Palio Stile 1.6 Sport or Used OHC / Accent?

[uttamc]

hey guys,

So im in quite a dilemma here, and reading all the reviews has just got me confused further.... anyway, here goes. I'm planning on buying a car real soon (next couple of weeks) - i've test driven the palio stile 1.6 sport and it's one sweet machine - tons of power and great handling my only worry is fuel efficiency, but i believe it'll be above 8 km/l in city (i live in bombay) and i can live with that - at an onroad price of 4.74 (getting pune registration) its fits perfectly into my 5 lakh budget.

The other option i was considering was a used OHC 1.5 - as my budget for a used car would be 3.0 - 3.25 lakhs (a lower budget cuz im sure i'll have to spend on maintenance and also due to a higher financing rate of interest). Oh yeah, accent is another option - but not really worth considering that's why im not writing much about it.

So basically i have a couple of questions at hand.

1. What sort of OHC do you think i'd get in a budget like that (which year and how many KM done)
2. What age / usage does an OHC (1.5) start giving trouble at?
3. Considering this would be my first car, should i go for new or used?
4. Has there been any improvement in the Fiat service ever since the Tata tie up?
5. Finally, which car should i go for?


Thanks in advance!

[finneyp]

Originally Posted by uttamc

i've test driven the palio stile 1.6 sport and it's one sweet machine - tons of power and great handling my only worry is fuel efficiency, but i believe it'll be above 8 km/l in city (i live in bombay) and i can live with that - at an onroad price of 4.74 (getting pune registration) its fits perfectly into my 5 lakh budget.

Hi Uttam,
With Palio 1.6, you can expect a mileage of 10 - 11 kmpl in City!
It is the Hottest hatch in the Country and you will enjoy every moment driving that Italian beast!

[typeOnegative]

You might get a well maintained OHC but an old car is an old car and one can never be sure. You are a performance oriented guy it seems and a used Baleno may also be a good choice - you may get a 'newer' used Baleno. In my book, except for the engine, the Baleno is a better car overall than the OHC.

The Palio 1.6 is a good car and you are in Pune, so service should not be an issue. BU Bhandari near Wakad are good.

How much does the Swift cost in Pune btw?

Edit: The Accent is a boring car I agree, but it is worth a dekko.

[DCEite]

I would anyday prefer a new car to a second hand, provided the budget permits the new car. For that reason, i think you should go ahead with Palio 1.6, since you test driven it and liked it.

[uttamc]

Not in pune dude, live in Bombay but have a house in pune, so will get it registered with that address for Rs.25000 less.

Baleno was another car i was considering cuz its supposed to be awesome! However the cost of spares would KILL me. I've heard they're very expensive - am i wrong here??

Swift i dont even consider, it may be a personal choice, but i dont really like the looks and it's a little too Bunty-Bubbly for my liking (my apologies to swift enthusiasts, its just a personal choice here)...

[amit]

Well a new car is a new car and no used vehicle can match the feeling of a brand new car with factory warranty and everything. From among the cars you have in mind, both the Accent and OHC have been phased out. So keep that in mind.

Since you have test driven the Palio and liked it, I'd say go for it. Mileage is not as bad as it's made out to be and spares are reasonably priced too. After sales service is a bit of a problem in the sense that tata dealers are swamped with tata cars and that means fiat's sometimes get a step motherly treatment. Still quality of repairs is average and spares are not a problem in Mumbai at least.

If I had the budget for a new car, I wouldn't go for a used one. But thats me. Since the used cars you have in mind are phased out, I'd stick to the Palio Stile.

[roms]

Originally Posted by finneyp

Hi Uttam,
With Palio 1.6, you can expect a mileage of 10 - 11 kmpl in City!

Finney, that kind of mileage in a city like Mumbai is certainly not a cake walk, especially if you live in the suburbs.Expecting more than 8-9 kmpl with a/c can be a tall order.The car is quite frugal on the highways though.I regularly get more than 16 kmpl with full a/c on the highways.At the same time,8-9 kmpl is what you can expect from any other 1.6 engined car in Mumbai,except maybe the Baleno,which is now extinct sadly.

@uttamc, even i would say a new car is always better.It will be difficult to get a low mileage OHC at this point of time.Plus if you thought that Baleno had expensive spares,OHC would be no less.It was always meant to be a premium sedan,so even if spares are available,they will be expensive.Fiat's spares and service availability in Mumbai and Pune is pretty decent and you should'nt have major troubles with the Palio 1.6.But, there might be niggling issues over a period of time.

All in all, go for the car if you are comfortable with its FE and only if you plan to keep it for a longer period of time.Fiats depriciate as fast they accelerate!

[tsk1979]

New car it should be. Its always better to go for a new car because of Warranty, better EMI, peace of mind. You don't have to worry what kind of abuse a second hand car has gone through.

[hellspawn]

like everyone else has mentioned,its better to go for a new car rather than a used car.
paying 3.5 lacs for a used car doesnt make sense.

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by roms

so even if spares are available,they will be expensive.

OHC spares are very easily available in the market and they are very reasonably priced too.

[roms]

Originally Posted by iraghava

OHC spares are very easily available in the market and they are very reasonably priced too.

They are easily available?Even after all these years? Wow, Thats good to know.FIAT cant provide enough spares even when the car is in production!Plus they are not available easily in the open market.

But even if spares are reasonably priced for the OHC,considering the fact that the City is a premium sedan, a hatch like Palio 1.6 should have cheaper spares.Atleast thats the case with our NHC.And to a person considering a second hand sedan like OHC, these things would matter I guess. To put things into perspective, the NHC had a shunt recently.A new bonet + RHS fender + front bumper +new grill & "H" logo + labour costed around 60K! A couple of years back, my Palio 1.2 had a similar shunt.The same set of replacements +RHS head lamp + labour costed me just 10K. So my assumption of expensive spares for OHC was based on these lines.

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by roms

They are easily available?Even after all these years? Wow, Thats good to know.FIAT cant provide enough spares even when the car is in production!Plus they are not available easily in the open market.

So my assumption of expensive spares for OHC was based on these lines.

Well yeah it is surprising but genuine spares for the OHC are very easily available and are upto 40-50% cheaper in the market then the dealership prices. Hence my comment about the resonable prices.

To be very frank though my comment on affordable was when comparing it to sedans like the Corolla, Octavia etc. since I know what they cost to maintain. I really can't compare it to the Palio's prices since neither me nor anyone close to me has owned one.

[typeOnegative]

Originally Posted by uttamc

Not in pune dude, live in Bombay but have a house in pune, so will get it registered with that address for Rs.25000 less.

Baleno was another car i was considering cuz its supposed to be awesome! However the cost of spares would KILL me. I've heard they're very expensive - am i wrong here??

Sorry about that miss mate - you mentioned that in your post. Well, in Mumbai too service should not be a problem. I get my car serviced from the Tata-Fiat dealership in Powai - Fortune. They are decent. Shaman is good. Anuroop was my favorite but they have shut shop I have heard. Not been there in a long time. Not tried the others.

Baleno spares were expensive. But the prices were reduced sometime back. Not too sure on the exact rates.

[mclaren1885]

Originally Posted by uttamc

Baleno was another car i was considering cuz its supposed to be awesome! However the cost of spares would KILL me. I've heard they're very expensive - am i wrong here??

Well yes to a certain extent and no to a certain extent too.

Baleno spares used to be expensive. But most of the spares are not that expensive anymore. The most expensive spares are the headlamps (12k for those with HLL), tail lamps (expensive because of clear lens) , AC condensor (15k). This is mostly because these parts are SGP (suzuki genuine parts) rather than MGP (maruti genuine parts). However there is an easy workaround solution to most of the these problems. Older Euro-II baleno's came with headlamps and tail lamps that cost 4k and 3k respectively. So you can do that in case of an accident.

However the most expensive part would be the AC condensor as it is made by denso and there are a few aftermarket ones that are available. For about 6k change. Apart from these all other parts are cheap or on par with any other car in the category.

Bonnet- 4.5k.
Front and Rear bumper - 3k & 3k.
Windshield- 6.7k.
Brake Pads- 1k.
Clutch Assembly- 5k.
These are the parts that mostly require replacement and they come quite cheap.

Also given the fact that you are looking for a second hand car , I suggest you look at a newer second hand car like the baleno than a really old OHC or a GTX. Remember with more miles, you are that much more closer to spending money on overhauling.

[moralfibre]

OT:
McL, thats some pretty good information for alternatives. Can you find out the price of power window winders for the Baleno. Shrivz says that they cost 9k here!! Which is outrageously expensive.