[driverace]

Bhpians,

Good noon.
We have a highway capable & a 'safe' primary car.

Now I am looking to replace the bike with a second car & keep the biking for leisure times/weekends.

So, this is an extremely "practical buying" decision to take.

Beater Car's duty:

1. Office commute - 9x2kms a day (timings matched to have more or less sparse-traffic commute) - time spent - typically 15x2 mins.
2. Weekly local runs to close by stores / grocery shopping, etc.
3. Weekend drives within the city limits ONLY.
4. It will be only the missus & me driving. Rear bench will mostly see shopping bags / occasional 2 people.

Expectations:

1. Super compact. Since 1 or max 2 occupants expected 80% of time, no serious boot space required at all.
2. Extremely frugal to run & maintain
3. Decent A/c, Power steering.

Budget:
75K to 100K INR
Intend to spend the least possible to get a daily beater car.

Obvious contenders:

Maruti 800 2003+
Just checked Quikr/Olx/Maruti TV - price varies from 40K to 100K
I assume won't be getting any warranty since most cars would be out of that consideration (even for Maruti Truevalue criteria)

Nano 2007+
To check for availability.
In consideration, since I loved nano (as much I appreciate the simplicity of M800)

Zen
May be if I manage to get a good example at 70-ish-K-INR.
I hope it must not be too difficult to maintain one either.


Am-I-missing-any-car?
Santro? (they seem bit over 100K mark, mostly. I understand bit lower on FE and tad higher on maintenance.)
Palio? ( I love the old school stuff, but this one may be expensive to run. Plus I want to avoid the temptation of taking my "beater" car anywhere out of the city limits)
Alto? ( I am not sure, why I am averse to this. Any opinion?)

Also (being a little lazy with googling), Do I need to be aware of anything?
Some re-registration or paperwork for 15+ year cars?

Please pool in with your helpful inputs, figures, cost of ownership views, some considerations I may not have had.

Appreciate it,

Ace.

P.S. The M800 & Nano have a special place in my heart. For whatever reasons, the simplicity & 'low' power cars appeal a lot to me.

[drsingh]

Get a wagon R for more practicality.9- 10 years old. Can be had for under 100k.And will leave room to replace consumables.

[Mr.Boss]

Originally Posted by driverace

Decent A/c, Power steering.

Maruti 800 2003+
Nano 2007+
Zen

If power steering is a requirement, 800 is already ruled out. But IMO 800 doesn't need a power steering with it's light construction. With a budget of 75~100k you could easily get a post 2007 model 800. It ticks almost all boxes (except the PS) decent AC, superb FE, decent performance and cheaper to maintain.

Wagon-R is safe bet as suggested by drsingh, with comparatively peppier engine, better AC and space.

[driverace]

Originally Posted by drsingh

Get a wagon R for more practicality.9- 10 years old. Can be had for under 100k.And will leave room to replace consumables.

Wagon R is a fantastic capable beater.
I only left it out for the compact factor.
Plus lower car would be fun too. ( since our primary car is a Duster).

Originally Posted by Mr.Boss

If power steering is a requirement, 800 is already ruled out. But IMO 800 doesn't need a power steering with it's light construction. With a budget of 75~100k you could easily get a post 2007 model 800. It ticks almost all boxes (except the PS) decent AC, superb FE, decent performance and cheaper to maintain.

Wagon-R is safe bet as suggested by drsingh, with comparatively peppier engine, better AC and space.

Rightly said, PS is not a mandate especially for 800 body.
(Didn't some 5speed 800s come with PS ?)

Should I aim for 2007+ model?
Would additional 20-30k saved in a 2004 model be worth the saving (trade-off being more maintenance - maybe?)

Thanks a lot for the inputs, Dr.Singh & Mr.Boss

Ace.

[SmartCat]

The probability of older cars (10 yrs+) not being maintained well is quite high. Such cars might not be serviced at all for something like 2 years. Even if it has been serviced, it is very likely to have been serviced at neighborhood garages.

Stick to <5 year old Suzuki or Hyundai with a budget of around Rs. 2 Lacs. You might be able to sell it after 5 or 6 years for Rs. 1 or 1.2 Lacs, especially if you maintain service records.

[blackwasp]

I'll suggest M800. For 30-40k rupees you can get cars of good condition. Just don't worry about age much but rather focus on condition. My Colleague picked up a 1995 800 in immaculate condition for just Rs 35000. Green tax was paid, insurance valid and single owner.

You could probably get a Punto petrol from 09- mid 2010 for around a lakh rupees. We had the car and it's a fun car but probably bigger than what you'd want.

[IshaanIan]

If a fun car is what you want, go for the Zen. If you want practicality, look no further than a WagonR it is extremely easy to drive and maneuver Footprint is not everything you see, sometimes the view you have which makes maneuvering a car easier, is more important.

[mxh]

You can also consider a Maruti Baleno. It's not too big really and quite maneuverable. If you have a good mechanic who can manage to get the parts, it's an amazing car, very fast and solidly built unlike other Marutis (I had one so I would know). I ran it on petrol as well as CNG and it never once failed in 11 years. Eventually sold it off due to difficulty in getting certain parts like the inside frame of the power windows which had rusted and some central locking issues.

[JoseVijay]

Originally Posted by mxh

You can also consider a Maruti Baleno. It's not too big really and quite maneuverable. If you have a good mechanic who can manage to get the parts, it's an amazing car, very fast and solidly built unlike other Marutis (I had one so I would know). I ran it on petrol as well as CNG and it never once failed in 11 years. Eventually sold it off due to difficulty in getting certain parts like the inside frame of the power windows which had rusted and some central locking issues.

I bought a 2001 model Baleno for 70,000 in Sep, 2015. Apart from regual service and worn out brake pads, I have not spent a single penny on the car. First, I under-estimated the car's mileage, but on a trip to Munnar from Hyderabad last October, it gave me a mileage of 19.5 upto Bengaluru and 17.5 overall. One can get a good Baleno only if they are as lucky as I am.

[The Brutailer]

Why not consider Alto? High FE, A/C and a good, refined engine. Small and perfect for the city. Plus Maruti service backing.

I have a Merc GLA and a Honda City but for 5-10km radius, I use Alto. Highly recommended.

[autorahul]

You could also get a rather newer Chevrolet Spark (2008+) for little over 1 lakhs, somewhere around 1.2 lakhs. It will offer you a better engine, better quality and a more modern car, which should serve you without much problems for a few years.

Another option is 1st generation Honda City. The Vtec engine is a gem and should give you few good reliable years.

[greenhorn]

My suggestion: Getz
Fantastic car, several leagues above your other options, and since it did not sell so well, they depreciate like rocks - I see a few examples on olx, though I wouldnt mind a slight premium. Also very reliable, and cheap to run unless you end up damaging any of the plastic parts

For the money, I would buy an indica xeta, very nice ride and torquey, but doesnt meet a lot of your other criteria.

[anjan_c2007]

It would be better to buy a car that is not more than five to seven years old. The fitness tests and the Green Tax in some states (incl. Maharashtra) are all the negative factors that crop up when your car turns 15 plus years old. If things are done on time (fitness and Green tax payment) it is OK. Or else, the fine mounts to unrealistic levels.

A 2009 -2010 Santro will also be a good buy. It is a discontinued model but spares are still available. The Maruti 800 is also a car that is no longer in production but the spares are and will be available for the next two decades at least. That's the greatness of India ! But the Maruti 800 is quite unsafe these days as every other car is larger than this tiny prodigy. And as the MSIL Chairman Mr R. C. Bhargava says "Its safer than a two wheeler."

Other discontinued cars that did not sell too well may sooner or later have spares problems and are best avoided.

[GTO]

If I were looking at a city car for a lakh, I'd consider the best example of a Santro or WagonR that I could get my hands on. +1 to Greenhorn: The Getz will be an awesome purchase.

Avoid cars like the 800 as its too old, outdated & basic. When you can get better cars, why compromise? Ditto with the Nano - it ages much too quickly to be recommended as a used buy.

The Santro & WagonR are known for their durability in the taxi market and are cheap to maintain too.

[sdp1975]

We have a 2004 Maruti 800 and despite the light weight , the steering does feel heavy in the city, a lot heavier than my Punto at low speeds. The brakes on it are terrible . The front brakes are drum brakes with a high braking distance and they lock up easily under hard braking.

I would avoid the M-800 and take a look at options others have recommended here. The Alto is definitely a better choice with the power steering and better brakes , and it's cheap to maintain as well.