[Torquedo]

Fellow BHPian's -

I was looking for used S10 in the used market and came across a S10 which is in average condition, has 80K on the ODO, the ODO might have been tampered with so cannot conclusively say if it reads correctly. The current owner is the 3rd owner.

So where else to find good insight on the S10 the pros and cons and other things that need to be looked at while buying a discarded (out of production, no offense to any of the Palio owners) - ONLY T-BHP.

A few facts before I proceed any further -

1) It'll be for weekend use.
2) What do I need to look at if I was to proceed?
3) How do I confirm if it actually is an S10, or a fabricated one with declas around?
4) Maintainence wise, is it a sound deal?
5) Would it hurt if I was to keep it for another 40K Kms.

Suggestions, suggestions and Suggestions, thanks folks for all the help !!

Happy Motoring !!

[mayankjha1806]

How to identify S10, it would have Sachin's signature on it. It came with Sachin autographed booklet, was in yellow color only and had different alloys.

Now i agree S10 was a powerful fun to drive car when it was launched, but that was many years ago. There are better more equipped powerful cars today to satisfy the driver in you. My suggestion, look elsewhere.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by Torquedo

Fellow BHPian's -

I was looking for used S10 in the used market and came across a S10 which is in average condition, has 80K on the ODO, the ODO might have been tampered with so cannot conclusively say if it reads correctly. The current owner is the 3rd owner.

You never know. The ODO could have well been tampered with. Taking it to a reputed mechanic or a workshop would be a good option. Take a knowledgeable friend along with you too.

Originally Posted by Torquedo

1) It'll be for weekend use.

Originally Posted by Torquedo

2) What do I need to look at if I was to proceed?

You need to ensure that all documents are in order. Service invoices, insurance, emission tests, transfer-papers, etc. It has been through 3 owners, and you will be the 4th one. So you must demand transparency. If you find something fishy, walk away.

Some cars change hands without proper documents and paperwork. Make sure that this S10 isn't one of them.

Look for signs of rust and corrosion around edges of the doors, the skirts, etc. The S10 comes with skirts, so get them removed and check it thoroughly. Open the bonnet and have a good long hard look at it.

Test drive it and make a note of all the noises you hear. Anything different you might feel. Vibrations, intermittent knocking, etc. If you hear a loud 'thud' every time you go over a speed-breaker or pot-hole, that's a sign that the suspension needs some work.

Originally Posted by Torquedo

3) How do I confirm if it actually is an S10, or a fabricated one with declas around?

Well, it is easy to replicate the S10, because there wasn't anything different about it, apart from the badging, the yellow paint, the large exhaust-tip, the wheels, and different upholstery(?)

The car's RC book and original papers should give you an indication of whether it is the real deal or just another Palio.

Originally Posted by Torquedo

4) Maintainence wise, is it a sound deal?
5) Would it hurt if I was to keep it for another 40K Kms.

To be honest..

4) No.

5) Yes.

You might spend 60k and buy the car now. But in a years time, you might have to spend the same amount just to get it running again. The Palio is not a reliable car. It's not its forte. It's good at handling, performance, etc. But when it comes to reliability, it scores low. And the Fiat brand just adds to the mix. It will prove to be expensive to run this car regularly. Running parts are not cheap, and they generally require replacement after 60k on the ODO.

The best advice I can give? If you're really keen on the car, take it to a very reliable mechanic at a reputed workshop and have him examine it completely and thoroughly. Find out what needs to be replaced, and what has already been replaced.

All the best!

[quakerme]

s10 yellow was my dream car those days, the only letdown was the signature on it. 60k is a bit high considering the fact that there wont be any proper service nor parts ln the market. <40k will be worth taking the risk

[JVH]

Torquedo, get in touch with BHPian Klub_Class. Our common friend Melson's (not on T-BHP) S10 is for sale. He is in Bangalore though.

BHPian lohthrao's beast, adventure is also fo sale if you want to go for a 1.6 mill, not necessarily S10.

Regarding the 60K deal, it looks shady to me. No well maintained S10 owner will part for 60K. I wouldn't consider it.

There are several threads including mine, Ravveendrra, Khan_Sultan, lohithrao on what it takes to buy used and maintain it. Go through them and make an informed decision. Don't hurry, you will eventually land up with a good deal with some patience.

[pareshraheja]

Originally Posted by Torquedo

3) How do I confirm if it actually is an S10, or a fabricated one with declas around?

Take it to an authorized service center or mail the RC details to FIAT India.
Or even better, show it to FIAT freak like me from Pune aka:PUG member.

Cheers

[Shivank]

Originally Posted by Torquedo

A few facts before I proceed any further -

1) It'll be for weekend use.
2) What do I need to look at if I was to proceed?
3) How do I confirm if it actually is an S10, or a fabricated one with declas around?
4) Maintainence wise, is it a sound deal?
5) Would it hurt if I was to keep it for another 40K Kms.

Suggestions, suggestions and Suggestions, thanks folks for all the help !!

Happy Motoring !!

I have been in a similar dilemma for quite a while now Only that it's just opposite to yours!

You have a car in sight but are troubled by the thoughts of its maintenance and service costs. I, on the contrary, cannot find a Palio GTX for the life of me in my hometown, but have a very worthy Fiat mechanic in sight (only 200 meters from my house). And that's where an old Palio is more likely to end-up mostly-in the mechanic's shed!

I am lucky to find this man in a second or third go of my Palio research days. This is very important. More than getting the car, I believe. He's been servicing Fiats for the past decade. He says, currently 8-10 1.6/S10s come to him for service. And no one is ready to sell the car. I happen to meet one of the owners after 2-3 visits and he was very satisfied with this guy's workmanship. You could well judge this by the grin and smugness on his face!

My suggestion would be to find a trusted and reputable Fiat mechanic first than the car itself.

[Klub Class]

"Buying an Fiat Palio S10 at this point of time is akin to buying a drug knowing well that it will no longer be available. But the high you can get from it is worth the risk" .

These were the words uttered by clevermax on informing him that we're about to buy a Fiat Palio S10, few months back.

No sane man will part with the legendary S10 for peanuts provided the car is in more-or-less good condition. ie, if you're hell bent on buying this particular car, you MUST get the car inspected in detail by your trusted mechanic.

If you're okay with buying non-MH S10s, do drop me a PM. I know of two very well maintained cars in Karantaka.

Originally Posted by Torquedo

3) How do I confirm if it actually is an S10, or a fabricated one with declas around?

You can differentiate between a Fiat Palio S10 and normal Fiat Palio very easily.

• Sachin Tendulkar's signatures on fenders, bonnet(just above the LHS headlamp), boot etc
• S10 #ID number on :
  • LHS front door, next to the door lock.
  • boot (next to the hinge)
• S10 has 7 spoke alloys and 5 spoke alloys in non Safety Pack and Safety Pack variants respectively
• Full rear spoiler that extends towards the rear-windsrceen
• Different fender design compared to non S10 Palio
• Side skirting
• The stereo is oval in shape and has S10 imprint on it
• Protruding exhaust tip
• Rubber S10 badges on the C-Pillar
• S10 imprint on the seat covers
• Red stitches on gear knob and steering
• Short gear ratios

4) Maintainence wise, is it a sound deal?

Maintenance wise, buying an S10 at this point of time would be okay-ish. Almost all the parts are more-or-less easily available at various automotive parts shops in Mumbai, say Kava Motors for instance. But then, you might need to wait some good days for some parts for the parts to arrive.

Your best bet would be to source the spare parts all by yourself and get the works done from a reputed independent garage rather than taking to Fiat service centre.

5) Would it hurt if I was to keep it for another 40K Kms

Be warned that driving a S10 sedately is next to impossible and all the three needles in the instrument cluster moves quickly.

Originally Posted by quakerme

s10 yellow was my dream car those days, the only letdown was the signature on it. 60k is a bit high considering the fact that there wont be any proper service nor parts ln the market. <40k will be worth taking the risk

If you give me some leads to Fiat Palio S10s that're up for sale for price less than 50k, we wouldn't mind having one more Fiat Palio S10 in our garage.

FYI, very well maintained Fiat Palio S10s are very hard to come by. The cars in pristine condition will be quoted very high and usually there will be some mad FIATian who would buy the car for prices above the market price. The cars that go for throw away prices are mostly abused and ill-maintained cars.

I know of one S10 that got sold for ~25k. But then, the car was sold to a garage in un-repaired condition as the car suffered from engine failure and various issues.

You're kidding, weren't you?

[bejoy]

Originally Posted by Torquedo

Suggestions, suggestions and Suggestions, thanks folks for all the help !!

Happy Motoring !!

Not worth it, unless you are a hard core fan and have a well versed Fiat mechanic at your disposal. Considering you will be the 4th owner, it is impossible to get the vehicle history. The first owner would have worshiped it for 4-5 years and sold for a pittance. The second owner would have had cheap fun and wouldn't have cared for taking it to TASS or regular servicing. The third guy would have got for lakh or so and wouldn't care less. The real abuse would have happened here. His neighborhood mechanic would have done all jugaads in the car. I know this cannot be generalized but this is the case most of the time.

Having a full service history gets you a predicable car, but it comes at a cost.

Originally Posted by suhaas307

The Palio is not a reliable car. It's not its forte. It's good at handling, performance, etc. But when it comes to reliability, it scores low. And the Fiat brand just adds to the mix. It will prove to be expensive to run this car regularly. Running parts are not cheap, and they generally require replacement after 60k on the ODO.

Tend to disagree here. Palio GTX and S10 were made when Fiat India was at helm of their second innings. The quality was top notch with hardly any parts failing. I am talking about 2001-2004 period. You wouldn't find a spot of rust in these cars (unless it is run on beaches.) Most 'reliability' issues were due to incorrect diagnosis by incompetent mechanics. Parts are not cheap as in Maruti (sub-4L car), but cheaper than most European/American cars. But 'cheap'ness is subjective. Like I said above, for the third owner, servicing at the TASS and getting original spares would have been the least priority in his books. Having said that, cheap spares are plenty in the market.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by bejoy

Tend to disagree here. Palio GTX and S10 were made when Fiat India was at helm of their second innings. The quality was top notch with hardly any parts failing. I am talking about 2001-2004 period. You wouldn't find a spot of rust in these cars (unless it is run on beaches.) Most 'reliability' issues were due to incorrect diagnosis by incompetent mechanics. Parts are not cheap as in Maruti (sub-4L car), but cheaper than most European/American cars. But 'cheap'ness is subjective. Like I said above, for the third owner, servicing at the TASS and getting original spares would have been the least priority in his books. Having said that, cheap spares are plenty in the market.

I never really questioned the quality, Bejoy.

Reliability is the only reason I'd stay away from the Palio. And that's also because of the state-of-affairs at Tata/Fiat. As you've said, most reliability issues were because of incorrect diagnosis by the mechanics. Parts may be cheap, but when you replace a bunch of parts together, it is going to hurt. Especially when one has invested 60k on the car.

[mnemonic]

Torquedo-

An S10 is a true enthusiast's delight and is a collectible, whatever state it might be in. If you have the passion and the pocket, you can restore it to a pristine condition. I have a 1.6 Sport which will turn 6 this May and I know what it takes to maintain one of these beauties rather than just here say. The notion that Palios are unreliable is an urban legend if you will.

First and foremost, what makes the car an S10:

- Apart from the differentiators outlined by the others here, one significant difference is that the S10 does not have overdrive in 4th gear unlike the GTX/Sport, which makes the car a true rev hound.

- The S10 has the fenders of the pre-stile 1.6 Sport with a clear moulding, easy to spot it.

Things you need to look out for, apart from the ones mentioned:

- Check if the engine is smooth, no jerks while accelerating and no smoke. S10s tend to be driven hard or loved, more like the RS, so you need to be picky. Take a trusted mechanic and check the vitals. I know someone in Pune who has picked up an S10 recently, but from a fellow bhpian and he can help you with the evaluation.

- With regards to spares, there is no dearth of parts in the aftermarket. I know of a place in Opera house where you get anything for a Palio. I had sourced a radiator after I had a dog hit near Kolhapur and the TASS was pathetic enough to not know how to order on the Tata Motors DMS. To cite, a friend sourced a brand 1.6 engine to replace the much abused engine in an S10 he picked up in Delhi. He spent 30k for the complete set including the associated electricals. So, restoring an S10 will not bankrupt you. PM me in case you need more details.

If I were you, did I have the time and garage space, I would pick up the S10 provided the papers are clean and the car's vitals are good. All the best!

[JayD]

Originally Posted by Torquedo

Fellow BHPian's -

I was looking for used S10 in the used market and came across a S10 which is in average condition, has 80K on the ODO, the ODO might have been tampered with so cannot conclusively say if it reads correctly. The current owner is the 3rd owner.

So where else to find good insight on the S10 the pros and cons and other things that need to be looked at while buying a discarded (out of production, no offense to any of the Palio owners) - ONLY T-BHP.

A few facts before I proceed any further -


1) It'll be for weekend use.
2) What do I need to look at if I was to proceed?
3) How do I confirm if it actually is an S10, or a fabricated one with declas around?
4) Maintainence wise, is it a sound deal?
5) Would it hurt if I was to keep it for another 40K Kms.

Suggestions, suggestions and Suggestions, thanks folks for all the help !!

Happy Motoring !!

Hi,

An s10 is one of the Hottest hatches sold in india. Another factor adding to its value is that its the only numbered limited edition ever sold here.
i think i know this car you are referring to. Is it a mumbai car, with dulled out headlights and missing skirts? If so, i would avoid it.

There are a few s10s which pop up for sale here n there, so take your time in finding one. But always, i would pick the best one i can.

Try to go for one with a max of 1 or 2 owners, as unmodified as possible, and around 30-40k on the odo. I know chances of finding something meeting all there criteria are hard, but look hard enough and you will find it.

here are my answers to your questions

1) It'll be for weekend use

Great. its best as a weekend car. Even though its about 10 years old now, no hatch comes close in driving pleasure. Its not the bast daily drive though.


2) What do I need to look at if I was to proceed?

Check if all the mechanicals are ok. The idle should be perfect, and there should be no soot deposit on the exhaust. see if it revs freely, and if the car is in perfect shape, you can notice distinct change in the engine note post 4000 rpm.

3) How do I confirm if it actually is an S10, or a fabricated one with declas around?

A genuine s10 will have the following visual bits over a gtx

Canary yellow paint
side skirts
Rear spoiler extending to the sides
Sachin signs on the Bonnet and two front fenders
7 spoke alloys
Leather gear knob and steering wheel with red stitching
S10 logo on front seats
S10 Limited edition decals on the boot
S10 branded stereo
S10 id tag on the boot lip and Left front door
S10 branded foot step garnish
Different Exhaust

Mechanically, it has a different exhaust system and a short ratio gearbox.



4) Maintainence wise, is it a sound deal?

Depends. S10s are pretty temperamental machines, but if taken care of well, its equally rewarding to drive.

5) Would it hurt if I was to keep it for another 40K Kms.

No problem at all, provided you find a good garage, capable of maintaining it.



Am attaching pix of a few differentiating factors of an S10. Excuse the poor quality pix. Taken when the car is very dirty!

[khan_sultan]

Torquedo, many folks have already advised you on what to look for and what the possible ownership experience can be.

I will just add the following from my end, having lived with an S10 for 3 years now:

- 60K for a well maintained S10, looks ridiculous cheap. Almost tooo good to be true. If the car is not well maintained in the past, it can lead to serious headaches/visits to the garage.

- FIATs are temperamental cars in nature and at times defy logic. There will be days where you will have the biggest smile on your face while driving it and there will be days where you will wonder why made you buy this car.

- While getting parts is not an issue (from outside TASS), finding Reliable, Competent Palio mechanics & workshops are getting rarer day by day -- as rare as an Indian cricket team victory in overseas conditions.

- The FE of S10 is not something to be written about. AT BEST you will get 10in city. But then you are buying this as weekend car, so that should not be much of an issue

- Few cars can give you a thrill that an S10 can give -- even today. I don't see many driver oriented, petrol hatchbacks out there. The mid-range torque is just mind boggling.

I suggest, take a GTX/S10 owner along with you, inspect the car in totality and then only buy. I would suggest buy a good one for maybe a Lakh+ than a lemon for 60K.

And any help required, there are plenty of S10 owners hereon the forum itself.

[Hegdapo]

First of all, why would any owner sell his S10 for 60k, it's really not worth it.

What Kub Klass is talking about where S10 got sold for 25k is a tragedy, the owner got the car for 80k, spent 60k or more on repairing it, and then one fine day on the middle of the road engine failure. Repair cost quoted was 1.5 lakhs.


@JVH, hey I am pretty much here on BHP. Melson

[rajeev k]

@Torquedo Can you post any pictures of thi 60K car. Pictures could deceive but can definitely be the first step in assessing.
Perhaps the owner would have got fed up of Palio woes and spending a lot on it and disposing off. Car could still be a good one. Don't discard if you really want an S10.