[rajushank84]

Title says it all, but I am wondering if we can think of anything below the 2-lakh rupee mark that doesn't have a ton of mileage on it (<100K km).

A few options I can think of:

• Older Punto
• Older Figo / Fiesta
• Older Civic
• Tata Vista

I am not sure if older Swifts and Ritzs came out with dual airbags.
Hyundai?

I figure this would be useful for a first-time / budget-conscious buyer who also wants to pay attention to safety.

[Tojo_GotBhp]

Other options I can think of are:

1. 1st Gen Hyundai i20- Top class quality, all wheel disc brakes, 5-star rated (if I'm not wrong, back then the i20 available in India and the one exported were identical), 6 airbags, ABS, EBD.
Ofc, the 6 airbag would be available only on Asta (O) trims, but the Asta trim do get dual airbags.

2. Maruti Ritz and Swift- Both the cars in their ZXI trim get dual airbags along with ABS.

3. Nissan Micra- Driver airbags are standard across the range with dual airbags available in higher trims.

4. 2nd Gen Honda Jazz- Dual airbags, ABS + EBD standard across the range.

P.S: The Nissan Micra misses out on ABS in its lower trims even when it gets driver airbag. I personally feel that ABS are of more importance than airbags.

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by rajushank84

A few options I can think of:

• Older Punto
• Older Figo / Fiesta
• Older Civic
• Tata Vista

My additions to this list:

1. 2008 well kept Toyota Corolla even if the odo is over 1 lakh kms

2. 2009-11 sx4 Zxi

3. Maruti Swift zxi or Ritz Zxi but I doubt you will find a 2010 or later model at less than 2lacs.

4. 2010 Hyundai i10 Asta

5. 2012 or 2013 Nissan Sunny XV/ Renault Scala RxZ

6. Renault Pulse RxZ

If I remember right, the Spark LT(O) and the 2010 WagonR Vxi(o) also came with airbags (not sure though).

[IshaanIan]

If the car is older than 10 years, you may as well just pretend that they will open because there's no relying on them. The airbag canister or whatever inflates them might be expired and may not explode with enough efficacy, the sensors might be damaged etc.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by rajushank84

I figure this would be useful for a first-time / budget-conscious buyer who also wants to pay attention to safety.

If someone on a budget desires safety, then consider CKD cars or those with less "Indianisation". Civic, Laura, Accord & gang can be had for 2 - 3 lakhs.

You must also consider cars that did well in the GNCAP tests such as the Liva / Etios, Polo etc.

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

If the car is older than 10 years, you may as well just pretend that they will open because there's no relying on them. The airbag canister or whatever inflates them might be expired and may not explode with enough efficacy, the sensors might be damaged etc.

That is a good point. However, most modern airbags (definitely those after year 2000) are "sealed for life" and do not require any maintenance or replacement unless there is a specific problem. Further, the airbag systems have a self-diagnostic function that runs frequently and checks for any errors. Therefore, unless there is an "Airbag Error" displayed on your instrument panel or a related error code is thrown in the diagnostics, you can assume that the airbags will function as designed, if required.

Here is one article that has some related information: https://www.edmunds.com/car-safety/d...gs-expire.html

Quoting from this article:

The burden of determining whether a car airbag is working properly isn't on the vehicle's owner. Nearly every vehicle equipped with an airbag has a diagnostic function and an SRS indicator light that signals when there is a problem.

"When you start your car, the SRS light comes on a short period and then goes off as the self-diagnostic is completed by the computer," says Martin. "If the light either never comes up [at start-up] or comes on and stays on, then it can indicate a problem with the system."

[satishchugh]

You may also consider Chevrolet Beat LT(O). This one has 2 airbags and a clean 5-10 year old can be had for 1.4-2.5 lakhs.

[landcruiser123]

Originally Posted by rajushank84

I am not sure if older Swifts and Ritzs came out with dual airbags.
Hyundai?

Swift & Ritz had dual airbags in the ZXi trims.
Hyundai had a few variants of the i10 & i20 with dual airbags.

I figure this would be useful for a first-time / budget-conscious buyer who also wants to pay attention to safety.

Also add the Chevy Sail, Etios Liva, Honda Jazz & Brio to your list. A friend in Chennai got a Brio for INR 2.5 lakhs with 98k km.

Originally Posted by GTO

If someone on a budget desires safety, then consider CKD cars or those with less "Indianisation". Civic, Laura, Accord & gang can be had for 2 - 3 lakhs.

The only drawback with a 10-12 year old Corolla, Civic (or a higher segment car) is the potential high spare part cost. I'd only advise people with an initial budget of INR 5-6 lakhs to buy a cheap Corolla/Civic and keep the remaining funds for any part changes.

[Vibhav-Van]

Your choices are spot on. I've had a great experience with the Punto and Figo. Both offer dual airbags and ABS along with reassuring build quality and predictable handling.

- 2010 Punto: Bought a single-owner used, 74K run example for a very decent 2.1L in 2016. This was a 1.4 petrol and was butter smooth. Sold it in 2018 when I upgraded to an Ecosport.




- 2013 Figo: This was also a single-owner used vehicle with 65K on the odo for 2.6L. Bought this in 2019 for my wife when she started to learn driving. Price wise, the deal might not have been as sweet as the Punto's but she loves it to bits. This one will stay with us for quite some time.

[swoosh]

If you are okay with the Fiat brand, you can also consider Linea 1.4, MJD, or even T-jet. In addition to the Airbags, you will also get a car with the solid build quality, excellent handling, and driving dynamics. Both diesel and petrol engines are known for longevity and there shouldn't any surprise of engine issues if maintained well.

[anumod]

I have covered the same thought in a video, sometime back.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_fVLWxL5go&t=6s

I considered the economy aspects as well in this video.

Mods, please don't consider it as a cross posting. Found this to be relevant in this thread and hence posted. If you find it as irrelevant, please remove the post.

[shankarbn]

An odd one to add on the list would be an older model Hyundai Tucson. It has two airbags, ABS and traction control as well. It's way more expensive to repair and maintain than all other cars on this list mentioned by others though (from personal experience, many parts on my BMW 3 series were cheaper in comparison to Hyundai Tucson)