[aveoman19]

Originally Posted by Thermodynamics

Or if you are an enthusiast type, Fiat palio 1.6 or Hyundai Getz 1.6 would be good as well.

Sorry to ask but was Getz ever offered with a 1.6 in India? If my memory serves me right, it only sold with 1.3, 1.1 and 1.5 CRDi engines in India. I may be wrong but I have never seen a 1.6 Getz in India. I have seen one in Europe though.

[arjab]

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.

First gen Swift petrol or Hyundai GETZ. Reliable, easy to maintain and should last the number of years you intend to hold onto it.

[tejas2323]

First gen Swift is good option but it has a hard steering which would be good if you were to use it for highway. Alto, i10, Corolla are some good options.
They will be easy to sell in future.
Generally Fiesta,Getz are good but slow moving in used car market it will be a bit difficult to sell later.
Also do consider the new Vehicle Act and its impact in upcoming years.

[turbowhistle]

I would suggest Gen 1 i10 Auto which used to come with Sunroof as well. It has a nice robust gearbox and small footprint makes it really good to drive in city. It can do occasional highway drives too. Part/Service should not be a problem since you are already used to a Verna. This can serve you well for few years. Stay away from i20 as it is really sluggish ( I still own one so trust me on this)

Another choice will be Getz 1.3 Petrol or 1.5 Diesel ( its the real deal). I owned 1.3 petrol for a short period and was surprised with the whole package. Should stay away from Getz 1.1 though - it used to struggle with AC ( The same engine worked like a charm in Santro).

Old Gen Petrol Swift or Ritz might be a good choice too but finding a clean example for 1.5L will be task.
Stay away from Zen/Estilo/Corolla/City/Fabia if you don't want to spend more time with your FNG than the missus.

My Preference will be
1. Gen 1 i10 Manual/Automatic
2. Getz 1.3 Petrol/1.5 Diesel
3. Petrol Swift/ Ritz


I will keep few thing in mind

• Most of these 10 year old cars will come with Hydraulic Power Streering which sometimes feel like NON-PS if you are used to new cars.
• Get the service done as soon as I buy it and would prefer draining all fluids (Even transmission fluid)
• Incase you pickup Hyundai, please check up suspension as well
• Check the body panels for rust. Many old cars had this issue so it will be better to tinker and get it treated at once

[PrasannaDhana]

If I were you, I would look at gen 1 swifts. They were nice to drive and the build quality was tangibly better than current gen. You also won't feel like being in a cramped small car like an eon or alto. But the easiest and best thing to do is get a wagon r and call it a day

[ash22]

Adding my 2 cents.
We owned Zen earlier and older Zen AC Gas is not that easily available in the market. Better to go with used WagonR and Zen Estilo which would be easily available in the market. These two cars have a good seating position, Spacious cabin and also easy to maintain.
If you are looking for alternatives for Maruti's, Check out Used Ford Ikon, Fiesta, and Figo which would be powerful and fun to drive.

[nishp]

Stick to maruti, WagonR is the car for you. Easy and cheap parts, fuel efficient, easy to park and the list goes on.

[dheepak10]

The A-Star is a well pull together product which you should be able to afford in the specified price. VXi would be great.
Wagon-R and others in the same price range may be prone to rattles in this price range.
My experience with A-star was quite good.

[SoumenD]

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.

For 1.5L you can get mostly older(8+ years) cars. I would suggest a slow moving maruti with lower odo reading(40-50k-ish) like Zen Estilo as its basically a Wagon-R itself , so parts and all are no issues at all plus the 1.0L engine is pretty reliable & frugal. Spacewise as well it is pretty good for 4 people with enough legroom & a pretty decent sized boot. For reference I just exchanged(with Honda Showroom) my 39k run 8 year old Estilo for 1.7L(including 15k exchange bonus) . Mechanically the car was in perfect shape with just 1 year old seat covers and tyres. Only reason I sold it was, I needed an automatic. With current situation of traffic in major cities , you will find plenty of such examples around.

With higher selling cars like Wagon-R/Alto the problem is the prices/odo-reading in used market are higher while the reliability remains exactly same being the same Maruti engines/mechanicals & almost similar body parts.

Happy shopping

[tirumalavoleti]

I would suggest not to stick on 1.5 L, please extend to have a peaceful car. Avoid 10 years old cars to reduce maintenance cars. Check if you could get Alto 800 for super city convenience


If you could stretch a bit, try swift which is 5-6 years old which is very good car and could easily live with another 5 years.

[blackasta]

I would not recommend any particular car, rather request you look around the market to find what's available that suits your budget and usage pattern.

I would however, ask you to keep the following in mind before getting a 9-10 yr old car:

• A lot of cost is to be borne around the 10 year mark for a car, which includes changing suspension components, engine belts, full fledged AC overhaul, new tires, new battery, and road tax. These can easily match or at least be a sizable % the residual value of the car. So factor the same in your budget. Just because you want a beater car for the city does not mean it has to be unreliable or a 'khatara'.
  
• Check for rusts - it's around this time rusting starts becoming evident. Check door edges, wheel arches, engine bay for rusting.
  
• Do not go for slow moving cars or market duds - you may find it difficult to offload the same a few years later.
  
• Stick to petrol cars. No diesel / lpg / cng.

[drpullockaran]

I have a Datsun Go which I bought second hand for city use for Rs 2,00,000. It was 21000km old when I bought it. It has a very good pick due to the 1.2-liter engine and a super chilling A/C (big compressor). Power steering is speed-sensitive and hence there is ample feedback after about 40kmph. In Cochin City traffic I get 13km and out on the highway between Trichur and Ernakulam I get about 16 with A/C and 19 without A/C mainly because the third gear acceleration is addictive. On sedate drives, it gives 2kmpl more on highways.

The old models (mine is 2014 December) have zero safety and relatively hard suspension and is as good as any of the other tin cans without airbags. The newer ones have a soft ride and all the safety features added as mandated by the government, but it would be out of your strict budget. In this economic downturn, I am unable to find good examples of Datsun Go in Kerala anymore, though you maybe lucky at your place. People are holding onto their possessions for now.

[rajushank84]

If I were in the market with these requirements, I would go and snatch up a late-model Maruti 800. Sure the AC won't work, but despite that: It won't just be a great city car, I see it as a piece of history, and frankly a piece of art for the era it is from.
It is the last chance to own a car with the raw connected feel, the non-power-steering, the non-power everything actually, the feel of driving it is sublime. I still miss mine, after driving cars with 10 times the horsepower and 10 times the interior niceties.

Maybe even better a Zen, that car was simply sublime. Particularly the non-power-steering LX variant. But a Zen would be too old at this point. Maybe it is still doable if you find a 2006 one, single-owner, well-maintained. It would take something of a miracle to find a well-maintained Zen like that, that too an LX. With 800 though, you can find something as recent as a 2011 model-year piece and that won't be an ownership hassle.

A first-gen Figo would be a third, or even the last-year Ikon with the Rocam engine. I miss this car too. Look for Mark5 Fiesta on youtube, it is one of the funnest cars I have driven so far.

WagonR, AltoK10 etc yeah these are sensible options, but nowhere near the connected driving feel as the ones I mentioned above. So I would pass on these. Just my two cents.

[rajushank84]

Too late to edit the above post, but if you don't strictly need a hatchback then why not a first-gen Baleno? Hard to match the fun-to-drive factor, and being a Maruti shouldn't be too hard to maintain though parts won't be a cakewalk.

[Tojo_GotBhp]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys!
I'm pretty surprised that the thread has so many responses, it even went upto the hot threads!

Sorry for the delayed response though, didn't get much time to reply! I've decided to let go the Zen though the heart still shouts Zen :( . I guess it'll be safe to go with the tried and tested Alto.

As suggested I'm also looking for a K10. But the biggest problem is I'm totally clueless on what would be a fair price for a well maintained Alto and Alto K10.

Also the Getz? But the spare parts? Will it be frugal for city runs?

The Ol' Baleno is surely not in mind as we've a Verna for Highway Runs and all the fun. Getting a Ritz, or Swift in good condition will be a difficult task I think, still will look for it.

Please guide me with the appropriate price range for these vehicles.
Thanks!