[thomahawk]

The Nios doesn't have the Turbo petrol anymore right? I wouldn't call the Hyundai's NA engine fun to drive - did your friend take a test drive?. I think you should be looking at the preowned route for a fun to drive, safe hatch since you don't want a Maruti, Citroen or an EV (do give it a chance though; charging in hostel might be an issue - otherwise there are ample number of chargers everywhere? If you frequent hill stations, yes, the range is an issue for the small Tiago - especially if you want to have fun uphill).

Who is footing the running expenses and maintenance? I think a frugal Ford TDCI makes sense (if you are OK with the clutch) - and you can use the money saved, to run and maintain it till the end of collage.

[harikrishnansp]

Tiago petrol is not at all fun to drive. Since you have ruled out EVs and marutis, Nios would be the safe option, although I would not call it a safe car. Hyundais are only slightly better or at par with marutis when it comes to safety.

Try to convince your friend to go with the Citroen.

Originally Posted by Doge

Rejection of Maruti because of safety concerns and then considering a Hyundai is funny
The Nios is not a safe car, last i heard.

That is the brand value of Hyundai. It is considered premium and people associate it with being safe. The new Verna with it's 5 star rating is safe, not the Nios.

[Karthik1100]

I don't recommend car for college student. It's his time to focus on getting good score. Car is something that takes some amount of his time. If at all a car is needed for convenience, i would suggest MG comet. Good for a student lifestyle. I don't recommend any powerful car or something that takes his time for its maintenance.

[Big Smoke]

Hi fellow BHPians.

I’m in the final year of college and will be graduating next year. I'm currently looking for a car that meets the following criteria:

1. Budget: INR 7 lakhs (firm). In exceptional cases, I can stretch it to INR 7.5 lakhs, but not beyond.
2. Fun to drive: This is a must-have.
3. Fuel/Transmission Type: No strict preferences—I’m open to all combinations as long as the car is engaging to drive. That said, I do have a slight preference for an automatic transmission (AT), but I’m not interested in AMTs. However, this is not a dealbreaker.
4. New Car Only: My family is not comfortable with me buying a used car for personal reasons, and I respect that. That being said, if an exceptional, "like-new" used car (<3 years old, <25,000 km driven) offers significantly better value than new options, I may consider it.
5. Purchase through Defence CSD: The car will be bought via the Defence Canteen Stores Department (CSD), which offers certain tax exemptions. Based on my experience, the CSD price is typically around 18% lower than the standard on-road price. As a result, I can consider cars priced up to approximately INR 9.2 lakhs on-road.

The car will be used exclusively by me, with occasional trips involving friends. My typical usage will be around 28 km per day, 2-3 days a week. This includes 6-7 km on poorly maintained or broken city roads, while the remaining distance will be on National Highways.

A little more about me: I'm not a newbie—I have around five years of driving experience across all kinds of roads. Over the last 9 years, I’ve purchased six cars for my household (right from the beater car to luxury cars), so I'm well-versed in the process of buying new cars, test-driving, and negotiating deals.

That said, as a member of this esteemed forum, I believe there's always more to learn about automobiles! That’s why I’m here, seeking recommendations from my fellow BHPians. Looking forward to your insights!

[bijims]

Originally Posted by Big Smoke

I’m in the final year of college and will be graduating next year. I'm currently looking for a car that meets the following criteria:

The Cheapest Automatic (non-AMT) car is an electric car, the MG Comet which costs 6 lakhs ex-showroom, the cheapest Petrol automatic car (DCA) is the Tata Altroz which costs 8.50 lakh ex-showroom.

More information could be available and better suggestions could be made if you specify your location and what a price of 9.2 lakhs on-road means, it would be better if you specify the ex-showroom cost of a CSD car that would translate to your budget.

From what I see, a base spec Amaze CVT (older model) should fit your budget and is a good option. If fun to drive is your criterion, maybe a Swift (although AMT) is a good option, a Citroen C3 AT is also a fun-to-drive car if it fits in the budget.

[Big Smoke]

Originally Posted by bijims

More information could be available and better suggestions could be made if you specify your location and what a price of 9.2 lakhs on-road means, it would be better if you specify the ex-showroom cost of a CSD car that would translate to your budget.

Thanks for your inputs. The city of registration would be Kolkata, so am looking for cars within 9.2 lakhs on - road price accordingly.

[bijims]

Originally Posted by Big Smoke

Thanks for your input. The city of registration would be Kolkata, so am looking for cars within 9.2 lakhs on-road price accordingly.

At around 9.20 lakhs OTR in Kolkata, the best options you can get are:

1. Maruti Swift VXi or VXi(O) AMT (There are additional discounts of up to 60k if these are applicable)

2. Hyundai Grand i10 Sportz Executive AMT (There are additional discounts in the range of 25k to 75k from the dealer end)

3. Maruti Baleno Delta AGS (There are additional discounts of up to 62k)

Anything with a Proper Automatic transmission costs close to 10 lakhs OTR in Kolkata and the options are:

1. Honda Amaze 2nd Gen S 1.2 CVT (discounts of up to 1 lakh applicable)

2. Tata Altroz XMA Plus (Additional discounts of around 50k applicable)

Based on the above, The Swift should be the best choice in terms of budget and meeting most of your requirements. Hope it helps!

[Rolwynj]

Originally Posted by Big Smoke

Hi fellow BHPians.

I’m in the final year of college and will be graduating next year. I'm currently looking for a car that meets the following criteria:

1. Budget: INR 7 lakhs (firm). In exceptional cases, I can stretch it to INR 7.5 lakhs, but not beyond.
2. Fun to drive: This is a must-have.
3. Fuel/Transmission Type: No strict preferences—I’m open to all combinations as long as the car is engaging to drive. That said, I do have a slight preference for an automatic transmission (AT), but I’m not interested in AMTs. However, this is not a dealbreaker.
4. New Car Only: My family is not comfortable with me buying a used car for personal reasons, and I respect that. That being said, if an exceptional, "like-new" used car (<3 years old, <25,000 km driven) offers significantly better value than new options, I may consider it.
5. Purchase through Defence CSD: The car will be bought via the Defence Canteen Stores Department (CSD), which offers certain tax exemptions. Based on my experience, the CSD price is typically around 18% lower than the standard on-road price. As a result, I can consider cars priced up to approximately INR 9.2 lakhs on-road.

The car will be used exclusively by me, with occasional trips involving friends. My typical usage will be around 28 km per day, 2-3 days a week. This includes 6-7 km on poorly maintained or broken city roads, while the remaining distance will be on National Highways.

A little more about me: I'm not a newbie—I have around five years of driving experience across all kinds of roads. Over the last 9 years, I’ve purchased six cars for my household (right from the beater car to luxury cars), so I'm well-versed in the process of buying new cars, test-driving, and negotiating deals.

That said, as a member of this esteemed forum, I believe there's always more to learn about automobiles! That’s why I’m here, seeking recommendations from my fellow BHPians. Looking forward to your insights!

Toyota glanza G variant or Baleno zeta. It has all the bells and whistles one need for a car under 10 lakh on road. This car has features modification scope too in case u want to upgrade later ( you can get spares from MGP). My mod lists include - tri color fog lamp, cruise control, adjustable seat belt, steering wheel from brezza etc.