[n_aditya]

Sadly and very reluctantly I'm going to have to sell off my esteem. Its a 2002 limited edition model and although its done 61000 kms (genuine) its time for a replacement. Runs very well and today i drove it to work after a long time. Have fond memories of driving it on track and dont want to let it go but its too long now and we need a new car.

Was also thinking of selling the M800 as well (since its got no a/c and can be a wee bit uncomfortable in summers).

So with both cars on the market and being Maruti customers for over 20 years, I am thinking which should be my next car (petrol only since usage will be low)

The only thing that comes to my mind is the Swift Dzire and here's why.

1. Its a maruti - spares are reasonable, if not cheap

2. Maintenance is not an issue

3. FE is decent if not higher than most sedans

4. Has a decent boot space

Only grouse is that its not a great looking car. No offence to DZire owners/lovers.

Please suggest any other cars that meet the above points and are similar to the DZire in pricing.

Here are the cars that I have not considered...

Honda city - awesome car. But expensive spares and very low GC. My neighbor has one and scrapes the underside every time he gets out/in to the apartment parking (basement).

Maruti SX4 - Costs over 7L on road. Loaded with features and very tempting. But on hold for now.

Ford - Maintenance costs are a deterrent (as spoken with quite a few ford owners).

Thanks in advance for the replies.

[ampere]

Only sedan? If yes What about Tata Manza?
If hatch, then should I even talk of any option! Swift/Ritz/Wagon-R

If its only to replace M800, there is always the K10 Alto.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by n_aditya

1. Its a maruti - spares are reasonable, if not cheap
2. Maintenance is not an issue

Only for the 2 reasons above, Maruti rocks.

Originally Posted by n_aditya

Only grouse is that its not a great looking car.

Yes, true.

Adi, for the price you're looking at, D'Zire is the best choice. If you've personal rapport with any of T.A.S.S guys, Manza Petrol is a good choice too, but again, Diesel should be better choice which you aren't considering now.

You may want to consider Ford Fiesta; but you see, in last over 20 years, how much time have the Maruti cars spent time at garage? Remember, there's almost no maintenance for 1st 3 years or may be upto 5 years for TBhpians

[sreedotk]

If you are not in a hurry the Etios from Toyota Stable will be launched in a fortnight.

But on a differing opinion i always thought of you as a driver who like a race/rally like feel car or a more driving enthusiast the choices in this bracket after the esteem is really not the choicest considering the engine options. While they may be more powerful than the esteem or equivalent in comparison to 2002 the BHP game (in comparison to the other features) has been like a flat line.

To explain my above line what i meant was that inspite of new technology like the multi air and variable valve time, TSI, super chargin being the name of the game in other parts of the world where they are rediscovering the benefits of using a smaller engine and getting larger returns. We are still on the fuel injection is the best tech for now line.

[u_chill]

You do not have good options from Maruti for a Sedan today with SX4 not really setting the sales charts on fire. It is better to consider a large hatch such as the i20, or even the Swift rather than go for the DZire IMHO. However if you can stretch to the Honda City, you can easily consider the base VW Vento. German reliability, servicing in city limits won't be a problem and the sedan is definitely VFM for what it offers.

[Jaggu]

I would say since you are upgrading, upgrade for the good. Buy SX4 since you are happy MUL customer, in the bargain get oodles of exchange and loyalty bonus from them. Should get good deals since its a lean period for car sales till new years.

[noopster]

What a great thread! This morning I went to replace my broken windshield at the MAS closest to my office. Actually I don't even like them much- it's just that's it's convenient, and I needed to claim insurance, which is timebound.

I walked in, got attended to, filled out a Maruti insurance claim form, had my car inventoried and was back out within 20 minutes. I got the call about my survey completion and claim approval some time ago. I will have the car back on Saturday, good as new.

As I type this, a dark doubt flits across my mind: after being pampered to death by the likes of Maruti (and Hyundai, to be fair) what will my ownership experience with VW be (I have booked a Vento which shows no sign of being delivered)? I can only pray that the vehicles are ultra-reliable and accidental damage is minimised when I have my VW, because I cannot imagine having to go through the indifferent pre-sales experience in the after-sales phase as well.

ANYwayyyy....back to your question: if you are happy with Maruti (and you'd be hard pressed to find someone who isn't), they have enough offerings you can choose from: the Ritz has got excellent reviews from GTO and others (though the looks make it a dealbreaker for me personally), the Swift and Dzire are reliable old horses that show their age well, and even the SX4 is a surprisingly good VFM offering in its segment.

Outside of this, you have Hyundai brands to choose from- the ownership & service experience of a Hyundai (at least from personal experience) is on par with Maruti, so that includes the Verna Transform and the i20.

I would say Honda and Toyota would also find favour with you since these are reliable, low-maintenance vehicles with response after-sales service. So you could wait for the soon-to-launch Etios or go with the tried and trusted Innova, or perhaps the ANHC or Jazz!

Brands not particularly renowned to provide a delightful after-sales experience are Tata/Fiat and the notorious Skoda. GM and Ford are iffy: you hear stories either way for both. So I think the path is clear for you: Japanese or Korean rules!

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by ampere

Only sedan? If yes What about Tata Manza?

If its only to replace M800, there is always the K10 Alto.

We're looking at disposing both the cars and just buying one car. A sedan with a spacious boot.

TBH, I'm skeptical about Tata. The manza looks huge and has quite a bit of features but the A.S.S. and niggling issues (that have been haunting Tata cars in the past) are putting me off.

Originally Posted by aargee

You may want to consider Ford Fiesta

Ummm... aren't the Ford spares expensive? The Fiesta is not all that roomy in the back though IMHO.

Originally Posted by sreedotk

If you are not in a hurry the Etios from Toyota Stable will be launched in a fortnight.

But on a differing opinion i always thought of you as a driver who like a race/rally like feel car

Not in a hurry at all. Just doing my homework. I can wait for at least a month or two. The Etios is an option, thanks.

On the latter part, yes. But I'm also looking at a car with an auto transmission, so the wife can take to driving as well without getting hassled in traffic.

Originally Posted by u_chill

It is better to consider a large hatch such as the i20, or even the Swift rather than go for the DZire IMHO. However if you can stretch to the Honda City, you can easily consider the base VW Vento.

Hatches are out as boot space is compromised. Honda is very expensive when it comes to parts and the GC is a major issue as well. I dont even want to think about VW considering how expensive it will be on the maintenance front.

Originally Posted by Jaggu

I would say since you are upgrading, upgrade for the good. Buy SX4 since you are happy MUL customer, in the bargain get oodles of exchange and loyalty bonus from them. Should get good deals since its a lean period for car sales till new years.

Honestly SX-4 is very tempting. With ABS, EBD, Airbags and stuff, i'm kinda leaning on this. Plus its got an autobox as well. Right now i'm keeping it aside for other options since it crosses the 8L mark on road IIRC.

Originally Posted by noopster

Outside of this, you have Hyundai brands to choose from- the ownership & service experience of a Hyundai (at least from personal experience) is on par with Maruti, so that includes the Verna Transform and the i20.

I would say Honda and Toyota would also find favour with you since these are reliable, low-maintenance vehicles with response after-sales service. So you could wait for the soon-to-launch Etios or go with the tried and trusted Innova, or perhaps the ANHC or Jazz!

Hmmm. Hyundai was not in my list considering the amount of time and money my B-I-L spent on repairs and maintenance of his hyundai. While the i20 looks awesome the boot space is a concern (and the slightly hefty price tag?).

Innova is too big and parking in the city is a major concern, so its out.
Anyway, thanks for the replies guys. I appreciate it.

I'll keep a watch on this thread and update developments. I dont reckon buying one before Feb next year as i want to make a well informed and thought out purchase (since we wont buy another car for at least another 5-6 years, minimum).

[rohan_iitr]

Don't ask GTO, or he'll say buy a Fiat Linea T-Jet.

Originally Posted by GTO

• If you are an enthusiast – which you most probably are if you are reading my review – let me tell you this : It is IMPOSSIBLE to drive this car with a light foot. The turbo boost is addictive. Don’t fret over the fuel economy, there’s more to life than kpl. Take the wife for a dinner less or something.

How about Hyundai Accent ?

Edit: Hyundai ruled out because of your BIL's bad experience.

Rohan

[rjstyles69]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

I would say since you are upgrading, upgrade for the good. Buy SX4 since you are happy MUL customer, in the bargain get oodles of exchange and loyalty bonus from them. Should get good deals since its a lean period for car sales till new years.

+1 to this. If I were you I would put my money on the SX-4 any day without a 2nd thought. The Dzire also doesn't come cheap, the fully loaded version is close to 6.3 lakhs or so ex-showroom.

Another lakh and a half you can get the SX-4 which is a better option when compared to the Dzire. And like jaggu said if you plan to exchange both the Esteem and the M800 you should be able to get a good deal for the SX-4.

[Amartya]

I'd recommend the SX4 AT, since you mentioned that your wife would have an easier time and you can stay with the house of Maruti.

On the other hand, the Tata showroom has a great blend of practicality and desirability on hand. Judging by the Manza threads on the forum, it has proven to be a reasonably niggle free vehicle and of course, the Linea T-jet is a cracker.

Since you've had a great time with the Esteem, even running it on the track, I think a dynamically inept vehicle wouldn't go well with you; solution? Test drive! You are not in a hurry, so start with the test-drives.....this weekend (, that's just me, I'm excited)!

[ajmat]

Used Fiesta 1.6 for a couple of years then go for something like a Cruze!

[The Wolf]

Hey Aditya, is it absolutely important that you have to go for a brand new car? If you are open to 2nd hand ones, you may want to look at the previous generation City, Octavia, Verna or may be a SX4. One suggestion, dont hesitate buying a Diesel vehicle, they are as maintenance free as petrol ones these days. Plus your usage may increase if you find something that you would love driving!!! Think maadi...

[theMAG]

Linea T-Jet, from Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino.

[comfortablynumb]

The Ford Ikon is a great VFM proposition.

Talking to layman owners (hope I'm not being condescending) about spares prices can be a bit iffy. When they said maintenance costs were more, what was in relation to? Did they have more than 1 sedans belonging to different manufacturers to compare spare prices? Also, from GTO's "Visit to the Ford factory" thread, I did see that Ford was making an effort to reduce the prices of spares.

I would say, pay a visit to your nearby Ford service centre and check the prices of the commonly used spares [air filter, fuel filter, brake pads, accident replacement parts like headlight, bumpers, bonnets, various belts, labour charges for paid services etc] for yourself. I'm sure they would be happy to accommodate a potential customer. You never know, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Disclaimer: I neither work for Ford nor own a Ford.

Happy car hunting!

Cheers,
Vikram