[heydj]

I would suggest wait a bit. Ford is supposed to launch a new budget sedan. There are various posts on these forums. Its highly possible it may replace present Ford Classic 1.6, this should drive down the price of used Classic at dealers etc.

Having a drivers car is fine but considering you are on a budget, remember the service and spare parts may suck you dry. Highly possible with Palio/Skoda etc. Trust me its no fun your drivers car stopping on that fun drive on a rainy Sunday morning on a highway!

Hence would suggest increase your budget a bit and get something reliable such as Swift. (Of course that too might have niggles, but in comparison to others how much)

[SunnyBoi]

I'd vouch for a Palio 1.6 as well. Differences between the versions are pretty minimal though and doesn't really make a difference.

Good cars are available around 1.2L in Bangalore, you just have to find them

[MileCruncher]

Thanks folks for the pointers in the right direction. I have had a Fiat Uno 1.2 and Fiat Palio 1.2 earlier so I know the what to look for.

Ill start looking for the Baleno. Would be good if people can give some input on the Elantra. I somehoe like the look.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Thanks folks for the pointers in the right direction. I have had a Fiat Uno 1.2 and Fiat Palio 1.2 earlier so I know the what to look for.

Ill start looking for the Baleno. Would be good if people can give some input on the Elantra. I somehoe like the look.

My colleague has a 11 year old Baleno top end. At the time he bought it, it was the best available in that segment which is why he bought it. Very carefully maintained only at Maruti Service. He is planning to buy a new car now.
He is not a driving enthusiast and the car has only been driven around in the city with occasional out of town trips, mostly to madras and back.
If you want to pursue this, PM me.

[carZest]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Thanks folks for the pointers in the right direction. I have had a Fiat Uno 1.2 and Fiat Palio 1.2 earlier so I know the what to look for.

Ill start looking for the Baleno. Would be good if people can give some input on the Elantra. I somehoe like the look.

I will be selling my Elantra petrol GLS next month as I might have to move to the US on work. PM me if you would be keen on checking it out.

[MileCruncher]

Well I'm in these parts again. Somehow over the last 1 year my hectic travel schedule didnt make me feel the need of a car. But now I have decided to get one.

Order of preference are:

1. Fiesta 1.6S
2. Baleno VXXi
3. Palio 1.6

Wanted to know how are the spare parts availability for the Palio and Baleno.


Thanks in advance.

[rock18]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Well I'm in these parts again. Somehow over the last 1 year my hectic travel schedule didnt make me feel the need of a car. But now I have decided to get one.

Order of preference are:

1. Fiesta 1.6S
2. Baleno VXXi
3. Palio 1.6

Wanted to know how are the spare parts availability for the Palio and Baleno.


Thanks in advance.

I own an Palio 1.6 S10 since 2010 and so far have never faced any difficulties in procuring the spares for it..You can order the parts directly with fiat A.S.S or 99rpm site. There are lot of shops around Mumbai like Kava.You can call them and get the parts shipped to your place.
Spares are priced decently. Palio Stile spare parts are comparatively costlier to the older palio's.
As far as the reliability goes, It has never let me down in any of the highway trips i did.
Faced a few issues within city like Accelerator cable cut, Alternator failure,.
Very few in five years so i would say, Palios are extremely reliable if you maintain it well.
But its not a fill it shut it car.
All the three listed here are superb cars..Good luck!!!

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Order of preference are:

1. Fiesta 1.6S
2. Baleno VXXi
3. Palio 1.6

The list got churned a bit and have added the Octavia vRS as well. While Im a little petrified, but am equally floored with the power of the car. Lets see how this goes.

[fiestarry]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Well I'm in these parts .

Order of preference

1. Fiesta 1.6S
2. Baleno VXXi
3. Palio 1.6

Wanted to know how are the spare parts availability .

The Fiesta S is a class act ! My monicker will tell you that I am a very happy owner. The spare availability of the Ford should help you decide too !
The 1.6 engine is very smooth but has a sporty snarl to it when revved.
Don't know if anyone would be daft to dispose one off cheap !

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

The list got churned a bit and have added the Octavia vRS as well. While Im a little petrified, but am equally floored with the power of the car. Lets see how this goes.

And I ended up getting this! The search that started about 15 months ago came thru the full circle when this thing came home yesterday.

Let's see how this relationship goes.

[YashD]

I am thinking of buying a used car for say a year, am on an extremely strict budget of 2 Lakhs and looking for a ride solely for having fun behind the wheels. Being on such tight budget, deciding a car has become extremely difficult though I am looking for Ford Fiesta 1.6 currently. What other cars should I check out?

Again my main requirement is simply driving pleasure, got other cars for everything else. This will be basically my weekend car.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

And I ended up getting this! The search that started about 15 months ago came thru the full circle when this thing came home yesterday. Attachment 1480760

Let's see how this relationship goes.

This was, 15 years ago, the poor man's Merc in India.
Still looks lovely, especially in Silver and Dark Grey and Maroon and Dark Green.
The variant I loved best was the Combi, in Dark Green or Maroon or Silver.
The Octavia still makes me pleased whenever I see one.

There are quite a few of them going perfectly strong, in and around HSR Layout/ Koramangala/ Indira Nagar.

[TheARUN]

Originally Posted by YashD

I am thinking of buying a used car for say a year, am on an extremely strict budget of 2 Lakhs and looking for a ride solely for having fun behind the wheels. Being on such tight budget, deciding a car has become extremely difficult though I am looking for Ford Fiesta 1.6 currently. What other cars should I check out?

Again my main requirement is simply driving pleasure, got other cars for everything else. This will be basically my weekend car.

You could start off by making the rounds of the used car dealers. You have all kinds of machinery available with them. Tell them you are looking for something within 3 lakhs and when you find your dream car, keep 2 lakhs hard cash on the table and watch them buckle.

Go with your gut, since its fun you are after, listen to what your heart says, and all the best

[akshay380]

Originally Posted by YashD

I am thinking of buying a used car for say a year, am on an extremely strict budget of 2 Lakhs and looking for a ride solely for having fun behind the wheels. Being on such tight budget, deciding a car has become extremely difficult though I am looking for Ford Fiesta 1.6 currently. What other cars should I check out?

Again my main requirement is simply driving pleasure, got other cars for everything else. This will be basically my weekend car.

I was in similar situation and ended up picking 2009 Fiesta 1.6 ran for 60k with full service history for 2.1L. You will love the engine above 2.5k and spare availability is not an issue. Wait for the good car though. It took me six months to find this.

[shrvenkataraman]

Hi All,

I am from Chennai. I am running a food processing business in outskirts of Chennai (near Perungalathur) and gone are the days where I can do purchases and deliveries in TVS-XL.

I am now having a budget of 1 lakh tops for a pre-owned/worshipped car that I can buy and use for purchases/deliveries - bringing materials weighing not more than 250 kgs.

My brother in law got a really really nice Honda City 1998 model, used by a single owner and driven 70k kms, maintained pristinely over the last 20 years and he fitted it with LPG kit and it's now a beast with amazing mileage. And he got it all done within 80,000 rupees.

I know finding such cars is hard - but generally I want suggestions for pre-owned cars under 1 lakh that I can buy and use as a beater car for purchases and deliveries.


I am not looking at Tata ace or commercial vehicles as i don't have a commercial license.

My requirements:

1. Good amount of space (rules out alto and the likes of very small cars - except maybe nano or wagon R)
2. Easier maintenance going forward (availability of spare parts, having relatively fewer issues, ease of service, etc)
3. Good mileage (Nano gives 18kmpl i heard, and with LPG, for the equivalent petrol cost, it's giving 30km in an LPG kit. Something similar)

Used Cars I am looking at:

1. Maruti Eeco
2. Maruti Omni
3. Maruti Esteem
4. Maruti Wagon R
5. Honda City (if i could get such a sweet deal as my brother in law, i'll take it in a heart beat, esp with 10 year package provided by Honda now)
6. Tata Nano
7. Tata Indica

Any other suggestions are welcome too.
If you or any of your friends are selling a car like that - please let me know.
If you have any further suggestions or any place/website i can look at for such cars - please leave a comment.


I tried looking at Cars24, Maruti True Value, Mahindra First Choice, etc. Maruti True Value has some cars like Maruti Esteem, etc., from 2004. I also saw a Honda civic 2004 model for 2 lakhs. I am not sure how to go about this.

Any helpful suggestions or comments would really take me further in this process.

Thank you everyone, in advance.