[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by GTO

In that case, use a 3rd-party's car as a beater = Uber & Ola . 'Outsource' a car for all the rough use.

That is exactly what is happening. Wife is not very keen to drive the Vento(Mainly my fault due to the whole VW+DSG+Expensive maintenance Aura I have created unintentionally-She used to drive the bulkier SX4 MT quite comfortably). Whenever I bring up a 2nd small low maintenance 'safe' car, her question is -How would it be better than taking an Uber especially since availability around our area is pretty good? Then the thought is wrapped up and put back into my head to be taken out the next instance when there is an issue with a cab.

[shankarbn]

This is so true. While my primary car is a Hyundai Tucson, my beater is a tata nano which is an excellent city runabout which is ridiculously cheap to insure, maintain and run compared to the SUV.

It is also easy to drive, easy to park and easy to leave unattended on unknown streets. I do not even have to worry about the valet shutting it down immediately without idling since it does not have a turbo in the first place (turbo idling rule).

I have tried to reason with my mind that I do not need a beater but I cannot come to sell it since it is so useful!

[chiranjitp]

Excellent thread Vishy76, nice topic too. For me if you are to have more than one car in a small family, the remaining car/cars have to be a beater car.

According to me following are the points which a beater car should have:

• Should be highly reliable & abuse friendly.
• Should be a high selling model if you are going the pre owned way.
• Preferably with a simple & reliable petrol engine if the running is one the lower side.
• Parts should be on the cheaper side & easily available.

I would stay away from the Europeans for a beater car & stick with the Japanese & Korean cars only (preferably something from Maruti). We owned a Punto MJD from 2012-2016 & did around 103K km, we spent around 100K on maintenance only (without considering the accidental repairs & tyre changes). Our car was out of warranty for only 5 months before we sold her, I believe the amount we spent on maintenance would be similar to a D segment car. So, I would stay away from the Punto & most European cars, even if they can be had for cheap in the used market.

[jetsetgo08]

My father had an Alto that was used as a beater(by me) car alongside fiesta 1.4 petrol till last year. The fiesta has just done 38k km's in 10 years. We replaced the Alto with a new Wagon R (which was supposed to play the beater).

But, thanks to the uncomfortable Wagon R(stiff & iffy ride quality). I have started using the Fiesta for my long office commutes, as it was lying idle since the past one year. Don't know who is playing the role of the new beater in this case.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by vishy76

A bigger family almost always warrants a beater car. Buy an automatic preferably. If your dad wants to get behind the wheel sometime, it will surely be convenient for him too.

Dad is close to 80 and he hasn't driven much, but he still rides. We want a chauffeur, so that he can run for errands so we just may get a MT. One other car in my shortlist is the Liva.

[vishy76]

Originally Posted by chiranjitp

Excellent thread Vishy76, nice topic too. For me if you are to have more than one car in a small family, the remaining car/cars have to be a beater car.

I would stay away from the Europeans for a beater car & stick with the Japanese & Korean cars only (preferably something from Maruti). We owned a Punto MJD from 2012-2016 & did around 103K km, we spent around 100K on maintenance only (without considering the accidental repairs & tyre changes). Our car was out of warranty for only 5 months before we sold her, I believe the amount we spent on maintenance would be similar to a D segment car. So, I would stay away from the Punto & most European cars, even if they can be had for cheap in the used market.

Thanks for the appreciation.

To be honest, the Punto MJD was the only European car I was going to suggest. But looking at your views, I will agree that Japs and Koreans make a lot more sense. I added the Punto since I was under the impression that it is a reliable European. (Have seen many members clock 1,50,000+ with ease).

100K is surely a lot of money to be spent on a B-segment hatchback.

Regards,
Vishy

[Lone Ranger]

Great thread. I think the concept of a beater car makes sense on multiple levels.

1) It allows you to retain a car for a long period of time - as it ages, comes out of its warranty period, you can 'downgrade' it to a beater. And being a beater car dosen't mean you neglect it either. Sure, you might not hand wax it every month, but if you keep it fit mechanically, it becomes an extremely stress free 'transportation tool' .

2) It also dosen't attract unwarranted attention - a premium 'high class' type automobile can draw out negative emotions and resentment from some people. Some of these people may feel you 'deserve' a scratch on that shiny paint finish.

3) Minor dents and accidents don't ruin your day since in your head you've reconciled to the fact that it is just one more to add to the collection. Most of you would have experienced the pain of the 'first scratch' in a new car, and the diminishing pain that each subsequent scratch causes

4) You don't have to check the weather report every time you need to take the car out. Neither do you have recurring nightmares about 'hydrostatic lock' as the monsoon seasons approach.

[chandrda]

I had a scorpio and Palio as a beater car for 2 years. Then I sold the scorpio and Palio became my only car for few years until I bought Duster last year.

Though the Palio has moved into a beater car role, I am still very passionate about Palio and maintain it very well. One of the reason for this is that, my dad takes the palio with my kids, niece and nephew to my native and other places. So the car has to be in top condition and some times I am biased towards Palio.

For the last few months, i have been taking Ola, Uber extensively because of traffic condition, lack of parking, police check and metro work going on and on. Now I am confused as the whole concept of one Main car, one beater car or should I use Ola/Uber more. Every time I think of this, I am not ready to let go Palio

Once the summer is done, I have sit down and really think if having a Beater is worth it or should I have just one car.

Regards

[vb-saan]

Great thread! Another point I have seen is that sometimes the beater car is the one which can provide that good old ways of driving pleasure and enjoy the imperfections. Last year I went around Pune in my SIL’s antique Santro – that pure mechanical feel it gave was wonderful.

And with the increased awareness on safety and security, I feel the beater cars will soon move into slightly sophisticated but still cheap on maintenance models. For example, the Etios maybe the current gen beater car but in the coming years I see cars like the Ecosport or upcoming Toyota Yaris as beater classics.

[charanreddy]

Personally I feel as we migrate towards higher segment of cars our faithful older cars can serve best as beaters rather than being sold or exchanged.

I have a 2013 beat LS diesel that is pushing 80K on the odo and problems with the car have been few.. Given GMs exit from the country the resale or exchange value will be peanuts, but once I get a new car preferably from a segment or two above, It makes sense to this as the beater for all the local errand runs.

One key advantage I see is that the good and bad of the car are known and thus no surprises in the equation..

[speedmunster]

To add to the list of fun-to-drive beater cars: Ford Fiesta 1.4 TDCI. I own one and it has been driven for more than 1.2 lakh kms without a fuss. It is being used nowadays mostly for airport runs. I wouldn't really term it as a beater car per se due to the wide-grin inducing factor attributed to it's superb handling.

[Miel]

We don't have a luxury barge as our primary car. However, we have a very well loved and pampered humble Tata Vista Quadrajet, with all bells and whistles. It is our first car as Man&Wife, bought more for the color and the immense space than anything else. And we take immense pride in keeping its renowned Tata paint quality and the body lines in pristine condition (touch wood!).

So when my better half finished Maruti Driving school, we both were skeptical about letting her get full fledged on the Vista. Out we went hunting for a beater for less than 2 Lakh. We didn't expect it, but we came home with a Wagon R Lxi Duo (yeah, great savings on LPG), complete with central locking, all power windows, a great AC, and a decent Kenwood 2 Din stereo.

Now the Vista is kinda like our luxury barge and highway runner, while the Wagon R is our city crawler. Since Maruti's A.S.C is very good, the abuses that a newbie driver puts a car through is also well taken care of. A win-win for all humans and machines in this story

[Enobarbus]

Originally Posted by Miel

We don't have a luxury barge as our primary car. However, we have a very well loved and pampered humble Tata Vista Quadrajet, with all bells and whistles.

Now the Vista is kinda like our luxury barge and highway runner, while the Wagon R is our city crawler.

Whoa!!! This made my day.
This is the first time ever I heard that a Tata (and that too, the humble Vista) is the pampered one and a Maruti is the beater.
There are quite of few well loved Vista's in my immediate circle (Including my father in laws famous 2008 Vista which is used for personal transport as well as agricultural duties like carrying tools, bundles of hay etc), but I have never really seen a pampered Vista.
More than anything else, it looks like you value the sentiment that the Vista is your first car after your marriage.

[reignofchaos]

Does a Polo GT count as a beater? Probably not but that is what it is being used as in my case.

I had a Brio as a beater for city drives but it was getting rather long in the tooth. It was really unrefined compared to the other car in the garage and the lack of space and seat adjustment meant I had to get rid of it due to constant back aches after driving it everyday. Whitefield Honda service was nothing to write home about either.

Wanted an automatic hatchback around 10 lacs with more space than the Brio with similar or more grunt. To be honest, everything else other than the Polo felt either very much like a tin can with flimsy build quality or had no grunt to get into those traffic gaps quickly. Finally since this was 2016, top end models with autoboxes were not offered by anyone other than VW.

So there you have it - a remapped Polo TSI is my beater

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

Does a Polo GT count as a beater? Probably not but that is what it is being used as in my case.

I had a Brio as a beater for city drives but it was getting rather long in the tooth. It was really unrefined compared to the other car in the garage and the lack of space and seat adjustment meant I had to get rid of it due to constant back aches after driving it everyday. Whitefield Honda service was nothing to write home about either.

Based on the moolah you have, category (or budget) of beater car goes higher. Any car that is significantly cheaper to maintain than your prized possession becomes a beater car. I know people who have Endeavour/Pajero Sport/Accord/Jetta as beater cars because they have S Class, Range Rover etc. as their prized possession. One of my friend uses Jazz CVT as a beater car for his city runabouts. I use Kwid as beater car while in Bangalore and use my 10 year old Innova as beater while in hometown.