Looking for a used fun-to-drive car under 7 lakh, preferably a sedan

The 4th-gen Honda City i-VTEC is the top contender but finding a good example is a difficult task.

BHPian Tanmay_868 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Introduction

My name is Tanmay Jain. I am a 2nd year MBBS student. 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 was provided by my grandfather when he said 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 in driving due to driving thousands of kms including peak city traffic jams which according to my dad is the real test to gauge one’s driving skill.

Our current garage includes

• MG Hector: bought in 2021
• Hyundai Grand i10: bought in 2018
• 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 the i10 but when another car is needed then this car will 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 the balance is implicitly tilted towards sedans. But any other body type can also be had.

Shortlist

• Honda City i-VTEC 4th gen facelift - As all of you would already have guessed, the City is the top contender on our list. That i-VTEC is just a gem of an engine along with ample space it is just a perfect car. But finding a decent one will take time since currently all the ones listed on OLX are dealer cars and none is from a direct individual. This is the olx ad.
• 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.
• Volkswagen Vento TSI 1.2 AT - Came across a 2017 Vento posted by a dealer that has run 38k and can be had for 7 lakhs post negotiations. But have not seen it till now.
• Ford Ecosport facelift - Considered it briefly but not pursuing it further since didn’t like the hard clutch of the 1.0L Ecoboost variant of my uncle which we drove. OLX link 1, link 2
• 2017 Hyundai Tucson 2.0 - Came across this advertisement of Tucson. Car is being sold by the owner directly which he bought at a bank auction and now selling after using it for a couple of years.
• 2022 Rapid TSI

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 i-VTEC, 1.6 VTVT, 1.6 MPI) which would be the best. Suggestion for any other car which I may have left is also appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

Here's what GTO had to say about the matter:

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.

Here's what BHPian mura had to say about the matter:

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.

Here's what BHPian ByKaizen had to say about the matter:

If you are planning to consider hatchbacks/diesel, Swift diesel will be a great choice.

Pros:

• Engine, for sure will bring in smiles due to the enormous torque
• I could see around 20+ Swift diesel with your criteria around Delhi on OLX (2017+ <50k)
• Less maintenance
• Good resale.
• Well within your budget (4 to 6L)
• Fuel efficiency (Easily 15-20 kmpl)

Cons:

• Steering feedback, handling will not match the Germans
• 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 it)

Here's what BHPian IshaanIan had to say about the matter:

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.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.