Alto or A-Star? First car for a girl in first job at Delhi. - Team-BHP

dushmish · 14th August 2009, 18:58

A friend of mine has been working in Delhi for past 6 months. This is her first job. She has realised that commuting to work and to other places in Delhi is not easy in public transport. She is contemplating buying a car. The choice is between Alto and A-Star. Guiding points are:

1. Should be inexpensive to buy. Less loan. Lower EMI.
2. Cheap to maintain. She is a first time driver.
3. Spacious enough for those occasional weekend getaway with friends to a near by place.
4. Not a guzzler.

She is contemplating the base (LXi) variant of both these cars.

Help her decide, please!

Pragmites · 14th August 2009, 19:34

Hi Dushmish. My son (who is 24)has an A-Star Lxi and loves it.

The Alto is definitely cheaper. I think maintenance wise both would be about the same. Mileage on a-Star is much better than Alto. ( 15-16 city, 20+ highway). Rear space in both is pretty poor, probably marginally worse in A-Star. But front space in A-Star is great. He preffeferred the looks and image of A-Star over Alto

simply_sunny001 · 14th August 2009, 19:51

I would suggest A-star cos of better FE and new looks as Alto is a old dated model.

A-Star is at least fresh.

bblost · 14th August 2009, 19:53

Zen Estillo.

madhukar_n · 14th August 2009, 19:55

A-Star definately. Looks quite chick too.

sidindica · 14th August 2009, 20:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by dushmish

A friend of mine has been working in Delhi for past 6 months. This is her first job. She has realised that commuting to work and to other places in Delhi is not easy in public transport. She is contemplating buying a car. The choice is between Alto and A-Star. Guiding points are:

1. Should be inexpensive to buy. Less loan. Lower EMI.
2. Cheap to maintain. She is a first time driver.
3. Spacious enough for those occasional weekend getaway with friends to a near by place.
4. Not a guzzler.

She is contemplating the base (LXi) variant of both these cars.

Help her decide, please!

Alto all the way, a-star has non existent space at the back.

Very cheap on maintenance and easy to drive for ladies due to better all round visibility.

mileage of 16-18 kmpl.

the car has better rear space and boot space as compared to the a-star, which is a joke at the rear.

Another option-if willing to take a risk- discounted spark PS with chevrolet's cashless ownership offer. But resale will be dreadful.

Thomas8700 · 14th August 2009, 20:08

why not the spark? with the maintanence package its a headache free car for three years

even afterwards, the spares will be cheap. its real easy to drive around also.

ashthedivx · 14th August 2009, 20:16

Looks like your friend is hell bent on Maruti, A-Star is the one she should choose. Not only it is the new model but also a more advance technology and a better FE.

shantyrocks · 14th August 2009, 21:34

a-star it has to be.
fresh car,better looks

anekho · 14th August 2009, 21:39

why not buy a second-hand car with more equipment at a lower price? Being a new driver it won't hurt much if you scratch the car a bit.

cheers

supercars · 14th August 2009, 22:05

I advise the Alto as I absolutely love it and I have not driven the A - Star still.

The Alto is one of the Best Small Cars.

You can also look at the Tata Nano if anyone is selling it.

rageshgr · 15th August 2009, 00:36

I would think A-Star would be a better choice if the price difference is ok for her. Actually I think Internationally A-Star has replaced the Alto. It has great looks, nice drive, more pep and better ride quality and refinement.

DocG · 15th August 2009, 00:46

My input would be A star all the way! The car looks hot, it's new, it's small enough to drive around without hassle. It gives you good FE and at the end of the day it's a Maruti so service is never an issue, nor is it expensive.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sidindica

easy to drive for ladies due to better all round visibility.

discounted spark PS with chevrolet's cashless ownership offer

Why would better visibility aid only women?

I do agree about the spark, a good car to own, more spacious than the A star, good looks (Well I never liked it but chicks do dig it)

Service plan by Chevy backs it completely, so it ends up being very cheap to run and maintain.

Bubby · 15th August 2009, 00:50

Has to be a A-Star, it looks fresh and has better presence on road and when still, looks much much bigger and smarter.
A-Star is more younger then Alto, Alto now looks old.

maglev · 15th August 2009, 00:55

A-Star is the one to go for.

Its got the latest K-series engine from Maruti and the following are the additional benefits:

Better looks
Image
higher crash worthiness
higher mileage
more power
would not be updated or phased out any time soon.

The A-star maybe more expensive to buy, but it would be the right choice as the A-star is the international replacement of the alto.
So its supposed to be better in all aspects in comparison to the aging alto

14th August 2009, 18:58	#1 (permalink)
dushmish BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 294	Alto or A-Star? First car for a girl in first job at Delhi. A friend of mine has been working in Delhi for past 6 months. This is her first job. She has realised that commuting to work and to other places in Delhi is not easy in public transport. She is contemplating buying a car. The choice is between Alto and A-Star. Guiding points are: 1. Should be inexpensive to buy. Less loan. Lower EMI. 2. Cheap to maintain. She is a first time driver. 3. Spacious enough for those occasional weekend getaway with friends to a near by place. 4. Not a guzzler. She is contemplating the base (LXi) variant of both these cars. Help her decide, please! __________________ We didn't start the fire; Me and my Dzire!

14th August 2009, 19:51	#3 (permalink)
simply_sunny001 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: London & Rohtak Posts: 1,147 View My Garage	I would suggest A-star cos of better FE and new looks as Alto is a old dated model. A-Star is at least fresh. __________________ 2006 Tata Safari 3.0 L 2005 Enfield Bullet Electra 350 2004 Maruti Zen

14th August 2009, 19:53	#4 (permalink)
bblost Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 1,841 View My Garage	Zen Estillo. __________________ Ever catch yourself listening to a nice song on the radio and dedicating it to your car.

14th August 2009, 19:55	#5 (permalink)
madhukar_n BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 227	A-Star definately. Looks quite chick too. __________________ 2005 Baleno 2009 i10 Kappa AT

14th August 2009, 20:16	#8 (permalink)
ashthedivx Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Delhi Posts: 1,018	Looks like your friend is hell bent on Maruti, A-Star is the one she should choose. Not only it is the new model but also a more advance technology and a better FE. __________________ Ashish K "Ninety percent of the politicians give the other ten percent a bad reputation."

14th August 2009, 19:34	#2 (permalink)
Pragmites BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pune Posts: 187	Hi Dushmish. My son (who is 24)has an A-Star Lxi and loves it. The Alto is definitely cheaper. I think maintenance wise both would be about the same. Mileage on a-Star is much better than Alto. ( 15-16 city, 20+ highway). Rear space in both is pretty poor, probably marginally worse in A-Star. But front space in A-Star is great. He preffeferred the looks and image of A-Star over Alto

14th August 2009, 20:08	#7 (permalink)
Thomas8700 BANNED Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: back in gods own country :) Posts: 118	why not the spark? with the maintanence package its a headache free car for three years even afterwards, the spares will be cheap. its real easy to drive around also.

14th August 2009, 21:34	#9 (permalink)
shantyrocks BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: thane Posts: 546	a-star it has to be. fresh car,better looks

14th August 2009, 21:39	#10 (permalink)
anekho BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: madras/gothenburg Posts: 667	why not buy a second-hand car with more equipment at a lower price? Being a new driver it won't hurt much if you scratch the car a bit. cheers __________________ In some car on some road... 2005 Toyota Prius "Chini" :) + what? I need a car in chennai ASAP!

14th August 2009, 22:05	#11 (permalink)
supercars BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bombay Posts: 262	I advise the Alto as I absolutely love it and I have not driven the A - Star still. The Alto is one of the Best Small Cars. You can also look at the Tata Nano if anyone is selling it. __________________ THE FASTEST ONE

15th August 2009, 00:36	#12 (permalink)
rageshgr BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu Posts: 216 View My Garage	I would think A-Star would be a better choice if the price difference is ok for her. Actually I think Internationally A-Star has replaced the Alto. It has great looks, nice drive, more pep and better ride quality and refinement. __________________ Live to Drive! Drive to Live! Hyundai Santro Xing XL Automatic ('07) TVS Scooty ('02) Kawasaki Bajaj KB100 RTZ ('89) BMW M3 (??)

15th August 2009, 00:50	#14 (permalink)
Bubby BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: New Delhi Posts: 336	Has to be a A-Star, it looks fresh and has better presence on road and when still, looks much much bigger and smarter. A-Star is more younger then Alto, Alto now looks old. __________________ Bubby Horse Power : Sunehri Ghoda aka AVEO 1.4 VGIS LS (May 06) Kaala Ghoda aka PALIO 1.3 MJD SDX (Nov 08)

15th August 2009, 00:55	#15 (permalink)
maglev BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: New Delhi Posts: 296 View My Garage	A-STAR is the one! A-Star is the one to go for. Its got the latest K-series engine from Maruti and the following are the additional benefits: Better looks Image higher crash worthiness higher mileage more power would not be updated or phased out any time soon. The A-star maybe more expensive to buy, but it would be the right choice as the A-star is the international replacement of the alto. So its supposed to be better in all aspects in comparison to the aging alto __________________ Global Dimming, an evil far greater than Global Warming. :: :: :: :: :: :: M A G L E V Last edited by maglev : 15th August 2009 at 00:57.

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