Summary: Some cars are better than others for a person with a family. We take you through a few pre-owned ones that best suit you as a family car. With the help of used car loans, pre-owned cars are great purchases because they insulate the buyer from the massive amounts of depreciation that a new car purchase involves. However, selecting the right pre-owned car can become difficult, as they need to be serviceable for at least a few years after purchase. There are a few choices that stand out as family cars.
Maruti Suzuki WagonR
The WagonR is one of the default choices for a first car and with good reason. It combines great space and fuel efficiency with low cost of ownership and repair, and its long sales run coupled with massive sales figures means that spare costs and availability are excellent. Look for one of the later WagonRs powered by the K-series engine; it will offer much better fuel efficiency and refinement over the older 1.1-liter four-cylinder engine.
Hyundai Xcent
The Xcent was a new platform compared to the older Accent and offered more space, comfort, and features than its predecessor. The diesel engine is eye-popping efficient, and the boot space provides much-needed convenience for a family with a small child carrying a lot of luggage. The rear seat space is also perfect. The only stigma that the Xcent faces is being a taxicab model, which only means that the car is exceedingly reliable and that spare pricing and availability will always keep the owner happy. Given all its good points, the Xcent would make a good case as a first sedan and car,
Maruti Ertiga
The Ertiga is Maruti’s attempt at cracking the MUV/MPV segment, and breaking, it did. The Ertiga has established itself as the default choice of MPV on a budget, and with good reason. With its three rows of seats, it offers added flexibility for extended or large families – and the third row of seats folds flat for luggage space so large, you almost wouldn’t know what to do with it. The diesel engine is the most reliable of the Maruti range, the bulletproof 1.3-liter DDiS. Some of the later versions of the Ertiga had start/stop capability, which will help fuel efficiency. Not too many petrol Ertigas were sold, and even fewer were sold with the automatic gearbox, so you’re likely to snag a diesel one.
Honda City
The Honda City is the standard for premium sedans in the Indian market, and with four different generations to choose from in the pre-owned market, there is quite a bit of choice. The first generation will not be a good choice, but the second generation with the 77bhp i-DSI engine can be so for a very reasonable amount, especially if it is the pre-facelift one. The facelifted second-gen City was called the ‘ZX.’ The 10th-anniversary second-gen VTEC was the first City to offer disc brakes on all four wheels and ABS, so that would be a good option if you could find one. It was sold with a CVT automatic gearbox, but the odds of finding one are very low. The third-generation City is quite readily available in the used car market. It is powered by the first i-VTEC engine in the Indian market and has an automatic gearbox. If you look long and hard enough, you might find an example with a sunroof and a touchscreen audio system fitted from the factory. A good feature of the third-gen City was the standard ABS across all variants except for the ‘Corporate’ variant, which sold relatively quickly. If you want a diesel-powered city, you’ll have to look at the fourth-generation City, for which you’ll need a considerable budget.
Toyota Innova
The Toyota Innova is the ultimate family car in the Indian market, with its ludicrously low regular maintenance cost and legendary reliability. It is so beloved in the Indian market that it retains the highest value of any pre-owned car.
There are only two true generations in the Indian market, so you’re more likely to find the older generation at relatively reasonable prices. The top-spec variants were designed as comfortable family vehicles, so those will be better options – but they also retain their value much better. Avoid the base models since they were created as commercial vehicles and most likely will have been used. An automatic gearbox was offered only on the new generation Innova, so you are highly unlikely to find one at a reasonable price.
Used car loans provide up to 95% financing of the car’s value, and interest rates can be as low as 15%. In some cases, even 100% of the car value, along with flexible EMI options.
The used car loan eligibility criteria are simple and listed clearly on the websites. You can even apply for the loan at the used car dealership or from the comfort of your home—you merely need to have the required documents ready for submission. Loan disbursal is quick so you can have your chosen pre-owned car as soon as possible! Many websites also offer tools like the used car loan EMI calculator to help you plan.
