[torquecurve]

Hi Everyone,

Background - Need a second car at home primarily for city use and as my daily drive to the Office. Maybe used by my sister.

Current Car - Tata Vista Safire65 Aura 2010.

Typical monthly kms - 1500

Need - A simple runabout which will take me from home to office (about 10 kms away), for my checkups and for local errands. Quick acceleration (not top speed) is required.
My Vista will still continue as my main car (for the long drives). I have an issue with back pain and need comfort (so cant use a bike)

Choices -

The Nano Genx XTA - Automatic is great as it will reduce my workload. Also the EPAS equipped sterring is great. Personally feel this will be a good choice (low EMI, low running costs)

The Nano EMax (CNG) - Low running costs - dont really prefer it as no CNG station close by.

The E20 - a recent entrant into the vehicles I am considering. This will have low running costs, EMI which will be offset by the fuel cost savings (Currently I spend about 10K for fuel every month). Perfect city runabout (the range of 80-100 kms is perfect for me).

I need a car which is easy to get in and out of (no low slung vehicles), has a good comfortable seat (Nano I find adequate)

Importantly - Trying to keep my monthly expenses (including fuel) less than 20k - Saving up for my big buy sometime next year!

Confused! - Your thoughts!

[IshaanIan]

You ought to be able to get a good deal on a used A-Star automatic if you feel like spending a bit more, you could look into used Brio AT or Micra AT as well

[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.

[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!

For used cars, i10, Brio, A Star Auto and WagonR are good choices. Brio might not have easy ingress (as compared to WagonR, Nano) but it is a comfortable, decent handler with pretty good pickup (thanks to the low weight).

As AkMar said, Alto K10 is also a stiff competitor backed with Maruti reliability and similar comfort qualities (ingress, seating) as the Nano, if not better.

[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.

[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.

[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

[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.

[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

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by torquecurve

Hi Everyone,

Background - Need a second car at home primarily for city use and as my daily drive to the Office. Maybe used by my sister.

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

You ought to be able to get a good deal on a used A-Star automatic if you feel like spending a bit more, you could look into used Brio AT or Micra AT as well

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

Another good option would be the i10 AT. i10 AT was the most popular AT car among the few available 3-4 years back. So there should be several used examples available for ~4L. If I am not wrong, in a particular year, there was a variant with airbags or abs also.

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

[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.

[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].

[gautamkhadse]

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.

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 .

[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.

[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.