[PetrolHead2272]

Dear BHPians,
I thought I knew how to drive since when I was 10. I always used to ask my dad to give me the keys and let me drive but at that time my feet barely even reached the pedals. Now, I'm finally 18 and not in the mood to waste another day waiting for the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a fun to drive and sexy looking machine.
However, the biggest problem is what car?

The current garage consists of a -
2024 Mahindra Scorpio N Z6 Diesel Manual
2023 Toyota Glanza S Petrol Automatic
2009 Maruti Suzuki SX4 Petrol Manual

The Scorpio N is absolutely out of bounds for me. It is my dad's car, barely half a year old and I have clear instructions to not even attempt to touch the car till I have logged in a few thousand miles behind the wheel.
The Glanza is more like a secondary beater car. I can drive the Glanza but it is an automatic and I strictly want a manual. Automatic is for when 'budhapa' hits.

Now finally, the SX4:
It's a 2009 model, 16 years old almost and illegal to run in Delhi NCR (Although we got it re-registered in another state). The car has thrown many problems at us over the years and since my family cares about my safety they don't want to hand over the SX4's keys to me. Anyway, everything about that car needs to be changed (Engine mounts, AC filter, repainting, etc).
Honestly, if the SX4 was in a better condition, I would not be writing this thread. Mind you the car looks dent free from the outside, it's only upon close examination you see paint gone from everywhere and the engine just nearing its end.

To sum up: Scorpio N is out of bounds, Glanza is not a manual, and SX4 is too old and dangerous atp.

The question is - what car?
What I need is a petrol manual car, roughly for around 4-6 lakhs and the biggest and most important requirement is that it should be fun to drive. Echoes of V8's play in my ears and petrol flows in my veins I can tell you that. So even if the car doesn't have a touchscreen, AC, etc. it's fine, it just has to be fun to drive.

Options:
Honda City
VW Polo TSI
Skoda Rapid
.....so far just these names have been tossed around, open to your suggestions.

Also, no Ford/Fiat/MS cars. I know they're damn fun to drive but for some reason, I am not considering these brands at all.

Putting another question in the mix -> Is it worth restoring the SX4 (It is insanely fun to drive too) or should I rather spend that money buying some other car?

[yedukrishnan199]

Considering your garage, I don't think you need a new car at all, Consider your SX4, whether the engine is still in good shape, get it repaired or restored and you are good to go. the SX4 has a good 1.6L DOHC VVT producing 105 bhp of power and 145 Nm of torque, good 170 mm ground clearance and you already own it, so there is nothing to look for besides this. Get an estimate of the repair cost and if it is within a feasible limit, get it done and you are good to go.

[Axe77]

Congrats on hitting that all important milestone for any young petrolhead - that of reaching legal driving age. It reminds me of the sheer excitement I held while going to get my own learners license to I could finally get behind the wheel of our family car then.

I’m going to go slightly left of centre. You are spending your parents’ money and this is your FIRST car - so maybe it’s not the ideal time for cars oriented towards high performance.

To start with, buy something like a sparingly used Swift maybe. It’ll be economical to own and run (parents’ money remember), it’s powerful enough to be fun and possibly forgiving enough to account for any youthful transgressions. A good car for you to put on some learner miles over the next few years and it’ll do well to serve as a beater for the family as well if / when they need. It’s got a nice youthful look to it as well.

Finally, it’s likely to not break the bank on depreciation either when you finally decide to move on from it. I think a MT Swift can be a nice companion to be that beginner steed for an 18 year old.

Once it sees you through your college years, I’m sure it can pave the way for whatever “first self bought performance oriented car” that you see fit from your early earnings.

[anjan_c2007]

Congratulations upon your turning 18. Since the Scorpio N and Glanza in your family are not in consideration as your daily driver, you may better opt for a not much used car (2-3 years used) of your choice. Petrol engine should be preferred as a diesel is destined to be used for only 10 years. And since you are in the NCR do not ever think of the SX-4 now as street legal. They are brazenly impounding such older vehicles. Needed to have taken a NOC and disposed it off by 2022 to help it reach a good home.

[PetrolHead2272]

Originally Posted by yedukrishnan199

Considering your garage, I don't think you need a new car at all, Consider your SX4, whether the engine is still in good shape, get it repaired or restored and you are good to go.

I thought about restoring it too, but I reside in Gurgaon where cops are a bit too strict with the ngt rule (who would pass the opportunity of earning 20,000 when it’s right in front of them). I feel like restoration is no longer an option as it will be impounded.

Originally Posted by Axe77

To start with, buy something like a sparingly used Swift maybe. It’ll be economical to own and run (parents’ money remember), it’s powerful enough to be fun and possibly forgiving enough to account for any youthful transgressions.

As you could probably guess from my automotive passion, I am a HUGE fan of german cars. Even though maintaining a swift is way cheaper than a Polo, my heart would always scream Polo cause yolo.

Originally Posted by anjan_c2007

Needed to have taken a NOC and disposed it off by 2022 to help it reach a good home.

I forgot to mention in the opening post, the SX4 was re registered in its 14th year in Chandigarh and is currently kept parked at our house there. It’s just that I don’t live there but the car still can be sold.


Attaching pics after re registration:

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by PetrolHead2272

As you could probably guess from my automotive passion, I am a HUGE fan of german cars. Even though maintaining a swift is way cheaper than a Polo, my heart would always scream Polo cause yolo.

Sure - fully understandable. We're all petrolheads here after all.

A Polo would make for a really nice starter car as well, as would a Honda City then for that matter as per your shortlist. I’m not sure of used car prices in Delhi off hand but my sense is with the Polo you might get a more “recent” MY (model year) in your budget whereas with the Honda City you might have to opt for a slightly older car. Having said that, the older the car gets, a Honda may offer more predictable / peace of mind of ownership than a VW.

See whichever one you get as recent an iteration of as possible I guess. Both will be great manuals to start off with.

All the best with your automotive journey.
Cheers.

[shankar.balan]

Always nice to see young folks with a passion for automobiles.

I would suggest as follows.
1. First, Sell that SX4. There is no way youre going to be able to drive it in the region in which you live. Yet there is a market for these cars. And there are folks who will happily buy, restore and use it or sell ot onwards. Yes it is a great car. But your location obviates its use.

2. For a ‘starter’ car, consider the following;

A. a relatively newer Maruti Suzuki Swift - from the last lot of the 4 cylindered ones if possible. This is truly one of the best ‘ affordable’ cars in India in terms of joy of handling and responsiveness and makes the perfect car to hone your skills on.

B. an Ignis - an excellently built and highly accomplished car.

C. a second-hand, recent Maruti Jimny - this will encourage you to hone your skills and give you the freedom to explore all sorts of places. And it will give you at least 15 years of legal usage. (I also bought one second-hand) and honestly, it is one of the ‘smarter’ things I did.)

Personally I would advocate that you hone your driving skills on a Manual Transmission vehicle more than on an AMT or CVT AT.

The good thing about these is the Maruti Service, overall reliability, nice little naturally aspirated engines, inexpensive maintenance and the whole lot of possibilities of ‘enhancement’.

D. For the German experience I definitely agree with your liking for the Polo. It is a beautiful looking car and handles very nicely.

E. Since NCR is ‘THE’ place for used fancy cars, if budget permits, you can even aspire to an used Mini Cooper S or similar. That will catapult you into a totally different league amongst your peers and associates. And the handling and feel is sublime.

However, all German cars are going to be more expensive to maintain.

[jithin23]

First of all, congratulations on this important milestone. I got a two wheeler on the day of my 18th birthday and I still have kept it till date.

Since the SX4 has to be gone due to NCR regulations, I'd suggest a bit different and against your suggestion, it's upto you to take it with an open perspective.

Since you're in NCR, you can easily take your car to the Himalayas or the deserts of RJ. Diesel fuel is easily available even in the remote corners of the country.

I'd suggest diesels as I'm assuming that this is going to be your primary mode of transport. Plus diesel has better efficiency and lower cost of fueling. 6 years ago when I was in college, we used to pitch in 200-250 per person(1000 rs for 4 folks) and we would drive till Hognekkal or BR hills from bangalore in my blue ecosport diesel (I can't even imagine traveling 300kms in 1000 bucks in a petrol car) . So we could travel frugally and comfortably as well.

If I could turn back in time and choose, these would be my options. I'd prefer used as it's more forgiving on the wallet, will teach you how to maintain a car and you can use it as a project car. Plus when we all were your age, these 3 cars you mentioned did pop in our heads too.

The Polo 1.5 TDI(2019) is a peppy car but rear seat space is a compromise.
A 2019-2021 Figo /Freestyle Diesel. I know you mentioned against Ford, but drive a BS4 TDCi or a 1.5 Dragon petrol (petrols are guzzlers) and it might change your perspective.
Tata Altroz diesel is a good pick for slightly used and new and ticks all the boxes
Ignis is a hoot as well(Petrol and Diesel).
If you want an all rounder, the EcoSport too will fit your bill.
The 2020/21 i20 diesel too is a rare car and would suit well for college use.
If you're looking out for something new, then check the citroen basalt as well. Very underrated car.

Good luck and please do share an ownership review once you've bought your steed

[sapien]

Since SX4 can’t be used at your primary location, here’re some suggestions:

Brio - Super fun to drive with a smaller footprint than City, also very mod friendly if you can source the parts internationally.

Polo - Assuming you are considering the TSI engine which only comes in automatic avatar as far as I know. If so, go for the recent torque converter ones, the older DSGs are infamous! The other petrol engine on Polo is lacking.

Tiago JTP - The chassis is very well setup and extremely fun to drive. The refinement will be lower compared to others.

Baleno RS - I know you are not considering MS but this will be a reliable fun to drive car.

Etios / Liva - The 1.5 petrol in it is a cracker of an engine, the chassis though is family friendly. Also, its a Toyota! You get it very cheap these days.

If considering new,

Lord Alto K10 it has to be

[07CR]

Originally Posted by PetrolHead2272

Also, no Ford/Fiat/MS cars. I know they're damn fun to drive but for some reason, I am not considering these brands at all.

I can understand the reason to not consider a Fiat/MS car (reliability/ASS issues with Fiat, and Safety/lack of premium feel in a MS), but why not Ford? It's THE brand which comes to mind when you are considering affordable fun to drive cars.

A fiesta 1.6/ Global Fiesta/Ecosport 1.0 Ecoboost etc. would be the best bets and will easily fit your budget. Considering you will be spending your parents money, these will cost you less in the buying phase as well as lesser to run and maintain. All this with the tank like build quality, feature loaded cabins and excellent fun to drive nature. Do give it a thorough thought and atleast test drive these before finalizing.

Happy shopping!

[sharmanova]

Firstly, Congratulations on turning 18 bro! I'm also turning 18 this December.

My suggestion would be avoid European/ American cars right now. Since you're a newbie, consider buying an underpowered car and also to avoid the maintenance shenanigans.

I feel a 4-5 year old Grand i10 Nios/Ignis/Swift would be a perfect first car.

Happy shopping!

[mkumar79]

Slightly off the budget and preferences:

Take a test drive of the Fronx Turbo manual. It is pleasing to the eyes, and has modern features. The turbo is not overly enthusiastic but will be an efficient and a reliable one as a tradeoff.

The ride quality + dynamics combination is well balanced too in my books, but other opinions are mixed. So must check that out yourself.

[DIV17]

I would suggest to sell the SX4 and get a newer manual hatchback that you can drive for a longer time without worries. As a first car I think a gen 2 Swift with the K12 engine would be a great option. Even the 1.3 diesel would be really fun. Other options would be a Honda Brio, Suzuki Ignis, Baleno RS etc. A Polo TDI or the underrated 1.6 MPi would also be an option.
Also a Figo diesel would be a great option. A clean Figo S would be super fun to drive.

[Apolo4409]

Originally Posted by sapien

Polo - Assuming you are considering the TSI engine which only comes in automatic avatar as far as I know. If so, go for the recent torque converter ones, the older DSGs are infamous! The other petrol engine on Polo is lacking.

Hi,

Polo was available with TSI for most of its life only with the DSG gearbox that too only in its GT TSI variant, which while its a hoot to drive, its always a ticking time bomb with regards to the transmission and will always be a worry in the back of your head. But during the final few years, they brought the TSI to the regular Polo variants all the way to the comfort line variant (which makes the baseline trend line variant the only variant of Polo that didn't get the TSI engine).

These variants gave an option in transmission between a 6-speed MT and 6-speed TC AT. I own a Highline TSI with the 6-speed MT and it is a delight. The gearbox is pretty reliable in both AT and MT. The engine in these cars are downsized from 1.2 to 1.0 but packs slightly more punch. The 1.0 TSI with MT is a well rounded option with excellent performance, efficiency and reliability(at least so far). The only downside is these cars are pretty expensive despite them being nearly 4 years old and finding a good example that is not demanding 80%+ of its original on road value is tough.

[Rapid]

Petrol/Dieselheads we all are! And however I am not even of legal driving age(11), and am really, REALLY dumb in matters of car buying, I would tell you to check out a used Polo GT TDI, if available, as diesel is cheaper and, my oh my, does that 1.5 litre diesel pull. Of course a GT TDI DSG is rare, and try the DSG. You mention ATs are for budhapa, try the DSG. You will therefore forget all manuals. The SKODA Rapid TDI DSG is also an extremely good choice. Mentioning one again, I am just 11 years old and my choices may not even make sense. However, hope your passion for automobiles stay lit inside your heart and veins till your last breath.