Please suggest on car choice

[raja748]

Hello Friends,

I am planning to buy a hatchback for my wife.She is not expert in driving and so we feel that we should go for a pre-owned car.Yesterday we visited maruti true value showroom.He had in stock two ZEN ,one LXI and one VXI.

We zeroed down on ZEN VXI,2002 model and total running 44K(with company fitted music system and two speakers).The price offered to us is Rs.2.60 lacs and finance option @17% p.a.

Then we were slightly confused that whether we should go for the selected car or we should buy a new Santro.I am still unable to decide what to do.I am from Pune.

Is it a good idea to go for a brand new car when the person cannot drive confidently?Should I enquire about pre-owned Santro vis-a-vis Zen?

Please suggest me..

With Best Regards,

Rajendra

[tsk1979]

Santro is a very very comfortable cars for ladies. Infact most women drivers I know of, vouch for the santro due to easy gear changes and comfortable drive.
A new santro makes more sense because the EMI on santro is 8.99 lakh.
So a 3.5L santro will cost you same as the 2.6L zen if you are talking about EMI.
You can get some freebies thrown in too.
Couple that with peace of mind of a new car, warranty, free services, its any day a better deal than a used car at 17%.

As for driving confidently, it comes with practice. So she can learn first on empty roads, gain confidence slowly.

[ravibhat]

If you buy with full cash buy used car else new car on finance makes lot of sense.

ZEN VXI is good car for ladies however Santro is best choice too. If you buy new car you can think about Spark as well.

Regards,

Ravi.

[DCEite]

A Santro is anyday better for city driving and specially for women, due to great visibility, easy driveability and smooth gears.
Zen is more of an enthuaists car, with smooth revving engine, but not as good as Santro and even WR when it comes to bottom end (which matters most in city).

However if you want to stick to Maruti then there is the WagonR for you. But somehow i dont find too many ladies driving the WR :( Maybe due to the boxy looks.

[benbsb29]

Rajendra : Learning to drive is not rocket science. All it takes is some patience and effort, and yeah some small scratches along the way.

Considering the circumstances, and the high interest rates on used car financing, i truly feel that its better going in for a brand new Santro. Hyundai dealers offer interest on loans for the Santro at 8.99% and also may throw in some accessories. The peace of mind of a new car is definitely reassuring. Considering how affordable a brand new Santro is, i dont think you need to look at a pre-owned Santro.

[esteem_lover]

I think 2.60L for a 5 year old zen is wayyyyy toooo much. Get a brand new alto for that price or a little more with better interest rates & nil service worries.

[manaa45]

i feel that buying a new or old car for a beginner does not matter much now. i agree with everyone that santro is a good car for a lady. and if you buy a old car and in case it meets with an accident, you will end up paying more in terms of depriciation so a new car will be much better.

i think you should go in for a santro and hyundai has bettered in its service also. so no problems with maintainence too.

if you want to go in for a maruti then it is better to go for an alto. wagon r doen not suit a lady and i think other cars will not fit your budget.

why not go in for an estilo?

Mansi

[abhibh]

Go for Santro. Its good car and new car has a new feel. New car is problem less and you enjoy full benefits of free servicing and warranty. Santro Steering is so damn good in city and easy to drive.

But you may have t stretch around 3lac+ for santro.

[ajitkommini]

As many people have said, far better to buy new. If your wife is not an experienced driver, she will find it all the more difficult to manage an unreliable second hand car. If you factor in the additional maintenance costs, there is really not much advantage in buying used.

[krish3]

The used Zen(2002) for Rs 2.6 lakhs is a bit too high.

Any small car will be easy to drive in city, provided it has a power steering (almost necessary for a lady to drive without strain)

Instead there are other good choices for ladies to drive and they include

1) Santro - Good space, Nice seat height giving a good all-round view. Sales numbers proves its worth
2) Estilo - Very cute and ladies will like its looks and colors provided. Good ample space and seat height is also as good as a santro. Really feels like a toy when one rides it. Costs almost same as a santro. Its got the Maruit reliability and powerful service support added to it.
3) Alto - Cheap and the car does feel so as well. Seems Ok with ladies, but something that I dont suggest. Car is very compact and easy to drive. Lacks the power of Santro or Estilo, but OK in the city. Powerful AC, better than in Santro and Estilo(or so I felt).

[theMAG]

An autobox Santro will be the easiest car for a beginner to drive

[elf]

Honestly, I suggest you buy a good Fiat in a decent condition for around 40K. Let her learn on it & scratch / bang it at will. Repair costs will be negligible, & it's a tougher car to drive and to learn on.

After about 6 months to a year, when she's a lot more relaxed behind the wheel, get her a new Alto or a Santro. She'll be able to drive that a lot better and with a lot more confidence, since by then she'd have learnt on a tougher car.

[DCEite]

Originally Posted by manaa45

wagon r doen not suit a lady and i think other cars will not fit your budget.

Yeah you are right Mansi. Very rarely i get to see lady driven wagonRs. You being a lady, is it to do with the boxy looks, or is it not so comfortable (i heard for short drivers complaining the dashboard being quite big and high).

As you said for ladies Maruti made the Estilo. But look whats happening. Pink Estilos being driven by males

[scorpio118]

On the basis of my recent research, I'd suggest that you also check out Estilo. I didn't like the feminine looks of the car, but that'll go in your favour. Test drive it, it's really smooth and very easy to drive, with time tested engine of wagon R, and peace of mind that comes with Maruti.

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by krish3

The used Zen(2002) for Rs 2.6 lakhs is a bit too high.

This may be slightly off-topic here, but i was amazed at how the old Zens still command such a price. My friend who was on the lookout for a second hand car in Bangalore finally ended up with a Zen of the same model for 2.2lakhs in Bangalore, all this despite me coaxing him to go in for a new Santro. He was also joyed at getting a fancy number 7777 on the car.

With the 'Zen Estilo' not going down all to well with the vast majority, the actual 'Zen' still manages to hold its forte.