[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by avk

Brand: Open to all currently producing cars in India

Ditch this criteria since you plan to sell within 12 months. The following cars have the lowest prices for AT cars:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/hatch...-new-nano.html (Automatic for 3 lakhs: Used i10 vs Used A-Star vs New Nano)

[darkfantasy]

Do consider the S-Presso AMT version too. You can get it new for 6 lakhs. It's very easy to drive since it's narrow and bonnet is visible for the driver. AMT will boost the confidence of any newbie.
You can hold it for 2,3 years and then sell. You won't loose much from depreciation. It's also rated 3 stars in GNCAP.

[adi.mariner]

Just an alternate thought as well. Why not practice on a Driving School's Automatic car for a few days and then buy a new car directly. The driving school would definitely give some extra practice sessions in case your wife isn't confident. In this way you would be saved from the monetary loss of buying and selling a used car which will be just used for practice.

[RijuC]

Buy a new Maruti Suzuki Ignis AMT Auto and forget the second hand things.

1. Second hand market is on fire nowadays.

2. You won't get good, easy, trouble free and maintenance free AT in second hand market for entry level cars. Older Maruti AMTs were not that great. Difficult to find Toque converters.

3. The Ignis AMT is a good entry level AMT car for city manueverity, bumper to bumper traffics of Bangalore.

4. Visibility is very good and driving Ignis is easy in city traffic. And also in hills. I have driven AMT Ignis in hills (Nainital and Pangot) without any trouble and shortcomings for 4 adults+1 12 years old youngster+3 days luggage for all of us.

5. What I did to learn driving quickly- last 4 days 1 hour driving in my own car with the instructor in my usual locality and through little congested roads. Last day on highway through my daily office commute route. Take it easy. One can't do great mistakes with this AMT Ignis.

5. Maruti Suzuki resell value is very good. You can get very good value if you decide to upgrade after few years.

[Phantom 510]

Why not a manual and then an automatic. Starting off with an automatic will make one's car driving incomplete IMHO. Once a person gets used to the convenience offered by an auto he/she will never be able to go back to the manuals. I reckon starting off with a manual will make one certainly a better driver than the people who has never driven a manual at all. I hope I've not offended anyone in the process.

[AJ56]

Get the amaze/brio auto variants from 2013-14, you’ll get plenty of excellent ones under 3.5L. Have it checked by the dealer thoroughly and you’ll be good. It’s the only proper 5 speed auto you’ll get in the budget and very reliable long term. Make sure you pick the VX variant which got the airbags (all other variants didn’t).

[AGupta]

Buy a new car from Maruti/Hyundai. For a new driver, AMT is good enough. Select any one from the below options.
Celerio AMT / I10 Nios AMT/ Tiago AMT

[autocratic1107]

Why not consider Kwid 1.0 AMT, as its raised stance provides decent all round visibility for a new driver and also should be easy to manure in the city stop gap traffic. Models from 2019 comes equipped with ABS, driver side airbag, reverse camera, which will be handy. More importantly you can get less driven recent models well within your budget.

Recently bought a 2019 top-end model for my wife, that was driven around 8K Kms in perfect immaculate condition with extended warranty for 4L, which was a sweet deal. It may not be as drivable in the league of Japanese or Koreans, but caters decent city driving combined with good FE and low maintenance costs. The resale value may not be great, but you cant get a perfect 10/10 for any vehicle

[itsmeparvathy9]

Originally Posted by autocratic1107

Why not consider Kwid 1.0 AMT, as its raised stance provides decent all round visibility for a new driver and also should be easy to manure in the city stop gap traffic.
=====
The resale value may not be great, but you cant get a perfect 10/10 for any vehicle

The Renault KWID RXT AMT OPTIONAL was my choice to practice driving. We bought a new one in 2017 for around Rs.5,00,000 on road in Kerala ready cash just to learn to drive, but held on to it for over 5 years, It felt good value for money then, but with current prices it doesn't seem so. Go for a used one you could get a sweet deal

[sunsetorange]

5 lakhs could get you a nice used Polo GT TSI from 2017 or so. Be sure to check for extended warranty and complete service history. If you could get one with mechatronic change under warranty within a year, it would be great. Safe and enjoyable car.

[alenp07]

Originally Posted by avk

Brand: Open to all currently producing cars in India
Location: Bengaluru

Though it may not fit your criteria I urge you to consider the option below:

Nissan Micra Xtronic CVT (2013-2018)

I was in the same situation last month. I ended up getting a pre-owned 2015 Nissan Micra XV Xtronic CVT and that too from Spinny. I have shortlisted Ecosport, City from 2009-2013, Brio, Polo initially but then Micra was a surprise entry. By no means it is a performance car but it has all the essential features like Dual Air Bags, ABS, Keyless Entry & Go, Start-Stop button, Electric Folding mirrors, LED Tail Lamps etc. More importantly, it is a car meant for a city like Bangalore. Due to lack of demand the prices are not that jacked up for Micra. For the context, A similar Brio ( more fun to drive ) is roughly 1 to 1.5 lakhs costlier than Micra.

The weakest link in this car is its A/C. After getting the vehicle I replaced the evaporator, thermister and compressor but still, there is a lack of adequate cooling. Even GTO's Sunny is having a similar issue which you can read here (Nissan Sunny Diesel Review : The Family's new workhorse).

However, I am so happy to report that my wife who never drove in Bangalore traffic despite having a license started driving my 4-year son to school. Simply because of this reason I am in love with Micra.

[SoumenD]

Well I would recommend you to have a look at Jazz CVT. I own one and can vouch for the reliability. While the resale is a bit higher you might just get a 2015/16 example around your budget. Being a honda its very reliable, spacious and pretty safe(as per GNCAP) compared to peers. My wife who is a new learner also finds it pretty convenient to handle in city.

I had shared my 3 year ownership update a couple of months back. link (Honda Jazz : Official Review)

[-~=+Killa+=~-]

Originally Posted by Phantom 510

Why not a manual and then an automatic.

I agree with you! Also with manual there are so many options in the second hand market.

Originally Posted by sunsetorange

5 lakhs could get you a nice used Polo GT TSI from 2017 or so.

Please check the used car market once, you won't get 2017 GT TSI for anywhere near 5 lakhs. I wouldn't recommend polo for a newbie, chances are the learner will most likely keep the gear in D mode with foot on the brake in signals which is one of the starting point for DQ200's problems.

[adg_andy]

Originally Posted by Phantom 510

Why not a manual and then an automatic. .

The future is electric and hence automatic Why learn something that is not required in the future? Also it is a misnomer that only manuals make you better drivers. I would not like to watch movies in a 22 inch BW CRT TV any more !! Plus , one has to unlearn manual a bit before learning automatic. The OP will not have to go through that process.

[Everlearner]

Originally Posted by adg_andy

The future is electric and hence automatic Why learn something that is not required in the future? Also it is a misnomer that only manuals make you better drivers. I would not like to watch movies in a 22 inch BW CRT TV any more !! Plus , one has to unlearn manual a bit before learning automatic. The OP will not have to go through that process.

Offtopic but related. I always thought learning to drive a manual car is mandatory to get a license. Are we allowed to drive an automatic car during license test? If allowed will they provide a different class of license like motor cycle without gear?