[Tanmay_868]

Introduction
My name is Tanmay Jain. I am a 2nd year MBBS student. I joined team bhp last year and have contributed to team bhp by various small inputs. But this would be my first long post, so esteemed members please excuse for any mistake.

We are a family of 6 members. My brother is also pursuing MBBS, while my dad is a doctor. My family loves driving. A true testament provided by my grandfather where he told he used to drive his trucks personally to places like Assam, Gujarat from Delhi with just a conductor and himself regularly.
Thus being 19 years old i myself have gained enough experience of driving due to driving thousands of kms including peak city traffic jam which according to my dad is the real test to gauge one’s driving skill.
Our current garage includes
1.MG Hector: bought in 2021
2.Hyundai Grand i10: bought in 2018
3.MS Celerio: bought in 2016

We are currently looking to replace our Celerio which has run around 89k but has started developing some problems due to its age and rough usage by our drivers

Requirements
Looking majorly for a pre owned car
Budget- Restricted to 7 lakhs by parents
But I think with a little nudging from me and my brother it can be increased because they know we will always cross the limit which has been decided upon
(I am sure you all also would have experienced this with your kids )
Age- Not older than 2017
Odo reading- <50k for 2017 models
Usage- Will keep the car for 5-6 years
The car would be used primarily for local errands and sometimes me and my brother would take it to college. Also dad will primarily use i10 but when another car is needed then this car would be used.
Main requirement is Fun To Drive.**We need a car that would give us Smiles per Mile.
We don’t have any parking problems.
We haven’t had a Sedan till now, so balance is implicitly tilted towards Sedans. But any other body type can also be had


Shortlist
1.Honda city iv-tec 4th gen facelift
As all of you would already have guessed, city is our top contender in our list. That iv-tec engine is just gem of an engine along with ample space it is just perfect car. But finding a decent one will take time since currently all the ones listed on OLX are dealer car and none is direct individual
This is the olx ad: https://www.olx.in/item/honda-city-2...iid-1742286071

2.Hyundai Verna 1.6 Petrol 5th gen
2017 Verna with 1.6 vtvt engine is also nice but finding one <7 lakhs is quite difficult. We liked the overall quality of the car but till now haven’t test driven the car.

3.Volkswagen Vento Tsi 1.2 AT
Came across a 2017 vento posted by a dealer that is run 38k and can be had for 7 lakhs post negotiations. But have not seen it till now.
https://www.cartrade.com/buy-used-ca...=listing_share

4.Ford Ecosport facelift
Considered it briefly but not pursuing further since didn’t like the hard clutch of the 1.0l ecoboost variant of my uncle which we drove.
https://www.olx.in/item/ford-ecospor...iid-1743402629
https://www.olx.in/item/ford-ecospor...iid-1741948997

5.2017 Hyundai Tucson 2.0
Came across the following advertisement of Tucson. https://www.olx.in/ad/1742735316 Car is being sold by owner directly which he bought at a bank auction and now selling after using it for a couple of years.

6. 2022 Rapid Tsi
https://www.olx.in/item/skoda-rapid-...iid-1744127665

So members please help me in narrowing down my choices and do suggest the prices at which these cars should be bought.
Out of the crop of N/A engines from various manufacturers {1.5 iv-tec, 1.6vtvt, 1.6 mpi} which would be best
Suggestion for any other car which I may have left is also appreciated

Thank you in advance

[GTO]

7-lakhs is a very good budget for a used fun-to-drive car in Delhi...the largest car market by far and with the best prices in India.

Top choices would be the Rapid 1.0 TSI with its wild li'l motor, Polo & Vento. Next-in-line choices would be the XUV300 Turbo-Petrol & Duster 1.3L Turbo (for its 154 horses & brilliant ride quality). Last would be the 4th-gen Honda City 1.5L.

If you are open to spending slightly more money, take a test-drive of the Citroen C3 1.2L Turbo-Petrol. It's a pocket rocket that offers oodles of fun. Fast engine, slick gearbox, sorted suspension and brand new is brand new. The C3 Turbo boasts fantastic engineering under the skin.

Avoid the EcoSport, Abarth Punto etc. All long discontinued models with declining or poor support from their makers.

[mura]

i10 Nios Turbo. A remap away from 140bhp and is super easy to maintain and service.
It might not be the last word in handling but it is huge fun around the city with just a tire upgrade. You can get an almost new 2022 model with less than 5k on the odo for your budget easily.

[ByKaizen]

If you are in a plan to consider hatchbacks/diesel, Swift diesel will be a great choice.
Pros:
1. Engine, for sure it will bring in smiles due to enormous torque
2. I could see around 20+ swift diesel with your criteria around Delhi in OLX (2017+ <50k)
3. Less maintenance
4. Good resale
5. Well within your budget (4 to 6L)
6. Fuel Efficiency (Easily 15-20 kmpl)

Cons:
1. Steering feedback, handling will not match German
2. One among the crowd, not unique

But with the budget of 7L, after buying there will be some room for mods which can be used to upgrade wheels, tyres, suspension, audio, ecu remap* (*if you wish, but this is worth)

[IshaanIan]

You can knock the Verna 1.6 petrol off of your list because while the chassis is fairly balanced since it’s derived from the Elantra, the motor won’t feel as strong as a Japanese NA or as powerful as a smaller but turbocharged german unit would overall it is a very weak motor best suited to automatic transmission and sedate usage.

With that out of the way, unfortunately there isn’t too much choice in the sedan segment especially since they have been on the decline over the past decade. Try looking out for a 1.4 tsi manual Škoda Octavia. They didn’t sell many so finding one might be tough but it should fall in your budget and is leagues better than any rapid/vento would be.

Another interesting choice would be the Abarth Punto. Rides excellently over our roads that are filled with potholes and pulls strongly as well.

If you cannot find a good example of either the 1.4 Octavia or the Abarth Punto, you cannot go wrong with the Honda City

[PrasannaDhana]

I found a Scross 1.6, 2017, single owner with 91k km on odo for sale in spinny yesterday. Price was quoted 7 lakhs. For someone in that budget, it's a great choice.

A fast, efficient diesel car with nice space and comfortable ride quality. Steering is a drawback if one is used to cars with good steering feedback.


Also found an Elantra 1.6 diesel, 2016 with 90k km on do with an asking price of 7.2 lakhs.

There are so many such options. But if you ask me, I would rather put down that 7 lakhs on down-payment for a new virtus comfortline 1.0 TSI and avail 6.5L loan.

Great engine
5 star safety
Superb looks
Nice space
Nice MT gearbox
8 speaker stereo with android auto and Apple car play
Steering mounted controls
Cruise control
Drivers armrest

It gets everything one needs, except alloy wheels.


If budget is a strict 7 lakhs, try finding used Rapid 1.5 tdi. You can find decent ones with <60k km on odo not older than 2017.

[NerdSpeaks]

In a pre-owned route, it is difficult to go wrong with Honda city which is a rare combination of FTD & reliability.
Honda engines are built to last with bare minimun maintenance even if you have it pre-owned.
Plus, Honda's ASC is acceptable level in most parts of our country.
Happy hunting.
Cheers.

[shank.b127]

Maybe you can also check out a 3rd Gen Toyota Corolla Altis, it would be reliable, comfortable, the diesels have good torque as well. I think during city driving low end torque matters a lot.

[steadfast]

Put a smile on your face requirements: Only Vento, Rapid and Polo. Topic closed

[rajk15]

I’d go against the tide here and since you’re in Delhi say: NO DIESELS!
It’s simply not VFM given the government policy.
Now full admission- Honda fanboy here
But seriously, for a reliable 2nd hand car, I’d say the City is the way to go. Look around Delhi as well maybe but one thing- be careful since I’d suspect there would be a lot of flood affected cars in the market.
All the best!

[MT_Hyderabad]

I heard that the Sonet Diesel is a pocket rocket. I would also suggest Fiat Abarth Punto with a remap.

[Tanmay_868]

Sorry for not replying earlier
All suggestions of the members were considered.
Had shortlisted- City, Rapid, Polo, Vento

But after seeing 3-4 cars from individual sellers couldn’t finalize on a single option.
The VAGs were being offered at ex- showroom prices after being used for 3 years.
City found were not in best option or were sold in few days of contacting

So Dad proposed for a new car
All things in short
We have now finalized on New Nexon EV
But still deciding upon which variant to go for- Creative Plus or Fearless?
Any other suggestion or any pointer to keep in mind please suggest.