Looking For a Used Sedan Around 4.5 Lakhs


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Hello friends,

I'm looking for a used sedan car for around 4.5 lakhs diesel and around 3.5 petrol. My month run is just around 500 km. If you ask why not hatchback, the reasons are:

1st I had Tata Nano which I sold recently so don't want go for same segment again.
2nd I'm 6 feet in height and the hatchbacks I checked were not so comfortable. Either to sit or get in/out.
3rd I like sedans then hatchbacks.

Here are the details for what I'm looking -

Budget: 4.5 lakhs diesel and 3.5 for petrol
New or Used: used
Your Location: Hubli - Karnataka
Top Five Priorities: Safely (airbags), Low Maintenance, Comfort
Monthly Running: ~500
Type of Fuel: Diesel or petrol
For What Purpose: Not Regular Use but occasional. 75% within city.
Seating Capacity: 5
Type of Segment: Sedan

Till now I have test driven are Swift Dzire, Honda City ZX GXI, Chevy Optra and those which I have only looked rather then driven, Tata Manza, Skoda Octavia, Ford Fiesta, Maruti SX4, Honda Civic

Here are the things I spotted on the above cars:

Swift Dzire - Very smooth drive and handling but not very comfortable and so is the rear seats. Same has Swift I suppose. Didn't liked the design either. Crosses my budget also.
2008 Honda City ZX GXI - Drive was smooth but suspension wasn't so (May be car wasn't in good shape). Drive wasn't enjoyable and I didn't feel like a sedan, instead it was like hatchback feeling. Comfort was ok but not the best.
2007 Chevy Optra Royale - I liked this car very much. Excellent handling and smoothness. Very enjoyable drive. Excellent space and Comfort. vehicle was in good shape with minor dents and scratches. Seller was fix on price, that is 3 lakhs. Not even a rupee less. But he was the forth owner! There were most of things replaced, like bigger allows (from GM) (15"), Front glass (from GM), Headlights, suspensions and etc. He said, he bought the car for 2.90 lakhs 8 months ago and spent few 30k for parts replacement. I felt the vehicle wasn't worth for what he is quoting and my friends also said same.

Tata Manza - Haven't driven the car yet but I feel its a good car except I'm afraid of following things: corrosion which I saw in most of manza's including one in this forum, Lack of knowledge to the servicing guys (As I have faced issues with my tata nano), Low resale value.

Skoda Octavia - High maintenance cost, High parts cost, high labor cost so is the car cost. [;)]
Ford Fiesta - Most of my friends say to keep away from fiesta because of their high servicing cost. Still I'm not sure about it. So need to advice on this car.
Maruti SX4 - actually it was/is my primary choice because I like its shape, comfort, ground clearance and etc but I couldn't find any used car for sale here. Also used car seller say to keep away from it because of its resale and mileage
Honda Civic - Same as Skoda Octavia.

Friends I need your advice on the following things and I'm depending upon you because I'm not so expert in selecting a right car:

1. Should I go for petrol and save some bucks or go for diesel?
2. What is your opinion on Manza? because I got call from tata pre-owned yesterday, that there is 2011 Manza elan for 5 lakhs (slight nego) with 35k run and I don't know whether to go for it or wait for more offers. Afraid about corrosion but I haven't seen the car yet.
3. I still have to see aveo, optra magnum and linea. Any advice on these cars? optra magnum and linea may cross my budget.
4. More advice and suggestions was most welcome.

Thanks...
Best Regards
 
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Hello friends,

I'm looking for a used sedan car for around 4.5 lakhs diesel and around 3.5 petrol. My month run is just around 500 km. If you ask why not hatchback, the reasons are:

1st I had Tata Nano which I sold recently so don't want go for same segment again.
2nd I'm 6 feet in height and the hatchbacks I checked were not so comfortable. Either to sit or get in/out.
3rd I like sedans then hatchbacks.
I am a 6 feet guy figo was very good for me.
Here are the details for what I'm looking -

Budget: 4.5 lakhs diesel and 3.5 for petrol
New or Used: used
Your Location: Hubli - Karnataka
Top Five Priorities: Safely (airbags), Low Maintenance, Comfort
Monthly Running: ~500
Type of Fuel: Diesel or petrol
For What Purpose: Not Regular Use but occasional. 75% within city.
Seating Capacity: 5
Type of Segment: Sedan

Till now I have test driven are Swift Dzire, Honda City ZX GXI, Chevy Optra and those which I have only looked rather then driven, Tata Manza, Skoda Octavia, Ford Fiesta, Maruti SX4, Honda Civic

Here are the things I spotted on the above cars:

Swift Dzire - Very smooth drive and handling but not very comfortable and so is the rear seats. Same has Swift I suppose. Didn't liked the design either. Crosses my budget also.
2008 Honda City ZX GXI - Drive was smooth but suspension wasn't so (May be car wasn't in good shape). Drive wasn't enjoyable and I didn't feel like a sedan, instead it was like hatchback feeling. Comfort was ok but not the best.
2007 Chevy Optra Royale - I liked this car very much. Excellent handling and smoothness. Very enjoyable drive. Excellent space and Comfort. vehicle was in good shape with minor dents and scratches. Seller was fix on price, that is 3 lakhs. Not even a rupee less. But he was the forth owner! There were most of things replaced, like bigger allows (from GM) (15"), Front glass (from GM), Headlights, suspensions and etc. He said, he bought the car for 2.90 lakhs 8 months ago and spent few 30k for parts replacement. I felt the vehicle wasn't worth for what he is quoting and my friends also said same.

Tata Manza - Haven't driven the car yet but I feel its a good car except I'm afraid of following things: corrosion which I saw in most of manza's including one in this forum, Lack of knowledge to the servicing guys (As I have faced issues with my tata nano), Low resale value.

Skoda Octavia - High maintenance cost, High parts cost, high labor cost so is the car cost. [;)]
Ford Fiesta - Most of my friends say to keep away from fiesta because of their high servicing cost. Still I'm not sure about it. So need to advice on this car.
Maruti SX4 - actually it was/is my primary choice because I like its shape, comfort, ground clearance and etc but I couldn't find any used car for sale here. Also used car seller say to keep away from it because of its resale and mileage
Honda Civic - Same as Skoda Octavia.

Friends I need your advice on the following things and I'm depending upon you because I'm not so expert in selecting a right car:

1. Should I go for petrol and save some bucks or go for diesel?
2. What is your opinion on Manza? because I got call from tata pre-owned yesterday, that there is 2011 Manza elan for 5 lakhs (slight nego) with 35k run and I don't know whether to go for it or wait for more offers. Afraid about corrosion but I haven't seen the car yet.
3. I still have to see aveo, optra magnum and linea. Any advice on these cars? optra magnum and linea may cross my budget.
4. More advice and suggestions was most welcome.

Thanks...
Best Regards
For budget of 4.5lakh you can get ford fiesta diesel, swift desire for monthly commute of 500kms I would suggest petrol would be best choice. You could look for wagonr go for it new one. Wagonr for 7feet guy would be best for ingress and egress
 
Thread Starter #3
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For budget of 4.5lakh you can get ford fiesta diesel, swift desire for monthly commute of 500kms I would suggest petrol would be best choice. You could look for wagonr go for it new one. Wagonr for 7feet guy would be best for ingress and egress
Thanks for the reply.

Actually I don't like Swift Dzire but I do like ford fiesta. What do you say about its maintenance cost? people over here say, for each service you have to pay a bunch of notes. [roll] Is that really so? And why there are so many used fiesta around. I feels like people aren't satisfied or is there any other reason?

Wagon r is a different segment car. For now I'm looking for sedans only. If I was looking for hatchback, then will be a different story. like punto, vista, fabia, figo, ridz.
 
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Yes for sure you need to roll some notes other than maruti products that is why they are more successful. Don't go for Chevy products in seconds I am struggling because of it. For 4.5 go for new wagonr best choice for your height and FE as your usage is very low to go for sedan diesel. Why not extend your budget and try verito vibe?
 
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Thread Starter #5
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Yes for sure you need to roll some notes other than maruti products that is why they are more successful. Don't go for Chevy products in seconds I am struggling because of it. For 4.5 go for new wagonr best choice for your height and FE as your usage is very low to go for sedan diesel. Why not extend your budget and try verito vibe?
verito vibe reaches 6.5 for basic itself and I don't want to go for new since I have double loss. First I have to pay more for less features and second more lose on resale. Also my budget is 5 lakhs max.

Actually don't like the wagon r either. Its very common car and mine will be just a another car around. Nothing special. [;)]
 
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Petrol would be the best option for you as your usage is less.So decide which fuel type whether you want to go with Petrol or diesel then coming to cars drop Octy from the list as it is very expensive to maintain.Civic is a good car reliable you can get 06-07 models for 4-5lacs. i hope which is not your budget for petrol versions.How long do you plan to keep the car with you as Civic is discontinued by Honda.

the best of the list would be SX4,CITY ZX,fiesta both P&D .As you said fiesta is not that expensive to maintain earlier they have to import parts but now they have plant in chennai and i personally own a fiesta believe me its a riders car.
 
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If you see a car common in a city it means how good they are. If not wagonr try Honda Jazz that would be a better choice.
 
Thread Starter #8
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Petrol would be the best option for you as your usage is less.So decide which fuel type whether you want to go with Petrol or diesel then coming to cars drop Octy from the list as it is very expensive to maintain.Civic is a good car reliable you can get 06-07 models for 4-5lacs. i hope which is not your budget for petrol versions.How long do you plan to keep the car with you as Civic is discontinued by Honda.

the best of the list would be SX4,CITY ZX,fiesta both P&D .As you said fiesta is not that expensive to maintain earlier they have to import parts but now they have plant in chennai and i personally own a fiesta believe me its a riders car.
I'm confused between petrol and diesel because I'm looking for a sedan cars so petrol sedan cars give less mileage compared to hatchbacks and my driving is mostly within city so diesel sedan is better I guess. Atleast it gives lil mileage more and price is less.

I'm looking to keep the car as more I can. Atleast more then 6 years. That is also the reason I don't want to buy hatchback so that in case I have to sell sooner.

Good to hear about fiesta, I will look for it. [:)]

If you see a car common in a city it means how good they are. If not wagonr try Honda Jazz that would be a better choice.
Yeah there are pretty good hatchbacks but still hatchbacks aren't my option atm. [:)]
 
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your monthly average kilometers are 500,so opt for petrol versions,because low on maintenance and excellent in city conditions.(no turbo lags).
Remember if your going with sedan be ready to compromise with FE.
You can get SX4 petrol,honda city within your budget though,but my pick would be petrol SX4 lower maintenance and no nonsense car,and FE of 12-14 kmpl.
Regarding honda City,handling is much precise than ,and fun to drive,but high on maintenance and low FE of 8-9 kmpl.A honda city break pad cost about 3k-4k.
Swift Dzire overall good product,good FE,low maintenance,good handling. with 1.2litre engine.
Chevy optra strict no-no.
Why don't you go for fiat linea.
 
Thread Starter #10
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your monthly average kilometers are 500,so opt for petrol versions,because low on maintenance and excellent in city conditions.(no turbo lags).
Remember if your going with sedan be ready to compromise with FE.
You can get SX4 petrol,honda city within your budget though,but my pick would be petrol SX4 lower maintenance and no nonsense car,and FE of 12-14 kmpl.
Regarding honda City,handling is much precise than ,and fun to drive,but high on maintenance and low FE of 8-9 kmpl.A honda city break pad cost about 3k-4k.
Swift Dzire overall good product,good FE,low maintenance,good handling. with 1.2litre engine.
Chevy optra strict no-no.
Why don't you go for fiat linea.
I love SX4 but I'm looking for it more then 6 months now and I couldn't find it. There are some in Bangalore but I prefer to buy within my city (Hubli).

True, Honda parts are costly so either civic or city, have to stay away.

I couldn't find Fiat Linea either. Or people say its out of my budget. [roll]
 
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Petrol would be the best option for you as your usage is less.So decide which fuel type whether you want to go with Petrol or diesel then coming to cars drop Octy from the list as it is very expensive to maintain.Civic is a good car reliable you can get 06-07 models for 4-5lacs. i hope which is not your budget for petrol versions.How long do you plan to keep the car with you as Civic is discontinued by Honda.

the best of the list would be SX4,CITY ZX,fiesta both P&D .As you said fiesta is not that expensive to maintain earlier they have to import parts but now they have plant in chennai and i personally own a fiesta believe me its a riders car.
I'm confused between petrol and diesel because I'm looking for a sedan cars so petrol sedan cars give less mileage compared to hatchbacks and my driving is mostly within city so diesel sedan is better I guess. Atleast it gives lil mileage more and price is less.

I'm looking to keep the car as more I can. Atleast more then 6 years. That is also the reason I don't want to buy hatchback so that in case I have to sell sooner.

Good to hear about fiesta, I will look for it. [:)]

If you see a car common in a city it means how good they are. If not wagonr try Honda Jazz that would be a better choice.
Yeah there are pretty good hatchbacks but still hatchbacks aren't my option atm. [:)]
Ok no hatch slogan from you;) for your budget you get these cars.

1. Swift dezire. - this out of your page

2. SX4 - VFM but rattle snake.

3. Manza - Less resale value like vibe. Tata service centers are not up to the mark'

4. Skoda Octavia - buy it if you can roll out lot of money. Spares are very hard to obtain. My friend had to purchase the AC compressor from malasiya.

5. Ford fiesta classic - good car but it might not meet your expectations.

6. Optra - from Chevy I am struggling with this car. I will say big NO

7. Honda city - costly spares.

8. Fiat Linea - ac compressor is the first target to go kaput

9. Etios petrol basic - VFM bad ground clearance and interior.

You must decide now. Used cars are trickey very hard to judge and buy it.
 
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Why do you want to purchase car only from your city ?
is Bangalore to far from your place.grab it if you like it.I see people going to other states to get the car.
Manza is a good car which also falls in your budget.if you like to have more details of manza maintenance anshumann8 can help you he has one.
 
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I would keep it short. For your kind of usage, Petrol car is best suited.

Your top priorities are Safety, Resale, low maintenance and comfort.

The Safety and comfort is model specific and can be found of most of the cars, if you are looking at the top end versions, however when it comes to Low maintenance (to some extent) & Resale value, considering that you are buying a used Petrol, only a Honda City can suffice you.
 
Thread Starter #14
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Ok no hatch slogan from you;) for your budget you get these cars.

1. Swift dezire. - this out of your page

2. SX4 - VFM but rattle snake.

3. Manza - Less resale value like vibe. Tata service centers are not up to the mark'

4. Skoda Octavia - buy it if you can roll out lot of money. Spares are very hard to obtain. My friend had to purchase the AC compressor from malasiya.

5. Ford fiesta classic - good car but it might not meet your expectations.

6. Optra - from Chevy I am struggling with this car. I will say big NO

7. Honda city - costly spares.

8. Fiat Linea - ac compressor is the first target to go kaput

9. Etios petrol basic - VFM bad ground clearance and interior.

You must decide now. Used cars are trickey very hard to judge and buy it.
Thanks for the info about each cars. I have narrowed down to two of em. SX4 or Honda city. SX4 is highly preferred.

Today I visited the Tata pre-owned to see that manza elan but it was in worst condition. Not a 2 year old car but the owner had used very roughly. Plenty of scratches, dents, rust and front bumper slightly out of place. May be thats why they have placed 5 lakhs nego. Anyhow I have removed manza from my list now because all of manza cars I have seen had rust, even those maintained in good condition.

Hope I get a nice SX4 soon.

Why do you want to purchase car only from your city ?
is Bangalore to far from your place.grab it if you like it.I see people going to other states to get the car.
Manza is a good car which also falls in your budget.if you like to have more details of manza maintenance anshumann8 can help you he has one.
Bangalore is about 400km. Going there, finding a car, making the deal is lil hard for me. So I'm try to look which ever is near to me. Otherwise, I have to go to Bangalore.

I would keep it short. For your kind of usage, Petrol car is best suited.

Your top priorities are Safety, Resale, low maintenance and comfort.

The Safety and comfort is model specific and can be found of most of the cars, if you are looking at the top end versions, however when it comes to Low maintenance (to some extent) & Resale value, considering that you are buying a used Petrol, only a Honda City can suffice you.
I would like SX4 over Honda City because of its low cost maintenance, parts cost, comfort and ground clearance.
 
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Is there any chance to get Honda Jazz in that range? Among petrol cars Jazz is one of the best and it fits in hatch as well as sedan segment and very premium in look.
 

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