Buying advice: An upgrade for a Tata Nano AMT within 10L

This will be a secondary/beater car in the family, mostly for daily commute and weekend city run-abouts.

BHPian AdityaDeane recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

A friend of mine from Hyderabad is in a dilemma. His wife requires a daily commuter for 30-40Km/day drive to work and back.

• She is upgrading from a Tata Nano AMT, and never drives over 30-40Km/Hr. She does not need a very powerful vehicle, she prefers sedate low power cars.

• The total budget is lump sum payment of 10+/-2 Lakhs!

• The need is immediate, they can not wait for months after booking a new car.

Option 1:- Buy a used car with AMT, TC or CVT.

Option 2:- Buy a new car with the same transmission options.

• What do you guys suggest? They are looking for something with a good Safety Rating!

• We have already gone through all Petrol/CNG AT cars available on OLX and Team BHP Classifieds around Hyderabad.

• Liked one Honda B-RV, but the seller seems fishy and now he's saying that the car is already sold off.

• They were initially thinking of a Petrol AT due to low running, but are open also to Diesel AT cars.

• This will be a secondary/beater car in the family, mostly for daily commute and weekend City run-abouts.

• 7 seater preferred, but open to 5 seaters also.

• No specific problem with low or high ground clearance cars. A good driver point of view will be preferable for her.

You can post the links on the thread, or D.M. me links of good vehicles in your mind, and I'll forward to him! Cars with a good and complete Service History will be preferred.

Here's what BHPian borwnkaiser had to say on the matter:

I'm not good at assessing a used car hence would like to suggest news cars, and have two options:

1. Honda Amaze CVT - The top end is INR 11 lakhs on-road in Hyderabad and has all bells and whistles. I have noticed that my female friends kind-of like the car very much and the best part is, it has a 4 star rating with stable body shell.

2. Renault Triber - Even this model is below INR 10 lakhs on road and the best part is that it has a 4 star rating. This is a suggestion since your friend wants a 7 seater preferably.

Do note that both cars are not 'enthusiastic' per se in terms of performance. However, this meets the user' requirement

Here's what BHPian GForceEnjoyer had to say on the matter:

If you're willing to go used, a Honda City petrol automatic would be a great contender for its plush suspension setup and fuel efficiency (for a petrol). Maybe even a Corolla if one can be found in good condition. These cars will be comfortable to drive in the city, since their suspensions will be better at smoothing out the rumble strips that are on every road.

Else a new Honda Amaze automatic will do the job too. If 7 seats are a necessity, a Maruti Ertiga can serve you well. However, I'd stay away from the Triber due to its mediocre engine.

BHPian AdityaDeane had the following update to share:

Thanks everyone for their inputs. Update from today is as follows:-

I had asked my friend to go with family and check out at Maruti Suzuki Arena and Nexa showrooms about the availability of AT models without a delay in delivery. And, to also check out with Renault again, as suggested by 'brownkaiser'.

Finally, he decided to give a chance to Renault again, and is getting a Brown-Black Triber RXZ AMT with 15K worth of accessories (as a goodwill gesture from the showroom from where he had bought the previous lemon), and almost 15K worth of 3 years Extended Warranty (from Renault as a goodwill gesture).

So, thanks for all the inputs. Do pray that this time the car is a good, reliable and comfortable vehicle for his wife and family, and they get to enjoy the versatility and comfort of a Renault Triber for years and miles!

As told to me, he will be doing the PDI on Friday, and driving the car home probably by that evening!

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.