[rugveda78]

Hi, I had a similar situation (way back in 2013) when I was bit too eager to have my first car. Had just learned driving and not confident enough to drive it in all situations but still the enthusiasm (over-the-top, maybe) got the better of me and I bought my first car, WagonR. I do regret it as it is manual, rarely driven and whenever stuck in traffic, the left leg complains.

My suggestion, go for either Grand i10 Nios or Tiago (both AMTs). Yes, I read that you are not too keen on AMTs, but these i10 AMT is much smoother. Tiago is bit more safer. Both will induce some head-nods, but the experience wouldn't be a bothersome over time. You will either get used to it or will find some work-around, I mean you will learn to drive it in a way that will give you subtle head-nods than prominent ones.

Who knows, maybe you will keep this car itself for a longer duration till you get all confident about the maddening traffic, the terrific (sarcastic) roads and by the time you are ready for the next, electric cars would be more common, with a better charging network and you can jump on to that. A Baleno CVT is a good option, but to be honest, the car is bit wider for newbies, and general opinion about Maruti car's build quality can be a turn-off for some.

Go for a new top model (if possible), get the latest tech / options available and you will be fine. Depreciation does take hit, but better to have a newer car and worry less about the damages / driving turn-offs than to buy a older car which may have lesser hit on depreciation, but an old tech. Moreover, buying a used car is a tricky situation. You never know what you are getting.

[VK Dhanuka]

Thanks for sharing your experience. Gives me confidence that it should not be too hard for late learners.

[VK Dhanuka]

Yes, I am looking at pre owned Ecosport and Jazz. Though Ecosport checks all boxes and then some, having only one Ford ASC(~10 KM) which is on the higher end of acceptable distance is a concern, that too in Mumbai in the year when Ford wrapped up. Does not inspire confidence on state of Ford, three years down the line and resale value.
Also I could not find a any long term Ecosport Petrol AT review.

Jazz checks all boxes and I will likely end up getting a used one. Only minus points about Jazz are its old design which do not bother me much.

[VK Dhanuka]

Thanks everyone for valuable inputs. I was secretly hoping to receive TBHP blessing on one of my shortlisted pre owned cars but its better that it didn't happen.

Based on advice so far -
1. I am going to take driving lesson so can at least take a basic test drive before finalizing any car. Quick question here, does Maruti/Toyota driving schools offer more value than local ones with 20 days 20 mins plans ?
2. Discontinued Toyota models are back in consideration. I especially like the looks of Yaris.
3. Will prefer OEM certified pre owned. Also plan on getting inspection done by ASC before buying any pre owned car. Honda has advantage here as they offer 10 year anytime warranty which I can check on.
4. Not going to buy absolute beater but something in 7-10L pre owned range so I can keep it minimum for next three to five years.
5. Buying new is almost out of picture as I get less bang for my buck and not invested in owning new.

[Phantom 510]

Toyota Yaris CVT is a great option as well. A well kept well driven example would serve you for many years without missing a beat in true Toyota fashion. The CVT of the Yaris was very responsive as well and returns good efficiency when driven in a sane manner.

[ajaykp]

Hello Sirs,

I have a similar requirement and I have sorted down to two cars for different reasons.

As a background, I own a swift VDi for 10 years with just over 50k kilometres. over last 5 years the usage has been quite less. So I thought better to switch to a petrol vehicle with a good resale value for my swift at this stage.

when I thought of upgradation and kept adding all features, the car price escalated to above 20 Lacs, which I thought is a waste of money for my kind of usage. My usage is maximum 300 kms per month and occasional (2-3) short trips of 200-300 Kms in a year. with all variations, it may come to maximum 5000 kms per year.

hence I fixed the requirements as follows:

The main features of the car:

i. automatic transmission (for my wife to drive in the city)
ii. good safety rating.
iii. some features which are attractive and latest or something extra from my present car
iv. Budget around 10 lacs.

The things that could be compromised:

i. slightly less power
ii. non smooth AMT gearbox
iii. advanced electronics features.

With these things in mind with inputs from reviews at team-BHP forum and test drives, I have limited to these two cars with an option to even wait for more launches if needed.

1. Renault Triber RXZ dual tone - Pros - Value for money, option of a third row of seats suitable for short trips with another family, 4 star safety rating, quite good features for the price of ~ 9.2 lacs.

2. Nexon XMA(S) - Pros - Powerful engine, SUV upgrade, 5 star rating, Sunroof (additional feature), reasonable features for the price of ~11 lacs.

I have booked the Triber 2 days back thinking that it will be convenient for my Wife to start driving in the city and third row seat is appealing to my 9 year old and cost for the highest variant comfortable for me. But I am still having second thoughts. So I request the esteemed members to kindly help me concretise on the decision.

[deetjohn]

One brilliant pick if the owner can withstand the why questions from relatives and larger public will be an used EcoSport AT.

Pick the facelift which means 2017 or later. And Titanium + which comes added goodies like 6 airbags, paddle shifters, sunroof etc.

It's got the very nice naturally aspirated dragon engine, a 6 speed torque converter and it's built really well. Sits really tall, is narrow and easy to park in the city too. And did I say Fun to drive?? Women of the house will love driving it.

It's reliable and you'll be able to pick a car with warranty too. It will give a consistent 10ish kmpl which is quite decent for a car that heavy and a relatively bigger engine. It betters a Brio or i10 AT for sure in performance and efficiency! A lot of car for that money and you'll save money on a 10 lakh budget which will take care of running costs too.

But as I mentioned, you'll need a bit of balls to not give into the 'sheepish' questions.

[Equus]

Yaris - not sure as the used car prices are quite high. You could get a 2016 Corolla Auto for around 10L that has run under 40-50K - although its plain-jane, you will love its diligence and lack of drama (car/ownership/etc).

[Nav-i-gator]

Originally Posted by VK Dhanuka

Background : I am nearly thirty five years old and do not have any driving experience. I do have a license issued three years back after taking one of those 10 days 30 mins lesson plan, and then paying additional "fees" after driving test. So taking Test Drive is not an option for me.

1. This is going to be your first car. That experience lives with you forever.
2. You will learn to drive on this car; you will become an expert driver on this car only. Few months down the line, car size, visibility, width etc will get etched in your muscle memory and cease to be a concern. And then, you would crave to drive, longer and longer.

My recommendations for you would be:

1. Tigor EV
2. Polo TSi
3. Jazz CVT

[S.A.N.]

[quote=VK Dhanuka;5210116]

Driving usage : It would be for ninety five percent city driving - office commute(~10 KM return) after WFH ends, weekend runs and long drives only if I fall in love with driving in Mumbai. I don't have confidence to drive on highways now but that will hopefully change and will like to drive to nearby outskirts.

Wants/Needs :
1. I want a pure automatic (CVT/DCT/TC) - I plan to keep the car for a long time and thus do not want to be stuck with AMT which I might not enjoy in city stop and go traffic unless driven manually.[Made up my mind after Mahindra XUV300 thread on the forum]
2. I want features that make a driver's job easier - Rear camera with guidelines, auto headlamps, DRL, auto wiper(might not be possible in my budget) etc so I can focus on road.
3. Best if it can seat five comfortably.
4. Don't want to go outside of big five OEM - Toyota, Honda, Maruti, Hyundai, and Tata for my first car
5. Not sure if ground clearance equates to higher seating as I have heard that aids new driver and also easier on senior citizens so would like to have that for my parents and myself.
6. Who does not want safety? But based on my budget and pure automatic requirement I don't think I have much of a choice.
7. Fuel type petrol

1. Could have gone for Yaris/Corolla used listings but don't want to go for discontinued BS4 models.
2. Also want to avoid full sized sedans like Honda City as I fear I will have more trouble learning to drive on them
3. Used Hyundai Creta automatic needs special mention as the all used car resellers have significant disproportionate such listings which has made me believe that there is something wrong with this car./QUOTE]

Having read all your points, and keeping your requirements in mind

I went to a similar process sometime back, but in my case, it was well clear to go the used car route, given the budget and usage
Had been searching for over a year to find the car that firt my requirements and budget, given the high number of dealers in Mumbai and the hyped price. Coming back to your issue

IMHO, you currently have two paths you can take
1. Look for a Used Honda City, 2017 or later, Petrol, Automatic, 1st owner, the car will fit your budget perfectly and might even get a top model to meet all your requirements.
About your concern for being a new driver, many driving schools have a full-sized sedan for you to learn on, since you already know all the basics, won't take long for you to get accustomed, about 15 days on their car will help you get a good judgement of the size
You can later start driving your own car
2. Buy a used card under 2L preferably, proper sedan, diesel, manual, upto 2 previous owners
Use the car to learn driving in city traffic and highways
In the meantime you can start putting away money to increase the budget a go for a New Automatic petrol car that truly matches your taste and requirements
Or even a second hand full-sized sedan if you get addicted to the fun of driving

As a fact, I faced the same issue, learnt to drive at a driving school over 2.5years ago, never drove after that.
Started looking for a 2nd hand car, didn't want to settle for something that's not fun to drive
Hence, shortlisted a Honda City Manual, got a good deal, tried driving it on open roads the day of delivery, following drove in evening rush hour traffic, since I pushed myself to garner the courage and drive it on every kind of road.
Did a bit of practice nearby on nearby hills and took it Lonavala for a weekend, just after owning it for less than a month.

Guess my comment is a wee bit too long and detailed