[trek]

Dear team,

I am in the process of getting a used car to replace our 12 year old Tata Indigo CS which is seeing frequent breakdowns and suffers from an overheating problem of late.

Key criteria:
1. We are family of 6 footers and adequate legroom at the front and back is an important decision factor.
2. The ability to seat three adults at the back without rubbing shoulders. We are spoilt by the interior space available in the Indigo.
3. Reliability - After owning a lemon car for long, getting a fill it shut it car is a must have. Frankly we don't know till date what a fuss free ownership means.

I plan to keep the car for atleast another 5 years and use it as a daily ride and hope to travel long distance for vacations around the country.

I have recently come across a 2011 petrol Toyota Etios G variant from a known acquaintance, the car has only done about 51k in mileage and is under first ownership.

The body work seems okay with minor scratches and dents, AC works well and the suspension feels good too. The tyres have been replaced a year ago.

The only downside is there are no airbags and ABS, no fog lamps and other fancier gadgets.

I have yet to get the car professionally evaluated at a Toyota service center.

The price (within 2L) is within my budget and I wanted to hear from this knowledgeable community if it is worth to go for this 9 year old car?

Thanks in advance.

[Cessna182]

You could get it examined at a Toyota dealership to find out the expenses that will be incurred in restoring it to original spec.

Etios is a fine car and very reliable. The only issue is the lack of refinement which is perhaps worse than the Indigo. The early models were very noisy inside.

Just a suggestion- you could find a good Corolla for less than 4 lakhs and it would be a great upgrade. Spares are never an issue for that car though it has been discontinued. Someone I know paid about 2 lakhs for a first gen manual Corolla which was almost mint. I drove the car and was amazed at the way it retained its composure at high speeds. There wasn't a single creak or rattle also.

[gkveda]

I agree with cessna182 on all points except refinement.

Toyota is known for refinement and fuss free engines. But what probably he meant is, interior premium looks is missing in Etios.

One more point that you need to be aware of, is ground clearance is an issue with Etios. If you have 5 heavyweights in the car, you need to be very careful while hopping the humps and on rough patches of the road.

[condor]

The Etios should be fine - it's a Toyota. A quick check at the dealership will give you it's service history, and in case of any issues.

Originally Posted by Cessna182

The only issue is the lack of refinement which is perhaps worse than the Indigo. The early models were very noisy inside.

I think getting a good damping job on all panels, and the floor (from inside), and a coating from the bottom should help reduce the noise.

Fellow TBHP-ian Varun560061 has done the floor damping in a Safari and says it has been positive. I am getting tempted to do the same for my Storme too ( I have already damped the doors apart from the standard damping that the ICE shop guy did with their standard sticking-job).

[narayans80]

Etios received a good facelift in 2014 that got G-NCAP certified, where they made some safety reinforcements and made ABS, dual airbags standard. As a bonus, this facelift also brought a slightly better interior than the launch version Etios.

Originally Posted by Cessna182

you could find a good Corolla for less than 4 lakhs and it would be a great upgrade.

Spares are expensive. Ground clearance is not great and would scrape on midsize speed breakers on load. Lived with one for little over a year.

[DicKy]

Looking at the budget and the requirements, can't find any fault with the choice, nor is there any other alternative.

Personally if I am on a tight budget for used cars and want a reliable one, other than Maruti, the Etios/Liva is the only one that comes to mind.


Only negatives I could find with petrol Etios is the buzzy nature at highway speeds and the FE thanks to the free old school nature of the engine.

edit - Agree with @gkveda. Space for five 6 footers it has. Also a boot that is huge ass.
But use them to the full capacity, have to be careful over speedbumps and bad roads.

Can't understand. It is stiffly sprung so that high speed stability is good. Fair enough, it is a light car. Something has to be compromised. But then, with load it just squats down.

[saisree]

Given the budget and being a known acquaintance the deal should be OK. Etios is a reliable car and being a Toyota we can be sure on the reliability. All those BT telephony, reverse cams, parking sensors can be added to bring it to the current base requirements. All the best for the purchase.

[trek]

Thanks everyone for the advice.

I am in a bit of dilemma since the car is old and has no safety equipments.

I am open to spending more for higher variants but the prices quoted in the open markets for used Toyotas are frankly absurd.

There seems to be very few options available otherwise which can seat 5 people comfortably.

My dad is not too keen buying used and is asking to buy new. We briefly considered and tested the new Wagon R since it is spacious but the build quality is a big put off.

[saisree]

Check for Honda City which is equally reliable. 3rd Gen should be available around 3-4 lakhs INR.

[landcruiser123]

Originally Posted by trek

I am in a bit of dilemma since the car is old and has no safety equipments.
...tested the new Wagon R since it is spacious but the build quality is a big put off.

Safety is something over which there are question marks over in most entry level cars. With a limited budget, I'd buy a used Etios over a WagonR. 51k mileage on a Toyota is hardly anything, so it must be a good buy if a trusted mechanic gives you the green signal.

The other better options are Honda City or a Toyota Corolla but you can only get high-mileage cars for INR 2L.

[TheHelix0202]

I think none other than @Samba can answer you better.

But make sure the example you choose is no older than 6 years. Those are prone to niggles and squeaks, though nothing a visit to the A.S.S won't fix. But why have that hassle at all?

[rrsteer]

Hi Trek, with regards to your original question, with the budget and constraints you have quoted, I think Etios is one of the best choices.

Coincidentally I too own a 9 year old petrol Etios VX, which has done about 61k kms. It is a preowned car, purchased in 2014 by me. Apart from the yearly service, routine tyre change / maintenance and the fuel costs, I have not spent a single extra penny on this car - the car is that good.
I also really like the 1.5 litre petrol engine, its quite responsive and has good torque. The other thing I really like about the car is its ride/handling and the brakes.

The issues I have with the car are relatively low FE - I get about 10 kmpl with AC under city driving conditions, and the insides of the door (where the door mets the body) get very dirty - accumulate dirt and water after rains. But overall, I will highly recommend the car.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by trek

My dad is not too keen buying used and is asking to buy new. We briefly considered and tested the new Wagon R since it is spacious but the build quality is a big put off.

It depends on how much mileage you are looking at clocking/year.

a. If its like 5000 km/year, you'll not see much maintenance issues or part replacements going for a used car.
b. If you are a frequent highway tripper, I'd suggest to expand your budget to the million rupee ballpark and look at new cars.

If you are under budget constraints and your mileage fits scenario (a), get your acquaintance's 2011 Etios.

[Geo_Ipe]

Originally Posted by trek

Key criteria:
1. We are family of 6 footers and adequate legroom at the front and back is an important decision factor.
2. The ability to seat three adults at the back without rubbing shoulders. We are spoilt by the interior space available in the Indigo.
3. Reliability - After owning a lemon car for long, getting a fill it shut it car is a must have. Frankly we don't know till date what a fuss free ownership means.

I plan to keep the car for atleast another 5 years and use it as a daily ride and hope to travel long distance for vacations around the country.

I have recently come across a 2011 petrol Toyota Etios G variant from a known acquaintance, the car has only done about 51k in mileage and is under first ownership.
.....
The price (within 2L) is within my budget and I wanted to hear from this knowledgeable community if it is worth to go for this 9 year old car?

Thanks in advance.

Are you sure you want to get a 9 year old car to replace a 12 year old one? There is no way for you to know how well used or abused the car in question is. The clutch and suspension might need looking into, if not immediately in a couple of years.

Could you please give us some more details of your requirements:
- Number of km you cover yearly
- How often do you need to carry 5 people together
- The kind of terrain you plan to cover: Highways, hills etc

If budget allows, a used Innova would be a perfect upgrade for you. Acres of space, decent road manners and bulletproof reliability! Can't comment on running costs as you haven't mentioned your annual running - which I'm assuming isn't too much as you're looking at a petrol sedan.

Or for a similar budget, you may look for a Nissan Sunny. As far as space goes, the only competitor it has is the Skoda Superb! The 1.5 lit K9K diesel is a reliable motor. However, as it is a discontinued model you will need to have a decent FNG ready. Parts might not be an issue currently, but may become over the coming 5 years.

[Kosfactor]

One of our uncles who live in our same building had an Indigo diesel (which used to give him plenty of trouble) and he switched over to an Etios petrol Vx used car many years ago. This Etios had a good engine and gearbox, the good - is over there.

Everything else was falling apart - paint, body work, suspension, rattles everywhere and the interiors just wont last, the vehicle has poor sound insulation from all places. It was the same with every cab I have encountered. Selling it off after a few years at a loss was the only option, even then nobody wants a petrol Etios, it was hard to get rid off as well.