[silverado]

Maruti OMNI?

Is fun to drive on Narrow roads in City, may not be the best option for a high speed highway.
Get one around 80-90k, put in good alloy wheels, spruce up its interiors and you have the ultimate party van!

Will also stand out against all the usual set of cars in your college.

[deep_bang]

If the choice is between Esteem and Zen, I would still go for the Esteem. However, it's very important that the condition is good. The thing is, you do get decent esteems around 1L that is old but yet good.

[Tanveer02]

Originally Posted by wrongturn

Well if I was in your place I would invest that money in buying a SWB mahindra Jeep, or a MM540/550 as per availability.
You can get one in below average conditions for ₹60-70k. With time invest in it as per requirements and the list of mods is endless. By the time you will graduate you will end up owning a wonderful companion and the best part is that it's value will increase with time and not depreciate. It will also be a good learning experience, a jeep will teach you a lot of things about the workings to a car, I personally have learnt a lot from it. You will be able to fix problems for which people rely on mechs.
No car can come close to a decently maintained humble jeep for a college student. Respect, pride, honor all bundled up in one package.
It ticks all your requirements, though the 'fun to drive' factor might be different from the kind of fun you might get driving a pocket rocket like a Zen 1.3 and since you already have 'regular' cars at your home a jeep might be a good thought to ponder upon.

I understand your point. But availability is an issue here friend. My own cousin wanted to buy a 540 and searched for over a year and half, ended up buying a Gypsy.

Originally Posted by silverado

Maruti OMNI?

Is fun to drive on Narrow roads in City, may not be the best option for a high speed highway.
Get one around 80-90k, put in good alloy wheels, spruce up its interiors and you have the ultimate party van!

Will also stand out against all the usual set of cars in your college.

My parents will be having sleepless nights if they see me running in the highways with an Omni

[autorahul]

I agree with most of Maruti and Hyundai cars listed here. Another car I would add to the list would be Honda City 1.3 (2002/2003) and the City ZX(2004/2005).

You might have to stretch by a few thousands but you could get a very good car, with a smooth engine that is wonderful for highway driving.

One of the examples
https://www.olx.in/item/honda-city-p...tml#75df8e70b4

Another:
https://www.olx.in/item/honda-city-z...tml#a4918f1b9d

I would also look for Ford Figo/Fiesta. From a brief look at OLX quite a few of them are available around 1.6 lakhs. Bit of bargaining and negotiations would help further sweeten the deal. Ford's service costs have gone down too, and the diesel engine has largely remained same over the years.

https://www.olx.in/item/2006-diesel-...tml#4d19f9be1b

[GTO]

Originally Posted by wrongturn

Well if I was in your place I would invest that money in buying a SWB mahindra Jeep, or a MM540/550 as per availability.
You can get one in below average conditions for ₹60-70k.

As someone who owns a Mahindra Jeep and has seen countless rebuilds, I can tell you that there is no such thing as a 1-lakh Jeep. If you want a good Jeep, the well-maintained examples cost 3 lakhs. If you bring home a Jeep for a lakh, it'll cost at least another lakh or two to bring up to shape. And even then, it'll still be bumpy, hard to drive & laden with niggles (a trademark of these old Jeeps).

Tanveer says his commute is 80% on the highway. There, the Jeep will be slow, noisy & unsafe.

That said, I'll agree that a Jeep is the ultimate car for a college student. I know it since I got mine while pursuing my Bachelors. Very popular with the girls too .

[pedrolourenco]

Originally Posted by dileepcm

Its probably hard to find, but I would also add a well maintained m800 5 speed as well to the short list. They have more power than regular 800 (within the same body shell), an additional gear and 800's close-to-nature driving dynamics.

My +1 to this. 5 Speed 800's are available for well under a lakh. Another car you should consider is the Tata Nano.

[Tanveer02]

After going through the posts of my senior members on this topic these are the few cars that I have shortlisted. Cars are numbered according to my preference.

1) Old Honda City (True enthusiast's car, but finding a decent 02-03 model will be tough)
2) Hyundai Santro Xing (the latest car in the list)
3) Maruti Alto (If only I could find a model below a lakh with decent mileage clocked)
4) Maruti 800 5S (The cheapest in the lot and also the one with best after sales support)
5) Hyundai Accent (least preferred, was never a fan of the looks, but then it's a Hyundai)

There is also one car which we seem to be totally forgetting, the Alto 1.1.

Dropped the Esteem as I have myself talked to an owner about the ASS, and even though the wear and tear parts are decently available, body spares require long amount of waiting period or sometimes aren't even found. Zen? Still looking for one with my third eye

[Mr.Boss]

You may consider Chevy Spark as well.
- With Chevy's current situation in our market, 2010 Spark is available as low as 1.25L with less than 50k on odo
- Better build quality than Japanese & Koreans
- Better space
- Decent engine performance
- You will get latest of the lot

On the negative side you may face issues with parts availability over long run and a poor (almost nil) resale value.

[Tanveer02]

Originally Posted by Mr.Boss

On the negative side you may face issues with parts availability over long run and a poor (almost nil) resale value.

Exactly, and I plan to keep the car for the next 3-3.5 years. Got an Aveo Uva and a Spark offering last month for a relatively low price. Rejected both the deals just for this reason.

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by Tanveer02

If there are other models other than the two I have listed that fulfill my listed requirements then suggestions from my superiors are whole heartedly welcome.

You could consider a 2002 or so Honda City. My uncle recently sold his for about Rs. 75,000. The new buyer spent some money on detailing and nice alloy wheels. Changed the look of the car completely for the better. That car had roamed all over the country including Chennai, Kanyakumari, Ooty, many places in RJ, Delhi, Himachal, Punjab, UP etc. in its life. Uncle was sad to see her go, but it was replaced by the new diesel City.

[Tanveer02]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

You could consider a 2002 or so Honda City. My uncle recently sold his for about Rs. 75,000. The new buyer spent some money on detailing and nice alloy wheels. Changed the look of the car completely for the better. That car had roamed all over the country including Chennai, Kanyakumari, Ooty, many places in RJ, Delhi, Himachal, Punjab, UP etc. in its life. Uncle was sad to see her go, but it was replaced by the new diesel City.

75k for a OHC, the buyer is a real lucky fellow. That is one car I would really like to see in my garage. The ageless design, the responsive engine and the appeal it has amongst enthusiasts, the list goes on and on

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by Tanveer02

That is one car I would really like to see in my garage. The ageless design, the responsive engine and the appeal it has amongst enthusiasts, the list goes on and on

Not sure about the used car scene at your place, but a quick search on OLX reveals these cars in Mumbai - Car 1, Car 2, Car 3. While most of these might be in a bad shape, I'm sure that there could be a couple that are well kept.

[moralfibre]

Originally Posted by dileepcm

Maruti is the right way to go here for all the reasons you stated.
Out of the two, zen is a better pick for its reliability, compactness and easy and fun to drive.
Its probably hard to find, but I would also add a well maintained m800 5 speed as well to the short list. They have more power than regular 800 (within the same body shell), an additional gear and 800's close-to-nature driving dynamics.

+1.

When my wife learnt how not to drive from a motor driving school, I realized that her driving skills need a lot of fine tuning. Instead of plonking money on an expensive car that would eventually get scratched all over, I chose to pickup a used 2003 M800 500 speed MPFi. It was one of the best cars I have owned till date. I never let go of a chance to take it out for a spin since it had the performance to compensate for lack of everything. The zippy nature of the car coupled with superb power delivery was pretty good.

For the record, I bought it in the region of Rs. 72,000/- and sold it for around the same price 3 years later.. Best deal for a student to get those $$$ back.

[lamborghini]

Just some thoughts - for a fun, reliable car:

Zen - point and shoot, and amongst the most enjoyable cars to drive.
Baleno - more power, very under rated, super comfortable, and a blast to drive
Getz - spacious and practical
Honda City Type I - Very similar to Baleno in terms of attributes but it'll be an older model than the Baleno
Toyota Corolla - Not as involving to drive, but the car is much safer than other options and has solid reliability and practicality. Saw a listing for an AT Corolla on the Mumbai TBHP Classifieds asking for 1.75L!
Mitsubishi Cedia - again not a popular vehicle but good to drive and very mod friendly too!

[Tanveer02]

Originally Posted by moralfibre

It was one of the best cars I have owned till date. I never let go of a chance to take it out for a spin since it had the performance to compensate for lack of everything. The zippy nature of the car coupled with superb power delivery was pretty good.

Hearing such words about the 5S 800 only makes me regret the decision that my family took of selling ours (2001 make) in 2007. If the scene were to happen today, I would've taken care of the car as if it is my own self