Keep my 10 year old Corolla Altis or buy a new Honda City

I bought the car about 3 years ago when she was at 1,00,000 kilometers. This is my first car and I am very fond of her.

BHPian pareekvirendra recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello Everyone,

Lately I have been faced with a dilemma on whether to keep my existing car or buy a new one.

Presently I have a ten year old Corolla Altis D4DG (Diesel). The car has done 1,40,000 kilometers and mechanically she is completely fine, with zero issues as of now. However, I am afraid of issues that might crop up in the car in the coming few years due to the car's age. The car has been regularly maintained till date and her latest service didn't show any major issues.

I bought the car about 3 years ago when she was at 1,00,000 kilometers. This is my first car and I am very fond of her. In the three years that she has been with me, she has had some niggles, the most worrisome of which was the air conditioner, but all of them have been sorted out now and there are no issues right now.

I am thinking if it might be a good idea to replace her with a new Honda City (Fifth generation, petrol). I am in a dilemma as when I am away from the car, I am thinking of replacing her, but one look at her and all such thoughts vanish. One drive, however short, and I begin to wonder what was I even thinking.

I have a transferable job, so good roads may or may not be available at my place of posting and whichever way I decide, it will be my primary car. My office doesn't have decent parking space, so I go to office by my motorcycle. Hence the car will be mostly used for weekend drives and outstation trips. I usually have one or two trips per year of about 2500-3000 kilometers per trip (apart from my usual weekend trips, which are of around 400-500 kilometers).

A new car comes with peace of mind, both mechanically and in terms of insurance liability, however it also comes with EMIs, which I am wondering whether they will be worth it. The Altis is quite reliable from what I have heard, but an old car is an old car.

I am leaning towards the City as I am looking for a reliable sedan, and want something that will be similar to my existing car within Rs. 15.00 lakhs. Had the Yaris been in production today, I would have picked it up without a second thought, but alas, it has been discontinued. I don’t want to buy another used car, as I am not sure of getting a good example where I live. I also don’t want to go for an electric car due to range anxiety.

Here on Team BHP, we always advise to keep our cars for long durations, so I am in a fix.

So, what will be an advisable course of action in your collective opinion? To keep the 10 year old Altis, or get a new Honda City.

Thank you and Regards.

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

Definitely keep the Altis . I know so many owners of 10+ year old Corollas (including Mods Aditya & Vid6639) who are happily using their steeds. The car is very durable, like most Toyotas, and easily has a 15 - 20 year useable life. If you maintain it well (Best Practices : Maintain your Car in Top Shape).

Of course, there will be repairs as the car ages, simply because every part has a finite life. At 100,000 km, you should expect the usual replacements. But remember, repairing the car is significantly cheaper than selling it. Please do read my detailed article on the topic.

Here's what BHPian Axe77 had to say on the matter:

Honestly, either approach works. But my opinion is that the Altis was a better built car than the Honda City. I find that the build quality of Hondas has actually deteriorated over the years. To that end, if your Altis is absolutely mechanically sound, is not showing any signs of rusting etc, then I would actually vote in favour of keeping it until you really feel the need for an upgrade.

A 2021 Honda City will visually feel more premium than a 2011 Altis. But overall, I have always felt that the Altis felt a distinct half segment higher in its build and ride quality and also the internal seating comfort.

The resale value of the Altis is anyway completely rock bottom so there not too much incremental depreciation loss. Another advantage of holding on to the Altis for a little longer could be that it either opens up more options for you a few years later or alternately allows you to jump a segment higher (perhaps).

PS: Just saw the pics again. Your car looks immaculate!! Kudos to the first owner as well as you in keeping it in top shape over the course of a decade. It looks the part of a true enthusiast’s car.

Here's what BHPian vishy76 had to say on the matter:

I would say retain the Altis. As already said, it's a far better engineered car than the current City, especially in terms of overall build. It might give you a few niggles and running repairs down the line, but even if these cost you say 50-60K (worst case) to set right, you will lose far more in depreciation when buying a brand new City.

Best option is to just keep the Altis for another 2-3 years and also extend your budget so that you can buy an upgrade that feels like an upgrade in all departments (build, reliability, engine etc.). If you are bored of driving the Altis or there's something fundamentally very wrong with it (severe rusting, core engine issue etc.) only then get rid of it. Else as I see it, a new car is more of a want for you than a need.

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

Looking at all the Etios and Innova cabs that have clocked similar mileage and going strong, I would suggest retaining this for a bit more.

Preventive maintenance is your best friend as your car ages : clutch, suspension being major points since you've gotten the AC fixed recently.

The car will see more downtime and maintenance costs compared to a Honda city, but it will also work out cheaper in the long run as compared to paying EMIs and higher running costs.

As a vehicle both the City and Corolla are good all rounders: The City will be quicker, easier to drive, and have all the new features and gizmos; but the Corolla will be more comfortable, better built (no experience with the gen 5 City, but gen 4 had its fair share of rattles and niggles and the Corolla was a private taxi favorite in its segment and in general is more abuse friendly), cheaper to run and own.

Since you are open to pre-owned, you could even consider an upgrade to a pre-worshipped new gen Corolla Altis, which would be around Rs. 10 lakh for a low run good condition vehicle, offering many advantages of the City (performance, lower downtime, etc.); and the advantages of the Corolla (seat comfort, ground clearance for touring, build quality etc.). However, even in this case, you would have to live with fewer features and a boring dash compared to the City + City is more nimble.

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