[samyakmodi]

I am surprised that not many people have mentioned the Honda Jazz here.

Since it's a Honda - reliability is quiet good. Maintenance wouldn't be a hassle. The car has a decent sitting height so getting in and out will not be a problem. He HAS to go for an auto transmission and Honda offers the CVT which isn't bad.
Jazz is also a very intelligently packed car with loads of space inside while not having a big foot print on the outside.

If I were in your place - I would strongly recommend the Jazz over any other car as it is quiet comfortable, roomy, practical, reliable and easy to maintain while not over shooting the budget. There seems to be no other car which even comes close to the Jazz for the gentleman's requirements.

[Kosfactor]

@AP : I think its time you lay out the utility. Meanwhile i'm assuming that retirement means a celebration, a new beginning.

What is going to be the use of the vehicle? How often ? Self drive? What is he currently driving , is he okay climbing into a body on frame vehicle etc.

Let me give you an example, My father retired some time ago - from usual work and he started traveling in search of history and nature of our God`s own country, often into Jeep friendly roads. From his driver it was rather clear that our old '95 Esteem though in excellent shape wont be happy over that kind of terrain therefore it was replaced with a Scorpio Gen 3(mid variant).

In general I prefer to buy the biggest vehicle available for the money, its a feel good factor, Road presence, more real estate, better visibility (for others), respect etc. I have two vehicles in mind - based on usage - Ertiga Vxi (Petrol) , Bolero Power + (diesel). You do not need to worry about the number of cylinders, Turbo has filled the gap nicely. The elders in the family often like the idea of more than 5 seats, perhaps due to their sense of responsibility, travel together etc.

[noopster]

I know a gentleman in a similar situation who bought an Alto AMT and is quite happy with it. The advantages of Maruti include low maintenance costs, reliability, vast service network, parts availability, good resale etc. It's peace of mind for the owner and perfectly suited to a senior age profile. For 10L you can even explore the Brezza.

Hyundai/Kia may also fall in the same category. If you're OK with Tata, a friend of mine got his 70+ father an Altroz recently. The decisive factor was apparently the fact that the doors open fully making ingress and egress a dream!

[AMG Power]

It's best to rule out the requirement of making the car last 30 years as that isn't going to happen. It needs a lot of skill on the part of the owner, availability of good FNG's, a rather benevolent approach by the manufacturer to ensure availability of spares and the pollution regulations not being changed by the Govt so as to make use of the car a violation and more.

However to make the car last the longest the first thing you need to do is to select as SIMPLE a car as possible - as simple cars will last longer. And that makes the base model manual Alto the only choice. This is the only car that would last the most number of years.

However even with the Alto, making it last 30 years WILL NOT HAPPEN.

So it's best to spread the budget - buy an Alto for 3L invest the balance 7L for buying the next car 15 years down the line (maybe there would be cheap EV's then) and he'll probably make it to 30 years with the 10L.

[ashwinprakas]

First of all WOW!

I was waiting to get on a PC to reply to the responses but in that gap I see there's a sea of information here, hence I'm going to reply with points gathered from reading all the replies, hence kindly excuse the lack of quote'age.

Bhpian Dicky has perfectly got the sentiment of the buyer right.

"nah, nah..just a simple vehicle. No power wavar anything or hydraulic. Just complications. Something simple...multi-purpose maybe..RWD..4 cylinder...parts should be available.".

I'd shared the link of this thread with the buyer and these are a few inputs i'd received;

1. Car should be Indian for personal and political reasons. I simply cant sell him a foreign brand, he is kinda okay with the Tata Tiago since its cheaper and the base variant comes with manual winders for all 4 doors. I've tried to push the Kia Seltos/Hyundai Venue but to no avail. Why? The Kia and Hyundai looks have caught on to me though sadly not for the buyer.

2. As for Maruti, I've personally been in a pickle with my Estilo and Zen, spare availability is not what it used to be, my Estilo's Immobilizer took 1.5 months to reach the ASC and the Zen's driveshaft is pending for the past 8 months or so, special thanks to Leosashi for recommending cheaper alternate parts on Boodmo. Plus there is an issue with the Estilo, its only 40k km's old but the car has lost its pull, barely hits 120kmph, back in the day it used to do so in 3rd gear at the blink of an eye, no error codes and all consumables have been changed, yet it runs like crap and there's pinging just off idle which is uncharacteristic for the F10D engine.

BUT, with the Alto 800 I doubt there'd be similar issues merely considering the car's runtime. As for the K10 I've been told that the Alto K10 has been phased out for the SPresso, speaking of which I had a talk with a Maruti engineer regarding the AMT and he said that regular maintenance is the same as MT cars but if something else breaks its a 60k bill for the AMT System, though he did mention it would be cheaper provided Maruti is willing to sell child parts, something he is uncertain of at the moment.

3. As for the celebration part of his retirement, he has no interest in the aspirational value of a product, he needs things to remain simple and hassle-free, doesn't care much for ASC unless it is maintenance that cannot be performed at his residential parking lot i.e clutch change, engine rebuild etc. Consumable changes etc he intends to do on his own. Speaking of which considering his age I am a bit uncomfortable recommending a car that requires to be jacked up to perform an oil change, I know that is not really a reason to be worried about for many but I'd prefer to take no chances.

4. Used cars are not an option, he's still married. The wife is adamant about not going for a used vehicle, a fair bargain considering he's still left with the option to opt for a car of his liking which obviously would be short on creature comforts that'd ideally be preferred by the wife.

So to sum it, these are the currently shortlisted options;

Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 - Cheap + Simplicity
Maruti Suzuki SPresso - Maruti Support + Ground Clearance
Maruti Eeco - No clue how this got on the list.
Tata Tiago - Base variant seems attractive.
Mahindra Bolero - Simplicity and Ruggedness

Now adding a few wildcard entries that I would like to shoehorn into the list;

Tata Altroz
Tata Nexon
Kia Seltos, I know its not Indian, but something about the car simply has me smitten.

I've conveniently skipped out the tall boy's cause we both feel there isn't enough utility to backup enduring body roll. Something we both dislike when we'd driven my Estilo.

P.S. After his time behind the wheel is up he hopes to pass down the car, something along the lines of a heirloom, though as mentioned by several bhpians something that would not be probable all things considered, though hopeful.

Regards,
A.P.

[ChoosetoCruze]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

1. Car should be Indian for personal and political reasons. I simply cant sell him a foreign brand

2. As for Maruti, I've personally been in a pickle with my Estilo and Zen, spare availability is not what it used to be, my Estilo's Immobilizer took 1.5 months to reach the ASC and the Zen's driveshaft is pending for the past 8 months or so, Plus there is an issue with the Estilo, its only 40k km's old but the car has lost its pull, barely hits 120kmph, back in the day it used to do so in 3rd gear at the blink of an eye, no error codes and all consumables have been changed, yet it runs like crap and there's pinging just off idle which is uncharacteristic for the F10D engine.

1. The last time I checked, Suzuki is headquartered in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan.

2. I too, can’t relate to the blind faith some people have in Suzuki vehicles. Especially in India. I had a horrible experience with my old Estilo & ASC.

Coming to your Estilo, check for a clogged fuel filter, clogged fuel injectors, clogged catalytic converter and/or a weak fuel pump.

[avdhesh15]

It's got to be a Maruti for peace of mind ownership. And 15 years is going to be the outer limit in my view. So either a wagon r, or dzire, or brezza depending on how much he wants to spend.

[kiku007]

Can we just call out the elephant in the room? This is an impossible ask to begin with.

How does a person even reasonably expect to live for the next 3 decades by buying a <10L Maruti? The safety and emissions technology is way below reasonable international standards today but it will meet Indian laws though.

If by some miracle the Indian economy does grow and become a developed country within 3 decades, then this Maruti will be absolutely illegal to drive at that point in time if similar international level laws are implemented in India.

Anyways, long story short. If one expects the car and themselves to last for 30 years, then they've got their priority list of requirements totally wrong. It's like taking a paper sword to the battle.

[greenhorn]

How about the new thar? Though a bit over budget, looks like it has the potential to tick all the boxes.

[AMG Power]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Kia Seltos, I know its not Indian, but something about the car simply has me smitten.

Smitten and retirement can't be used in the same sentence. Unless you're looking for trouble. Apart from requirements that cannot be met such as a 30 year car, this is adding fuel to the fire.

To make it simple take just one situation - Tyres for the Alto will cost the retired gentleman 8000 whereas the Seltos would cost him above 20000. Cost of spares, fuel etc will be substantially higher.

Also the Kia would look horribly dated and ugly in a few years - like the fluidic Verna does now - once upon a time the fluidic Verna was considered hot and the Vento's were plain Jane. Now Vento's still look good but the fluidic Verna looks ugly. The same WILL happen with the Seltos as its been overstyled too much.

So forget about being smitten and look to give the retired gentleman advice that comes from the head.

[CEF_Beasts]

How about the Yaris J Opt MT or the CVT if one can stretch considering there are discounts available. It’s a reliable, no-nonsense, fuss-free and niggle free car. Will last a lifetime without worrying about spares! One can find Qualis spares still in the market so no problem with the Yaris for the next 10-15 years definitely. Also the Yaris has the best ride quality in the segment.

[1.2TSI7DSG]

This was my exact query. though 30 years is a near-impossible ask fair amount of discussion can be found here.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/what-...ml#post4862155 (Retirement Car for my Dad!)

[arjab]

Originally Posted by ashwinprakas

Greetings my 4 Wheel'd Brethren!

I'm absolutely clueless about cars so do bear with me.

A middle aged gentleman I know is nearing retirement and is on the lookout for a 4 Wheeler that sits within the 10L price bracket OTR.

A Swift petrol, new , maybe the variant just below the top one.
- Thoroughly reliable. (I am running a Gen - 1 Swift over the last 1.6 lakh and it has never ever failed me)
- Reasonably spacious with good front seat support
- The new Swift also has decent boot space
- Peppy to drive.
- Fuel efficient
- Does not corrode (My Swift has survived 7 years parked outside in Chennai weather and now being used Kolkata both cities notorious for their humid weather and till now, the tin worm has not surfaced. No, i do not have any anti-rust treatment on my car)
- No worries about spare parts availability. My model has been out of production for 10 years and parts procurement is not an issue till now
- Choice of transmissions available (whatever your friend prefers)
- Good resale (whenever he sells or rather if at all he sells it)

Top priority for a retired person from the perspective of owning a vehicle is absolute reliability and efficiency (after all he's living off his hard earned savings). The Swift, I feel , ticks those boxes quite well and adds a dash of panache as well.

Best...,

[Atharva4545]

As mentioned by someone before, he should buy a tiago for 6lakhs and invest the remaining money and buy another car using the invested money after 10-15years. It is tough to expect 15+years of life from todays age of cars, only a few can pass this test. Also if the buyer decides to buy a tiago do check out the reviews for the nearest Tata service centre. As tata After sales services experience varies from one service centre to another.

[satrikon_454]

Given that the gentleman is looking to hold it for a very long time, it's a no-brainer that it should be a fuss-free car, and IMHO, a new one strictly.

As many of the members have suggested, the Wagon R is the best bet. The base trim is devoid of any complex features and the best part - the space and the easy ingress and egress. We swapped our seven-year-old Wagon R VXi with an Ignis Alpha last year, and even though it feels like an upgrade in all the senses, it is no Wagon R when it comes to comfort. Period.

My dad's 60+ and he just can't stop complaining about how easy getting in and out of Wagon R was. I've been hearing the same rants for a year-and-a-half now and don't see it stopping anytime soon.

So, yes. My vote would be for a new Wagon R in the base trim for its comfort and easy ingress and egress. The model is not going to stop anytime soon, which means spares and parts will be available for a very long time to come, and of course, it offers maximum bang-for-the-buck!