Bought a WagonR Duo

[someshb]

I bought my first car WagonR Duo. This is the first car i have driven in my life, I learnt driving in a driving school on a maruti 800. Pardon me if I say anything incorrect, since I can write based on my drving in wagonR and maruti 800 only.

I chose this 'Duo' after a lot calculations that i did myself, I could do a max down payment of 1,50,000 wanted a car that is comfortable, cheaper maintenance and cheaper running cost considering i might do 1000 kms more or less in a month. If I was to do a full down payment and buy a car, i surely would have gone for a diesel car, but if you are going to take a loan of above 2.5 lakhs, then you really need to calculate the 'Total Cost of ownership per month' which is EMI + Fuel Cost + Maintenance + Insurance. I can give the calculation spread sheet on request, but without going much deeper into the calculation and considering depreciation, resale value etc.. here are my conclusions

In a scenario, where you are earning, 20,000 per month on hand and not yet married, and
Making a down payment of 1,50,000
and taking a loan of approx 2,82,000 or more @ 12 %
and want a car that seat minimum 4 people of 5'9" comfortably
and want a car in which you do 70% city driving and 30% highway driving

• You should go for a Diesel car (I am referring to Indica v2 turbo) only if you are sure to cover 1500+ kms per month (Diesel Car = Expensive EMI + Lower fuel cost + Slightly higher maintenance + Expensive insurance + greater depreciation + lesser resale value)
• You should go for a Petrol Car (I am closely referring to Wagon R petrol) if you are going to always drive less than 800 - 1000 kms per month. (Petrol Car = Lesser EMI + Higher fuel cost + Lower maintenance + Average insurance + less depreciation + greater resale value)
• You should go for a Duo if you are going to cover between 1000 to 1500 kms per month, mostly in city and less on highway since WagonR Duo has a 22.5 ltr lpg tank only. (Duo = More EMI than Petrol + much Lower fuel cost than petrol + Slightly higher maintenance the petrol but less than diesel + Expensive insurance compared to petrol + slightly more depreciation than petrol + resale value same as petrol)

After learning driving in a maruti 800 and then driving this car, I felt that it is much much easier to drive than the 800, the steering feels silk smooth (I know 800 doesn't have power steering) and engine responds very well. I have done 275 kms in two days, I felt everything except the gear shifting feels great (wagonR's bad gear shifting has been written about all over the internet, so i knew it very well before buying).

The engines surely feels more peppy and responsive in petrol mode than lpg mode, but since I wont rev up my hard earned 4 lakh red beauty, lpg has enough to get off the mark decently, although not with A/C on and 4 passengers.

The steering height is perfect for my height 5'8" and can rest my hands on the door while still keeping a hand on steering, so hand doesnt get tired so fast, I have also pushed back the driver seat a bit and put it on a little lean back position, so i feel very comfortable inside now.

The visibility from inside the car is good, especially while taking the reverse and tight turns because of the large sized windows.

Overall I am in love with my car and will surely recommend a wagonR to others (Just hope it doesn't give many problems in future, although I ave read rare cases of engine knocking, gear slipping etc.)

[VJ_MAVRICK]

Hey Congrats on your new ride and that was one good analysis and wisely spent amount. From your posts, I assume you are new and just give a intro in the introduce yourself section and if done disregard that and enjoy your ride mate and drive safe.

Once again congrats and i know wagon -r engine is a good one as i have a 1.1 Alto with a wagon -r engine in it.

[snaronikar]

Congrats on your new baby. Enjoy the ride. My previous vehicle was Wagon R Lxi. Good vehicle to drive with inside city. Also highway too. Have done couple of long trips in this car. BTW, post some pics. Also go through announcements.

[someshb]

[kamadhenu87]

hi someshb,
congrats on purchasing the beauty

i did pretty much same calculation has you have done, took in june 2007, did 5000 kms till now, good car and good value for money.

enjoy the riding.

[NetfreakBombay]

Congrats, what was the on-road price for this car?

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Congrats on the car. Loved your profile pic!

Originally Posted by someshb

Overall I am in love with my car and will surely recommend a wagonR to others (Just hope it doesn't give many problems in future, although I have read rare cases of engine knocking, gear slipping etc.)

Havent experienced any engine knocking issues with my WagonR. It has done close to 45,000 kms now.

Gearshift feels smooth, for now. It gave fair amount of trouble (even came off once! ) and was due to a broken linkage, which was corrected and things got much better. Except for that, havent experienced any major issues with the car.

[mail4ajo]

Excellant calculation and very good justification for choosing WagonR. Perfect use of the mind rather than the heart.
Unluckily LPG prices have gone up recently and really not worth the pain of using it. Expecting drop in prices shortly once winter season ends.

WagonR is known for gearbox issues, so dont worry, You will learn to live with it. It gets better once your car has run considerable mileage. Contact dealer service center immediately if you have any issues.

[Absar]

Hello,that's a touching introduction about your new car. You've selected a good colour,I don't see this colour often,its a rare colour. The pictures you've taken are beautiful. The 1st picture looks like a mountain in the background, and the 2nd one is like the car on the empty expressway.

What's the range you can do on a full tank of petrol + lpg?

cya
A

[someshb]

Originally Posted by Absar

What's the range you can do on a full tank of petrol + lpg?

LPG Tank Capacity = 22.5 lts, Mileage = 11 (I assume), Distance = 247.5
Petrol Tank capacity = 35 lts, Mileage = 13 (I assume), Distance = 455

Total Approx Range = 702.5 kms

[DirtyDan]

The cost of maintaining a diesel is considerably LESS than maintaining a similar model petrol and a diesel motor will last close to twice as many kilometers as a petrol on average. You can analyze these things to death.....it is a "done deal" enjoy it. It is a good vehicle.

[someshb]

Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay

Congrats, what was the on-road price for this car?

Rs 4,31,000 after Rs 7500 Discount

[someshb]

I have completed around 600 kms in my car and here's the update.

LPG Mode
----------
With 4-5 people in the car and A/C on, in LPG mode, the car aint good in terms of pickup and pull. There is noticeable and irritating power loss in third / fourth gear in LPG mode, you will have to come to a lower gear even if you slow down a bit. The car just refuses to respond! So in my opinion, LPG mode is good only with 2-3 people in the car.

Gear
-----
Shifting to 2nd in a hurry is not very easy, 2nd gear feels very hard and so does the reverse gear. It might improve after first service I hope

Suspension
-----------
Not the best, for every small unevenness , the 'thud' is transferred to the cabin, in indica this is not a problem

Pedal position
-------------
Somehow I feel, clutch position is not placed very well, its a bit uncomfortable, I don't know co-wagonR users agree with this. it should have been placed a little lower.

Mileage
-------
Have not yet calculated, still enjoying driving without bothering about cost

Will update further after first service.

[snaronikar]

Nice update of 600 kms someshb. I had a Wagon R and most of the problems you are encountering was there when I was driving the car. My updates in bold is given below when I was using this car.

Originally Posted by someshb

I have completed around 600 kms in my car and here's the update.

LPG Mode
----------
With 4-5 people in the car and A/C on, in LPG mode, the car aint good in terms of pickup and pull. There is noticeable and irritating power loss in third / fourth gear in LPG mode, you will have to come to a lower gear even if you slow down a bit. The car just refuses to respond! So in my opinion, LPG mode is good only with 2-3 people in the car.

Even in Petrol it sucks. Big time.

Gear
-----
Shifting to 2nd in a hurry is not very easy, 2nd gear feels very hard and so does the reverse gear. It might improve after first service I hope

The reverse gear engages with a "thud".

Suspension
-----------
Not the best, for every small unevenness , the 'thud' is transferred to the cabin, in indica this is not a problem

You are right.

Pedal position
-------------
Somehow I feel, clutch position is not placed very well, its a bit uncomfortable, I don't know co-wagonR users agree with this. it should have been placed a little lower.

This is most uncomfortable in almost all WagonRs. It is placed at some height making it more easier for ladies or the people who do not lift their foot off the pedals.

Mileage
-------
Have not yet calculated, still enjoying driving without bothering about cost

Will give around 12/13kmpl in city with ac & 16/17 kmpl on highways.

Will update further after first service.

[gemithomas]

Hey! congrats. Seems you have done some good calculations before taking the decision. I too agree with you. Given your priorities i feel you have bought the best car around. The notchy gear and slightly tight suspension setup are known traits of the Wagon R. Nothing to worry. Enjoy your drive.

PS. Nice colour choice.