Alto or Maruti 800 as 2nd car

[vikrantw1]

Folks
Hi - am planning to get a car for wifey.
a) Usage - She has just finished driving lessons.
About 400 kms a month .
This car will be used for the purpose of " short trip to the mall - 10 minutes away", "its sunday lets drive down to the kulfi walla/ chaat walla in nearby mkt", "look everybody I can drive 15 minute everybody get in drive to mausi's place 5 mins away" and perhaps just perhaps the occasional visit to my inlaws - on a sunday.
This car would not see a highway - maybe just lucky to see the ring road on a weekly basis.

b) Finance - Cash down

c) No. of years - 2 years well I will sell it by YE 2008/ mid 2009 ( or give it to my younger sis - depending on how generous I feel) - and replace it with a high end hatchback - that I can also sneak out occasionally (he he)

So the parameters are:
a) Ease of driving ( have driven the 800 - but not the Alto) especially for the novice
b) Safety ( both are primitive - but from the website cant see much difference except Alto has brake booster ?)
c) Resale - how big a depreciation in 800 versus the alto over 2 years
( given the 80 k diff today) - of course previous 2 factors are dominating factors)

Good to have your thoughts!

[typeOnegative]

Safety wise, I think the Alto is a better bet. Otherwise, logically, the 800 should do just fine - owing to the limited usage as also the fact that your wife is a 'novice'.

[navdeep]

I think Alto + PS should suit your needs. Resale of M800 in comparison to Alto is uncertain ( TATA 1 lac car ). M800 might see price drop next year. But Alto is always a better car than M800.

[manikjeet]

i would suggest the alto lxi

it has the safety feature which no their in the m800

its a better car to drive its

its short the alto its a best car your your wife to drive and with the PS it will be more easy

let wife TD both the car and let her decide

and alto will definitely fetch you more money by the end of two years

the best way to check for sure is go to a second dealer and ask for same year alto and m800 and see if its worth spending the extra 80 k

[kvish]

I would choose the 800. It is smaller, cheaper to own and cheaper to maintain too ( even insurance is cheaper). Also, it is more fuel efficient.
If you are going for the Alto, then check out the base version of santro too. ( It is better value than the Alto )

As for price cuts, it would come at a cost of poorer fit and finish ( imagine intereriors even worse than the current ones.) I would'nt worry about that a lot. Car prices have been heading downwards last few years. So dont be surprised if an alto 'L' is available for 1.96L when Maruti 800 is available for Rs 1.4L (whenever that would happen)

[rr_zen]

I would suggest the Alto, esp the one with the power steering as it makes life a lot easier when you try navigating through crazy and heavy city traffic that is so typical of our country. Also, the resale value of an Alto would be much better than the 800 anyday.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Alto would be a better choice, if you are not on a tight budget!

Having owned an M800 for 7 years, I know its a nice car with great ease of driving and parking, and reliability is as good as it comes.

However, the Alto is a more modern car. Build is better, fit and finish is better, interiors are better. Its a better overall package.