Team-BHP - Cheap "do-it-all" car for rough use

I would suggest the Amby. It can be an adventurous affair though.

Pros:
-cheap to buy second hand
- can be repaired almost anywhere
-spacious
-high ground clearance
Cons:
-low on power
-poor handling
-horrible handling

Also if you come across anymore info do let me know as i'm also looking for a cheap Amby/Premier Padmini.

My younger cousin brother has just crossed and is demanding a bike from his father for about 80k, a 220F or an RTR most probably. His father is a bit apprehensive about bikes in hands of youngsters and so wants him to look at used cars that can be bought at that budget. So we are looking to buy a used car for that amount with the following requirements:

1. Age: From 2002 onwards.

2. Mileage: 100000+ kms will also do, though if we get cars with less mileage, its good.

3. Usage: Only about 50 kms. a week, so petrol will do.

So i am looking at some options like Alto, WagonR's, OHC, Accent Viva CRDi on Carwale, Team-BHP Classifieds, etc. Please suggest me some cars, deals and dealers. My only requirement is that i cannot go outside WB or Jh. please:

Quote:

Originally Posted by searchingheaven (Post 2885217)

So i am looking at some options like Alto, WagonR's, OHC, Accent Viva CRDi on Carwale, Team-BHP Classifieds, etc. Please suggest me some cars, deals and dealers. My only requirement is that i cannot go outside WB or Jh. please:

Should be possible to get an 800/Alto at those prices in WB/JH. Getting an Omni is definitely possible but your cousin's father might not approve of it. Stay away from old Esteems and such since they will turn out to be expensive to maintain and use.

Quote:

Originally Posted by searchingheaven (Post 2885217)

Discontinued cars are your best bet, but spares will be an issue. A few cars I can think of - Opel Corsa, Corsa Sail, Astra, Fiat Palio 1.2, Daewoo Matiz, Maruti 800 pre-MPFI model (pre-2001??).

Quote:

None of the cars you listed will come within even double your budget :), barring old Altos and WagonRs which you might squeeze into the 1.5L space. You could probably look at the Palio 1.2 ELX. At least its spare parts availability may not be as bad as Opel or Daewoo. Old 800s will be available, but I doubt if you will get post-2002 800s in the 80k range. My vote in the order of preference -

1. Maruti 800 for sheer ease of use and maintenance
2. 2002 or post-2002 Palio 1.2.

Quote:

Originally Posted by akshay4587 (Post 2885239)

An acquintance on another forum got a 2000 OHC 1.3 in decent nick with genuine 1.5L on odo for 85K.Look around you may strike gold:thumbs up

Just as you said. i saw this OHC 1.5 EXi at 1.1 lakh. Used 2000 Honda City Old 1.5 EXi (S250477) for sale in Kolkata - CarWale

Why dont you look for a used Nano? you could try at Tata delaerships, they have had some exchange offer running over last few months.
for example they were offering me only 80K for my 2011 (april) Nano that has run 4k kms. you could get a good one (perhaps a few months older) for around that price. or the downpayment + instalment option could work for a new one too.

the only reason I recommend the Nano is because very old cars may bring with it other costs such as maintenance, tyre changes, etc. if you (your cousin) are not convinced, please ensure a comprehensive PDI of any used car you consider.

With your budget you'd be restricted to 2001-02 models of Santro or Alto. They should be your best bet. Both have extensive service centers across the country thus availability of parts shouldn't be too much of the hassle.

As fellow member selfdrive suggested a used Nano may also be good bet. Not only would end up getting a relatively fresh piece but availability of spares would not be an issue.

Not sure about the used car prices in WB which may be lower than the sky high ones down south. If the prices are lower then one can stretch a wee bit say to 1 lakh and try getting any of these-

It would be better to go for hatches for a first time user due to ease of driving and cost of ownership and then graduate to other cars.

In the order of preference-

1. Nano: Some of the 2 year olds are available at extremely low prices
2. M800: Should get a 6-8 year old for the price since it is a discontinued model
3. Santro Zipdrive: The old shape Santro with all the virtues of the Zing is an excellent buy
4. Matiz: Great car with the same pinnings of the Spark and with spares and servicing similar to 800

I'll suggest you to find a clean, well maintained, Zen. You will find plenty of them around your budget. Won't be too expensive on your pocket to maintain.

Or you can try, If you can find santro or Alto. But, I'll pick Zen, followed by Santro :)

Cheers,
Sameer

Quote:

Originally Posted by searchingheaven (Post 2885217)

His father is a bit apprehensive about bikes in hands of youngsters and so wants him to look at used cars that can be bought at that budget. So we are looking to buy a used car for that amount with the following requirements:

1. Age: From 2002 onwards.

2. Mileage: 100000+ kms will also do, though if we get cars with less mileage, its good.

3. Usage: Only about 50 kms. a week, so petrol will do.

So i am looking at some options like Alto, WagonR's, OHC, Accent Viva CRDi on Carwale, Team-BHP Classifieds, etc. Please suggest me some cars, deals and dealers. My only requirement is that i cannot go outside WB or Jh. please:

Hmmm, nice sensible father, but does the son listen ? The safest bet for now for him is a M-800, but his father has to believe that his kid can drive around safely, else no car/bike can save a foolish rider/driver.

Quote:

Originally Posted by searchingheaven (Post 2885217)

1. Age: From 2002 onwards.

2. Mileage: 100000+ kms will also do, though if we get cars with less mileage, its good.

3. Usage: Only about 50 kms. a week, so petrol will do.

So i am looking at some options like Alto, WagonR's, OHC, Accent Viva CRDi on Carwale, Team-BHP Classifieds, etc. Please suggest me some cars, deals and dealers. My only requirement is that i cannot go outside WB or Jh. please:

Hey dude,

Does your cousin already know how to drive a car ? or is he gonna learn ? You can get OHC, Balenos, WagonR, M800, Zen, Ford Ikon, Accent but not Crdi or Viva models for 80K.

You got to segregate them to easy maintenance(high fuel efficiency) and high maintenance (Low fuel efficiency).

M800, Nano, Alto, Wagon R, Zen belongs to Low maintenance and high fuel efficiency and pre 2000 Esteem for 80K for low maintenance but also low fuel efficiency and the same goes for ford Ikon too.

OHCs, Balenos, Esteems, Opel Corsa, Sail, Palio at the hand of a college going kid just out of teen age is not advisable because of their sheer power at an amateur hands.

Best Buy should be a Nano(pre 2011), Just my suggestion !

Cheers,

Chaos