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-   -   Cheap "do-it-all" car for rough use (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/what-car/111963-cheap-do-all-car-rough-use-4.html)

Yes zen is an ideal option at your budget. Next best option would be a 5speed M800, a good car to scoot around.

I would recommend a older Zen, with MPFI engine (not the carburetor one). That should come close to 80K (maybe +/- 20K).

Its a wonderful sporty car to drive, very good fuel efficiency, and cheap to maintain.

Okay as most of the BHPians have suggested, getting a car for about 80k might not be sensible enough. We showed his dad the replies on this thread so he is ready to raise the budget to around 1.5 lakhs. Do our options widen up now? Also, i am getting a few commercially driven Tata Sumo's at Rs. 1.2 lakhs, so is it a good deal? And a 170000 kms done, Victa GX for 1.3 lakhs.
Can i consider used Sumos now? My cousin and me have a strong liking for Sumo's and am willing to give it first preference, over any hatch, now that we have a bigger budget to start with.



It can only be assumed that he will drive sensibly. Anyway, nobody can keep a tab on a 18 year old boy. He himself has to understand that driving in a irresponsible manner is dangerous to himself as well as others. It is up to him to drive well. Otherwise as you said, he can injure himself even on a cycle.lol:

He has just learnt driving from a Maruti driving school. Maintenance is no issue because we know a very efficient mechanic who will source parts also if required. We ourselves do not care about getting our hands dirty. Cost of spares is also not an issue. All his dad wants is his son to be safe.

Why don't you buy a new Nano CX? It has black bumpers to save it from scratches, an ac for comfort and will be a good first car for him with a lot of peace of mind.

I WON'T suggest anyone to pick up used Sumo, that too with so many miles on the clock, Stay away from this :)

Withing 1.5 L, You can get yourself Accent, Wagon R, Santro, Ikon etc. I suggest you to go ahead with Santro or wagon r of 2006-2007 vintage with few clicks on the odo, Easy on pocket, Great cars for city driving.

You can look at the Accent too, If you want a big car feeling, Accent is also not too expensive to maintain either.

My pick would be Santro or wagonr.

Cheers,
Sameer

Try the ikon 1.3 flair; 80k you should get a decently run/maintained car. The youngster just may agree for an image car in exchange for a bike.
Repairs will be expensive so do get the AC (the multi flow condenser is particularly expensive) / suspension checked properly.

Maruti Alto appears to fit the bill perfectly. A simple, reliable machine. You are most likely to find a Maruti service center in the middle of the Thar desert.

I too am looking for a cheap workhorse for occasional weekend (for shopping groceries and the like), bimonthly long drive (mostly leisure) and daily drive (10km/day) during monsoon. Will be keeping the vehicle for around 5-7 years and cheap serviceability and maintainability during this time would be awesome. But my prime concern is safety - braking and traction should be good and the vehicle should allow me to live to tell the tale in the (hopefully unlikely) event of an accident, so it should have good structural integrity. What are my options ?

I guess, Without your budget, No one here can recommend you any option :)

Please post your budget, So that we can help.

Cheers,
Sameer

Oh sorry about that. Around 100k is what I'm looking at, and purchase would be done somewhere near July-August 2013.

I know someone who bought a cielo a few months ago for about 60k. I was also looking at buying a used m800 for around 50k though that is around 15 or so years old.

Cars are definitely available at the 80 to 100 K budget, though as the saying goes, caveat emptor, let the buyer beware. When buying any car, but especially something over ten years old, do a proper check of the car.

I would recommend staying away from commercial vehicles, because unless it was an owner driven vehicle, most of these have been badly used and abused. Maintenance has always been iffy and they are generally only getting sold as they are reaching the useful end of their life

If you're going for this drive to prove a point, consider doing it in a car the most people claim to be unreliable. A Tata Sumo would be good, but a Spacio would fit the bill perfectly. In fact the Spacio would be better for the Himalayan drive because it doesnt need pre-heating. Just fit some new tyres and service it before you set out. Make sure that the Sumo/Spacio you get has seat belts.

I'm REALLY apprehensive about buying something on the lines of a used Cielo. I remember hearing this around 4-5 years back - you can pick up 4 cielos for under 1.5 lakhs. Drive one and use the other three for parts :uncontrol

I don't wish to consider vehicles like Baleno/Icon/Fusion/Escort either, because they cost a bomb to maintain. I'm thinking more on the lines of buying few years old petrol cars that depreciate very rapidly or those older cars that run like stink even now and have really cheap parts. Nano is one option and I'm keeping it as a fallback option if I don't find anything else.

What are the options I have now ?

agree: Another point in favour of Spacio is it 3L engine. That has oodles of torque. I have seen Spacio pull out of heavy mud and deep pits in Mizoram, where every other vehicle got stuck, no need for 4x4:D

Add a couple of 20L metal Fuel cans and you are fit to travel practically any where.

perhaps the best option would be a Maruti car. The alto and the 800 would be the cheapest options, but if you look at the maruti's that were market failures and sold in smaller numbers (a*, zen estilo et al) these are cars that have depreciated more than the alto/800. In addition, they tend to be better equipped. Under a lakh might be difficult but between one and two lakhs you should be able to find umpteen examples.