Team-BHP - Used Car based on safety for 5 lakhs

Hello, All,

I'm trying to help my wife buy her first car. The requirements are simple: (1) Under 5 lakhs (2) Automatic (3) good safety (4) reasonable maintenance charges for cars this old.

Based on (1) and (2), we have found the following cars/models on the used car circuit:

Hyundai Santro Xing XL AT eRLX Euro III 2005, 2006
Hyundai Santro Xing XG AT 2004
Hyundai Santro Xing GLS AT 2007
Hyundai i10 Magna AT 2009
Hyundai i10 Sportz 1.2 AT 2008
Hyundai i10 Sportz AT 2010

Toyota Corolla H4 2004

Honda City 1.5 GXI CVT 2004
Honda Accord V6 AT 2006
Honda Civic 1.8 V AT Inspire 2006
Honda Civic 1.8 S AT 2006

Skoda Laura L and K AT 2007

So, generally, there are a lot of Hyundais, some Honda City/Civic/Accords and Toyota Corrolas (and a couple Camrys). There are also a couple of older Skodas. The issue with finding out safety ratings is that these safety tests started out only recently and we are looking at cars that are at least 8 years old at this point.

All of these fit our budget. And since we don't necessarily care much for the number of kms put on or the brand, we are looking for something that fits (3) and (4) above.

From these brands, models, years etc.. do you have any recommendations on which of them fit the safety/maintenance criteria? We understand we won't get 4 airbags version of a Maruti :), but we want something that is safe for the wife and kid as they travel together most of the time, and something that is light on her maint budget.

Thanks all for your inputs! (PS: If we should look at some other model that is currently not on our radar, pls let us know).

The A-Star is also worth looking at. Does not have airbags, but later models come with ABS and is a reasonably well built car. A friend recently bought a 2013 model well under 4L.

I don't think it makes sense to buy 10-12 year old models. I assume from your post that most of the usage is going to be within city. No point buying a big sedan for that.

Also worth checking if you can get a used Brio AT.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Altocumulus (Post 4188739)

I would recommend a Corolla. Bulletproof engine, low maintenance and a pretty safe car.

I will do a plus one to this as owner of second hand corolla. Very safe, amazing engine, comfortable gear ratios and low maintenance. It is a heavy car and you get the feel once you sit inside.

The requirements are simple:

(1) Under 5 lakhs: Hatchback (3-5 year old)
(2) Automatic: Brio, Micra, i10, Jazz
(3) good safety: Dual front airbags & ABS
(4) reasonable maintenance: Japanese or Korean brand

I think the above hatchbacks are perfect for your needs. It is a gamble to consider old cars since the chances of failure is higher with age.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Torino (Post 4188772)

Don't forget the Fiat Punto - good solid build and safety. There's also the Figo - the older ones had excellent construction using Boron Steel.

1) Strike off Corolla, Civic, Laura and Accord from the list. These cars are appropriate only for enthusiasts or those who intend to drive long distances on highways. Parking and manoeuvring in the city might be an issue.

They might cost Rs. 5 Lakhs, but you will end up spending lot more in the first year. It might need new tyres (Rs. 25,000), new insurance policy(Rs. 10,000) and servicing (Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 50,000) depending on condition of the car. Lots of things would need fixing in a 10+ year old car - clutch, brakes, suspension and so on.

2) Strike off non-airbag/ABS cars from the list (santro, i10, 2nd gen city etc). They won't meet your safety requirements.

3) Pre-owned Brio/Grand i10/Micra/Jazz etc is a good idea, but availability might be an issue.

4) 3rd gen City AT seems like a good compromise between hatchbacks & large sedans, in terms of both size and maintenance costs.

If you want (safety + low Maintenance + automatic), you have to adjust the price upwards. Increase your budget to Rs. 7 Lakhs and check out new Ignis AMT & Grand i10 AT. If no compromise can be made on the budget, new Celerio AMT is worth looking into.

Any reason why you won't consider a WagonR AMT?

I know you've mentioned 5 lakhs as your budget but a new one will cost only a shade over 5 and that amount will be well worth spending for a new car than an old one (which brings with itself, its own risks).

All the C/D segment cars you have listed are more than a decade old and their reliability and potential time/effort required on maintenance is anybody's guess.

Since this is for your wife, I'd recommend getting a new WagonR AMT (or even Tiago AMT). Stretch your budget just a tad bit, the peace of mind and convenience it gets you should be a reasonable justification. Not to forget, you'll buy a "current" car.

Safety?
Get a 2013 Ford Ecosport AT, for about 6-6.5 Lakhs. You won't get better safety than that, in all probability.
- 6 Air Bags
- ABS
- EBD
- ESP
- Traction Control
- ISOFIX
- Solid & Heavy Build Quality

It's well worth the extra 1.5 Lakhs...

By the way, it is reasonably cheap to maintain. I have one and the service bills never cross 5-6k per year all inclusive.

If I were looking to buy a safe used car for 5 lakhs, here is a list that I would consider. These are safer than any new car for 5 lakhs.

Ford EcoSport
Honda Civic (with the airbag recall carried out :)) or the City
Toyota Corolla
Chevrolet Cruze
VW Polo / Vento
Hyundai i20
Toyota Etios / Liva
Fiat Punto / Linea

Can't really comment on the year & pricing as it's a wide field. Keep checking out the models listed in the posts on this thread, and select one that you like best (condition + price + vintage).

Since it is a first car for your wife, I would suggest to stick to the Santros or the i10s until your wife gets a feel of the road and driving conditions. These cars are relatively cheaper to maintain.

If the long term goal for your wife is to drive a sedan, then worth looking at the sedans too to get the big car feel on the road and turning radius etc.

Surprising that you haven't zeroed on any Maruti AMT cars. Did you not check or did you not find?

To be honest, cars from the list might not be the way to go. Hyundai's won't cut it on the safety parameters and 10-year-old Hondas are not exactly cheap to maintain nor are they very reliable at that age unless you go over the top and spend a bomb to get everything fixed.

Also as it's your wife's first car, a big sedan might become stressful to drive around and would end up defeating the purpose of buying one.

I would rather recommend an automatic Micra or a Polo Tsi. These might be slightly above your budget at around 6 lakhs for say a 2013 Polo Tsi but would be worth it in comparison to the almost decade-old cars in the list.

For a reliable and safe used car, just look at the japenese makers.

1. Maruti Sx4
2. Honda city

I'm saying Sx4 at the top because you'll be able to get a much newer version (year wise) than the city for a similar price. Maintenance on both will be reasonable and Both of them come with similar features. Better to get the Honda city if you'll be doing any highway runs since it has an extra gear.

if somehow you can stretch your budget to about 7 lac, Ecosport AT would be your best pick. It is compact, safe, reliable and good to maintain.

I think you should go in for a new Ignis Delta AMT. At 5.7 L ex showroom you will get a car giving you complete peace of mind with Airbag ABS ISOFIX points and a very good NCAP rating. It will be low on maintainance, has very good FE and is very easy to drive in the city. All small AT cars are available at a premium in the used car market hence I feel are not worth the asking price. Big cars like corolla or city are great to drive and safe but will be comparatively high on maintainance. If your child is still confined to a car seat ISOFIX is a good feature to have which is not available in the older cars available in this price range. Hope this helps.