[bsanjayrao]

Hello All,

My uncle wants to buy a car. He is around 45 and has just learned driving few months back.

1. Car will be used for around 500-600km per month max.Mostly on weekends.
2. Should seat 4 people comfortably and at times 5.
3. Decent luggage space.
4. Decent Mileage and good After sales service(important).
5. Budget for a new car around 4-4.5L(Max).
6. Budget for a second hand car around 2.5L.
7. Features needed PS, AC, PW

Kindly suggest all the options. Would it be advisable to buy a second hand car now. If so what would be his options at a budget of 2.5L.

If new car then I guess BEAT, New Wagon R and FIGO(base model) come in his budget.

Kindly help

[spindoc]

Hi, I have been checking out some cars and based on what I have seen, this is how the cars stack up against your requirements:

1. Figo - esp. for the weekend trips, but the other two would fare well too
2. Figo > WagonR > Beat - most spacious of the lot
3. Figo
4. WagonR
5. WagonR / Beat (variants with safety features available at this price)
6. Getz / WagonR / Ikon?
7. WagonR = Beat > Figo

Originally Posted by bsanjayrao

Hello All,

My uncle wants to buy a car. He is around 45 and has just learned driving few months back.

1. Car will be used for around 500-600km per month max.Mostly on weekends.
2. Should seat 4 people comfortably and at times 5.
3. Decent luggage space.
4. Decent Mileage and good After sales service(important).
5. Budget for a new car around 4-4.5L(Max).
6. Budget for a second hand car around 2.5L.
7. Features needed PS, AC, PW

Kindly suggest all the options. Would it be advisable to buy a second hand car now. If so what would be his options at a budget of 2.5L.

If new car then I guess BEAT, New Wagon R and FIGO(base model) come in his budget.

Kindly help

[bsanjayrao]

Thanks spindoc.

One more thing I forgot to mention was that most of the driving would be in Bangalore city. And not too much of highway driving as he has just learned to drive.

Figo seems a good buy the base model comes just with PS and AC.
The next model costs around 4.65 on road in Bangalore which has all the features like PS, AC, front PW's, and even CD player.
He does not want to stretch his budget over 4.5 at any cost.

[ukamath]

Given the profile and requirements of your uncle, I would recommend the Wagon R, primarily for the following reasons.
1. Tall Boy design with wide opening doors - gives the ability for him to walk into the car
2. Great after sales service from Maruti - practically very little in terms of expenses in the first few years of ownership - very dependable on-road support in case of breakdown
3. Comfortably seats 4, decently seats 5 - Great leg room, but this eats into boot space - Got to compromise somewhere!
4. Great all round visibility - especially when reversing the vehicle
5. Good fuel economy and nice K series engine
6. The Vxi+ version comes with ABS, Airbags, PS, PW, A/C and music system - Cheaper Vxi comes with all except ABS and Airbags - should be able to get a new one for about 4.5 lakhs, Lxi with Front PW, A/C and PS comes for about 4.3 lakhs.
7. Reputed and dependable - More than 8.5 lakhs units of Wagon Rs have been sold (1 of them in my family - we love it)
8. The most practical option

I am not against the Beat or Figo, but I still recommend WagonR over these two for the following reaons.

Beat:
1.Feels a little cramped and claustrophobic inside (especially the rear seat because of the design)
2.Sales and support is still nowhere upto Maruti's standard, especially in non metro or highway areas
3.Rear windscreen too small to see from when reversing
4.Small boot space
5.Although highly fuel efficient, Korean designed engine not in the K-Series league
6.Not a tall boy design - space is at a premium

Figo:
1. The base version comes with the petrol motor, which is known for mediocre fuel efficiency, nowhere near the Beat or Wagon R
2. Although the car is good, Ford A.S.S. still does not inspire confidence
3. Not a tall boy design, smaller looking than Swift - space is at a premium
4. Looks a bit dated when compared to the other two.

My 2 cents -Hope it helps.

[sachinj12]

Agree with umakanth.


If A.S.S is a criteria for selection , it has to be WagonR.

2) 4 is best fit in WagonR. 5 people will be tight fit.
3) Luggage space compromised in WagonR. Its just about adequate if you pack intelligently.
4) Decent Mileage and A.S.S? K-series and M.A.S.S sure is a win-win combi.
5) Falls within your budget.
6) AC/PS is now almost standard in almost all cars. PW can easily be installed in aftermart,

[bsanjayrao]

Thank you Ukamath and Sachinj12.

We will check the New Wagon R this week and will update the thread .

Will check out others too and let you guys know.

[joy_swift]

My father-in-law had the same kind of budget around 4L and had shortlisted the following cars.

1.wagon R
2.Beat
3.Figo
4.Santro
5.i10

Santro top model was 4L after discounts and the Figo Exi with integrated stereo was at 4.28L,so the Santro got eliminated in the first place.

I10 Era(the lowest model with colored bumpers) was 4.1L after discounts had nothing in it,not even wheel covers,so looked pricey.i10 Magna was around 4.35L after discounts and even that did not have the integrated stereo.So I10 went out of the list.

The rear seats in the Beat were too cramped and the small rear windows made it claustrophobic,so Beat was not considered.

the new Wagon R was a good choice and at 4.35L the top model looked attractive.Now comparing the Wagon R with the Figo is unfair since I still think both belong to different segments in terms of interior space,build quality,length,width,wheelbase etc.Its the killer pricing from Ford that made it on par with Wagon R.

So ultimately went for the Figo 1.2 Zxi priced at 4.5L.Although the budget got increased by 50K,it was worth the extra money considering you get a much bigger and more solid car.I drove the car for close to 50 Kms and the engine though not as punchy as the K series,would do the job.I am just worried about the mileage part but think it should give around 11-12 in the city with 100% AC on.

The mileage and A.S.S would the areas where Wagon R would trump the Figo by a long shot.If thats the criterion,should go for it with closed eyes

[rohan_iitr]

Originally Posted by bsanjayrao

My uncle wants to buy a car. He is around 45 and has just learned driving few months back.

If new car then I guess BEAT, New Wagon R and FIGO(base model) come in his budget.

Any reason why the i10 has not been considered ? IMHO, i10 1.1 ERA would meet all your requirements. It is really value for money.

I don't understand why i10 has unnecessarily been branded as overpriced whereas Maruti cars are considered value for money even with their unrefined 3 cylinder engines and low equipment list.

Originally Posted by joy_swift

I10 Era(the lowest model with colored bumpers) was 4.1L after discounts had nothing in it,not even wheel covers,so looked pricey.

i10 ERA comes with the following:
- AC
- Electronic power steering
- Front power windows
- Rear child locks
- Internally adjustable ORVMs
- Day/night IRVM
- Even a vanity mirror in passenger side sun visor

Please don't give misleading information by saying that i10 ERA has nothing in it. The feature list is better than Maruti Lxi models at similar price. Even Maruti doesn't give wheel caps in Lxi/Ldi variants.

Rohan

[vivekgk]

Since the car is in Bangalore, service will not be an issue for any car. Since there are no out of town trips, luggage space is for shooping and occasional airport runs, I assume?

FE - As per reports from a trusted friend at Indus Motors, new WagonR customers are complaining that there is no 'pulling'. The K series 3 cyl. engine makes it power high up. Hence there is little torque at low rpm. To get more pickup, engine needs to be revved, resulting in lowered mileage.

So, I'd say that the Beat would be better in the city, being a 4 cyl. Beat also comes with 3 year maintenance package, giving peace of mind. Figo has lower FE, but loads of luggage space, but interiors felt cramped to me. Also less easier to get into.

I think the Beat is the best of the lot. Good engine, maintenance package, good FE, more luggage space than WagonR. It's also a taller car than Figo.

Don't decide on forum opinions alone, have your uncle TD each of the cars, with the people who will be riding in the back, to prevent complaints.

[joy_swift]

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

i10 ERA comes with the following:
- AC
- Electronic power steering
- Front power windows
- Rear child locks
- Internally adjustable ORVMs
- Day/night IRVM
- Even a vanity mirror in passenger side sun visor

Please don't give misleading information by saying that i10 ERA has nothing in it. The feature list is better than Maruti Lxi models at similar price. Even Maruti doesn't give wheel caps in Lxi/Ldi variants.

Which car doesnt come with these so-called features like AC,power steering,IRVM,vanity mirror etc etc?

I was comparing i10 to Figo and thats where I felt i10 was hugely overpriced.I am wrong to a certain extent since i10 sells in huge nos(infact,sold 13K during Apr).But I had a look at the features for both and that was my personal opinion.

As I said earlier,at 4.1L,the i10 ERA features pales in comparison to Figo 1.2 Exi.The Magna at 4.4L is again priced horribly expensive compared to Figo 1.2 Zxi.

[aravind2010]

I wonder why no one is considering indica vista although it fits many of the requirements to the T.at 4.4 L or there abouts One can get a indica vista Aura which has all these features and much more.

[srikanthns]

Since he is 45 and has learnt driving recently, does it not make better sense to buy a second hand car, have it for 6 months to an year and then go for a new car? At the budget you mentioned, ALTO or WagonR will be good options

[bsanjayrao]

Hey guys. Thanks for all the responses.

I have also told my uncle to check out the Vista.So we will be considering Vista, Wagon R and Beat.

Ford Figo costs 4.62L with PS,PW,AC etc. So at present it is not being considered.

We also checked out some second hand Wagon R's in true value and felt that they were too expensive. True value quoted around 2.6L for a 6 year old Wagon R which has done around 65k kms.(without music system). Also most of the second hand wagon r's we checked needed change of tires very soon, so that would again cost us extra 10k.

We could not think of any other second hand car to buy. Uncle does not want to have second hand Santro or Indica Petrol.

We will keep looking out for any good second hand cars though.

[vivekgk]

Originally Posted by aravind2010

I wonder why no one is considering indica vista although it fits many of the requirements to the T.at 4.4 L or there abouts One can get a indica vista Aura which has all these features and much more.

Probably because of less than stellar reputation of Tata ASCs. But the Vista is a good buy at the price. It's much roomier and more comfortable than any of the cars in the list.

Originally Posted by bsanjayrao

Hey guys. Thanks for all the responses.

I have also told my uncle to check out the Vista.So we will be considering Vista, Wagon R and Beat.

Vista is a very good buy, because of the acres of space inside. Luggage room, though, is low (232 litres), but better than new WagonR (180 litres). Vista is a much more comfortable car than the Beat or WagonR. Excellent ride quality too.

Have you considered the new Indigo e-CS? The e-GLS petrol version should be within your price range. It has AC, CL, PS and front PW. The rear PW can be added for 7K. Do take a look at it. It costs just 4.12 lacs ex-showroom Bangalore. Even the eGLX version, which comes with 4 door PW, power mirrors, 4 speaker Clarion MP3 stereo, rear defogger, HVAC, seat belt/key in warning, wing mirror indicators etc, is only 4.33 lacs ex-showroom Bangalore. Excellent VFM. Not too powerful, but for the price it is unbeatable, IMO. Plus it is a sedan. Never mind that it is shorter, it still has a huge 380 litres of boot space.

[rohan_iitr]

Why are Hyundai cars not being considered ?

Does your uncle have any past bad experiences with Hyundai ?

Please do consider i10 1.1 and Santro ECO also. Both are excellent city cars.

Rohan