Need a car for my retiring father under Rs 13 lakh: What are my options

The vehicle will be bought only for the sake of having a car in the household as my dad prefers using a 2-wheeler.

BHPian shubham7799 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello Folks,

My father is retiring from a PSU next year and is planning to purchase a car which shall be an upgrade from the following:

• Maruti Alto K10 Vxi 2012 - Bought new in 2012 and sold last month with 48K KM in 10 years.
• Tata Indica Vista Aura 1.3 Quadrajet 2011 - Bought used in 2019 and has done 35000 KM since then as my ride. Still in a good condition, but replacement is being planned due to the 10-year diesel rule and spares are becoming tougher to procure. Plus, being a discontinued Tata, it is not a customer magnet in the used car space.

Dad loves to travel but has a diametrically opposite view from me on the mode of transport. Not very keen on road trips and trusts the Railways more than any other mode for inter-city travel.

He prefers the scooty over the car for his daily office commute of 3 KM to avoid traffic and parking woes and goes for online deliveries for everything ranging from groceries to jewellery.

The car will only be bought for the sake of having a car in the household, for say doctor's visits, family functions or any other local visits where my mother has to accompany him, since she does not sit on a two-wheeler.

My requirements

• Petrol Engine - Given the low running, which shall drop further with dad retiring.
• Usage - 90% City + 10% Highway trips (not exceeding 500 KMs)
• Seating - High, since Mom suffers from pain in her lower back and knee
• Transmission - No specific preference, though Automatic will be an advantage
• Budget - Though not a constraint, I would rather not splurge since I stay in a different city and a bigger car simply parked under the porch for once in a while 10 KM run in the city makes marginal sense to me financially. As of now, we are keeping it at 10 Lac, with a blanket of 2 to 3 Lac more.
• Ownership - New. No used cars.
• Dimension - Sub 4 meter
• Safe - Although I do not expect the safety equipment being tested due to low running, I firmly believe that one is never too safe on any road.
• Fuss-free ownership

Options considered and test-driven in no particular order:

• WagonR 1.2 ZXi - Probably the best option for the usage and running, but rejected outright by mother on the basis of looks.
• Tata Nexon XM+(S) - Offers everything and shall be an upgrade. Maintenance due to low running + Tata service + Turbo issues (if any) are holding me back. Also, long waiting period isn't helping matters.
• Maruti Brezza - The Vxi variant looks VFM but is too bare-bones when compared to the ZXi. The ZXi costs a little less than INR 13 Lac in Lucknow with a waiting of 2+ months.
• Maruti Ignis Alpha - Another good option, but felt cramped.
• Toyota Urban Cruiser (Discontinued model) - This one was at the top of the list, but no stock in any variant in Lucknow. If available, we are ready to go for any trim.
• Mahindra XUV300 W8 - Good car but simply overpriced. For the same price, I can get a Nexon XZ+. Also, authorised service centre experience.
• Baleno / Glanza - Rejected by mom due to low seat.
• Kia Sonet 1.2 HTX - Good car, decent drive, the only negative was that the horn sounded annoyingly loud on the inside. Also, the body-shell stability of the Seltos/Creta does not instil confidence.
• Hyundai Venue 1.2 SX - Same observations as the Sonet.
• Maruti S-Cross - The only car for which the sub-4 meter criterion could have been skipped. But sadly, no stocks.

The options from Honda and Renault were not considered because of their shaky plans for India.

As of now, we are left with:

• Ignis
• Brezza VXi
• Nexon XM+ (S)
• Nexon XZ+ (Since not much of a price difference and the feature set will keep it relevant for the next 10 years)
• Kia Sonet 1.2 HTX

Members, please help me make a choice and point out any options that I may have skipped.

Unlike my dad, I have a different perspective. I just love driving and would like the car to have the features and power to take on the highways when needed. Frankly, of the combined running of 75K KM of both the cars in the household, 65K+ have been done by me. However, I have relocated and won't be home to do justice to the car bought in terms of driving.

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

Let him TD Punch AMT, he'll love the compact dimensions, and being an automatic, he'll love the convenience of a scooty.

I'm 62, and my garage consists of:

• '82 Bajaj super.
• '15 Jupiter, 17k km.
• '16 Nano AMT, 31k km.
• '18 Nexon D AMT, 15k km.

Just love driving, next change a Thar AT.

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