Rs 5-6 lakh budget: Used AT car for daily commute

Considering fitting a CNG kit as well, to help improve fuel efficiency figures during weekday city commutes.

BHPian RoadMonkey recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Posting on behalf of a friend who recently got a job. He got posted in a city ~120 km away and needs a car to visit home on alternative weekends. He's only going to be keeping this car for 3-4 years so buying used makes sense. Would eventually want to upgrade to something nicer.

The lower it is on the Rs 5-6 lakh spectrum the better. I've advised him to keep Rs 30-50k of the budget for sprucing up the old ride. Change tyres if needed, get it serviced and dry cleaned, detailed etc to make it feel nice and new.

With that in mind, here are the requirements:

• Automatic
• Reliable
• Easy maintenance
• Should preferably have ABS & airbags
• Sorted Highway manners

Also, nothing as big as the Corolla Altis, it'll be a pain to use that as a city car for commute on weekdays.

He's considering getting a CNG kit fitted as well. I'm against the idea, but my reservation is not exactly logical as much as just hesitation. What's this forum's take on it?

Thanks!

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

Used:

• Honda City 3rd Gen facelift AT
• Honda Brio/Amaze AT
• Maruti Suzuki Baleno CVT (rare find)

New:

• Maruti Suzuki S-Presso VXi+ AMT

Here's what BHPian akash_v12 had to say on the matter:

I'd recommend him the Tata Tigor AMT. There might be a few good 2017-18 examples available, although not top-spec. Another outside option would be to get to a Hyundai Santro AMT but I'm not sure about outright highway manners. Lastly, try and look for a Jazz CVT, there might be a few around in your budget.

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

Any Honda would do him good: Brio / Jazz / City or Maruti A-Star and Ritz aren't too bad either. A Grand Vitara can be had for really cheap as well if he does decide he wants to keep the car for a while. I'd suggest against a CNG kit on the same hesitant lines as you but also because if one wants to save money, it is far easier to do so by picking a cheaper used car like a Brio or A-Star over a City and saving the money there itself rather than wasting time, energy and peace of mind with a CNG kit.

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

I own a Honda City AT 2009 with CNG Kit. The car has been working without any problems. The only major problems after getting the CNG fitted are low ground clearance & change of Ignition Coils & Spark plugs every 50K km. Each ignition coil costs 6000 Rs and a set of 4 Spark Plug costs 3000 Rs in Honda SC. I get unbranded ignition coils (1750 per piece) and cheaper plugs (200 Rs per piece) replaced by local mechanics and the car runs fine. Highway mileage on CNG is anywhere between 22-27 km\kg, depends upon driving. City mileage is 12-14 km\kg.

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