[zaheer5776]

Originally Posted by honeybee

I have been driving a Nano for the last three years, and I love it so much my opinion is going to be biased as hell!

Same opinion. I have driven a Nano for more than one year and I just love this car. Though I am aware with the fact that there are cars which may be better than a Nano for city runabouts but there is something about Nano which makes you fall in love with it! Low maintenance, good fuel economy, good looks, good space etc will always make you feel good. I have done very long distances on highways many times and also went to country side rural and very remote places with roads full of mud and stones. And I am yet to face a puncture! I feel this car is very reliable. So anytime in my opinion its better than Mahindra E20 or other cars for city runabouts.

[speedmiester]

Looking at your criteria, it is best you take a test drive of all the cars in contention before making a final decision.

As an E2O owner in Bangalore, I can offer my views of using this car for the past 10-11 Months.

Positives:
- Very easy to drive in a crowded city
- Cheapest to run even including the Lease plan (earlier I was spending close to 6K/month on fuel, now it is reduced to around 3.5K/month including the battery lease)
- With the 120Km model being offered now, it should take care of your daily running.
- Fully loaded with a lot of features (GPS, bluetooth, infotainment system, reverse camera)
- Wide doors help in easy ingress and egress
- Single speed automatic offer you smooth driving without any jerks
- Can beat most cars upto 40Kmph from standstill in city traffic (quick acceleration)
- Scratch proof and dent proof body can take quite a beating and is a boon in mad traffic

Negatives:
- Bad ride, please take a long test drive to see whether you would be comfortable with the ride as you have mentioned about bad back.
- Rattles, a lot of it (this is compounded by the bad ride)
- Need to plan your drives.
- Expensive when compared to other options you have chosen.

[drsingh]

If you're planning a big purchase next year, why spend on a small car now? Its better to prepone your purchase by six months. Why take the extra financial burden when you already have a hatch?

Am I missing something?

[torquecurve]

First up - Thank you everyone for the suggestions

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

used A-Star automatic if you feel like spending a bit more, you could look into used Brio AT or Micra AT as well

Originally Posted by AkMar

Just curious, any specific reason for not considering the Alto K10 AMT? It would make a great car for city usage! Is it due to its seating position?

If used cars are in the contention, you can look at A-star auto or i10 auto. The latter would be a bit easier to find in the used car market.

My family doesn't want to consider pre-worshipped cars, after a couple of really bad experiences with used cars in the past.

Originally Posted by vin11

As per the requirements, Nano XTA fits very well - Good seating, ingress, egress, low price, AMT and low running costs. If looking for new cars only, check out offerings from Maruti (with AMT), Eon and Nano. I am sorry but I didn't find your total budget listed anywhere!

Originally Posted by hybridpetrol

I would suggest to strike off e2O straight away from the list. Due to the dependency on batteries, infrastructure and the time it takes to charge (in comparison to filling up petrol), it will not serve your purpose. Your distance is measured, and you cannot suddenly plan to go extra 20 kms on the way if there is a need.
So that leaves Nano Automatic, which anyway makes the most sense, because for its small size, it is quite roomy, easy to drive it city, comes with all basic features.
As others were saying you might also want to look Alto 800 / K10, or even Hyundai Eon. While the Nano cannot be taken for a highway family trip due to its minute boot, Alto & Eon can be useful for that purpose also with bigger fuel tanks, thereby making a true second car.

Originally Posted by GTO

Agreed with all of the above posts.

First thing you should do is chalk off the E2O from your list. It's too restricted for the asking price, and why would you buy something from a manufacturer who gives its product step-motherly treatment? Related Thread (Mahindra E2O service woes - Mahindra no longer providing at-home service (as promised earlier)).

I would've recommended the Alto AMT as the top choice, but you don't want a car with low seats. If that's the case, among brand new rides, the Nano AMT is good on a small budget.

On the other hand, if you can stretch your budget (and the E2O hints that you can), go for the Celerio AMT. It's the absolute best automatic this side of 5 lakhs. An all-rounder in that segment with no real deal-breaker, and a far more substantial car than the Alto or Nano.

The reason I am not looking at the Alto K10 AMT because of the space available inside (I am a six footer and so is Dad, my sis is about 5'9")
Also you sit low - not good for my back and associated condition.

Originally Posted by Dieseltuned

Just to add ! Did you put the Wagon R in contention. Does not come with an AMT, but is a great city run-about.

Regards
Diesleetuned

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

Considering your requirement of a car with high seats, I suggest you test drive the Wagon R.
Almost all your points are covered, the seats are simply the best in its segment, high seating makes it really comfortable and ride is very nice for a small car. An excellent urban car.

We have a K10 CNG wagon R in family and I can vouch for the car being honest, user friendly.

But if an Automatic is a must, go for Celerio. Celerio is suprisingly brisk for the small engine but its ride quality cannot match Wagon R's.

When I had back pain in Dec 2014, I simply was not using my ( now sold ) Grand i10. Just to indicate how comfortable it is over other city small cars, my mother prefers waggie as its easy to get into, has a nice airy cabin. She has seen 4 operations in left leg and she is asked not to bend knee due to bypass in left leg.

And if you want to keep expenses under control, Wagon R is also available with factory fitted CNG which performs really good.

Waggy not in contention mainly because we need an AT.

Originally Posted by NPV

From our recent test drives looking for a replacement of our Maruti 800, the best that we liked was the Alto K10 and it has the AMT option as well. In case you feel the seating is low and ingress/egress is a problem, do look at the Celerio AMT. Recently had a chance to use it over 5 days (a friend's car) and it was very comfortable, the seating is higher and is almost like sitting on a chair

Celerio is very much in contention, in fact I liked the car.

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

+1 to the A-Star AT. If I am not wrong, comes with ABS too. So some safety features.

If it has to be new, Nano AMT would be my choice.

Originally Posted by honeybee

I have been driving a Nano for the last three years, and I love it so much my opinion is going to be biased as hell!
It is actually a perfect fit to your requirements, including being the cheapest of the Tall Boys. It has ample ground clearance too, if you have any monstrous speed breakers or offroad tracks disguised as roads nearby. The AC is chilling and it is pretty cheap to maintain too.

The other choice of the E2O, or the electric vehicle Reva is interesting. You need to be able to set up the charging infrastructure at your home. Since you have said the range of 80 to 100 kms is not a problem for you, if you can set up the charging infrastructure for nightly charge, you could consider it as an alternative. Then it's purely the financial perspective you need to worry about. But then the Nano would beat the E2O on this count anytime.

Originally Posted by superbhikari

Avoid i10 AT for it's pathetic FE in city driving conditions. My suggestions would be 1) Alto AMT [Balance of space, performance, maintenance & resale] (2) Used Brio AT [Premiun car to Alto & Nano, Performance & Space] (3) Nano AMT (Super FE, Low space & price but poor resale than Alto].

i10 - low FE is putting me off also the budget stretches too much. Alto AMT, like I said - low slung seating and interior space for our family.

Originally Posted by gautamkhadse

Being a HOnda loyalist , I thought you would suggest a pre worshipped Honda Brio .

Also , a lot of pre worshipped Maruti A star AMTs are selling at dirt cheap prices .

The pre owned market is looking so amazing now . The other day I saw a 25 K done GT TSI for 6 lakhs . Being just a year old , it had extended warranty on it , so 6 lakhs seemed like a steal unless otherwise .

WOW!! But not sure if anyone would want to put money on the old TSi (with the DSG woes and probably having been driven to the limit!)

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Doesn't the OP monthly running qualify for a diesel car? All the suggestions till now have been for petrol cars.

@Torqucurve - How long do you intend to keep the vehicle since you are already planning for a bigger vehicle? If it is short term, then a used car makes more sense both for diesel and petrol options. I would suggest to use the existing Indica as a daily running car (if the odo has crossed 30K or so), maybe CNG it and plan for a new diesel car. Maybe a Tata Jest or Bolt since you are more inclined to Tata cars

Amongst the shortlisted option, I would not suggest any.

This will be a second car. Probably will keep it for 7-8 years, at least 5. The Vista still remains in the house.

Originally Posted by honeybee

For the suggested monthly running even a Nano would be more economical. Remember a petrol car doesn't cost as much to maintain.
Also no other diesel (or petrol) car can match the small size and nimble-footedness of the Nano.

Originally Posted by zaheer5776

Same opinion. I have driven a Nano for more than one year and I just love this car. Though I am aware with the fact that there are cars which may be better than a Nano for city runabouts but there is something about Nano which makes you fall in love with it! Low maintenance, good fuel economy, good looks, good space etc will always make you feel good. I have done very long distances on highways many times and also went to country side rural and very remote places with roads full of mud and stones. And I am yet to face a puncture! I feel this car is very reliable. So anytime in my opinion its better than Mahindra E20 or other cars for city runabouts.

Originally Posted by drsingh

If you're planning a big purchase next year, why spend on a small car now? Its better to prepone your purchase by six months. Why take the extra financial burden when you already have a hatch?

Am I missing something?

This car will be my daily commuter and also for the home as an errand car. It probably will also be used by my sister. Next year the plan is to plonk money into a Storme or Hexa!

Originally Posted by speedmiester

Looking at your criteria, it is best you take a test drive of all the cars in contention before making a final decision.

As an E2O owner in Bangalore, I can offer my views of using this car for the past 10-11 Months.

Positives:
- Very easy to drive in a crowded city
- Cheapest to run even including the Lease plan (earlier I was spending close to 6K/month on fuel, now it is reduced to around 3.5K/month including the battery lease)
- With the 120Km model being offered now, it should take care of your daily running.
- Fully loaded with a lot of features (GPS, bluetooth, infotainment system, reverse camera)
- Wide doors help in easy ingress and egress
- Single speed automatic offer you smooth driving without any jerks
- Can beat most cars upto 40Kmph from standstill in city traffic (quick acceleration)
- Scratch proof and dent proof body can take quite a beating and is a boon in mad traffic

Negatives:
- Bad ride, please take a long test drive to see whether you would be comfortable with the ride as you have mentioned about bad back.
- Rattles, a lot of it (this is compounded by the bad ride)
- Need to plan your drives.
- Expensive when compared to other options you have chosen.

Did take a test drive on some poor roads and non existent roads as well. I found the E2O pretty competent - not too bad but not that great either.

The Nano AMT is also in contention - simply because it does make a lot of sense for the price.

So Finally my shortlist is The Suzuki Celerio, Nano AMT and The E2O (I spoke to owners here and they are a satisfied bunch!)

[drsingh]

Originally Posted by torquecurve

First up - Thank you everyone for the suggestions


This will be a second car. Probably will keep it for 7-8 years, at least 5. The Vista still remains in the house.

This car will be my daily commuter and also for the home as an errand car. It probably will also be used by my sister. Next year plans for a hexa or storme.

)

I'm still going to play the devil's Advocate

If you get a storme, what happens to the Vista. Won't that then serve the purpose of a small everyday hatch?

If you are committed to buying this new small car and a new storme/hexa a few months down the line, the prudent thing to do would be to sell the Vista right now and up your budget to get a better car.

[torquecurve]

Originally Posted by drsingh

I'm still going to play the devil's Advocate

If you get a storme, what happens to the Vista. Won't that then serve the purpose of a small everyday hatch?

If you are committed to buying this new small car and a new storme/hexa a few months down the line, the prudent thing to do would be to sell the Vista right now and up your budget to get a better car.

Might probably exchange the vista that time. The issue is I need two cars right now! 😟

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by torquecurve

The reason I am not looking at the Alto K10 AMT because of the space available inside (I am a six footer and so is Dad, my sis is about 5'9")
Also you sit low ...
...
This will be a second car. Probably will keep it for 7-8 years, at least 5. The Vista still remains in the house.
...
This car will be my daily commuter and also for the home as an errand car. It probably will also be used by my sister.
...
So Finally my shortlist is The Suzuki Celerio, Nano AMT and The E2O (I spoke to owners here and they are a satisfied bunch!)

If you look at the financials, E2O may not be attractive especially because of high initial investment and the cost of replacing the battery kit in three years.

The Celerio is bigger than the Nano, so obviously it will have that much more space, but it will also be pricier than the Nano.

The Nano with the power steering should give you ample headroom and leg space on front as well as rear seats, huge storage if travelling solo or only with a co-driver, a very small footprint and a go-anywhere toughness. It squeezes through spaces where an autorickshaw can, parks in a tiny space, turns much tighter and the high ground clearance means you will never scrape over a speedbreaker or a pothole.

I don't know the pricing of the Celerio, but my guess is it will be at least twice as costly as the Nano - since it's going to be your second car, save the money and use it to finance your big purchase next year! I am sure you will never want to trade your Nano for anything else.

[vin11]

Originally Posted by torquecurve

Might probably exchange the vista that time. The issue is I need two cars right now! 😟

Exchanging Vista then would give you lesser exchange value. Better would be to pick one bigger car (the one you are planning next year) from the available options and keep the Vista.

Next year, if you feel so, you can exchange the Vista and plonk in extra 1-2 Lac cash to pick up a worthy hatchback with AMT. I am saying this because you are driving a Vista (a benchmark in cabin space) and won't find other cars very attractive, in terms of space. You are 6' (and family members are also tall) and Nano might not be a correct choice. There are not much worthy contenders based on your requirement, save for the Celerio AMT. Excitement often overrides the practical sense and one may have to regret the decisions made in a jiffy. Get a bigger car now and keep the Vista. Just my opinion!

[honeybee]

For the Nano, I can only suggest you try it to see how comfortable you are in it compared to the other cars.

[Arvin_86]

While Celerio AMT and Nano XTA seems to fit the bill, in my opinion. Celerio would be more plush and feels a lot more refined, Nano XTA will be effortless and will do its job. But one more new entrant might also suit your needs, the Renault Kwid. The specs and the reports that have been floating around seem to be very impressive, and it will be launched in September

[vin11]

@torquecurve - What are the developments? Did you finalise any car till now?

[torquecurve]

Originally Posted by vin11

@torquecurve - What are the developments? Did you finalise any car till now?

Sorry! Completely forgot to update the thread.

We settled for the Celerio AMT VXi as got an immediate delivery (less than a week) because someone cancelled their purchase. Also got a good deal on the car in terms of pricing basically because of insurance and other savings (sis wanted the rear parking sensors, music system which we basically got for cheap).
However - Realised my personal need for a small city runabout while doing this and maybe - the Nano AMT will soon find parking space at home.

[SMindia]

Originally Posted by torquecurve

Sorry! Completely forgot to update the thread.

We settled for the Celerio AMT VXi as got an immediate delivery

Congratulation for your new car

CelerioAMT is anyday better than your two initial options - Nano and e2o. Celerio mitigates all the lack of space and size complaints that people had with the Alto.

That being said, the new Nano is supposedly built more rigidly to withstand impact. And the cabin design of the Nano is very thoughtfully done to make maximum utilisation of space.

Wish these companies would equip the A segment city runabout cars with at least ABS and driver side air bag.

[rkris]

Here's the situation! I'm in need of a car and it comes with a constraint. I should be getting a car from my company in 2-3 years and so, it doesn't make sense for me to invest more on a car now. The max I'm thinking of spending is about 3 lacs INR.

In this band, the options I see are two! A new Tata Nano or a second-hand small car. While many recommend to go with the latter option citing safety and comfort (due to space) as the main drivers, I'm still unconvinced that the former should be ruled out on these counts.

The plan is to test drive a Nano next weekend and talk to a few second-hand car agencies through the week this week.

Any advise on which way to take and the pros n cons on doing so?

[DriveOnceMore]

Originally Posted by rkris

In this band, the options I see are two! A new Tata Nano or a second-hand small car. While many recommend to go with the latter option citing safety and comfort (due to space) as the main drivers, I'm still unconvinced that the former should be ruled out on these counts.

Hello!

If it is clear with you that you want a city run-about.. then Nano is the way to go.
I personally use it for daily office commutes and it serves the purpose very well.
You'll get a good deal if you bargain hard. Do not forget to get AMC included in your deal.
New car is always a wise choice compared to used one - you'll get warranty and hassle free ownership.