ( fairly new ).

[deep_bang]

Going in for CNG does not make much sense as the kit itself costs quite a bit and you need to drive for 1.5 to 2 years atleast to recover the cost(considering 50km a day for 5 days). I dont think much value will be attributed to the CNG kit while selling .. so, just go for a decent Santro on petrol is my suggestion.
However, since you are out of India and may be used to larger cars, Honda City is the closest one if you have concerns on getting adjusted to a really small car.

[kkr2k2]

Why not a Baleno or an esteem??? In that price bracket you can get a petrol Hyundai Accent. If you are okay with a diesel car, you can look at a used Indica(may be a turbo variant too!!)

[princemanatt]

You can try a baleno. It is quite reliable, easy on the pocket and really fun to drive.

[khan75]

Thanks for the replies guys. The reasons for including the three aforementioned cars on my list are:
Honda City:
Pros- very reliable, decent leg and headroom, the power curve is similar to the old Civic sold in the US so the time to adjust should be negligible
Cons- I might need to fit an aftermarket ICE solution in there. I think all OHCs had cassette decks.

Santro/Santro Xing:
Pros: Blends with the crowd, supposedly the best headroom (I am 6'2"), possibly the best FE in this segment
Cons: Torque might not be enough for quick runs on the highway (I'm not talking about racing but rather completing the journey quickly)

Ford Ikon:
Pros: The only other guy in the same role as mine drives the same car, buy anything higher than that and he might feel slighted and I certainly don't want to give off the wrong kind of vibes while working with him all day long.
Cons: Reliability of Fords is supposedly a sticky point.

Originally Posted by sushrutha

I would suggest you to get hold a Honda city, Very reliable, Service costs are nominal & Fantastic resale value

I hope you are talking about the OHC and not NHC/ANHC.

Originally Posted by vkochar

The cars you have mentioned in your signature profile are nowhere near the cars you have listed as your temporary ride in delhi !! You would have quite a tough time adjusting

My current daily driver is a gen1 Santro on loan from my cousin in Delhi, so I'm pretty used to the massive gobs of power and torque in Indian vehicles...errr.

Originally Posted by vkochar

That said, I would recommend you a used i10 or a brand new Santro at about 3 - 3.5 Lacs.

Forget CNG, a New Santro would give you a FE of about 13 - 15 kpl in the NCR.

After 8 months when you sell it, the Santro gets you maximum resale value and expect almost 80 - 85 % of the value bck if in good condition and about 20k on the ODO.

If you still want a second hand ride then go for a second hand i10 at about 3 Lacs ( fairly new ).

Well, buying a new car was my first line of thought. However, for the same 3-3.5L, wouldn't I get a better equipped and larger pre-owned car?

Originally Posted by deep_bang

Going in for CNG does not make much sense as the kit itself costs quite a bit and you need to drive for 1.5 to 2 years atleast to recover the cost(considering 50km a day for 5 days). I dont think much value will be attributed to the CNG kit while selling .. so, just go for a decent Santro on petrol is my suggestion.
However, since you are out of India and may be used to larger cars, Honda City is the closest one if you have concerns on getting adjusted to a really small car.

Point noted. The City is looking like the best bet.

Originally Posted by kkr2k2

Why not a Baleno or an esteem??? In that price bracket you can get a petrol Hyundai Accent. If you are okay with a diesel car, you can look at a used Indica(may be a turbo variant too!!)

Originally Posted by princemanatt

You can try a baleno. It is quite reliable, easy on the pocket and really fun to drive.

I thought the Esteem had a tiny-ish headroom? And isn't the Baleno crippled by regular maintenance and is somewhat unreliable?

[khan75]

Guys, I have found 3 different 2002 Honda City 1.5 EXIs with 60k-65k kms on the odo for the same price of 2.5L. In addition, there is a 2003 Baleno VXi with 52K on the odo and a CNG kit prefitted for 2L. Is either one a good deal? I haven't checked these cars thoroughly for defects or malfunctions but will make sure about that once I can zero in on a particular car.

Please help. Thanks!

[kkr2k2]

Originally Posted by khan75

Guys, I have found 3 different 2002 Honda City 1.5 EXIs with 60k-65k kms on the odo for the same price of 2.5L. In addition, there is a 2003 Baleno VXi with 52K on the odo and a CNG kit prefitted for 2L. Is either one a good deal? I haven't checked these cars thoroughly for defects or malfunctions but will make sure about that once I can zero in on a particular car.

Please help. Thanks!

I would suggest to have a look at all the cars! It will save you lot of time. I tried looking at one car at a time. It took me two months before I bought one!!!