Alto or Santro or something else for a new driver

[greenhorn]

but all those scratches will hurt less on an old santro, and by the time he's through with it , he'll know how to take good care of a ride

[Orion_80]

As you are new to driving, i suugest you to go for a used car (preferably santro).

Why a Santro?? I have learnt my driving on a Santro and it is a breeze to drive and park. And the prices of Santro in used car market are much more reasonable than Maruti cars in that segment, like WagonR.

Why a used car?? Since it is your first car and you are new to driving even a small scratch on a new car, will make you lose sleep. That will not be the case with a used car. One more suggestion is go for colors like silver which dont show small scratches.

Whenever i see even a small scratch on my new red ikon, my heart bleeds.. and to make the matters worse, the red color shows the scartches in 100x magnification

[DirtyDan]

Originally Posted by mukundsb

In Chennai after looking at the traffic I decided to go for a small car first then get a sedan after a year or so.

I suggest you revisit this idea. You could get a sedan now and practice, practice, practice. Intense practice can get you over a lot of hurdles early on. Find a quiet street or parking lot and lay down stones. See how close you can get to them with out hitting them. Do it in reverse, too. Try creating small parking places with the stones and practice parking between them without hitting them. Find out exactly by practice where both sides, front and rear of your car are. Find out where your blind spots are.

You may find that a good sedan is easier to drive, depending on which one you get and how it is equipped. This may keep you out of trouble.

Even if you make a mistake with the sedan it may cost you less to repair than what you might spend fixing a second hand car AND buying the sedan later. And, you might make a mistake with the sedan later anyway.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by DirtyDan

I suggest you revisit this idea. You could get a sedan now and practice, practice, practice. Intense practice can get you over a lot of hurdles early on. Find a quiet street or parking lot and lay down stones. See how close you can get to them with out hitting them. Do it in reverse, too. Try creating small parking places with the stones and practice parking between them without hitting them. Find out exactly by practice where both sides, front and rear of your car are. Find out where your blind spots are.

You may find that a good sedan is easier to drive, depending on which one you get and how it is equipped. This may keep you out of trouble.

Even if you make a mistake with the sedan it may cost you less to repair than what you might spend fixing a second hand car AND buying the sedan later. And, you might make a mistake with the sedan later anyway.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Completely agree with this idea!! Dan has actually provided a tutorial of how to master driving as well which should help you a lot. Best to adopt this idea IMHO!!

[mukundsb]

Thanks people. You have done it AGAIN.

As expected now I am back to the square one. If I take your advice, in this case I shall buy a Swift and keep it for 2 or more years. I even got an offer 2006 Vxi Red Swift singale owner for 3.95 lac.

[mukundsb]

Finally decided on this swift Vxi for 3.85









The sony system will be removed. Scraches and a small dent will be attended to. Need your help here. Please let me know the things I need to check. The vehicle has run 10400 km. Mar 2006 Registered. Tyres are good. Let me know things to look for so that I am not taken for a ride (Excuse the Pun)

[DirtyDan]

I would spend a few rupees and have a good mechanic take a look at it. If the owner says no, be suspicious, he may be hiding something. The mech would check the engine for good main seal, gasket leaks. He would notice how well it shifts, clutch and gear box. He would check for oil leaks, brake pedal action, obvious things like that. Please know that a Swift is likely to have been driven aggressively. Is the owner a young guy? If so, VERY AGRESSIVELY so don't buy it. Statistically, you know what young men do to a fast car.

Perhaps the owner kept a log of what maintnance he did. I ALWAYS do. I keep a log of everything I do to the car and I keep receipts including oil change receipts. Ask to see it if he has one.

Swift is one car I would like to own myself, good choice if it is in good shape.

[mukundsb]

Hi Dan

Thanks for the heads up. The car was driven by lady doctor and maintained by ABT Maruti. She exchanged her car for a Diesel Dezire so ABT is selling it. I get one year maruti warranty for engine and gear box and 3 free services.

I took my friend with me for checking the vehicle who drives a swift for the past 3 years. We could not find fault with the engne / gear box etc. Hope the vehicle is OK. I will take a mechanic to have a spin anyway tomorrow. Thanks again.

Have a Great Day
Mukund

[mukundsb]

Hi Gurus

Today took a mechanic to check the vehicle. removed the seat cover, took a spin and checked the suspension, engine etc. After checking the conclusion was that the price 3.85 was on too much. I will be better off to look for anothr car or go for new as I initially planned.

I have given a request letter to True value for canceling and refund of advance. I was told Rs 500 will be deducted as service charges. I felt it was OK.

Now back to scoutng deals. Went to Hyundai Motor plaza chennai. Wife didnt like i10 at all. She felt Zing has more good look and rear seat comfort. The offer for Zing DLS was 3.82 with accessories (remote look, sony mp3 + 4 sony speakers, Insurance + Corp discount 4000, Sun control film). Means I will be paying 3k less and lower EMI for a new car santro GLS against 26 months old swift Vxi. I am willing to trade the obvious for the peace of mind and the new smell. I think even if i sell my car after just one year I can reclaim more in santro than the third hand 38 month swift. please chip in your thoughts please.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by mukundsb

Hi Dan

The car was driven by lady doctor and maintained by ABT Maruti. She exchanged her car for a Diesel Dezire so ABT is selling it. I get one year maruti warranty for engine and gear box and 3 free services.

If it was driven by a doctor, generally the running will be very less and would also be well maintained. During the days when my dad was in his hay days and looking for used cars, he would always say that the safest bet is a car owned by doctors. So you can be assured that it will be good. But again a specialists opinion (mechanic in this case) is always a safe bet.. Like they say, Better safe than sorry!!!

One year warranty on the engine and gearbox should keep you well covered in case of issues with either of them. And thats the standard warranty given by reputed used car dealers.

[blueband4u]

Hi mukundsb,
i have just read this thread completely.there seems to be some diversion considering your requirements
1. You are a new driver
2. Once you are confident with your driving you will be upgrading to sedan (i.e after 1 year)
considering these 2 things let me give you my views briefly
1. Don't make the mistake of buying a new car unless you are confident about your driving. Accident costs will not be covered under warranties and only you can recover some portion of it through insurance.(i am not trying to discourage you.not all learning drivers will meet with accidents but still i don't want you to burn your pocket simply because of some silly mistake that you might do and learn from it)
2. No further discussion neede.Go for Santro 2001/2 model.Cost is less.i think you can get it within 1.75 lakhs
3. Abuse the car as much as you could but i am sure the car will still be the same even after a year
4. Santro gives you very good mileage.Go for long drives in highways especially chennai to bangalore highway
5. What santro does is it increases your driving confidence level and it will be very very easy for you to upgrade to a sedan later

I learnt driving in a santro.It gave me such a confidence that i am easily able to drive other cars. I am currently in the process of upgrading from Santro to a sedan (Already we are having a hot discussion in my thread!)
When the test drive vehicles came to my home i confidently took them for a ride without any worry/fear,thanks to my santro!
No Swift,Spark,indica or wagon R Go for Santro.
Happy Driving!
Cheers.

[mukundsb]

Hi Abhinav

Like I said, the mechanic was not very happy and suggested that the price quoted may be on the higher side. So I have dropped that deal.

Hi blueband
Thanks for the replies and sharing your views. I have decided on a Santro GLS but instead of old I am going for new. I may have it for 2 years after that can give to my wife. I am completing the finance formalities and was told that I can take the car in a day or two after registeration.

Thanks Again and Have a Great Day
Mukund

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by mukundsb

Hi Abhinav

Like I said, the mechanic was not very happy and suggested that the price quoted may be on the higher side. So I have dropped that deal.


Thanks Again and Have a Great Day
Mukund

HI Mukund, like i said a specialists opinion is the best when it comes to automobiles. How much ever i trust my instincts, i never take a risk when buying a used vehicle. I always go with a known mechanic to get the car certified/evaluated. If he says the deal is not worth it then i dont go ahead with it though i might have fallen in love with the car/bike! So you were right in dropping the deal which the mechanic said was not good.

And congrats on your new Santro. I have owned the Santro for quite some time and have enjoyed driving the car. I learnt driving on a Fiat Premier Padmini, hence cannot comment on learning to drive on a Santro. But i am sure you will not face lot of issues since the visibility is very good in the Santro and a very good car in general.

[arajand]

Mukund
I feel the prices you were quoted for the used Santro and the Swift were way too high. 3.25 for a used Santro? A brand new Santro costs as much in Delhi!

And I dont get this "buy second-hand car-abuse car-become expert driver" routine
1) Firstly, you end up paying your money for the second-hand car too.
2) Secondly, the car is a used car, till you buy it. Once bought, it becomes your car. Will the bumps or dents strike at your heart any less?
3) Thirdly, do you believe that after expert training on a second-hand Santro, you can avoid bumping your brand new sedan in the future?

[phamilyman]

Completely agree with arajand.

Heck, count the number of guys involved in pileups on delhi's roads - most would be extremely experienced guys - the sunday drivers drive slower/more distance

That said, am very sad that you didn't consider Spark seriously. Heck, for the love of God, Santro is a car with both feet in the grave. The i10 is its replacement. Just like the m800, it may continue but nowhere as much respect/resale value.

And Spark is extremely good value, well refined, good pickup, silent cabin, amazing ride.

But then again, maybe that's just me venting Hate to see good technology/good bundle/warranty/service package get thrown away for sheer image issues. Atleast in delhi it sells quite well and would have decent resale value. I mean, at max, it may lose like 10-20k more in three years (worst case) compared to santro (good chance it'll be withdrawn). But in today's money's terms, that's like 5-7k of cash and miles of smiles!

PS: Considered dZire? Its a sedan that drives like a hatch!