[sunbaj]

I think this is a generic problem for people like us in Delhi NCR. Even I am in the same boat. Have a Swift Dzire ZDI bought on Dec 2012. So need to search for a replacement in next 12 months. Am inclined to get a EV but cannot go for it as need to travel between Noida and Chandigarh. Would most likely go for a petrol variant.

[Torq]

4year old Tata Tiago has clocked 1,05,000 KMs now and I am looking for a reliable, safe and something exciting to replace it.
I am looking for a diesel powered C-Suv exclusively as the monthly running would be 1800-2000 kms.
Ive considered a pre-owned ecosport (wary of the odo tampered cars as well as some sellers demanding insane premium), Venue-Sonet twins and XUV300, WRV
Not considering nexon as already owned it last year which we unfortunately lost in floods.
Any suggestions?

[nik0502]

Dear members,

I am looking for some advice as to what makes more sense to buy or should refrain from buying a car altogether. I will give a brief details on both my current cars.

2010 Honda Civic VAT
Civic has run 106K KMs and 90K Kms out of these were absolutely trouble free. It started showing its age around 90K Kms mark and I lived with it for another year and half with one niggle coming up after another. One of the major problems car threw at me was AC kept cutting off during summers. No body could fix the fault. It turned out eventually that the car was overheating without showing up signs on the temperature gauge. It eventually led to a blown head gasket. I had decided that it will be few year before I look to replace the Civic but this incident made me look into the market. However I couldn't find a car which satisfied my requirement. I am a fan of pre worshipped cars so I set the budget at 15 lacs.The criteria is listed below

1. Sedan ( A must. I am a fan of sedans and hate this SUV craze)
2. Automatic with Paddle Shifters
3. More powerful than my Civic
4. 6 Airbags
5. Less than 4 Years old and less than 30K Kms on the Odo.
6. Petro Only, No diesels due to 10 Year NGT rule
7. Cruise Control.

The cars that were close
1. New Civic
2. New Alits
3. Octavia

New Civics were retailing at 19-21 lacs mark, which didn't make sense. Also the fact that it had CVT instead of TC in my current ride made me drop it. Altis had same limitations. Age old engine with CVT. However these were available ~ 17-18 lacs. The reliability of DSG kept me away from Octavia. Skoda Laura was my favorite car when I bought my Civic. I had dropped it due to its reliability issues. Sadly not much has changed since than.

Since I could not find a suitable upgrade it was decided only one of the big three will replace Civic when the time comes. I decided to spend a lac or two on the Civic and keep it for few years before I prepare myself for owning a car from any luxury brand. I am not there yet. I started working on Civic. Now Civic is waiting for a suspension overhaul, Power steering repair and AC compressor replacement.

My other car is a Wagon R AMT 2016 model with 22K on the ode. I had bought this car for my Father who sadly passed away due to Covid in April 2021. I decided to keep the Wagon R with me for my City runs and also I was about to get married. So Wagon R could be used by my Fiancé. Now 8 months later Civic is seeing average running of about 1500 to 2000 Kms monthly and Wagon R has clocked only 3000 Kms in a year. I have taken her out on highway twice and I don't feel comfortable driving it on highways. I have had cars like, Esteem, SX4, Fiesta in the past. Wagon R has an annual maintenance of 20K rupees. It is not sensible to keep a car drive it only 3000 Kms a year and pay 20K in maintenance along with depreciation.

Hence a thought came up in my mind of replacing Wagon R with a something sensible now and buy something from the big three when its time to replace Civic. Also my wife has recently learned how to drive. Every time she drives Civic her only focus is on potholes on the road since Civic is a low slung car however she feels absolutely comfortable when it comes to Wagon R due to its Ground clearance. So it looks like I will have to drop my first preference of sedans and look for a compact SUV which I can comfortable take on highways and can be driven in city too. Upon close comparison of cars one car that stands out is Ecosport AT with dragon engine. I will list the cars in the segment along with my observations. I am looking at pre owned examples Petrol only with budget set around 7 - 8 lacs.

1. Brezza - interiors don't excite me plus that age old 4 speed TC
2. XUV 300 - My wife is not very comfortable with the AMT of Wagon R however she is absolutely comfortable with TC of Civic.
3.Nexon - This would have been the best of the lot if it had better AT.
4. Venu and Sonet - Way overpriced for a used car plus the safety concerns raised on the forum.
5. Ecosport AT - I am looking at 2018 onwards car with dragon engine and TC gearbox. With me driving Civic all these years the bar has been raised quite high and Ecosport is the only car coming close in expectations. It has 121 BHP as compared to 128 of Civic. Has 6 speed AT as compared to 5 Speed TC of Civic. Has paddle shifters and cruise control on Titanium and Titanium plus.
The negatives of Ecosport are Ford's exit from Indian market, Cramped interiors and it as FE as bad as Civic. If I go by the reviews it returns 6.5-7 in City, that is what I get from Civic. However highway FE of Ecosport seems to be ~14 where as I easily get 17-18 from Civic. Also the prices listed on Olx are similar to Nexon and Brezza which is a concern.

So this is my situaltion and I am looking for advice from you all. Does it still makes sense to buy an Ecosport today ? I am hoping parts will not be a problem since Ecosport is a well sold model I am not too sure about petrol AT combination though. I know parts will never be a problem for TDCI.

[speedracer05]

I am in a similar situation where wife wants a compact suv for good GC and high driving position. We too dint like the current options (Nexon or punch AT) would have been idle.
After a bit of tryouts, she really enjoyed Brio AT, It gives a good feel of the road around with great all around visibility and though GC is not high it managed to clear through city potholes and speed breakers with ease. Give it a try, brio will surprise your wife (+it’s a great engine and car)

[AamirHussain]

I will not ecommend the ford used cars now. Had a bad experience with chevrolet they had also promised about service and all but then finding parts was a nightmare. You never know about ford in future either.

Find used cvt cars like amaze etc

[nik0502]

Originally Posted by speedracer05

I am in a similar situation where wife wants a compact suv for good GC and high driving position. We too dint like the current options (Nexon or punch AT) would have been idle.
After a bit of tryouts, she really enjoyed Brio AT, It gives a good feel of the road around with great all around visibility and though GC is not high it managed to clear through city potholes and speed breakers with ease. Give it a try, brio will surprise your wife (+it’s a great engine and car)

Hi speedracer

I am not looking for a hatchback since that would not serve the purpose. I would never take the hatch on highways and I don’t have much running in city. Whatever running we have in city Wagon R AMT serves the purpose just right.

Originally Posted by AamirHussain

I will not ecommend the ford used cars now. Had a bad experience with chevrolet they had also promised about service and all but then finding parts was a nightmare. You never know about ford in future either.

Find used cvt cars like amaze etc

Hi Aamir,

While I too have my apprehension about spares however I am not looking for a compact sedan. They have never appealed to me. We have a 2019 Amaze VAT in family and the car has run only 4400 kms so far and as I mentioned in my post my wife who is new to driving always have her attention on potholes instead of the road whenever she’s driving a sedan. If sedan was a requirement I would have happily extended the budget and got the last generation City. I think it’s the most beautiful avatar of City and I think there is no other car as perfect as City if someone is looking for a sedan which is not too big in size. Also my opinion is things were different with Chevy. They didn’t have spares even when they were operational in the country. A close friend had a Beat and spares were always a problem other than the regular items required. Also I think since ecosport has been a constant performer in monthly sales there might be lot of aftermarket parts available though they might not be as good as OEM��. I am trying to convince myself that I need to look away from ecosport but the fact is I am not seeing any other car which fits the requirement so perfectly.

Request to Mods if they could change the title of the thread to “ Does Ecosport still makes sense ?”

[hserus]

Originally Posted by AamirHussain

I will not ecommend the ford used cars now. Had a bad experience with chevrolet they had also promised about service and all but then finding parts was a nightmare. You never know about ford in future either.

Find used cvt cars like amaze etc

There is plenty of third party support and a huge user / enthusiast community for ford unlike Chevy

Definitely get the ecosport - or even the diesel one if you’re ok with a manual. Rock solid reliable.

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by hserus

There is plenty of third party support and a huge user / enthusiast community for ford unlike Chevy

Definitely get the ecosport - or even the diesel one if you’re ok with a manual. Rock solid reliable.

+1.


@Nik0502:

Do give the diesel TDCI manual a look, if you are not totally against it. Otherwise, the Dragon petrol is also a very capable engine. The car overall is a gem and highway drives are absolutely stellar in quality. The car, true to its Ford DNA, focuses on the mechanical aspects and though it is a well loaded vehicle in terms of features, the driving experience really takes the cake.

[nik0502]

Originally Posted by hserus

There is plenty of third party support and a huge user / enthusiast community for ford unlike Chevy

Definitely get the ecosport - or even the diesel one if you’re ok with a manual. Rock solid reliable.

I am not looking for manual. I hate driving and automatic gives me some relief plus wife is new to driving and she only knows how to drive automatic. I too think that fate of ford cars would be different than Chevy. I think at the very least parts should be available on boodmo or other such platforms.

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

+1.


@Nik0502:

Do give the diesel TDCI manual a look, if you are not totally against it. Otherwise, the Dragon petrol is also a very capable engine. The car overall is a gem and highway drives are absolutely stellar in quality. The car, true to its Ford DNA, focuses on the mechanical aspects and though it is a well loaded vehicle in terms of features, the driving experience really takes the cake.

Diesel is not on my list due to manual and 10 years NGT rule in NCR. What is surprising that the dealers have jacked up the prices to insane levels. There’s hardly any car listed by individual sellers. Everyone is asking for 8-9 lacs for 2018 models. Although I have come across two Trend Plus at 6.5 and 7 lacs but I would prefer a Titanium Plus.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by nik0502

So this is my situaltion and I am looking for advice from you all. Does it still makes sense to buy an Ecosport today ? I am hoping parts will not be a problem since Ecosport is a well sold model I am not too sure about petrol AT combination though. I know parts will never be a problem for TDCI.

Good cars wont come cheap, new or old. Right now due to production issues car prices are high for used cars too, I suggest you buy a new one if you are planning to keep the vehicle for long. Pick up a petrol AT that meets your budget.

Do not pick up vehicles from manufacturers who have left the country, as without Sales - there is NO After sales, it just don't work. It is a lesson for Indian consumers to stay clear of American brands in general.

[faithless_1984]

Hi team ,after some research we have booked the W6 Petrol AMT variant for my wife as she was tired of driving a manual car (Brezza) in delhi's annoying traffic. She initially wanted to get a Sonet but the insanely long delivery period made us look for other options.
The Xuv300 has everything going for it in almost all the departments in our budget range. Its a solid car both inside and out. Also It's our families first automatic car, the AMT issues mentioned on the forum were concerning but its not a deal breaker in our case, she felt comfortable driving it.
Delivery is next month, will post pics/review after that.

[nik0502]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

Good cars wont come cheap, new or old. Right now due to production issues car prices are high for used cars too, I suggest you buy a new one if you are planning to keep the vehicle for long. Pick up a petrol AT that meets your budget.

Do not pick up vehicles from manufacturers who have left the country, as without Sales - there is NO After sales, it just don't work. It is a lesson for Indian consumers to stay clear of American brands in general.

Hi Kisfactor,

I agree prices have gone up. However my issue is with dealers jacking up the prices. I found two 2018 model from individuals and their expected prices were quite realistic however dealer asking price are 2 lacs above what individuals were quoting.

About buying a new car I don’t mind stretching the budget but the only problem is no other car fits the requirements. I would have happily taken WRV if it had the CVT and paddles from Jazz. Honda has really goofed up here.

I agree there will be concerns while buying a car from a manufacturer who is not present in the country anymore but I am willing to take that chance provided the effect show up in the prices too. Dealers can’t expect to sell Nexon and ecosport at the same price now.

[hari.rajanna]

Hello folks,

This is my first post and my apologies in advance if there are any mistakes in it. To introduce myself, i'm a 36 year old IT professional based in Bangalore. Brought up in a lower middle class family, I have been fascinated about cars and bikes from childhood. Fortunately, the past couple of years I have started going on bike rides on my D400 and I love being on the highways. Im a sedate driver and i'm here to ask for advise on my first car purchase.

I have never had a chance to own a four wheeler. If as a family i need to go out, i need to either hire a cab (long distances) or use 2 two wheelers (within city short rides) for the transportation. This is not viable as my son is growing up and i'm done with these compromises. i need an own vehicle so that i dont have to be dependant to move freely with my family in my own vehicle.

Initially (Dec 2020, Jan 2021), i started researching about new cars and Nexon, Polo Comfortline TSI and Altroz were some vehicles that caught my attention. I took my younger brother to most of the VW and TATA showrooms in Bangalore for inquiry. When I was about to finalize Nexon, i realised that there was a loan on one of my insurance policies that i had forgotten about on which the interest kept accumulating . I had to drop the plan to buy the vehicle and have been clearing this for the last 1 / 1.5 years. Im almost at the end of the complete loan repayment and wanted to start looking for a 4 wheeler again.

Over the last one year, the prices of the vehicles have increased and I have realised that buying a new car is not an option. Some cars on which I keep an eye on are the Nexon, Altroz I turbo XT, Polo TSI. I was clear that Im not going to buy a Maruti and it has to be either a TATA or a Volkswagen as safety is something that is important to me. I love Mahindra vehicles too but these guys are way over my budget. I was not really keen on the used cars initially but somehow i ended up on Spinny's and Car24's websites. I liked the warranty that both the companies are offering which covers engine, transmission etc (fear of part failure for a first time buyer) along with the finance options and the variety of vehicles. Couple of vehicles that I initially shortlisted were Duster, Ecosport and 1st Gen Nexon. The dusters are high mileage and Nexon's are pretty expensive for the 1st gens which leaves me with Ecosport. Following are some of the queries that I have:

1. Is buying a 2015 Ecosport worth it for someone with a budget of 6 to 6.5 lakhs.
2. Which is better? 1.0 Ecoboost or the 1.5 NA (2015 models)
3. Is it worth buying the car from Cars24
4. Considering that Ford has shut operations, how would it be in terms of the spares and services availability and the cost of service.

I intend to use this vehicle for atleast the next 4years before exchanging this to something new.

Im really looking for some advise on what are the best options. I'd also like to know how to perform a PDI for a used car. I neither know of a mechanic who can validate the vehicle nor am i a regular car driver to know the pulse of the vehicle with just driving it.

I appreciate all the suggestion you guys provide