[VK Dhanuka]

Hi everyone
I am in the market for first family car and need community help in making right decision.

Background : I am nearly thirty five years old and do not have any driving experience. I do have a license issued three years back after taking one of those 10 days 30 mins lesson plan, and then paying additional "fees" after driving test. So taking Test Drive is not an option for me.

Budget : Am flexible on budget but don't want to exceed 10L OTR unless good deal.

Driving usage : It would be for ninety five percent city driving - office commute(~10 KM return) after WFH ends, weekend runs and long drives only if I fall in love with driving in Mumbai. I don't have confidence to drive on highways now but that will hopefully change and will like to drive to nearby outskirts.

Wants/Needs :
1. I want a pure automatic (CVT/DCT/TC) - I plan to keep the car for a long time and thus do not want to be stuck with AMT which I might not enjoy in city stop and go traffic unless driven manually.[Made up my mind after Mahindra XUV300 thread on the forum]
2. I want features that make a driver's job easier - Rear camera with guidelines, auto headlamps, DRL, auto wiper(might not be possible in my budget) etc so I can focus on road.
3. Best if it can seat five comfortably.
4. Don't want to go outside of big five OEM - Toyota, Honda, Maruti, Hyundai, and Tata for my first car
5. Not sure if ground clearance equates to higher seating as I have heard that aids new driver and also easier on senior citizens so would like to have that for my parents and myself.
6. Who does not want safety? But based on my budget and pure automatic requirement I don't think I have much of a choice.
7. Fuel type petrol

New Car Shortlist : Based on above, I went to a car portal(Carwale) and sorted by price on pure automatics and my new car short list is
1.Maruti Suzuki Baleno - Safety and dimples are the only cons I have come across.
2.Honda Amaze - I do not have use of boot so why pay extra for it with cramped rear seating for three people and if Diesel customers are poorly treated what makes us Petrol variant buyers any special to Honda?
3.Hyundai i20 - Premium Baleno, lesser features for better interiors. I think not.
4. Volkswagen Polo - Have heard it has higher maintenance cost so skeptical and likely lesser features than I can afford in Baleno.
5. Honda Jazz - I have not come across any complaints and based on this forum this is my style of car - boring, sedate and reliable.

In new cars, I can only buy Baleno top variant without any compromises at 11L OTR but warranty, insurance and basic after market accessories will further stretch it which I don't really want.

In used cars, I am only looking at Spinny based on some comments on this this forum. Somehow Ola Cars and Cars24 are not inspiring much confidence combined with my zero car knowledge.

1. Could have gone for Yaris/Corolla used listings but don't want to go for discontinued BS4 models.
2. Also want to avoid full sized sedans like Honda City as I fear I will have more trouble learning to drive on them
3. Used Hyundai Creta automatic needs special mention as the all used car resellers have significant disproportionate such listings which has made me believe that there is something wrong with this car.

Used Cars Shortlist
1. Baleno 2020
2. Baleno 2018
3. Jazz 2016
4. Jazz 2017

I have gone through all recent similar threads and been a silent active new member of the community and have learned a lot in short time. This is a big financial decision for me and I am looking for advice to make informed choice.

[neeraj0272]

As it seems that you need to learn to drive a car, I would recommend to first buy a rather old & inexpensive car and drive it for at least a year. Then buy a new car.
This way you wont suffer much of a depreciation hit and you wont damage your new car as well.
One needs at least one year of experience to be 100% sure-footed as a driver for all conditions.

[cryptarchy]

Originally Posted by neeraj0272

As it seems that you need to learn to drive a car, I would recommend to first buy a rather old & inexpensive car and drive it for at least a year. Then buy a new car.
This way you wont suffer much of a depreciation hit and you wont damage your new car as well.
One needs at least one year of experience to be 100% sure-footed as a driver for all conditions.

I have never understood this reasoning. Wouldn't a new driver need a better equipped safer car because of the same reasons? Why would you suggest an old and inexpensive (likely poor build and features)? I'm genuinely asking not trolling.

I would suggest Polo, the high service cost is a myth propagated by people who don't own the car. It's maintenance cost is inline with other cars in the same category. However service coverage may be an issue depending on where you live.

[raksrules]

I had a similar requirement and in Mumbai itself, just that our driving per day would be even lesser. Car is supposed to primarily for my wife. I do not intend to take it to office daily (once WFH ends) as I live in Borivali and office is in Thane.
Since we have no experience with cars, used cars were out of consideration and also with new, price was a consideration being first car and needed automatic only (AMT was only option I guess).

For us, S-Presso made sense as it has AMT, high seating which wife wants being new driver (myself too) and OTR was 6L. And we were fixated on Maruti or Hyundai as we are first time buyers. Not suggesting you to buy this, just mentioning our use case and thought process.
In future, once we have assessed how well we use the car and our experience increases, we may buy a higher segment vehicle.

[IshaanIan]

Why not check out the S-Cross? I'm sure the base automatic should fit within your budget as dealers are keen on selling their stocks giving massive discounts as well. This is a car that is built more robustly than most new Marutis so ought to last you forever.

[lamborghini]

If you could stretch your budget, the S-Cross would be a good option.

IMO you can skip the auto headlights : it's a simple task - switch it on during evening hours and switch off when you reach your destination. Don't need to keep fiddling with it.
Auto Wipers are a boon definitely if they are well calibrated, but again one can live without them : you will end up using the stalks to control the indicators, etc. more often so by the time Mumbai monsoons come - you should be comfortable enough switching the wiper modes on/off accordingly.

Instead, pay attention to critical aspects : visibility, ease of maneuvering in traffic (CVT's are a little slow for quick overtakes, and IMO TC gearbox which the S-Cross has would be easier to drive in traffic as you can use the creep function by modulating the brake pedal only), the composure of the vehicle on bad roads, etc.

[neeraj0272]

Originally Posted by cryptarchy

I have never understood this reasoning. Wouldn't a new driver need a better equipped safer car because of the same reasons? Why would you suggest an old and inexpensive (likely poor build and features)? I'm genuinely asking not trolling.

As I am from Delhi, my perspective is that we learn to drive and practice driving in dense traffic. Most learners keep their car slow and in dense traffic chances for injury especially to people in car are very less compared to dents, scratches and damages to the car.
Also learners are particularly rough with gearshift stick, gearbox and clutch.

Thats why I recommended old car. In fact one should take lessons for one month from a driving school and then one should practice using an old car for a year.

I like to keep my new car new for a year or two and I have been owning cars for past 30 years.

[vasudeva]

If you want a toyota, you will get used. As to buying discontinued, I did buy a Yaris vx CVT in sep 21, about 2 months after it was discontinued. 26000 km, toyota certified, in excellent condition. Fits my need perfectly, but you may have a different requirement. I did have a new corolla from 2007. Sold it off. Could not get a perfect fit corolla. If I had, I would have bought that. For the record, I am 55 and bought my first ever used.

Originally Posted by neeraj0272

As it seems that you need to learn to drive a car, I would recommend to first buy a rather old & inexpensive car and drive it for at least a year. Then buy a new car.
This way you wont suffer much of a depreciation hit and you wont damage your new car as well.
One needs at least one year of experience to be 100% sure-footed as a driver for all conditions.

Not necessary. The uncertainty in used car are not worth the benefit. In 1995, I learnt for 15 days, bought a maruti 800. Did Nick it somewhat in first 1 month but no issues. Fear of getting nicked is no excuse.

[sunikkat]

I was in a similar situation a month back looking for a city automatic car with max budget of 11 lakhs OTR Bangalore. Since I already have a sedan, I was looking only for a hatchback. But I was okay with AMTs too. Finally after test drive of almost all cars under 15 lakhs, booked i20 IVT Asta and waiting for delivery. However it was a lakh more than my budget too.

Of the cars you shortlisted, below is my opinion / reasoning

1.Maruti Suzuki Baleno - Good car, safety rating is bad. We dint like the looks of the car and a new one around the corner.
2.Honda Amaze - We were not looking for a sedan, but in our limited test drive felt Amaze to be cramped than i20
3.Hyundai i20 - Not sure on the safety rating. Drive was good and IVT felt much better in this. The interiors looked really good with premium feel and space was better than even Venue, Sonet, Nexon. I felt it had more space than Verna too. Not a drivers car, but served our purpose well and booked.
4. Volkswagen Polo - My most favourite hatch and would have been the default choice, if not for the interior space. Also only Matt variant is available with 2 months waiting as per the sales guys. Something is around the corner on Polo
5. Honda Jazz - Most practical of the options, infact the top end has sun roof too. Though less on space than i20, felt more airy. Drove decently too and more like i20 IVT. However the car was inside out boring (personal opinion). The beige seating, the fabric, the HU all were boring. Could not think about spending 10 years in this car. And at the same price as i20, Jazz did not feel value.

However the most surprising find was Kiger turbo CVT. That thing really blew me with the test drive - the CVT and engine combo in this was much better than both i20 and Jazz. Infact I felt it better to drive than i20 / Venue / Sonet 1 DCT. It drove well too and the ground clearance is a boon. But the interior quality were a let down.
So if you can get over with the plasticky interior and okay to go for a Renault should definitely give this a try. I did not go for it due to the interior quality and since my other car is Skoda I wanted something which is from top 4 sellers in India for ease of maintenance.

[porsche_guy]

Originally Posted by VK Dhanuka

Hi everyone
I am in the market for first family car and need community help in making right decision.

I'd say go for something like a used WagonR which is one of the best cars IMO for a new driver to get their experience in dense city confines. It might be a bit basic, but I think that is something that can be compromised for its strong fundamentals.

I'd also suggest to instead invest the money saved and go for something from a higher segment once you're fully confident. If you really don't want a manual, here's what I found on spinny that you might want to consider. Frugal to run, a proper TC AT and compact dimensions mean it is an awesome beater. You may even keep this later as a city beater further down the line when you buy a new car.

https://www.spinny.com/buy-used-cars...-2012/1048386/

All the best!

Originally Posted by neeraj0272

As it seems that you need to learn to drive a car, I would recommend to first buy a rather old & inexpensive car and drive it for at least a year. Then buy a new car.
This way you wont suffer much of a depreciation hit and you wont damage your new car as well.
One needs at least one year of experience to be 100% sure-footed as a driver for all conditions.

I completely agree with you

[raksrules]

Originally Posted by vasudeva

Not necessary. The uncertainty in used car are not worth the benefit. In 1995, I learnt for 15 days, bought a maruti 800. Did Nick it somewhat in first 1 month but no issues. Fear of getting nicked is no excuse.

Yes sir. 100% my opinion. And I have mentioned this in the forum couple of times but my brother's automatic Honda City with CNG installed had issues and he bought it 2nd hand and in Sep 2021, he sold the car at 130K Kms to a dealer and in few days, we saw the same car listed on OLX for 80K mentioning no issues and all. If someone in my knowledge told he they are interested in our city, we would ourselves tell them no.
This further cemented my opinion on used. I am sure there are others who are more knowledgeable than me and will prefer used but it was no go for me.

[DDIS_RE650]

Originally Posted by neeraj0272

As it seems that you need to learn to drive a car, I would recommend to first buy a rather old & inexpensive car and drive it for at least a year. Then buy a new car.
This way you wont suffer much of a depreciation hit and you wont damage your new car as well.
One needs at least one year of experience to be 100% sure-footed as a driver for all conditions.

I guess, not needed. I have learnt driving on brand new diesel Ertiga. Driving is important to take care of pedestrian and other vehicle on the road. You can always claim insurance for your car.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by VK Dhanuka

Used Cars Shortlist
1. Baleno 2020
2. Baleno 2018
3. Jazz 2016
4. Jazz 2017

I have gone through all recent similar threads and been a silent active new member of the community and have learned a lot in short time. This is a big financial decision for me and I am looking for advice to make informed choice.

In my opinion a good idea to go the used car way. Since you have not driven, once you start, you will have your individual preferences and requirements that will come as you drive more and more. So the new car you buy now may not be what you want a year down the line.

Baleno and Jazz are good options, You can also look for a Brio and save yourself some money. For Maruti, also checkout Maruti Truevalue. They may charge a premium, but will give peace of mind considering you are a new owner and a new driver.

[neeraj0272]

Originally Posted by raksrules

This further cemented my opinion on used. I am sure there are others who are more knowledgeable than me and will prefer used but it was no go for me.

I 100% agree with you. I will never buy a used car for myself. That is the exact reason I am suggesting an "old inexpensive car" in this case. For example a 10 to 12 years old car like wagonR, santro, i10 etc. which will see a depreciation of 25k in an year. He can get an experience of say 5000km in whatever time-frame suits him and then sell the car at a loss of only 25k.

Originally Posted by DDIS_RE650

I guess, not needed. I have learnt driving on brand new diesel Ertiga. Driving is important to take care of pedestrian and other vehicle on the road. You can always claim insurance for your car.

Rather crude but the fact is that if you hit others(pedestrians or other cars) how would it matter to them if your car is old or new? But it will matter to you if your car is brand new. Fact is that for an old car chances are that you wouldn't need to claim insurance.
We need learner's license and a License holder to sit inside the car with learner because a learner is more prone to do accidents hence my suggestion of an old car.

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

In my opinion a good idea to go the used car way. Since you have not driven, once you start, you will have your individual preferences and requirements that will come as you drive more and more. So the new car you buy now may not be what you want a year down the line.

This also is a good reason to learn on an old car and then buy new with the experience gained.

[AjinkyaP]

For a new car,
i would suggest i20 Sportz CVT 1.2 - smooth engine +gearbox with top notch refinement and Reliable service network.

In case of used one,
you can consider Grand i10 1.2 Petrol AT - 4 speed torque converter is old yet smooth, compact dimensions, enough power.
Only con is mediocre fuel efficiency.