[shankar.balan]

I would consider in this order;
Used Fusion TDCi PLUS with ABS.
Used Fiesta top end TDCi with Airbags ABS etc
Used Mahindra Logan

The Fords are strong, VFM packages and come with good amount of safety kit.
Fusion makes for a very practical large hatch type car. SInce it shares a lot of parts with the Fiesta, spares and service wont be too much trouble I think. advantage is the low prices for these in the used market.
Fiesta is a proven, solid vehicle. Great value. Excellent drive and useful to have the boot to keep luggage away from passengers. again one gets good deals in the used market.
M&M Logan is very comfy. Good ride. Strong engine. Will probably go on forever if maintained well. Personally I dont care too much about the "taxi" image etc - basically it is a very good VFM vehicle. getting a top end logan on the cheap in the used market is a distinct possibility.

Effectively buying one of the above gives you a larger vehicle at the price of a small new hatch + excellent fuel efficiency in all three options, so why not? Especially if you want to take people and luggage here and there these are going to give you more comfort and pleasure than a small hatch can.

[kavesh55]

Would suggest you go for the Ford Fiesta, its a good sedan, has good ride and handling. Moreover, cost of spares have got reasonable.

[StrangeWizard]

The Fusion is not in production anymore so don't buy it even if it's available for cheap because getting spare parts would be a problem.
If you want a fun to drive car then go for Swift/Ritz or the Fiesta if you need the boot space.
I guess Logan is also good if you require back seat comfort.

[nfsfreak]

My recommendation would be Fiesta (old). A nice car with good comfort and a very good Fuel efficiency.
90% of Ford spares are not that costly compared to Maruti or Hyundai.
I think You can very well get a clean car which has run less than 25K kms for 4.5 Lakhs. Spares for Fiesta should be available as current Fiesta is replacing Ikon (without few features)

Logan is good on comfort but no idea about maintenance. Havent encountered any GC related issues when i travelled on that car (on not-so-great roads with usual big speedbreakers in B'lore)

Ikon would be third. spares could be a problem few years down the line as production is stopped, i believe.


For Hatchbacks: As you are not interested in Swift, Ritz is a good option backed by very good M.A.S.S.

Getz CRDi is a good option but i believe, CRDi engines need an engine overhaul at around 75K kms which could be heavy on pocket. So, keep this in mind while looking for one. Also, its slightly expensive to maintain compared to Ritz.

Stay away from Fusion, as i had read about high maintenance involved. Also, not sure about the spares.

My recommendations would be
Sedans:
1. Fiesta
2. Logan
3. Ikon

HBs:
1. Ritz
2. Getz CRDi (if low mileage)

[GTO]

My recommendations, with classified links from MH (mostly)

2009 Fiat Punto

A 2009 Getz

2009 Indica Vista

Hyundai Verna

Of course, these are only sample cars that may or may not work for you. Keep screening the market; you can easily find a Punto or Getz diesel.

[vignesh_ny]

Voted for the Fiesta D. Minimal turbo lag, excellent dynamics and the SXI model has all safety kit + a not so good resale in the used car market.

[adg_andy]

Hi Doc,

I would suggest Indigo cs or indica e-v2. IMHO the ecs can be camparable to the logan: in fact the engine refinement is good.

I rode an ecs about a month ago in Kolkata and was pleasantly surprised

my 2 cents

regards,
Andy

[ra'ul M]

I would pick the Ford Fusion TDCi + because of it being very spacious by hatchback standards and its quite reliable from what I have heard although I have never owned one.
I just love really big hatchbacks like the SRV and the Fusion where you dont even think about space as an issue. Also, its relatively cheap as it was never very popular.
I hope Ford still stocks the parts though

[creative420]

Originally Posted by ra'ul M

I would pick the Ford Fusion TDCi + because of it being very spacious by hatchback standards and its quite reliable from what I have heard although I have never owned one.
I just love really big hatchbacks like the SRV and the Fusion where you dont even think about space as an issue. Also, its relatively cheap as it was never very popular.
I hope Ford still stocks the parts though

^^ +1

My boss recently bought a Skoda Yeti. He used to own fusion earlier on which he decided to keep it as his second car. But off lately, I've seen him coming to office by Fusion again. When I asked why not skoda? He said, 'Fusion jaisa mazza nahin hai yaar'. Plus he also said that not once his car (done about 67000kms) has a serious problem. Pretty sturdy i say.

[Dr.Abhi]

I own fusion diesel for last 3 and half years/60k kms and I must say its a good car. All the other cars listed are also good and the only thing that really distinguishes the Fusion from other cars is its Ground Clearance which I find it very helpful because roads in my area are in pathetic condition most of the time. Routine service cost has reduced with time because now it share its engine with Figo and at least finding the engine spares shouldnt be problematic in future due to same reason fingers crossed. Other than that accident repairs and plastic parts are expensive and can be difficult to procure in the future also.

[soumobakshi]

+ 1 to roy libran

If you want a 2nd Opinion from another Logan Owner of 3 years with 50+ K's on the ODO.
I drive in Bangalore Traffic with 100% AC my KMPL Figures have never been below 17 and on Highways with a 5 Adults and 100% AC with adequate luggage i keep getting 20+ Kmpl. I wonder with 1.3 L engine can the MJD's match this? I have my friends who vouches for this. GC has never been an issue with me. Yes Clutch can be a bit tricky, however since it is a cable operated replacing the cable makes life simple ( However I have replaced the cable once till date) and it is not expensive either. Spares are reasonable cheap and overall i spend approx 8K / year on preventive maintanenece and consumables.
Regarding Getz Crdi one of my friend owns the same and she keeps complaining of poor mileage of below 13. Fusion or Ford in General (pre Figo) models are known to dig a hole in your pocket with spares and maintenance. And Fiat is curesed due to TATA A$$
Being a Logan Owner I have obviously voted for VFM Logan

[swiftnfurious]

I would suggest you go with Fiesta D. I have heard its an excellent car with the only negative being the rear space which is just about adequate. But then Swift & Ritz also might be the same in terms of space and those dont score on boot space as well ! Fiesta has good boot space also.

Heard logan is also a great package and you might find a better deal in the used car market ! Fiesta as far as I know, is not cheap in the used car market and is sold at a premium at least in Kerala. Also Fiesta service costs are pretty normal [less] by Ford standards.

Ford Fusion might be an excellent car - But I have heard of 10K amounts for each service it goes in. I am not sure whether this has come down after the Figo launch. And yeah, it should be cheap in the used car market.

[vishygk]

You have not mentioned if you have any preference for a Sedan vs Hatchback.

IMO the Ford Fiesta is the best choice if you are going for a sedan. We have had one in the family from 2007 and it is a really nice car to drive and mileage has consistently been 16+ (mix of highway and City) plus maintenance is not a deal breaker (comparable to Hyundai). It is sure to bring a smile when you drive. GC is adequate however when fully loaded and dealing with the humps in bangalore it did scrape on a few occasions but still way better than my Elantra.

If you are looking at a Hatchback try the Getz Crdi(if u can find a good one) - excellent engine, good space and decent build quality. The space utilization is better than Swift (esp at rear), otherwise Swift should do it and there are plenty of them available.

[fatboyslim]

Hey Doc:

My Doc, my choice after considering all options are:

1. Fiesta: Great to drive car. Maintenance could be expensive, from my experience they have reduced the cost of spare parts but increased the labor rates. So total cost of ownership is likely to be higher.

2. Logan: Frugal, Spacious, Highway cruiser. I think Mahindra has already taken steps to boost sales and Renault is on the way in. So 3-4years horizon, I believe things should be fine

3. Wildcard: Tata Indigo Manza. Pure VFM in all dimensions, one might just get a recent copy (Well it was only launched-1.5 Years back) at the budget that you have.

Cheers,
Fatboyslim

[joshguy]

Hey Doc,

Here is my choice

1 Fusion - Fusion and Fiesta share the same engine ,so no spares problem
2 Fiesta - Might be little out of your budget
3 Logan - Superb car,i should have rated this 2nd but since it has low brand value i didnt
4 Ritz - I have suggested this because it was in your list,other wise for highway driving it a BIG NO from me