At last count there were 13 options in the market for a new hatchback for around Rs 5 lakh. That is a pretty big number to begin with, and with more options to be made available in the next year or so, it will be a mighty confusing task to choose one. But what if we told you that instead of buying yet another cramped car with a wheezy engine and not much flair, you could buy a yesteryears luxury car? Sounds tempting, doesn't it? So we decided to do a bit of looking around and came up with four cars that are worth taking a look. Each of them has a distinct character and unlike a hatch, is more than a mere practical tool. So hit the used car market and see if you can spot any of these:
TOYOTA COROLLA (2003-05)
The no-nonsense, practical sedan
See, we wanted to give you an option just because you are the rational sort - which the Toyota Corolla is. First introduced in 2003, the Corolla became the de facto choice for those who wanted space and comfort, yet not lose out on efficiency. The 1.8-litre VVTi engine has enough grunt for the highways and can still deliver upwards of 10 kpl in city conditions on a light foot. It doesn't look like a million bucks, but it is well loaded with all the requisite comfort features one looks out for. Typically, pre-2004 cars are now available for under Rs 5 lakh with early 2005, pre-facelifted models going around the half a million rupee mark in most cities in India. Most of these cars will have their odometers closing in on the six figure sum, but worry not, since this Toyota is truly reliable and should give you a good motoring experience for a long time to come. Look out for cars that have been part of a corporate house or with full service history which should be available from the dealership which maintained it. Some parts are hard to come by in the open market and sticking to Toyota workshops for service is in your interest.
SKODA OCTAVIA vRS (2004-07)
For the boy racer in you
We liked the fact that it came in just four colours - red, yellow, silver and black. We also liked it for its 150 bhp, 1.8-litre turbocharged petrol motor that produced enough shove to sprain your neck! In its heyday, very few cars could keep up with it, let alone outpace it. And even though the Octavia vRS was available for the princely sum of Rs 15 lakh, heavily used early examples are now available for as low as Rs 3.5 lakh. What this car did, and still does, is provoke you to become a hooligan. As the turbo starts to spool and the revs start to rise, your pulse rate starts to increase. It's genuinely capable of seeing speeds in excess of 200 kph and around a twisty course it can leave many a performance car for dead. It also comes loaded with all the bells and whistles you can think of - from cruise control to airbags, ABS, sunroof and a hi-po stereo. It also looks the part with those 16-inch spider-web wheels and a body kit to die for. It's very tempting, but one must remember that finding clean examples are tough, especially since Skoda sold very few of them over four years.
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