[landcruiser123]

Eon, A-Star, Ritz, and Zen Estilo are the reliable cars which are depreciation disasters. You could get good deals on these models.

Another option - Getz, but maybe more expensive to run.

[pganapathy]

There is a Punto in the classifieds for 1.25 and it is a 2010 model. So, take a look and you will find multiple options. Around 10 year old cars will come within your budget and there are many that are decent. Honda City, Corolla, Ford Fiesta Classic are just some of the vehicles that come to mind. The catch with going for cars outside of Maruti and Honda is service centres. Look at those options around you and then pick according to your requirement.

Try as much as possible to find a car that is not out of production for a long time. I say this from personal experience. Our Esteem was sold because after an undercarriage shunt of a pothole, it took a month and a half to source parts from the factory. Otherwise we would still have it. But otherwise it is a brilliant car.

[Sk8r]

For that budget, you are looking at cars that are considerably old. So to have a peaceful 2 years as per your requirement you will need a very reliable one - Alto or Eon would be my suggestion. If I were you I wouldn't go after cars that are cheap alone but also consider the maintenance/ repairs cost ( i20, Figo, Fiesta, Chevrolet, Fiat - Strict No No )

If you can stretch upto 2 Lakhs and if you are lucky enough you can probably get a Ritz petrol which is the best possible option.

[TorqueKnight]

Alto and EON are very compact in size and gives excellent mileage figures with cheap maintenance. So they are friendly on pocket but if you have any senior citizens in home then I would suggest you to consider tall boy hatchbacks like Wagon-R. Even Indica Vista gives roomy feel where Ingress and Egress will not be a problem for elders.

[boniver]

Originally Posted by Tojo_GotBhp

We're looking for a Hatchback under 1.5L. The type of fuel preferred is Petrol, should be reliable at least for the next 2-3 years. We already have a Verna 1.6 at home which would then be used for Highway Runs to Kerala and so. Thus looking for a no-nonsense car for city usage.

Will choosing a Chevy Beat be Safe considering that Chevrolet is out of Indian Market?
The good ol' Zen? Will it be a good option?
Thank you!

For 1.5L here in Kolkata you could get a 2013 Santro Xing. I myself bought a 2004 Santro Xing for 70k including registration (yes, you heard that right) in November last year. The car is extremely reliable, and whatever little niggles I face will be completely eliminated if you buy a newer Santro Xing (2010-13). To give you an idea, I've only spent about Rs. 15000 on the car (excluding fuel) since I've bought it, and this amount includes removal of old tints, fitment of new tints and other accessories. I spent about Rs. 2.5k on a regular service back in March, and another 5k ish on replacing the front wheel bearings, AC and fan belts and AC gas recharge. FE figures range between 9-9.5kmpl in summer to 12.5kmpl now in monsoon. These figures are with 100% AC in city conditions. In winter I once averaged 15kmpl on a city drive at night without AC in bumper to bumper traffic (it was Christmas eve). The space available in the car is more than enough, and the boot has plenty of space too (I've carried two suitcases, one duffel bag and one backpack in the boot without blocking the windscreen).

Bottom line is: Go for a Santro Xing, eyes closed. There are plenty of them available in the market, which translates to better availability of spares, more garages that know about the car and of course, excellent resale. I think I can easily get 65k (probably even more) if I sell my car today, and that is amazing. Of course, please look at other reliable cars too, like the Maruti Alto etc., but I chose the Santro over the Alto because the former has way more space inside the car (I'm almost 5'10" and my knees got stuck in the Alto's steering wheel even with the seat pushed all the way back).

Hope this helps!

[DrCar]

I was in a similar situation 2 years back. I will share my experience. Looking at your ID, you seem to stay in a coastal area. I would suggest you accordingly.

Honda - Stay away from them as much as possible. Though you might be tempted to get a big car with a great engine. Most of the Honda in your budget will be more than 10 years old. Honda cars tend to rust like anything especially if its from coastal areas. If car is rusted from outside, you never know what all things might be rusting inside which might compromise safety.

Hyundai - Old Hyundai cars will look fresh. You can go with it. Since you are already an owner of a Hyundai car, you are aware about its ride and handling. Generally body-line of Hyundai are good but suspension wears out much faster if its a city car. Safe bet in my opinion if no mechanical work is pending.

Maruti - The default fall back option. Go for Swift or Ritz petrol. You can easily get 2009 or 2010 models in your budget and better models even if you stretch it slightly. Its fun to drive and will leave a lasting impression every-time you take it out. Rattles are given, but you can learn to manage with it. Stay away from SX4. Zen estilo and Wagon R are good but not that great fun to drive.

Though Skoda Fabias, Ford Figo /Fiesta, Fiat Punto ,Chevrolet Beat seems enticing to buy, parts availability and maintenance will burn your wallet. Better to increase the budget now itself if good cars come by instead of spending later.

Even I started with a budget of 2 lakhs, but then finally got a good condition swift diesel at 2.6 lakhs. That extra 60000 spent is the best investment I made and still I am profiting from it by getting a big smile whenever I take it out.

All the best for your search.

[haria]

Originally Posted by Tojo_GotBhp

We're looking for a Hatchback under 1.5L. The type of fuel preferred is Petrol, should be reliable at least for the next 2-3 years. We already have a Verna 1.6 at home which would then be used for Highway Runs to Kerala and so. Thus looking for a no-nonsense car for city usage.

Will choosing a Chevy Beat be Safe considering that Chevrolet is out of Indian Market?
The good ol' Zen? Will it be a good option?
Thank you!

For 1.5 L or so , my first preference would be an ALTO. I have driven an Alto for many years both in high traffic condition (BLR) and on many highway runs. You should get one easily enough for < 1.5. Just FYI, I sold my 8 year old Alto with running of about 1.1L km for about Rs.1.48L few years back.

Pros are:
Very wallet friendly, the parts are available quite easily, most FNGs will be able to service the car, decent mileage, easy to park in narrow roads.

Cons: if the car is fully loaded, with AC on it seriously lacks pulling. Can't really blame with 800cc engine, but this is the only major con.

If you can get a well maintained and decent Indica, it might also be good. The major advantage will be tremendous cabin space in an indica.


I won't suggest zen as most of the cars are 15+ years. Also the lack of power steering (Except in the highest trim) makes it a pain driving in city.


Beat is also a good car, but as others have pointed out, service and spare availability is a major concern.

[.HEM]

If you have 1.5 Lakhs as a strict budget, My suggestions are:

1. Santro Xing - I have seen many decade old Xing with less than 50K kms on the ODO, This can well be a second car, with Hyundai's service support it wont be a problem for next few years

2. Cheverolet Beat - If you can find a good FNG, then it wont be a problem to maintain this beauty, do not worry about the spares and parts, I'm sure we can source it in Pudupet if needed

3. Tata Nano - You can easily find a 2015 Nano, more search will even get you an Nano AMT

I have also seen - 2009, 10 and 11 Ford Fiesta and Fiat Linea selling for less than 2Lakhs

[JayD]

The only car I would buy for city use in your budget is a used GenX nano. This version has all the niggles sorted out and is a hoot to drive in city. I've been using an AMT version for over 4 years now and I can't think of replacing it with anything else.

All the other cars in the list like i20 Figo punto etc will be a decade old and will have a plethora of issues and wear and tear parts needing replacement.

P.s: Never even venture near a Chevy product in India again. Every single mechanic / spare part shop wants to rip you off as they know you have no other alternative. And you will probably be the last owner of the car too.

[vigsom]

Here are my 2 cents since I have maintained and run all cars recommended so far:

1. WagonR F10D - 2002-2009 - buy one only if you find an example with less than 70k on the odo. Except for the rubbery gear shift this is a very good car.

2. Santro Xing - excellent refined car with a great driving position but very corrosion friendly body - the body shell corrodes big time in 6 years in coastal cities. Another issue is that the clutch and brake pedals are a little too close.

3. Chevy Beat - overall very good but a guzzler - a 2010 LT that I used for sometime in Chennai returned no more than 10kmpl in city

4. Nano - you will get excellent old gen Nanos (CX,LX) for less than 80k INR; top notch ergonimics but zero refinement. My BIL has one for 40k kms and it has generally remained trouble free

5. Ritz - very very good option if you get a good example; it has a good engine, great front seats, 60:40 split fold rear seats, inexpensive spares. Only negative is that its power steering motor rests at the level of the steering rack - and that can be an issue if driven through badly flooded roads.

6. Estilo - 2009 or later model - vxi should be your choice

7. Alto - great machine but loses out to the tall boys on seat height

I would go with 6,5,2,4,1 in that order. Buy the Xing ONLY if it is clean and corrosion free.

[Vibhanshu]

Find your self the 1st generation Ford Figo Petrol. +1 with GTO. Don't be too hard on budget. Plenty of examples available and spares are not an issue. Plus, it beats all other cars in most department (except maybe engine, Ritz has a better one, but it's not a deal breaker). You might even own it for more than 2-3 years.

[shankarbn]

The most important financial guiding factor in buying a used car isn't the purchase price but the cost of restoration maintenance. As you go older, you can buy a much bigger and better car but you may have to spend more in bringing the car back to it's original glory and the maintenance cost climbs that much higher.

If you want to keep maintenance costs also to a minimum, I would suggest an alto or nano. If you are okay with slightly higher maintenance costs and older car but don't want to spend time in the garage, I would suggest a ford figo, fiesta or fusion. There are other options like first gen corolla, fiat palio etc as suggested in other posts above.

I was in this exact place while I was deciding to sell my 3 series and landed on a nano. Enjoyed while it lasted but sold it within 3 years as I found my ideal car - the hyundai tucson. I bought the nano for around 105k and sold it for 90k and in the 3 years I had it, I must have spent around 25k on it in terms of repairs and service, exclusive of fuel. My cost was higher because I had a couple of incidents and a ton of upgrades.

[T-Bone]

Originally Posted by Tojo_GotBhp

We're looking for a Hatchback under 1.5L. The type of fuel preferred is Petrol, should be reliable at least for the next 2-3 years. We already have a Verna 1.6 at home which would then be used for Highway Runs to Kerala and so. Thus looking for a no-nonsense car for city usage.

Will choosing a Chevy Beat be Safe considering that Chevrolet is out of Indian Market?
The good ol' Zen? Will it be a good option?
Thank you!

Why not a Nano? My 2012 model still serves me well. I'm sure you will find really good deals even if you o through "Tata Motors Assured" or with owners directly.

Here is my Nano at Kumili Hills, Kerala - TN border. Taken on Monday, three days ago.

[silverado]

Originally Posted by T-Bone

Why not a Nano? .

In fact I would suggest you only look for Nano.

My 2011 model is also still going strong.
For 1.5lakhs you will get Gen3 nano with hatch which is barely 3-4 years old.
Most Nano's have low running so better for you.

Gen-x nano is way much better than gen-1 as ride quality is improved as are interiors.

No car beats Nano within city due to small footprint and tight turning radius.
Service cost is low and its a tough little car with excellent space for 4 people.

If you haven't been in one, try it. I can bet you will be pleasantly surprised.

[Wanderlust89]

I would recommend to stretch the budget a little bit and look for an used Alto K10 1st generation. Its simply a pocket rocket backed by the Maruti's peace of mind. The performance will blow you off and its even good for that occasional highway stints. Even with AC ON and full load of passengers it pulls like a train and hits 120kmph easily.

The car being low floor has its advantages too and holds the road like a leech. Simple and maintenance free mechanicals. Cost effective spares and many more to add on.

It definitely leaves a smile on your face when you zip past cars from higher segments amidst traffic. You will have to experience the rest...