Upgrading from 800. Alto/Zen/WagonR..??

[ScarySkulls]

Hi guys.
Time has come to upgrade my car from 9year old 800std. (non-AC)

My budget is around 2.25L - 2.50L for the car and 20k for basic audio and tubeless tyres n aftermarket Rims.

Requirements in order of preference.

1. Tension Free Car (Low maintainence and good mechanical reliability)

2. Decent Running cost

3. Driving pleasure


Alto is like a 800 with better body. Dont like it too much. Feels underpowered. But has what I want from my car. A/c and power steering.

I fancy the old Zen a LOT because of the unmatched driving pleasure of the car.

WagonR is not too fancied by me or my younger brother mainly because of the shape and the Image, but after a ride in my friend's car, I was impressed by the healthy performing engine, Powerful A/C, Interior and Boot space.



So there comes the dilemma of choosing the right car.
Help..!!


P.s.>> From my personal searches, two of my friends are selling good maintained cars.
WagonR with 27k on the odo. No mods or accesories. Lxi model from early 2005. For 2.30Lac

Well maintained, scratchless Black Zen with 25k on odo. 2005 model. Top version VXI with good audio system and aftermarket rims and tyres for 2.7L

Do they present good VFM..??

Also request to the Alto/Zen/WagonR owners to post up their running costs on the cars including fuel consumption and maintainence.
My yearly running is around 10k Kms.

[DCEite]

I would say go for either the Zen or the WagonR. Both these cars will fulfill your requirements, although Zen will be slightly more fun to drive.

2.7L looks a bit overpriced to me considering old Zen is no longer in production. Another thing, the clear lens "All new Zen" was not so much fun to drive as the older Zen due to change in Aerodynamics of the car resulting from slightly modified shape.

Regarding FE and running cost, i guess both cars are almost identical.

[arunforu1]

wagon R should be the practical choice, with performance & acceptable FE you will get space too.

both zen & wagon R are reliable but wagon R being more practical.

[nikunj_cal]

New Car - Wagon R ( i really dont like the looks of the new ZEn but again it is a personal choice)

Try bargaining a bit on the price front for the zen 2005 model. IMO if you can get the price down to 2.2 to 2.3 lacs , it would be a decent buy .

I have driven 2005 models of both Zen and Wagon R , performance wise I found zen better and wagon r a bit better on the space.

[akroy]

As far as running costs goes Alto is the best of WagonR/Zen/Santro....Looking at your budget u can only buy a used car of more than 1.0 L capacity...

Zen is a good option but negotiate on the price...
You can also look at Chevy Spark if u want and extend that budget?

Abhi

[esteem_lover]

The 2005 Wagonr looks good to me if you have gotten over the initial dislike of the shape.

[ScarySkulls]

Betreyed..!!

Checked out both cars right now IN DETAIL.

Black Zen is infact Lxi model with power windows added later. Got to know this from the R/C. Audio will not be included as owner wants to plonk it in his next car. Finish of the League alloys wa fading too AND the car has INFACT done 41k kms.

WagonR seemed pretty good. Was at 27k kms mark. But it was base model. NO power steering....!!!

[DCEite]

Stay away from both.
WagonR without Power steering is a pain to drive. I am speaking this from my personal experience when my PS failed.
And the Lxi Zen w/o Audio and aftermarket PW is not even worth considering for 2.7k!

[ScarySkulls]

The reason why Zen is getting so much value is that post the launch of Estilo, used Zen prices have seen a jump of 20k atleast PER car regardless of model or mileage.
According to the car bazaar guys, Estilo is the kind of **** people wont like to spit on.
Anmd I thought I was going to get a good bargain on Zen.

[navdeep]

Originally Posted by ScarySkulls

WagonR seemed pretty good. Was at 27k kms mark. But it was base model. NO power steering....!!!

Go for it and PS can be added with 5-6K ( guessing the price ).

[ScarySkulls]

Is it really good at 2.30L for 2005 Model?

Also went to Maruti dealers to see True Value cars.
Saw two zens there. One blue coloured Lxi model 32k run. 2005 model. Asking 2.7L for it.

One Late 2005 White Vxi model run for 22k kms. Very good audio system also. Asking 3L for it.

Atleast I'm sure true value will offer exactly what they claim.

[ScarySkulls]

Here is the link for that True Value Zen.
Funny thing is that I remember hearing 22k from the salesman, yet it says 18k here. Car Details

Other true Value cars in Ludhiana and cities around it can also been seen easily

[Technocrat]

Zen will give you more FE than Wagon R any day. PS installtion is very expensive around 30-40k & not 5-6k. Try to source a zen froma direct seller as it would be cheaper but buying from Automart & truevalue does give you more peace of mind. I some how feel Zen would be more suitable for you guys especially in maintainance & running cost wise

[ScarySkulls]

I think the same too but Zen resale is pretty good here. Did you see the true value link I posted above?

I also saw this car a few days ago. Cosmetically OK OK but was fom true value. Car Details

How do you guys comment on prices for the above two.

Also post prices of the comparable models in your area.
And fuel efficiency figures for Alto/Zen/WagonR please....

[ScarySkulls]

Still confused.
Reading up on the forums, I have learnt that on one end of the spectrum is Alto, and on the other is Swift.
Why Swift..?? Since there is only 1.5 or so KMPL difference between Swift, wagonR and Zen.

Another confusion is whether to go for a diesel like Indica Turbo. (hope it comes in the 3L budget and not too expensive to maintain for a car that is run 10k a year)