Looking for beater car under Rs 5L: Considering only used Hyundai cars

This would be our 2nd car in the family in addition to our existing 2016 Maruti Baleno which has been doing the job well so far.

BHPian SixPistons recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello everyone. I believe that I am facing a unique set of options to choose from and would like some expert advice.

TLDR Version

I am stuck between buying a beater car - Grand i10; slightly larger version - Elite i20; or going with the Venue SX 1.0 Turbo SX (120hp; fully feature loaded; Really liked the drive) as a second car at home.

Original Budget: 4-5L. Will need to take a loan for Venue if I decide to go for it. Only considering used car options and Manual variants. Currently, only these cars seem to have made it to the final three.

Background

So April of last year I moved to Delhi with my family from Bangalore. Courtesy of the flexible work culture, I need to work from the office only 2/3 days a week. The drive is about 45 kms one side. Mix of City and Highway drive. 1 hour in the morning and 1.25-2 hours in the evening. I take our family car to the office as my father travels via Metro (our home and his office are within walking distance from a metro station).

Other folks in the house who use a car: Mostly my mum uses it, then my dad and finally my brother when he is visiting (he’s in college). With going to office for almost half the week and the occasional weekend drive/outing becoming a scheduling problem with the car the case for a second car has slowly been made, something I was not planning to do until 2024.

This would be our second car in the family in addition to our existing Baleno Zeta 2016 Manual 1.2 NA which has been doing the job well so far. Since I did not originally plan to buy a car anytime now, I am stuck between buying a basic hatch about 4-6 years old with a plan to buy something new in another 4/6 years or something I would be more interested in for the longer term.

Since I am in Delhi, only considering petrol vehicles. (Diesel gets only 10 years and manufacturers are slowly stopping diesel engines. The price advantage that used to exist earlier does not exist in Diesel anymore as petrol and diesel prices are not too different now) I am a frugal driver when it comes to the work commute so not very keen on Diesel anyway. My work commute mileage typically stays in the vicinity of 15.

Broad market analysis suggests I could get a used car (only considering Hyundais as I have always found them the most appealing):

• Grand i10 sportz manual 4-6 years old in around 4.5-5.3L tops in good condition(upto ~30k driven)
• i20 elite sportz manual 4-5 years old in around 5.5L-6.25L tops in good condition (upto ~30k driven)
• Venue 1.0 SX Turbo Manual 2019-2021 model in around 8.7L to 9.5L tops in good condition (upto ~30k driven)

Grand i10

It falls under Beater Segment. Basic, ok-ish space, will be fine to own for a short period of time, until I can plan better finances in future. Drive experience is quite good for a small hatch. I have driven this in the city and on the highway before at moderate speeds. What works out the most in its favour is that I would not have to take out a loan for it and I prefer not to own a car on EMIs. Also worth mentioning is that folks at home feel grand i10 is slightly cramped in space and looks are not all that great. I find looks to be good though, small and sporty enough to not look boring.

Elite i20

It is not exactly a beater. It is an enlarged version of the Grand i10 I feel. Definitely premium interior and an overall good driving experience. But since the power figures are similar (if not the same) as the Grand i10 options I currently find, the ride does feel a little underpowered towards the higher gears and while going beyond 60/70 on the highway side. What works out in favour is the better looks, a bit larger boot and a roomier cabin in the back. It does get a good suspension overall I feel so the ride quality and stability over time as the car ages would still be good overall I expect.

What does not work out in the i20’s favour is that I feel it feels pricy to get an i20 in around the 5.5L-6L bracket and that it has a poor mileage figure (I have seen real-world city drive return upto 14 kmpl on the forum itself) Also, this would be a stretch on the budget but at least I would not have to take out a loan for it.

Venue

Enter the Venue 2020 Turbo 1.0 SX Manual. I test drove one of these options and it has everything I would need for the next 8-10 years I think. The cabin is good, single-tone Black. Has a Small Sun Roof, cruise control, climate control, the Hyundai NAV System, large boot, good drive height, 120Hp Turbocharged mill which felt super awesome to drive after the habit of driving the Baleno that I usually drive. Except for the multi-dial-like instrument cluster and the smaller rear seats, the overall experience felt very good.

Other people are quite satisfied with the package overall but still on the edge considering that it's almost 9L for an engine already driven for 30K kms over 3 years. I tend to understand their apprehensions as well. I just felt that the engine has a lot of life in it apart from the 30k it has already seen and feel it should not be a major problem as modern engines are built to last 1L+ easily if cared for.

Problem with Venue is that I will have to take an almost 4L loan and plan to carry it on for only 2 years. That’s approx 20k in EMI as a used car loan seems to come at a minimum of 13 percent interest rate. (I saw a post where someone got it at much lower but I can’t seem to find it again)

I have considered some other options

• Honda Jazz (not finding very good options and has been discontinued entirely; also, Honda is not very keen on selling OEM parts outside their service center is what I have read and heard repeatedly over the years)
• Tatas (new Punch: not very good feel and fit and finish, service is usually a problem with Tata still. An area that needs improvement)
• Honda Amaze/Suzuki DZire/Hyundai Aura/Tata Tigor: Don’t like compact Sedans
• Tata Nexon: Is a Tank, very safe. Could not find a good deal and new editions are the ones that actually look nice. However, Tata after sales is still not there.
• Maruti Brezza: Old Brezza design got a bit boring. Also, have seen enough Marutis around in the family that I need a change from that design language.
• Mahindra XUV300: Not approved as low boot space and slightly awkward-looking cluster to others. Low Boot Space. Still, I would consider it if I found a good deal for a nearly loaded variant.

Some others were also considered but a consensus could not be reached.

The question I am wondering for some time now is whether I should just stick to my original budget of 4-5L and try to get a good deal on the Grand i10 itself and use it for 4-6 years/stretch my wallet a bit for an Elite i20 and it for next 6-7 years (no disrespect, I expect I will feel the need for creature comforts missing in Elite i20 in a few years)/follow my heart and get the Venue but with the loan with the intention of relishing it for next 8-10 years but with a hole in my pocket right now.

Thank you for your patience.

Here's what BHPian JohnDoe had to say about the matter:

Stick to your budget and get an i10 Grand.

Or else get a new or preowned Alto K10 or Alto 800.

Increasing your budget to buy a premium mass-market car on loan when you can purchase an entry-level car in cash seems like a financial blunder.

The creature comforts you seek now in Venue are soon going to be obsolete also the 20k EMI @13% will hinder your financial growth for the next 2 years.

Here's what BHPian 07CR had to say about the matter:

Stick to the budget and get a Grand i10. Since it's a beater car, it need not be too expensive, when especially you will be taking a loan.

Elite i20 is too underpowered, and the Grand i10 with the same petrol engine, but the lesser weight should be manageable. Avoid the Venue, IMO there are way better options in the CSUV segment.

Here's what BHPian shancz had to say about the matter:

Some points from my end:

• Elite i20 isn't a beater considering its positioning and the general maintenance costs of an old Hyundai.
• Getting a 30k driven Venue at close to 10 lakhs doesn't make sense, rather get a new one later on if you liked it so much.
• Also, the long-term maintenance of TGDi engines could add some extra costs to maintenance but I don't have enough info on it.

My suggestion, out of your options:

• Stick with the i10 as a beater.
• If requirements of rear space are a deal breaker then why not move your 6+ years old Baleno to that role and start a new hatch/sedan/CSUV/SUV hunt separately?
• If you're looking for a new city car then why not consider an EV like the eC3, Nexon/Tiago or even the hybrids like the City/HyRyder?

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.