Best budget car to buy in 9 lacs for a medium-sized family in 2021

[asstv75z]

I think the amount its less for older vehicles.

[asstv75z]

Have heard good reviews of the move but not had experience with one.Never had a lancer also.

[syeddanishanwar]

ut the Punjab Excise website shows 6,000 PKR token tax for a 1301 to 1499cc car

I have recently bought a car after carrying out extensive research about different cars. Given your requirements, I suggest that you should buy a Honda City i-DSI 2004 - manual. The fuel economy is excellent and the car requires much less maintenance as compared to a Cultus or Liana as the build quality of Honda parts are much better.

Don't buy JDM cars since the spare parts are expensive as hell. For instance, a front light of a Mira cost over Rs. 25k when I had last checked about a year ago. In comparison, the cost of local assembled car's spare parts is much less.

[irfan-tariq]

@syeddanishanwar thank you so much for your honest and kind suggestion.

What fuel average can i expect from a Honda City i-DSl Manual variant if driven with a heavy foot within city? The City i-DSl that I'll get in my budget might not have a good condition, i think, and some City i-DSl owners are even getting 8 - 9 km/liter fuel average within city from their Honda City i-DSl's manual variants...

[syeddanishanwar]

-DSl Manual variant if driven with a heavy foot within city? The City i-DSl that I'll get in my budget might not have a good condition, i think, and some City i-DSl owners are even getting 8 - 9 km/liter fuel average within city from their Honda City i-DSl's manual varian

The fuel average depends on the condition of the car's engine. A well-maintained manual CITY iDSI could give you 11-12 km per liter. I don't think there will be much difference in fuel average between a used Cultus and City. But a Honda car is more reliable that will give you less trouble in terms of suspension and engine as compared to a Cultus.

[itzahmd]

Mitsubishi Lancer is no comparison to a cultus. Cultus is a far inferior car than a lancer 2006 or any of the cars you’ve mentioned. Liana also is far better than a cultus. Yes you’re right cultus is overpriced but you also raised a point that this will be you’re first car and you don’t want the hassle. Mechanics will create problems with cars like Mitsubishi Lancer and try to rob you. Cultus is a basic car. Though if someone in your family knows about cars and is willing to guide you if a problem arises I think you should definitely consider city liana and lancer.

[irfan-tariq]

@itzahmd, ok so if i can seek some guidance from an experienced person, then what should be my priorities in order? What rating you'll give each car, and on which factors? Can you please rate each car mentioned above? That will make things easy for me.

[ibaloch777]

Cultus or faw V2( can get around 2015-16 model in this price bracket.

[syeddanishanwar]

I would give the following ratings to the cars you have selected above.

1=Worse; 2=Bad; 3=Average; 4=Good; 5 = Excellent.

Suzuki Liana LXi 2007 (1300cc)
* Comfort: 4/5 (Comfortable seats; Plenty of leg space for 5 adults)
* Reliability: 2/5 (car owners say it requires a lot of repairs)
* Maintenance Cost: 3/5 (Cost of maintenance is affordable for most people)
* Fuel Average: 2/5 (Not good: about 9/10 kmp per liter for manual and 7/8 kmpl for automatic in city driving)

Suzuki Cultus VXLi 2010 (1000cc)
* Comfort: 3/5 (Average comfort)
* Reliability: 3/5 (Car owners say it requires moderate repairs)
* Maintenance Cost: 4/5 (Cost of maintenance is affordable for most people)
* Fuel Average: 4/5 (Good: about 11/12 kmp per liter in city)

Honda City EXi 2003 (1300cc)
* Comfort: 3/5 (Comfortable seats; Plenty of leg space for 5 adults)
* Reliability: 4/5 (Car owners say it requires occasional repairs)
* Maintenance Cost: 3/5 (Cost of maintenance a bit higher than Suzuki cars)
* Fuel Average: 4/5 (Good: about 11/12 kmp per liter in city)

Honda City iDSI-2004 (1300cc)
* Comfort: 4/5 (Comfortable and spacious)
* Reliability: 5/5 (Car owners say it is one of the most reliable cars)
* Maintenance Cost: 3/5 (Cost of maintenance a bit higher than Suzuki cars)
* Fuel Average: 3/5 (Average: about 9/10 kmp per liter in city)

Honda Life 2007 (660cc)
* Comfort: 4/5 (Comfortable seats; Plenty of leg space for 4 adults)
* Reliability: 5/5 (JDM cars are extremely reliable)
* Maintenance Cost: 2/5 (Spare parts are expensive)
* Fuel Average: 5/5 (Excellent: about 12/13 kmp per liter in city)

My personal suggestions is to avoid Suzuki cars.
Honda Life is the best car in the list due to excellent fuel economy, comfort, and reliability. But before buying this car you should find out if the spare parts are easily available in your area i.e. Gujranwala.
The next best car is Honda City iDSI-2004 but only if you can afford the higher fuel average.
Honda City EXi 2003 is better looking car and fuel average is also better than iDSI. But personally, I would go for a newer model City.

[shaiki]

1. I have never had to change the coils of my car but let's see what happens. Most modern car's engines shouldn't be pressure washed, and no its not due to coils there is also the ECU which gets water damage when the engine bay is pressure washed. Most EFi cars have their ECUs in the engine bay, some cars may have good insulation or leak proof containers for ECU ( I don't expect local assembled to have this)

2. The M13A is one of the standard engines for Liana along with the M16A. If anything, a larger car with same engine should mean lesser chance of overheating since the engine bay will be larger and provide more circulation of air. The issues with Liana's engine arise mostly because users install local CNG kits from the market which messes with the engine tuning. The factory CNG will cause lesser issues since it is electronically controlled.

3. Yes, the token tax is same as a 1500cc vehicle

[pwuser151705762629]

First of all, as you mention its your first car you are making a mistake of comparing sedans and hatches in the same bit, make your own mind clear first as there is a different answer if you need hatch and different for sedan.

For first car, my priority would be: ease of maintenance, reliability then come comfort, sedan vs hatch, shashka, etc. My priority would be I start it in the morning and it starts. With this in mind, do you think that a 15+ year old liana/city would be better or a 10 year old cultus? Keep in mind that both of these would need regular mechanical support, but in one case part is 1000 in other 4000 or higher.

We must appreciate all the suggestions here, Sadly the car market these days is trash. I don't support a 2010 cultus being worth 9 lacks its a shock for me. BUT the reality of "Salaried" person is = reliability (relatively newer model with ease of maintenance) and "ready resale" = means cash in hand on the same or next day. With this, and heavy heart in mind, CULTUS is the primary option for you followed by city/civic 2002-4.

[syeddanishanwar]

You should also consider Suzuki Mehran. You can get a 2018 model car in about 8.5 lacs. While it is not comfortable, the maintenance cost will be extremely low if bought in good condition.

I have a 2018 Mehran and a 2007 Civic Automatic. The monthly cost of maintaining Mehran is next to nothing but I have to sacrifice comfort. Civic is way more comfortable but the cost of maintenance is high.

The cars you have listed are neither comfortable such as Civic or Corolla or maintenance free like a newer model Mehran.

BTW, you have not clarified what you mean by being a salaried person. Salaried persons with a low income (<80k per month) should definitely get a Mehran as it is dirt cheap to maintain a newer model car. But if your salary is high (>1.5 lacs per month), you should prefer comfort and go for Honda or Toyota cars.

[irfan-tariq]

Thank you so much @ibaloch777, @shaiki, @pwuser151705762629, and @syeddanishanwar for honest and very detailed feedback.

@syeddanishanwar Suzuki Mehran is no doubt very cheap on the pocket and maintenance, but it is not in my list as i'm looking for a family car and have 5 adults in my family and Mehran will not accommodate 5 adults at all, when needed...
And the bitter reality is, I'm a Salaried person with a low income (<50k per month) and i have realized that maintenance cost and cost of ownership are very big factors in my car search...

@pwuser151705762629 i couldn't agree more with your valuable suggestion. My priority should be "When I start my car in the morning, it should start"... (ease of maintenance, reliability).

[ibaloch777]

With less income in hand. Its better to opt for newer model mehran.
You need to realize how many times all 5 persons are on board on the vehicle in a months and for how much distance? Would it be a daily routine or very occasionally decision should be based on that.
For short distances/occasionally mehran can accommodate 5 persons although not comfortably..

Just An other thought if you don't bother looks/shashka and want practicality, why don't you consider a minivans (every, hijet, xpv etc) to accommodate a relatively bigger family.
Specially XPV , Changan carvan, every, hijet etc have acceptable looks at least.
Seating of bolan can be changed for a comfortable ride.

[syeddanishanwar]

Based on the updated information, I suggest you should go for Cultus as its maintenance cost is affordable. Honda and Corollas cost of maintenance are high due to 'luxury features' such as power steering, ABS, etc. that require repairs once every four to five years.

Also, you should consider minivans as suggested by
ibaloch777imran. But again know about the availability of spare parts in your area if buying JDM cars. They will be perfect both in terms of reliability and comfort but only if the spare parts can be sourced of the particular model.

[ali454]

Stay away from old Toyotas and Hondas. The maintainance/repair costs will be just too much if you want to run them by the book.

Get a Suzuki Cultus 2010-2011. It will be newer hence less problems, it is very easy to maintain, very reliable if you dont fiddle with its electronics and has excellent fuel consumption.

[irfan-tariq]

Thank you so much @ibaloch777, @syeddanishanwar, and @ali454 for your valuable suggestions.

Yes, after reading the honest suggestions from all of you brothers, I've decided i should stick to Suzuki Cultus VXLi 2010-2011 as my very first family car.

@ali454, @itzahmd, @ibaloch777, @syeddanishanwar, and @pwuser151705762629, are there any known faults in Suzuki Cultus VXLi 2010-2011? Are there any important things and notes that i should be aware of, before buying a Cultus (like never wash Cultus's engine bay with water, etc.)? Please let me know if there are any important known issues....

[ali454]

Never fiddle with its throttle body if giving no problem.
No alterations in wiring.
Rear doors have rust issues
Overheating/head gasket failure is common.
Rattling interior.
Locks become problematic as they age.

Vxli has power windows getting jammed issue.

Rest of the car is simple to work on and is quite comfortable.

[irfan-tariq]

Thank you so much @ali454 and all my brothers for the detailed feedback.

Does anyone want to add anything in @ali454's response regarding known faults of Suzuki Cultus VXLi?

[sarmadraheem]

You have to bang shut the doors in any cultus pre current generation.