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-   -   Used Automatic car under 5 lakhs, for safety & rear seat comfort (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/sedans/210013-used-automatic-car-under-5-lakhs-safety-rear-seat-comfort.html)

Hi everyone,

This is my first post here.

I recently moved to Gurgaon from Trivandrum with my family and am on the lookout for a used car under 5 lakhs.

Since my monthly running should be less than 800km and most of my drives would be in NCR, Petrol automatics are what I am focusing on.

My car in Trivandrum was a Swift VXi 2009 and I am looking for an upgrade to it in Gurgaon based on the safety front.

Factors for consideration:
1. Safety - Looking for at least ABS and 2 airbags.
2. Reliability - Being my only vehicle, want to have something which does not give frequent issues.
3. Rear seat comfort - My son would be using a rear facing car seat and my wife would be alongside him. So, rear seat comfort plays an important role as well.
4. Good Handling

Based on the above factors, I have shortlisted the below cars. Please let me know of your views on the same.

1. Honda Civic 1.8 V AT 2010 - 2013
2. Toyota Corolla Altis VL 2010+
3. Hyundai Verna 2013+
4. Ford Ecosport Titanium 2013+
5. Ford Figo Aspire 2015+
6. Honda City V CVT 2012+

You can extend your budget and get the 4th gen city for about 5.5 to 6.0 in Delhi.

In the current list, unless you have lived with a Civic before, stay away. If rear seat is gonna be occupied majority of the time, civic can be avoided. A corolla will be my choice followed by EcoSport.

Don't like the looks of the aspire, so out of the race for me.

From this list, Honda City V CVT will be your best bet.

Ecosport isn't the best in terms of rear seat comfort while Fluidic Verna has really soft (and uncomfortable) seats.

If you are open to compact sedan segment (which I guess you are as there's the Aspire in your list), consider Honda Amaze also. Both new and old gen offer superior experience for rear seat users as compared to rivals.

However, Swift to Amaze might not be a major upgrade from a driver's POV and in that case, you can stick to the City automatic.

And yes, welcome to Team BHP! :)

Essentially, the car needs to have ISOFIX mounts then? The EcoSport and City do, not sure about the rest.

Do you have any inclinations regarding type of car? Your current shortlist is spread across vintage and type (saloon, hatch, C-SUV).

I’d pick the Altis V AT

I have a 2009 model of this and it still drives almost like new! If u maintain these cars well, they age so well! And we thought only Germans age well!

The back seat of the Altis is also best amongst your choices.

However, I don’t think it has ISOFIX mounts

Thanks 2000rpm for your views. Increasing the budget is not an option right now.

Could you please give more information on why Civic needs to be avoided? Except for its GC being low and it scraping its bottom on unusual bumps and potholes (which hopefully should not be much of an issue since we are just the three of us now here), I have just heard good things about it. Per my understanding, spares availability is not an issue + it is quite reliable. Adding to it, I don't see much of a difference between City and Civic prices (probably due to Civic getting discontinued for 6 years) and so, it seems to be a better deal to get a higher segment car.

I am also moving towards Corolla as my first choice though due to its great track record of reliability.


Thanks self_driven, good to know about Ecosport and Verna. I will consider Amaze V AT as well. Regarding City, as I mentioned, if I am getting the Civic for around the same price for the same model year, wouldn't that be better?

ISOFIX mounts would be great to have, but we can do without them as well since we have been using car seat belts for his car seat.

Regarding type, I would ideally prefer sedan (for boot space), and then hatch (chuckability) and then Crossovers. But these are Secondary to the factors that I have put in - safety, reliability, rear seat comfort, and Handling.

Thanks Sahil for your feedback on Altis. Definitely among my favorites. Was wondering if it feels good to handle as well. Will drive one and see.

I will second opinion of Sahil. I have a 2003 model with 2 significant accidents, done over 3 lac Km :) Very -difficult to go wrong with this car. Contrary to the general perception of sportiness, I found the engine extremely peppy. I guess due to the way it looks say over Civic, people do not consider this as sportier. But my experience is based on Manual and Auto might be different, but then Civic Auto is also not something to write about. Easy availability of spares/ Body parts and the legendary Toyota service, find the right corolla:thumbs up.

Agreed with the others. Your best options would be a Honda City or Toyota Corolla. Both are top-class sedans. Between the two, I'd be inclined toward the Corolla Altis as it is built to higher standards and has an outstanding track record for reliability + practicality. You should easily get a nice piece in your budget. And remember the golden rule with pre-owned cars = if you see a pristine example for a little more money, it's always worth it.

Not necessarily. A 20-lakh-rupee car can be had for 5 lakhs but will command 20-lakh-rupee-car money for part replacements.

This is the beauty of used car market. Higher segment cars depreciate more and can be had for the price of a used car from 2 segments below. Ask yourself, why not go for the Honda Accord or Skoda Superb instead at Honda City prices and you'll get my point.

In your case, Civic and Corolla are both very reliable cars so you can take a chance. But I don't think that the Civic will offer you much in terms of space and comfort over the City. I've not driven the Corolla petrol but the diesel version felt absolutely boring from a driver's perspective.

I've heard the petrol one performs better. That will be a better pick over Civic but keeping your location in mind (NCR), I would suggest to go with a car as new as possible because you'll get peanuts if you sell the car 3 years from now or even if you run it to the ground till its 15-year-validity.

Honda City, to me, appears a perfect compromise in your situation as you can get hold of a 6 year old car, use it for 5 years and sell it at a good price with 4 years of life left for the next owner.

Dont get me wrong, I love the Civic and am looking for one right now. But the car comes with its set of disadvantages. And since the title of the thread says "rear seat comfort", Civic is not the best in that aspect. The space is plenty but the ride quality is horrible.

Hence, my disclaimer, if you have not owner a car with a very low stance earlier, buying a Civic now, from the used car market is not ideal (as its suspension will be even below a new one).

Though the civic looks better, the Altis looks does grow on you.

Another option is Honda Jazz V CVT 2015 +

- within budget
- reliable
- you will get comparatively newer car
- dual airbags + ABS
- spacious rear seat (it can comfortably seat 2 adults at the rear even after installing slightly bigger child seat)
- better mileage
- 354 L boot space is more than enough for a small family
- Easy to drive around within city comparing bigger sedans
- sports mode + paddle shift for little fun on the highway

If you can extend your budget by a lakh, you can get the Fluidic Elantra 1.6 AT SX(O). I have seen many examples on OLX for the asking price of 5.5 or 6 lakhs. With that, you get:-

• 6 Airbags
• A 6-speed Torque Converter Automatic Transmission - better shift quality but might be less fuel efficient
• Proper D segment space with leather seats and premium interiors
• Ventilated and electrically adjustable seats (Trust me, very very useful in North Indian summers)
• Good space in the backseat (Legroom and width is good, but headroom might be lesser than Altis due to the sloping roof)

And the greatest benefit is that since it shares it's Engine + AT with the Verna and Creta, a large number of components are readily available - both from the Authorized Service Centers as well as the open market. The normal wear and tear components might not be as readily available as the Altis, but things aren't that bleak as well. I have been using a pre-owned latest generation one for the last one year and have covered almost 18000kms - I'm very much satisfied with the purchase.

Since your monthly running is less, you can go for the perol AT version as well, which might come in even cheaper.

If not the Elantra, then my second vote goes to the Altis, as it comes on top in Safety, Space and Comfort aspects.

If you have experience maintaining a car through an independent garage, then please do look into the Nissan Teana. It has the best backseat. Nothing this side of 50lacs can compare with the sheer comfort offered by it. That said, I have not heard very good things about Nissan service so that's why I mentioned having to maintain it through a trusted independent garage :thumbs up if not there's always the Corolla but trust me the Teana is something else and is worth atleast a look :D

Thanks Turbanator for sharing your experience. I will drive a Corolla automatic and update my experience here.

Thanks GTO, even my mind is more inclined towards the Corolla Altis. Civic used prices are lower than the Corolla which along with its timeless design caught my attention. Also, an important rule indeed. Will keep it in mind for my Corolla search.

Thanks so much self_driven for the details. To be honest, I was mainly not considering Accord etc since I thought the size of those are a little too large for city commute. But I do get your important point as well. A Civic would cost more to maintain than a City.
Also, fair points on the 15 year rule in Delhi. Couple of things on the same :
1. I don't see myself staying in Delhi NCR for more than 2-3 years
2. I plan to keep the car even if I change locations. Hopefully I can get it re-registered wherever I go next and the 15 year rule should not affect me in that case

Honda City is a good choice as well practically but concentrating more on Corolla due to its excellent reliability reviews.

Got it, thanks. :thumbs up

Thanks Latheesh. Honda Jazz seems to be an interesting option as well. Would test drive one with family and take a call.

Thanks jsrakkar, Elantra looks enticing as well. However, my budget is kind of fixed at the moment so will have to let go of this. Also, from this thread, I learned that Verna might not be comfortable in the backseat due to its suspension setup. Is Elantra different from Verna in that aspect?

Thanks IshaanIan, Teana seems to be amazing for back seat comfort. However, it looks to be a very big car, might be difficult to handle in city drives. Also, and more importantly, I have no experience of maintaining a car through an independent garage. So, will pass on that one. I have read a few of your posts on the Kizashi and was briefly interested in that due to its VFM pricing in used car market + safety (8 airbags if I am not wrong) + Maruti Suzuki service center presence but decided to go against it as parts availability could be an issue and I want as less downtime as possible for my only car. But much love for your Kizashi. :thumbs up

Well, I'm not so sure about the previous generation (Fluidic) Elantra, but yet, the current generation has a good rear suspension system. But then again, I have no first hand experience with that - I'm almost at the Driver's seat all the time! :D Though none of my rear seat passengers have complained much.