[aniket13]

Hi everyone, thrilled to write my first post on the forum.

I'm currently in the market for a used automatic sedan for my Dad which would also be frequently driven by myself. From my research, I have found 2 options in the market that are priced similar, and have been contemplating on which one to choose:

1) Used 2017 Honda City VX/ZX CVT - around 20k - 30k Kms on the odometer.

2) Used 2014 Toyota Corolla Altis 1.8G/VL CVT - 50k - 60k Kms Odometer.

Just to make things clear - The Honda City is what I'm looking for in the market (I haven't found anything yet). I currently have an offer for 2014 1.8G CVT Corolla Altis on the table with 60k km done but a second owner vehicle (pristine shape with very clean service history).

The Honda City is my initial preference due to the following reasons:
Recent car > decently reliable product > still in production > not so costly to maintain plus spares are decently priced. However, the most important factor tilting my brain towards the Honda City is the fact that I would still be eligible for Zero Depreciation Insurance from a handful of providers and Honda's Anytime Warranty up to 10 years.

On the other hand, the Toyota Corolla Altis presents an upper segment > bigger engine plus a substantially better CVT (from reviews, I haven't done a Test Drive), Better fit and finish, better build quality. On the negative side - smaller boot, lacks a lot of features when compared to a City VX, older discontinued product, No Zero Dep Insurance, No Warranty, Second owner vehicles in abundance (hard depreciating when I sell in future). I'm not too worried about the odometer reading as these vehicles are made to last lakhs of Kms.

With all the above thoughts and inputs in mind, can you please suggest if I should consider the 2014 Toyota Corolla Altis or keep my hunt ON for the 2017 Honda City? Repeating again: for the sake of discussion, please assume that both the vehicles are being offered at exactly the same price bracket ~ 6-7L. Simply put, ignore the immediate price of the vehicle, and emphasize more on the long-term cost of ownership. If it was a 2017 Corolla Altis vs 2017 Honda City, I would have picked the Altis eyes closed!

My biggest priority is a well-kitted, feature-rich, comfortable sedan with fuss-free ownership (even if something breaks) and good resale value, reliable engine, gearbox, spares, ASS network, well surrounded by insurance + warranty for that extra peace of mind.

Few more thoughts:
- Both are comparatively similar with respect to the cost of maintenance.

- Both are reliable long-term otherwise - hence the topic shifts to spares/accidental repairs/bad-luck if something does go kaput!

- for point 2: Extended Warranty and Zero Dep insurance become paramount for as long as I can get for peace of mind (please provide guidance/opinions on this point)

- Toyota spares are MAD expensive when I compare it to the City (I know it's not a fair comparison).

[@og_adi]

Going strictly by the facts provided by you in your post, I think it is definitely more logical to get a 5 year old Honda City over an 8 year old Corolla. Sure, you miss out on that 140HP engine and a D segment sedan but considering the fact that the car will be bought pre-owned, having ultimate peace of mind is of utmost importance as mentioned. Listen to the head over the heart if your money is dear to you when choosing the pre-owned route. Coming to features, the 4th gen VX/ZX of the City is more feature rich as compared to the G variant of the Corolla. It's always better to buy a top end over a comparably priced base variant of the next segment if features are important to you.

Originally Posted by aniket13

My biggest priority is a well-kitted, feature-rich, comfortable sedan with fuss-free ownership (even if something breaks) and good resale value, reliable engine, gearbox, spares, ASS network, well surrounded by insurance + warranty for that extra peace of mind.

Your requirements too scream Honda City!

I'm honestly not sure if you would find a good 4th gen City top end for about 6-7 lakhs but nevertheless, good luck and keep this thread updated!

Suggestion- Adding a poll to this thread would help BHPians to make their choice easily since you already have your facts straight.

[aniket13]

Originally Posted by @og_adi

Going strictly by the facts provided by you in your post, I think it is definitely more logical to get a 5 year old Honda City over an 8 year old Corolla. Sure, you miss out on that 140HP engine and a D segment sedan but considering the fact that the car will be bought pre-owned, having ultimate peace of mind is of utmost importance as mentioned. Listen to the head over the heart if your money is dear to you when choosing the pre-owned route. Coming to features, the 4th gen VX/ZX of the City is more feature rich as compared to the G variant of the Corolla. It's always better to buy a top end over a comparably priced base variant of the next segment if features are important to you.

Thank you for the prompt response. I definitely resonate that it is in fact a head over heart battle when it comes to C vs D segment sedan, especially in the used car market. Features are one thing among the criteria that I'm okay with sacrificing, especially if the car is worth it. However, my brain is stuck between going the safe and secure route with a Honda City vs a rather risky move with the Corolla Altis (only due to its age).

Key pointers going in favour of the Altis are:

- I personally feel the car looks more imposing than the 4th Gen City. It definitely has that persona for which Toyota does charge a premium!

- Exceptional CVT vs the one of 4th gen City.

- Exponentially better build quality: I have experienced the 4th gen City for a while and will admit that the car reeks of cost-cutting. The build is poor, fit and finish is worse, rattles from unspeakable areas. It simply doesn't feel like a luxury sedan costing ~ 14-16L OTR.

- FE is comparable to the smaller 1.5L iVtech engine.

If there was a way I could ensure at least 3 years of peaceful ownership of the Altis, I would have picked it up. This brings to my further question:

1) Is there any insurance provider offering Zero-Dep beyond 8 years?

2) I called up the Toyota guy and he said there's something called Toyota Protect which is like a warranty + Zero Dep cover for your Toyota car for a period of 10 years. This would secure the ownership for at least a couple more years. Any further information and/or experience with such a thing?

Also, what is a fair market value of a second owner, 2014 Corolla Altis 1.8G CVT with over 50,000 kms on the odometer?

[androdev]

Originally Posted by aniket13

my brain is stuck between going the safe and secure route with a Honda City vs a rather risky move with the Corolla Altis (only due to its age).

You sure seem to know the pros and cons really well. Here is when you can afford to "stretch" to buy a next segment car:

1. You are an experienced and safe driver so that your chances of fender/bender accidents are low. Accidents are a very costly affair and you better be a good driver not to face it. Zero depreciation etc will cover you for a very short duration (if at all) in the case of a used car.

2. Your usage is not in congested places so that you actually get to enjoy a bigger and more mature car.

3. Kind of obvious, it doesn't help if you are on a very tight budget (to own and to maintain including fuel bills)

If you decide to go for the bigger car and not feeling generous to spend a lot of money to buy, you can pick a car with more depreciation - 2 years or 20K km extra won't make such a difference to a car like Corolla but you must patiently search for a car that has been religiously serviced by a responsible owner. In my experience, most cars age really well in the hands of a responsible owner however depreciation is always based on age and mileage - the way the car has been taken care of doesn't bump up the price that much - which is where the opportunity lies for people shopping for used cars.

[narayans80]

If your usage is low and intend to keep her around, I would suggest the Corolla over the City. Here's my reasoning, based on my ownership of the 10th gen VL-AT:

1. The comfort is definitely a huge step up.
2. The additional size hardly matters with an AT. I drove from day 1 after a 5 year hiatus from daily driving. I've taken the Corolla AT on gullies, that I wouldn't dare take the MT S-Cross I currently drive, which is a good 300 mm shorter.
3. Yes the spare prices are tear jerkers, and this is why I wouldn't suggest if you are a high miler.
4. The boot is small? This was the only car, my wife had full freedom to pack the way she wanted for a 10 day trip, and we didn't need to keep any stuff in the cabin. So much so, she had her eyes set on Ciaz over the S-Cross at the time of replacement.
5. Both are low GC vehicles. So both are fit to be tarmac terrorists.
6. That gen of City isn't synonymous with QC Honda was famous for. There was a dedicated thread for it.
7. Petrol Corollas are resale disasters. You might get it at a low price now. At the time of resale it'll fall steeply again. The person who will buy from you would be the 4th owner.
8. The history is very important. You might have to have a close eye before sealing the deal.
9. FE will be acceptable with CVT. If you've set the expectation as petrol and CVT.

[subbarp]

My inputs:

2014 is just an year. I drive a 2006 Corolla. Have had long periods of no use during the pandemic and have had no issues.

Depends on what you prefer, the features and the price point at which you are getting the cars (and of course their relative condition and service history).

The newer vehicle would have more gadgets and would be more contemporary. The older one less so. But if you go by sheer size, comfort, power and ability the go to most places without a worry I would pick the Corolla. Drives as good as new.

However keep in mind that Corolla is a discontinued model and while I have had no issues thus far on spares, this could be a challenge in future. I am also not familiar with the mileage differences between the 2 cars, so cannot comment on that aspect.

Thanks.

[landcruiser123]

Corolla, eyes closed. And install an Andoird Auto/Apple CarPlay enabled HU.

I'd prefer a higher segment car with lesser features 9 times out of 10 (The one time I wouldn't is probably when you suggest a relatively older Elantra or discontinued models like the Fluence.) Besides the numbers related to the engine, space, etc, the intangibles like better NVH, ride & build quality matter a lot to me. I'd pick the Corolla in your case unless you have another "badi gaadi" (higher segment vehicle) at home. Imagine turning up at a wedding or a 5-star hotel in a Corolla (vs a City.)

[2000rpm]

May I ask what price are you getting the Corolla for?

If you are not interested in the same, I can have a look at the same.

[aniket13]

Thanks for the overwhelming response overnight for my first post/query on the forum

Originally Posted by androdev

You sure seem to know the pros and cons really well. Here is when you can afford to "stretch" to buy a next segment car:

1. You are an experienced and safe driver so that your chances of fender/bender accidents are low. Accidents are a very costly affair and you better be a good driver not to face it. Zero depreciation etc will cover you for a very short duration (if at all) in the case of a used car.

2. Your usage is not in congested places so that you get to enjoy a bigger and more mature car.

The car would be primarily for my father who is retiring soon. He gets mostly chauffeured to the office but drives around for short weekend trips (very rarely) and market roundabouts at times. His age along with facing long-covid means he struggles with manual drives and finds it "Hectic". Hence going for an AT and the apprehension around a discontinued D-Segment vehicle. For solely my personal use, I would have taken the plunge.

Originally Posted by narayans80

If your usage is low and intend to keep her around, I would suggest the Corolla over the City. Here's my reasoning, based on my ownership of the 10th gen VL-AT:

1. The comfort is definitely a huge step up.
2. The additional size hardly matters with an AT. I drove from day 1 after a 5 year hiatus from daily driving. I've taken the Corolla AT on gullies, that I wouldn't dare take the MT S-Cross I currently drive, which is a good 300 mm shorter.
3. Yes the spare prices are tear jerkers, and this is why I wouldn't suggest if you are a high miler.
4. The boot is small? This was the only car, my wife had full freedom to pack the way she wanted for a 10 day trip, and we didn't need to keep any stuff in the cabin. So much so, she had her eyes set on Ciaz over the S-Cross at the time of replacement.
5. Both are low GC vehicles. So both are fit to be tarmac terrorists.
6. That gen of City isn't synonymous with QC Honda was famous for. There was a dedicated thread for it.
7. Petrol Corollas are resale disasters. You might get it at a low price now. At the time of resale it'll fall steeply again. The person who will buy from you would be the 4th owner.
8. The history is very important. You might have to have a close eye before sealing the deal.
9. FE will be acceptable with CVT. If you've set the expectation as petrol and CVT.

Thanks for sharing your experience - this heps a lot. Yes, the usage would be fairly low - around 200-300kms per month regular (more if any trips planned). For some of your points:

1) I found the comfort to be similar to City - in my mind I couldn't find a clear winner in this regard. However, that's some achievement to match City's famous rear-seat comfort which a couple of segment-above cars struggle.

2) This is encouraging if it drives like a C-segment.

3) So far the biggest concern

4) It is small (470L) compared to City's massive 510L. You can accommodate an entire village in it!

Originally Posted by subbarp

My inputs:

2014 is just an year. I drive a 2006 Corolla. Have had long periods of no use during the pandemic and have had no issues.

Depends on what you prefer, the features and the price point at which you are getting the cars (and of course their relative condition and service history).

The newer vehicle would have more gadgets and would be more contemporary. The older one less so. But if you go by sheer size, comfort, power and ability the go to most places without a worry I would pick the Corolla. Drives as good as new.

However keep in mind that Corolla is a discontinued model and while I have had no issues thus far on spares, this could be a challenge in future. I am also not familiar with the mileage differences between the 2 cars, so cannot comment on that aspect.

Thanks.

Thanks a lot for the inputs. I'm too aware that these machines are built to outlast (even its human, haha!) and need very minimum upkeep. I have heard the only thing that needs frequent replacing are the break-pads especially for the AT - and they do cost a bomb! I have also heard that the aftermarket spares are quite effective for a fraction of the original price. Any particular experience with these?

Larger GC over the City can be a huge bonus - however, the City's 165mm is quite adequate and doesn't scrap the bottom easily.

Toyota said spares availability is not an issue for this version of Altis as it was a fairly successful product. Prices are also in-line with other D-segment cars. He mentioned the Toyota Protect - a 10 year warranty + Zero Dep program by Toyota: do you have any idea about such a program?

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

Corolla, eyes closed. And install an Andoird Auto/Apple CarPlay enabled HU.

I'd prefer a higher segment car with lesser features 9 times out of 10 (The one time I wouldn't is probably when you suggest a relatively older Elantra or discontinued models like the Fluence.) Besides the numbers related to the engine, space, etc, the intangibles like better NVH, ride & build quality matter a lot to me. I'd pick the Corolla in your case unless you have another "badi gaadi" (higher segment vehicle) at home. Imagine turning up at a wedding or a 5-star hotel in a Corolla (vs a City.)

Wow, when you put it that way I almost feel like closing the deal RIGHT NOW! My heart keeps screaming what you said, but my head seems to be pulling right in the opposite direction

I did consider the 2016-17 Elantra, however, got such bad vibes from even the Hyundai reps that I completely dropped the idea. One of them suggested to strictly stay away from that generation due to it being an extremely low-selling product > parts are very difficult to source > ridiculously expensive spares and waiting time if anything goes wrong.

@Mods: Can you please help me out by putting up a Poll to the thread. Thanks.

[youknowitbetter]

I think since the requirement in primarily for your father, he may find it easy to drive City around because of its dimensions. May want to consider the overall dimensions while considering the technical stuff

[Siddarth_Ramani]

If the car was for you, I'd have suggested Corolla all the way.
Reasons:

1). R&D budget for Corolla is far, far higher than Honda City--> Better Product.
2). Corolla has a bigger engine--> There's no replacement for displacement.
3). Higer GC for India.
4). Sourcing parts will not be an issue even after 20 years. Don't get me wrong, they are expensive. This is a car that's sold in millions globally. You can get even child parts/ parts that are not available in India from Vietnam/Taiwan countries.


However since the car is for your dad. Go with City
Reasons:
1). Compact Dimensions.
2). Newer car.
3). More life on paper. (Japanese cars can easily outlast the fitness specified by Indian govt).
4). Affordable maintenance.
5). A good resale value, if you plan to sell in future.
6). V-Tech.

[Aravind_M92]

Pros for the Altis
- D segment sedan
- Toyota reliability
- Powerful 1.8 engine
- After market Spares should be easy to come by
- Better build quality
Cons for the Altis
- No nil dep insurance or warranty Available. Any visit to the service center will definitely burn a hole
- outdated HU and interiors
- you'll be the third owner
- outdated safety standards

Pros for the City
- Newer car
- Honda's petrol engine
- Any time warranty and nil dep available upto 10th year of ownership
- Good interior space
- OEM spares will be available
- you'll be the second owner
Cons for the City
- C segment sedan
- probably has the digipad 1. You'll definitely have to get that replaced.
- build quality isn't upto mark. The car is very well prone to find and rattles. Don't be surprised if you'll have to get your bumper replaced even for a minor front impact.

If you plan on keeping the car for a year or two only, try negotiating more on the corolla. Or else go for the City.

[aaggoswami]

Was in the same boat in 2020. Ended up buying 4th Generation Honda City instead of Corolla. Must say a mistake I made. Corolla is much better built which could be reason enough to buy over City. 4th generation city isn't well built and it develops lots of rattles. Soft suspension doesn't help much and once car is loaded up, the front end lightens up more than expected. Moreover, suspension gets noisy over a period of time. Corolla is far better engineered, definitely safer and the 1.8 isn't as inefficient. Infact Corolla's 1.8 isn't as load sensitive as City's 1.5. Corolla any given day over City for me. I have driven 15,000 kms after purchasing City, can tell you that my second generation Swift had better high speed stability and was more forgiving than City. 1.5 engine is gem but that's about it. As a package 4th city doesn't make for a satisfying purchase.

[vikramvicky1984]

I got myself a used diesel altis (2011) in September and have already done 5,000 kms. I have used cvt city extensively. Only real flaw compared to city would be you won't enjoy at all if you drive spiritedly- it's terrible.
If it matters, Corolla make me feel like 50-55 years old while city maybe 25-30 years. ( I am 37).

Everything else- corolla is way superior.
Age is just a number, pay attention to service history and upkeep.
Don't think too much of resale, post 5 years both will be peanuts only.

[sumeethaldankar]

Avoid if possible cars with more than 1 owner. The Corolla is built better and will last long. The City is also good but build quality is not at par with the Toyota. The Corolla will be more expensive to maintain in case anything goes wrong. 1.8 litre will be more thirsty than a 1.5 litre. I wil still pick the Corolla over the City though. These are really from two different segments.