A car for my 17-year old brother

Truth be told, it'll be mine as well (sometimes) since I drive a Jeep daily now.

BHPian harish recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

This car is primarily for my brother and sometimes for my mom, when she won't have access to her car as it's used by the driver for chores (2019 Amaze Diesel MT). When I mean it's for my brother, it's for him to be driven to and from classes, school etc. When he gets his license it'll be his. Truth be told, it'll be mine as well (sometimes) since I drive a Jeep daily now.

Currently at home we have:

• 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan AllSpace TSI
• 2021 Mahindra Thar LX Diesel AT HT
• 2019 Honda Amaze S Diesel MT

The first two car's being recent replacements, the AllSpace in Jan and the Thar in Feb. Till Dec, we used to have a Rapid TDI MT which would've been doing my brother's duties if it had stayed but, a friend crashed it (not major) recently and I couldn't get myself to keep it after that. Sold for 80k less than what I bought it for in June 2020. Drove it for 10k kms, and moved on. It was a 2019 MT car, MT was another small reason I sold it because my Mom was not comfortable driving it as the Rapid had hard clutch.

So now we are in need of a 4th car (not urgently though), and our requirements would be:

• Easy to drive.
• Fun to drive (as my brother is a part enthusiast as well).
• Sleek looking.
• Space isn't much of an issue.
• Hatchback or sedan.
• Under 15L is the preferred budget and new cars only.

Self analysing our set of requirements, I feel the Polo TSI Highline+ is a good choice. MT or AT? I'm leaning towards MT because of the fun factor but that should not deteriorate the driving experience for my brother or mom. My brother is inclined towards the AT but I'm trying to convince him for an MT.

Some history: My first car was a 2018 Polo GT TSI so we essentially did have the same car previously and everyone in my family loved it. Made a mistake selling it as I was looking for used vRS and GTIs but nothing fit the bill and because I was moving to US after a year for education, dropped the plan. But still got a good deal for my car last June when I sold it so didn't regret it.

Buying a decade old car is my worry, while it has all the necessary features we'd want, still a bit skeptical. We had originally planned to buy the next gen Polo when it comes but the need of a car now has put us to thinking this through. When I enquired my local dealer they said it's expected to launch in 2022. I'm not sure whether that is happening. So would love to hear your advice on what to do regarding this dilemma we are facing. Should we wait or get the current Polo?

Really sorry for making this a Polo TSI centric post. We are open to other suggestions so please do advise.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

IMO, a newbie driver should always start on a slow + safe car. Hence, I recommend your existing Thar for him. Not too fast, good safety rating and the suspension will ensure that he learns the ABCs of mechanical limitations very early (Polo TSI can be forgiving). Once you've mastered a Jeep, you can pretty much drive any kind of car.

Don't give him a fast car as his first. Not recommended. I am glad I learnt how to drive on an 800 + Padmini. Best to start slow, then work your way up.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.