I bought my first car - Matiz in the year 1998 and since then I have been a great fan of Matiz. In 2004, I thought of buying a entry level 2nd hand MUV and sold my Matiz for Rs.1.25L. My Matiz had done about 1,25,000 Kms in 5 years! But after I shopped for the MUV, I understood the mistake I had done. I just could not digest the quality of the entry level MUVs after owning a Matiz for about 5 years. I did not have money to stretch because of other commitments. So I ended up buying another 2nd hand 2002 model Matiz for Rs.1,45,000/-, which had run about 35,000 Kms when I bought it. My experience with this car was also superb! But I did find a diffrence between my first and the second Matiz in terms of general quality. May be, it is some thing to do with the cars I had Owned.
Day by Day - Service and getting quality spares became a problem. So I decided to change my car in the year 2008. In July 2008 I sold my second Matiz which had done about 90,000 Kms for Rs.1,00,000/- and bought GM-Spark PS - Black! The car was delivered to me on 4th Aug 2008.
Spark-PS with HVAC, PS, Tubeless tyres, Air Suspension, Day/night Rear view mirror, with fairly good safety features, 3 years Cash Less Ownership Offer - Costed me Rs.3,32,000/- OTR Bangalore!!! Superb!! I had to add a Music system, Rear speakers, Sunfilms, Remote central locking, 3M Teflon coating, Floor Mats and Mud flaps. All in all, it costed me Rs.3,60,000/-! Coincidently this is the exact price I had paid for my First Matiz-SD 10 years back!! And that too, without PS, Tubeless tyres and 3 years cash less ownership offer!!
I have driven this car for 25,000 Kms in the last 22 months. Had 6 services done at
ZERO cost! First one at 700kms, after that at 5K, 10K, 15K, 20K, and 25K Kms. Engine oil, oil filters, fuel filters, air filters, Break pads, wheel balancing were all replaced/done free of cost! There was no problems other then rear suspension and Dicky door lock making some noise. This was rectified by lubricating and minor adjustments. So Practically I had to just fill Normal Petrol and run My car! An avg of 13KmpL in Bangalore traffic with AC being used always and 19KmpL on Highways again with AC being used always - I did not mind it at all!
My Observations:
- Good High speed Handling
- Very nice to drive inside city - Peppy engine
- Fairly good steering control
- Nil drop in power with AC
- 3rd gear can pull from 15kmph and 4th can pull from 20kmph
- Double folding seats very convenient - Mine did not have split seats
- GM reliable service backup
- Avg ride quality - Same as Matiz
- Avg/Good breaking - Matiz was better
- Plastic quality & Fit/finish - Satisfactory - probably best in class
- Tube less tyres are a boon
- 3 year - 45K Kms CCOOO is excellent. No additional cost other then EMI!
This car has served me very well for the last couple of years. Since I am upgrading to Polo-Diesel, I sold this car yesterday for Rs.2,10,000/-. It was very difficult for me to part with it. If GM had a diesel hatchback (U-VA) in the offering, I would have definitely settled for it. Unfortunately, they do not have one. I am saying this since I am satisfied with there service barring minor irritations. I would definitely recommend Spark as an entry level Car for people who are looking for one.
Some Pictures I took Yesterday before giving away the car: