[Mr.Boss]

Hi friends,

I'm looking for a used budget sedan ('budget' in terms of initial investment only, keep up cost can me moderate)

Usage will be very limited since I prefer to sit behind the wheels of my brother's Civic for Long & family drives. This car will be used for my daily commute to office (30km/day to-and-fro) so I would stick to a petrol heart considering the low mileage and hence saving few grands of initial investment. I'm expecting mileage figure of anything in 2 digits

I'm confused in deciding the right choice. Here are my primary choices,

1) Lancer
Fuel Type : Petrol (I'm not a fan of diesel Lancer)
Budget : 2~2.5 lakhs
2 lakhs for the purchase and 50k for repairs and cosmetic upgrade. No performance upgrades planned as of now, may be in future.

2) NHC or Corolla
Budget : 3~3.5 lakhs
Hope these cars doesn't need much cosmetic upgrade (may be) so all the budget will be for purchase only.

Making it very clear, NO HATCHBACKS, since we already have one and I neither have parking issue nor the issue of heavy traffic.

Other cars considered,
1) Hyundai Accent - is this a good choice? I don't have any clear idea on this.
2) Ford Fiesta - I'm confident about the comfort, but maintenance? Fiesta owners, please comment on this.
3) Chevrolet Optra - I'm a big fan of Optra and its build quality (always I compare it with the TANK). Again the question of keep up cost
4) OHC - Still many genuine specimens are available in market, but the spares? maintenance? and it is already 3 generations old
5) Ikon & Esteem - ruled out. Esteem looks very outdated, I don't have any solid reasons to hate Ikon.

Presently I stay abroad and will be back to India by October. I will be requiring the car before November since I planned a trip to Tirupati during Diwali & a trip to Ooty by December last week with my friends.

Friends, please suggest me the best choice.

[mayankjha1806]

You could include a used Baleno as well to the list. Not sure if you had any likes/dislikes for it or was it just a case of missing it out.

A 5-7 year old Baleno would be costing about 3-3.5L and would serve you well as a regular office drive. For long term Baleno review you could read my thread.

You could also look at old Hyundai Verna, i am not sure how much it would cost and how its maintenance would be.

[TheARUN]

I think you should go for the LOGAN. Its got everything you look for and you could soup it up on the exteriors to up the image.

CITY and COROLLA are excellent but not worth the price.

ACCENT and FIESTA are also excellent choices but depends of whether you can find a clean one.

I'd stay away from the OPTRA since its a DAEWOO

[libranof1987]

You should look at SX4, NHC and maybe Verna.

Doubt you'll get a good Corolla at ~3 lakhs.

All depends on the examples you're offered; at the price you want, you'll get fairly old models.

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

You could include a used Baleno as well to the list.

Isn't Baleno too old now as a 2nd hand car?

Originally Posted by TheARUN

I'd stay away from the OPTRA since its a DAEWOO

It's Chevy!

[Live To Jive]

Why not check out a new Indigo CS or a Mahindra Verito. Buying these new may be a better option than a used car. Besides interest rates on new cars are much lower than used. Check and see of the Mahindra dealers have any unsold Logan's. You can get a hefty discount.

[mayankjha1806]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Isn't Baleno too old now as a 2nd hand car?

Well if you are looking for Lancer Petrol for 2.5L or a City at 3.5L, then the Baleno would be similar in terms of age.

Also Carolla at 3.5L would be significantly more older than the others as its a segment higher. So maybe a 8-9 years old Corolla would be available for 3.5L.

I am not too sure about Sx4, my guess is its a new car and hence could cost you more then 3.5 L but in return you get a car that will serve you much longer.

[GTO]

The best budget sedans out there are:

- Mitsubishi Lancer : Available surprisingly cheap, stunningly reliable and a fun car to drive. Mod Aditya got a pristine example for a low 1 lakh odd rupees.

- Corolla : Practical, torquey and spacious. Just can't go wrong with this car if you find a clean example.

- Optra 1.6 : Pick this over the 1.8. Korean & well-built, thus very reliable, spacious & comfortable. Got that "big car" feel.

- NHC : Practical, reliable and a wonderful city drive. Weird looking though, and poor highway performer.

Baleno only if it's a 2006+ car. Nothing older.

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by Mr.Boss

Friends, please suggest me the best choice.

My choices would be the
1) Lancer
2) Fiesta
3) Ikon (Flair, 2006 + models)
4) NHC

Lancer: Stunningly reliable and ages very very well. Mod friendly too, returning decent mileage figures.

Fiesta: Low resale, hence you can get newer models (In fact the newest in the lot). I was offered a 2009 model for just 3.5 lacs. Fun to drive, and decent maintenance costs.

IKON: Almost all the 2006+ Ikon reviews I have heard on and off the forum are very much positive. Gives 12+ mileage on city, and ~17kmpl on the highway. Decent performer, and amazingly fun to drive, even by todays standards. Looks cool as well. The only catch as for me is the outdated interiors, and console.

NHC: A Honda.

Originally Posted by GTO

- Corolla : Practical, torquey and spacious. Just can't go wrong with this car if you find a clean example.

- Optra 1.6 : Pick this over the 1.8. Korean & well-built, thus very reliable, spacious & comfortable. Got that "big car" feel.

Hi GTO,

Well, I wouldnt really categorise the Corolla and Optra as budget sedans.

The Corolla has one digit city FE. Also, one would only get prior 2006-05 models if on a 'budget', and the upkeep costs are pretty high considering the lower C segment sedans. Not sure why.. down here, the Altis is rated high on reliability and maintenance, not the old corolla.

Optra, too even in its 1.6 version has bad FE, also, the costs of spares are very much high comparing lower C segment sedans. The best part about the Optra is that its a resale dud, and one can get ~2006 models well under 2 lacs. Also, I heard its LPG/CNG compatibility is good.

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

You should look at SX4, NHC and maybe Verna.

Doubt you'll get a good Corolla at ~3 lakhs.

All depends on the examples you're offered; at the price you want, you'll get fairly old models.



Isn't Baleno too old now as a 2nd hand car?



It's Chevy!

Its a daewoo underneath the glamour...the nubira. i think it was called.

Originally Posted by Mr.Boss

Hi friends,

I'm looking for a used budget sedan ('budget' in terms of initial investment only, keep up cost can me moderate)

Usage will be very limited since I prefer to sit behind the wheels of my brother's Civic for Long & family drives. This car will be used for my daily commute to office (30km/day to-and-fro) so I would stick to a petrol heart considering the low mileage and hence saving few grands of initial investment. I'm expecting mileage figure of anything in 2 digits

I'm confused in deciding the right choice. Here are my primary choices,

1) Lancer
Fuel Type : Petrol (I'm not a fan of diesel Lancer)
Budget : 2~2.5 lakhs
2 lakhs for the purchase and 50k for repairs and cosmetic upgrade. No performance upgrades planned as of now, may be in future.

2) NHC or Corolla
Budget : 3~3.5 lakhs
Hope these cars doesn't need much cosmetic upgrade (may be) so all the budget will be for purchase only.

Making it very clear, NO HATCHBACKS, since we already have one and I neither have parking issue nor the issue of heavy traffic.

Other cars considered,
1) Hyundai Accent - is this a good choice? I don't have any clear idea on this.
2) Ford Fiesta - I'm confident about the comfort, but maintenance? Fiesta owners, please comment on this.
3) Chevrolet Optra - I'm a big fan of Optra and its build quality (always I compare it with the TANK). Again the question of keep up cost
4) OHC - Still many genuine specimens are available in market, but the spares? maintenance? and it is already 3 generations old
5) Ikon & Esteem - ruled out. Esteem looks very outdated, I don't have any solid reasons to hate Ikon.

Presently I stay abroad and will be back to India by October. I will be requiring the car before November since I planned a trip to Tirupati during Diwali & a trip to Ooty by December last week with my friends.

Friends, please suggest me the best choice.

For your budget, and the suggetsions for ohc/fiesta/baleno/lancer, upkeeps gonna be roundabout the same.
I would suggest you stick to your budget,and pick up the best compilation of matal you can find.
I mean, the most well kept of the 4 above, or your own addition to the list.

Dont go for a runner up, thinking youll get it fixed after the purchase.

BTW, fiesta's a good buy, if you find a well kept one ...

[ravi_23]

As per your requirements, I suppose NHC suits best for you. If you find one in good condition go for it. Else you may consider the hyundai accent, though its an old vehicle but its still in production and you can get relatively new ones (07-09) models for a good price, and maintaining one is not a problem.

[Mr.Boss]

Thank you all for the comments

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

You could include a used Baleno as well to the list.
You could also look at old Hyundai Verna, i am not sure how much it would cost and how its maintenance would be.

I love Baleno. It's a perfect fun to drive machine. I was informed by a known and reliable source from Maruti dealer (Coimbatore) that Baleno spares (mostly the exteriors) are costlier and some parts are to be ordered and may take time. I've read you ownership review long back. That was excellent and itching me to look for a used baleno.

Originally Posted by TheARUN

I think you should go for the LOGAN.

Originally Posted by Live To Jive

Why not check out a new Indigo CS or a Mahindra Verito.

Though new Indigo CS looks a good option, something keeps me stay away from TATA. No Logan (Verito) I knew the pros and cons of it since I'm associated with Nissan. Alslo the outdated looks are not to my interest.

Originally Posted by libranof1987

You should look at SX4, NHC and maybe Verna.

Most of the SX4 up for sale in my budget have already cloacked 1lakh+ km. If I get a genuine specimen I would definitely go for it.
Thanks for adding SX4 to my list.

Verna (Old) is also a perfect choice. Let me look for it.

Originally Posted by GTO

- Mitsubishi Lancer : Available surprisingly cheap, stunningly reliable and a fun car to drive. Mod Aditya got a pristine example for a low 1 lakh odd rupees.
Pristine Lancer for 1lakh? that's really a great deal. I'm looking for such a car.
- Corolla : Practical, torquey and spacious. Just can't go wrong with this car if you find a clean example.
My only worry here is the keep-up cost
- NHC : Practical, reliable and a wonderful city drive. Weird looking though, and poor highway performer.
I'm OK with the look and highway driving is not the priority.

Originally Posted by dhanushs

My choices would be the
3) Ikon (Flair, 2006 + models)
The Corolla has one digit city FE. Also, one would only get prior 2006-05 models if on a 'budget', and the upkeep costs are pretty high considering the lower C segment sedans.

I've read some positive reviews for post 2006 models. Ford really slashed the spare parts price for Ikon too?

Single digit FE in bumper to bumper traffic is acceptable to me, but not a consistent mileage. Considering the low mileage (15k km / year) what would be the approximate maintenance of Corolla? Consider a 2003/2004 model nearing 100k on odo.

[JediKnight]

You may also consider Hyundai Accent. Resale values are poor so you can get a relatively new specimen for less money. Car is in production so parts/service not a problem. Is very reliable and has nice interiors. Only major drawback IMHO is a little drab to drive.

[Visaster]

I think you will end up with a seriously old / poorly maintained car for this budget if you are looking for a sedan.
And none are going to give you a double digit on the mileage.
Try and source a car which has not done more than 25000Km directly from the owner ( stay clear of dealers) and pick a owner who has 3-4 cars in his stable.
May be then you can land a decent drivable car which will last you for few years.

Older Sonota's are available at throw away price. Look into it too if interested.
Fiesta is a good option.
All of your other options at your budget will take you a lot to the mechanic shop.
All the best hunting.

[Mr.Boss]

Thanks for the comments dude

Originally Posted by Visaster

And none are going to give you a double digit on the mileage.
I'm sure NHC will deliver anything around 11~12kmpl in city. I've driven a car of my friend, crossed 130k+ km giving a mileage of 13kmpl in chennai (with AC)
Older Sonota's are available at throw away price. Look into it too if interested.

Sonata? a big 'NO'

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by Mr.Boss

Thanks for the comments dude


Sonata? a big 'NO'

why??
purely for your reading pleasure, and, incase you plonk for it, also for 0 savings for the next few years, take a dekko:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...ge-bullet.html