Maruti 800 vs Alto ? New or Old.

[del.guy22]

Hi I want to buy a car either Maruti 800 or Alto.

Earlier I was planning to buy an old car from Maruti True Value but read alot of bad reviews about them, so I thought that I wud buy a new car But still I am confused about buying a new car or an old car.

I don't know driving have just learnt that, so I thought an old car wud be good to learn that.

Any suggestions. Shud I buy Old car or a new car.

And if I shud buy a new car which one Maruti 800 or Alto.

And if an old car from where to buy it and which one ofthe above two shud I go for.

I live in New delhi and the car usage wud not be very much. May be on weekends and very few Km during weekdays.

thnx

[DirtyDan]

You need to answer the following per the helpful instructions at the top of the forum.

>Cars short listed

• Price range
• Maintenance & After Sales Service (A.S.S.) expectations
• Average distance traveled per month
• Where car will be mostly used (city / highway / rough roads etc)
• Chauffer driven / self driven
• Whether the vehicle will be shared by other members of family
• Any specific requirements from car (ex. Better luggage space, responsive engine, rear seat comfort)
• How long you intend on keeping this car (and how important resale is to you)

If you are a new good driver then there is no reason not to buy a new car. If you are a new bad driver, well, good luck to you and all you meet.

[Eddy]

If budget is not a constraint, I think you should go for the Alto LXi. The power steering makes a world of difference in your driving experience and ease. The Alto is a more contemporary car with a very effective AC to counter the Delhi heat.

I would suggest that you buy a new car. Just takes a couple of weeks to get used to driving. Used car makes sense only if being bought from some user directly, preferably if you know the cars history. Not safe buying it from dealers / true value guys.

But all depends on your budget.

[speedzak]

Alto LXi between the choices above.

But as Dan says, answer the above and that'll make everybody here understand better.

[blue_pulsar]

Please stick to a second-hand Maruti 800, since you don't know driving. You can buy a used car for say ~1lac. Use it for a year, learn proper driving. Then you can buy a new car. It depends on your budget then. The only reason I suggest an used 800 for newbies at driving is because, your heart really pains to see your 1-2 day old car getting scratched/dented. Please think over.

[NIP]

i completely agree with eddy. get a car with power steering, which is an absolute necessity these days. and besides, you'll get the hang of driving in a few weeks. if you have the budget, go for a new alto with PS.

[ram_hyundai]

the used m-800 for now for a price of 1L or less use it for 3 months and sell it .maybe you loose 10k on that but you are more confident in your driving.go for a new alto lxi after that.a couple of dents due to your in -experienced driving can actuallly cost you 10k on the new car which is the same when you sell your old m-800.

ram

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by ram_hyundai

the used m-800 for now for a price of 1L or less use it for 3 months and sell it .maybe you loose 10k on that but you are more confident in your driving.go for a new alto lxi after that.a couple of dents due to your in -experienced driving can actuallly cost you 10k on the new car which is the same when you sell your old m-800.

ram

I second this approach. Good luck.

[Jeep]

Go for a used M800 and use it for about 6 months. Sell it off and go for an Alto.

A new M800 is a clear NO-NO!

[Technocrat]

Alto LXi all the way.

[mavrick]

if new car then alto Lxi.
if u r a learner then m800 in second hand.

[del.guy22]

I am just a learner and that's the only reason I am looking to buy an old car but an old car is an old, couple of my friends said that driving an old car is really pain while if u are learning driving u shud go for a new car as it wud be easy for u. I don't want to buy maruti swift coz its an beastly car for a learner.

Can some one suggest Shud I buy an old car from Maruti True Value or are there any other dealers available in delhi, whom we can trust in this business.


1. Price- right now can spare 2 lacs or buy maruti 800 wud go for finance for anythng more than that.
2. Do not want to spend alot on maintenance.
3. Average distance traveled wud be very less per month, may be less than 500 km (that's also an upper limit)
4. Self drive.
5. Would be shared by one more with in the family but I wud do the main driving when required.
6.Special requirement- Economical
7. If I buy a new car wud keep it for long time and if buy an old car for learning purpose wud want to sell it after a couple of months or an year and then go for a new car.

thnx for the reply evryone.

[pingping]

Originally Posted by del.guy22

I am just a learner and that's the only reason I am looking to buy an old car but an old car is an old, couple of my friends said that driving an old car is really pain while if u are learning driving u shud go for a new car as it wud be easy for u. I don't want to buy maruti swift coz its an beastly car for a learner.

Can some one suggest Shud I buy an old car from Maruti True Value or are there any other dealers available in delhi, whom we can trust in this business.


1. Price- right now can spare 2 lacs or buy maruti 800 wud go for finance for anythng more than that.
2. Do not want to spend alot on maintenance.
3. Average distance traveled wud be very less per month, may be less than 500 km (that's also an upper limit)
4. Self drive.
5. Would be shared by one more with in the family but I wud do the main driving when required.
6.Special requirement- Economical
7. If I buy a new car wud keep it for long time and if buy an old car for learning purpose wud want to sell it after a couple of months or an year and then go for a new car.

thnx for the reply evryone.

Hi Bro - I own an Alto LX (of course its my dad's but i claim so ). Its an absolute trouble free Vehicle... infact i improved my driving in that car only, though i know basic driving before. FE is very good and an excellent city car to begin with. Following are my suggestions.

- If u can stretch ur budget a bit... I would strongly advice u to go in for Alto LX version.. it includes AC and ,much much better than 800 in terms of space, performance and FE.

- Initially since u r a new driver i would not advice u to go for LXi - the only difference between LX and LXi is the power steering and costs around 20 thousand more. Since Alto is a very small car and u will be using it very minimal.. its not at all needed. Moreover my personal opinion is for novice drivers power steering is dangerous as its very sensitive in manuvering the car...

- I would not advice u to go for an old car its bit risky, Of course be prepared for the dents....compared to other cars its very cheap to repair, anyways we all live in crowded space now lets learn to live with it. (but before taking the delivery of the car just go in for continuous driving classes 15 days and that would suffice u too have enjoyable driving exp.)

[deetee]

so, by now you might have started framing your decision. Well, my piece of advice is:
If you buy an old car and plan to sell it within a year, buy a 800a/c(don't mind if a/c is not working, it's only to add resale value latter) in good working condition(check it with a local mechanic).Buy a car less than 1 lac, don't transfer the vehicle in your name if you sell it in less than six months. When you sell it you may not loose more than 5k(if condition is good).
But if you are going to buy a new car , 800 is definite no-no (because you can get a good used type2 800 for much less,then why new?); go for an alto if not anything else.Alto has much better resale as well.
But be cautioned, rear legspace in alto is much more cramped than 800.(alto is not fit for a family of moderate build).
As to the final question of new/old car; from my experience, i can tell you starting as new driver with an used car is a pain ,unless the car is in brand new condition in which case you will not get one for less price.Particularly clutch and braking mechnism in old cars(more so in 800) will not be effective and hence it will take more practice and time to get running well.
In a new car , controls are factory adjusted and hence driving it is absolute joy.But then again, if you learn to drive well on a old car, be assured you will mature to be a very good driver, because of the patience and alertness the car demands(pun intended- but true equally).