And I got a used Fiat Palio Sport 1.6

[kaustubh_vaze]

Hey folks,
I owned a Tata Indica V2 diesel for the last 4.5 years. I was thinking of changing my car and shift to a bigger/better car. Not that Indica is a bad car. I have driven it for around 50K Kms. in the past 4 years.

It was the right time to change my car since a diesel would fetch a better value with just 4.5 years and 50K Kms on the ODO. So I set about looking for new/old cars around 3 months back.

The dream was to buy the Safari DICOR EX 4X4. But budget and other priorities removed it from the top of the list to....out of the list.
I started hunting for used cars.
Next in line was a used Adventure. Came across a Peacock blue Adventure but before I could make the decision, I had to go out of town for a couple of weeks. The car was gone.
Next in line, a used Palio GTX/1.6 Sport or some new car in 6 lacs.
Test drove the 1.6 Petrol Logan. Nice car, good low end for city drives and good mileage(so says the service representative) as well.
Considered the Tata Indigo TDI LX for some days as well. The EMI was killing me.
So 1 fine day, I logged on to carwale and searched for used Palio 1.6 in Pune city. BOOOM....there it was...a May 2007 Palio 1.6 Sport, black colour and a mere 5K on the ODO. Off I went to the agent who had it listed. Saw the car, took a test drive. No scratches, service records well maintained and Blaupunkt + 4 JBL speakers. So enquired about the agent and his reputation in the market is to good to be true. Asking price for the car was 3.6 lacs. Talked to the agent about price. He said, nothing below 3.5 lacs. So waited for a few days to check whether he was ready to negotiate some more but to no avail.
Finally decided to take the plunge. The car I liked so much just by reading about it was finally to be mine. Asked him whether I could buy-back the Indica. He said "of-course". He was ready to pay 2 lacs for the Indica. I though it was less. But the Indica did have some problems. The suspension needed some work due to it being abused by driving in potholed roads in Pune for 4 years. Some "touch-up" job needed to be done for the paint, the front bumper needed replacement because of a stupid biker who didn't brake in time and crashed into the bumber. Considering all this, 2 lacs is acceptable. Enquired at other agents' and they said nothing above 1.85. So went back to the agent and gave him the Indica.
So 27th August was the day when I took delivery of the Black Palio Sport 1.6. Did all the formalities. The agent gave me a garland and a coconut. This was sweet. Finally, I got the car by paying 1.5 lacs extra. Good deal? Hell YES!!! The car looks very sexy.

So welcome to an all new world of driving experience after driving the diesel Indica (I miss her so much. Was my first car) for more than 4 years.

The rush of the Palio is something different. Its really different and I am enjoying every moment of it.
The only concern (if you may call it) is the mileage. Initial guess is somewhere around 8/9 ish. But its OK. EMI ka paisa petrol mein daalunga.

Now people - It would be great if you could give me some pointers to:
1. What is the list of things that I should check in the car considering its run just 5K Kms?
2. I am visiting TASS to do a check up of the car. Should I get it serviced properly? What are the things I should get checked? I expect that a free service might be pending because only 2 free servicings have been done before.
3. Any surprises I should expect?
4. Is the run-in period over?

Of course, I will be reading through the entire manual but any additional help is appreciated.

Best Regards,
Kaustubh

[phamilyman]

Lovely decision man. Your running doesnt need the premium of a diesel.

I just hope its a good piece and that warranty is still valid.

[extreme_torque]

Its a lovely lovely car.... enjoy buddy!

[musicmanaman]

Kaustubh, that's a very good deal you got yourself, a Palio 1.6 as good as new 1.5 lakhs+ 4 yr old Indica. Post some picturs of the same, for us to see and keep us posted on the ownership experience.

[bottle]

palio service intervals are at 1.5k and 7.5k kms so I guess you are soon due for the first proper service.

good luck and post pics

[kaustubh_vaze]

Hey bottle,
thanks buddy. Imagine I didn't even look at the owner's manual till date. Its just 2 days but still. I will read through it today.
I hope that the servicing will do the car a whole world of good. I am driving with a "light foot" as they say and just crossed 2K RPM at 2 or 3 occassions.
I am going to my native place (400 kms) in the first week of September, so I will report on my initial experience after I come back. Do let me know what precautions I have to take while taking this particular car on a long drive.
I have checked all the fluid levels and they seem OK. I will have them checked again tomorrow from the TASS.
I need to know any and all precautions that I need to take for a 5K run Palio 1.6.


Regards,
Kaustubh

[snaronikar]

Palio 1.6 is a nice car. Just get it thoroughly checked by a mechanic for any accidents that might had happened. Also refer to the thread for what are the checks you want to do before buying the used 2nd hand car...It will give you more insights...

[planet_rocker]

where are the pics? you should have uploaded them by now.

oh! Congrats man and welcome to 1.6 club and the Palio club. get addicted to it fast

[luvjascha]

Congrats on your new ride!

Why not drop off the vehicle for it's second FREE service, prior to making the 400 km road trip? This way, you'll have peace of mind that the vehicle has been well inspected, fluid levels checked, etc.
BTW, you're past the run-in period (2,500 km run-in is ideal)

And yeah, put up some pictures!

[bottle]

@Kaustubh, do you have any idea when the car was last serviced ? If it is anywhere close to 6 months which is the recommended interval between services then you might as well get the second service done before your long trip for peace of mind.


edit: ah luvjasca beat me to it

[kaustubh_vaze]

Thanks a lot folks.
Pics will come from the road trip that I am planning.
Apart from that, I would like to say that the car is just awesome. Awesome, awesome, awesome to drive. Suspension is great. No rattles. Pulls amazingly well on 3rd. Causes wheel spins in 2nd as well. What else do you want? Gear shift is "makhkhan" as they say it. Steering is accurate. Actually, coming to think of it, whenever I sit in the car, it gives me a feeling of sitting in a big car. This car, though its a hatch, falls in a very different category. Maybe am overwhelmed by her after driving the Indica. Dont know. But its true.
Expecting that I should not face any major problems as far as A.S.S is concerned.

Regards,
Kaustubh

[black12rr]

But why was it on sale for less than 5k on odo ?

Congrats .

[finneyp]

Congrats Kaustubh! You got a Hot hatch!

Drive safe (more Power means more Responsibility!), Have fun!

As all suggested, better to get the car serviced before you go for the long drive!

[kaustubh_vaze]

Originally Posted by black12rr

But why was it on sale for less than 5k on odo ?

Congrats .

Good question. I had it myself. The previous owner moved to some other country for a longer duration. So he sold off his car. Now the only doubt is that if I have a lemon in my hand, I am ready for it.
Apart from that, the agent from whom I have bought the car has a very very good reputation in the market. So I took that as a good qualification while shortlisting the car apart from all the inspection that me and my friend did before taking the decision.
Apart from that, this car has 18+18 months extended warranty. So peace of mind on that front.
The earlier Palio Adventure which I missed out on was also available with the same agent.

Regards,
Kaustubh

[PatchyBoy]

Congrats on your buy. That was a very sweet deal. Enjoy your ride and welcome to the Palio Club.

Originally Posted by bottle

palio service intervals are at 1.5k and 7.5k kms so I guess you are soon due for the first proper service.

good luck and post pics

AFAIK, the first free service is at 1000 KM. They only check fluid levels and stuff. The next free service is at 7500 KM, when engine oil, oil filter fule filter, etc. is changed. As the car has done only 500 km, you have another 2500 km to go, before the second free service.

Originally Posted by luvjascha

Congrats on your new ride!

Why not drop off the vehicle for it's second FREE service, prior to making the 400 km road trip? This way, you'll have peace of mind that the vehicle has been well inspected, fluid levels checked, etc.
BTW, you're past the run-in period (2,500 km run-in is ideal)

And yeah, put up some pictures!

2500 KMs is too less for run-in. I would suggest to take it easy till at least 7500 kms.

Cheers,

Rajan