FIAT PALIO 1.9 D - Worth buying used?

[gopz]

Is it worth buying a Fiat Palio 1.9 Diesel, used?

What about FE & Maintenance costs? Are the spares available for this model and of reasonable rates?

[spadival]

I would say yes. But I doubt whether get used one that easily anyway.

My bro drives one. FE is around 12KMPL. Maintenance costs is almost non-existent, but then its not being used heavily right now. Initially had issues sourcing spares under warranty. But now, I don't think there is any problem sourcing parts, unless its an accident case and you need 2 dozen parts.

I found it a pleasure to drive, both in the city and on the highway.. you hardly ever have to change gears even in stop start city traffic.. lost count of the number of times I mistakenly put it in 3rd instead of 1st and yet it never stalled!! Just felt it could use another gear (6th) at times.. .. RPM is a tad high even in 5th gear.

PS: I may be prejudiced, becoz the Palio D was my first car/love

[roopakr]

@gopz
I remember you saying that your looking for a new ride...
As you were using a maruti before(if I am not wrong),I think palio D will be a good upgrade for you.
The solid build of a PALIO and the torque (which can eat you raw ) of PALIO-D cannot be found on any other cars in that segment.

I get around 11- 12km/lt in city and 14-15 in long drives with AC on.
Spares are not a problem to be sourced and definitely higher than MARUTI
Managing and driving a PALIO D is an effective manner is an entire different story ,so make sure the previous owner has not ripped it...
So I would suggest you to go ahead and buy it ,after a thorough inspection.

[basilmabraham]

What would be the price band expected for a used Palio D..say something like 2004 end model...
FE for me is a little better..12-13 in city and around 16 in Higways...I had 195/60R14 tires then..now changed back to stock rim and tyres..have to chk the FE now

No gopz am not selling mine..just wanted to know the price...

[GTO]

If you get a good deal on it, the Palio D certainly makes a case for itself. It rides darn well...in fact, I thought it rides a little better than the petrol Palio. Good strong diesel engine with excellent driveability. The simple construction will keep maintainence bills low too.

But make sure you get a really good deal.

[satish_appasani]

Check whether there is a proper service for Palio D in Bangalore. Check with Tata After Sales on supporting Palio D. If there is no support, don't go for this car.

I am owning a Palio D since 2004 and i love the car. My car has covered 38000 KMS and except for few hiccups no major problems. Treat it sensibly and it will give you back lot of fun.

I had few problem with AC and engine cooling system. My AC cooling coil had to be replaced at around 28000 KMS. It costed me 10,000 for the whole replacement. Since the past 5000 KMS, my car is showing signs of overheating. The temp guage goes past 1/2 mark after driving around 10 KMS in stop go traffic with AC switched off. When AC is switched on or driving with a steady pace, the temp ramains just above 1/4th mark. The After sales say this is normal but i am not satisfied.

Though the engine is 1.9 liters, the torque is not so great. You will have to get in to 1st gear once in a while in city. The in gear pickup is decent. You may not win races at traffic signals. The power starts building up at 2000 RPM. On the highways, the driveability is something else. It can beat most of the cars in it's category. The car comfortable reaches till 120 KMS but slows down from there. The top speed i have done is 150. The mileage i get is 12 KMPL in city and 16 on highway.

The one thing that makes this car so special is it's handling. It gives immense fun pushing the car in to corners. Car comes stock with steel wheels. I had OEM 14" alloys from day one with stock tyres (Goodyear 175/65). The handling was good but ride was of a big concern to me. Last week i upgraded to Michelin Energy XM1 185/65. So far the ride seems to be good with no loss in handling. The earlier tyres used to make lot of noise in fast corners though that never let the drivers confidense down. The new tyres don't make any sound. But i am yet to punish them the way i did to my earlier tyres. Rains are not helping.

The car is built like tank and it remains solid even at high speeds.

Braking is decent. Though the feedback to the driver when braking in emergencies leaves you scary but it stops the car. Even the steering feedback is absent.

Though people complain about Palio interiors, they are very functional and the quality of plastics are much better than any car in it's class. Every control and switch is at the right place. 90% of time i will be driving with my left hand on the gear lever. My car has grey interiors and the later cars have beige. The center console and AC have wooden finish. Driver seat is decent enough for long drives even for a 6' 1" tall driver like me. The longest i drove in a stretch was 400 KMS and i never felt uncomfortable. In the back seat, the roof touches my head when sitting in the corners.

I got a decent service though i wouldn't say it is very good from Anuroop in Hyd. To me spares were affordable but the labor charges were on the expensive side. There were instance of non availability of parts for me but those were not blockers for me.

Since the end of 2004, few Palio Ds were sold in formula red. I am lucky to have one of those.

Let me know if you require more information. Happy car buying.

[himanshugoswami]

spares are going to be a nightmare since the Palio D is no longer produced and is not supported by Tata motors.

[finneyp]

Originally Posted by himanshugoswami

spares are going to be a nightmare since the Palio D is no longer produced and is not supported by Tata motors.

Wrong! Tata ASC provides Service for diesel models of Palio & Petra too.
Spares too is available now, though Diesel specific spares may take sometime to procure.

[kapilsharma80]

Gopz

Palio D is a good buy, please check the condition of Clutch plates if the car has done more than 50K Kms.

Also if you could, try getting the car hooked up to an ECU analyser (at an authorised fiat workshop), it will tell you about the condition of some critical parts/sensors etc.

Please post more details about the car.

[satish_appasani]

I got a mail from Tata customer care that Tata will support Palio D but i am not sure whether the service centers will accept the car. In Hyd, Anuroop still provides spares and service.

[typeOnegative]

Originally Posted by satish_appasani

The temp guage goes past 1/2 mark after driving around 10 KMS in stop go traffic with AC switched off. When AC is switched on or driving with a steady pace, the temp ramains just above 1/4th mark. The After sales say this is normal but i am not satisfied.

It is normal. Even my Petra has the same 'problem'. Thing is when you switch on the A/C, part of the engine's power is devoted to cooling. Also try driving at night with the A/C off but blower going with cooling set to max. You will see the temperature gauge at the 1/4th mark or less depending on the ambient temperature.

[kkk]

I too had to replace the evaporator coil after approx 28000 kms on my 2003 Dec Palio D ELX. Electrical shorts can give nagging issues though not major.

[blue2ki]

i won't recoomend you to get the palio diesel, judging by my friends expierence, 3 of them actually!
this one guy who bought a palio diesel, with 33k kms.on the odo and the other one with 53k kms on it, they got it for 2.90 and 3.05 lakhs.. fully loaded ones, chrome rims, etc. but faced problems ever since.
the diesel pump in both the cars got jacked! and no one had it here in chandigarh, they couldnt get a new one anywhere! so we asked the FIAT people here, the agency i.e. and they quoted us Rs. 13,000 so had to get one from pune, got it for 8000, then the car would overheat a lot, and the agency guys who installed it, told us to drive the baby in lower revs (really low) and not jump gear 4 ever, max. speed being 40km/h? said theyd fix the problem later, it was something highly technical and would come out with a solution in a couple of days. ***?? the cars eventually did get fixed, but yielded a single digit mileage? the runnng was poor, now thats cool, ain't it? we then sold both the babies for 2.6 and 2.7 a piece.
another guy, guy no.3 was facing a lot of problems with his diesel baby too, don't know exactly what, he had bought a new palio-d not a used one, and was had perpetual complaints bout the engine, so he got rid of the engine and planted a toyota 2C diesel instead, and has been happy since. been 2.5 years now, its running good.
i in no way say its a bad-car, but i would suggest stay away from buying a 2nd hand palio-d, judging by experience, although the specs are good for a diesel in that segment. good amount of power too. but spares have also become a problem, and are overpriced too, but hey were talking diesel here arent we.