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Old 30th October 2006, 20:23   #1
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Hello friends,

I am planning to buy palio 1.2 ELX but afraid of its:

1. After sales support,
2. Parts availability and cost
3. Re-sale value.

This is going to be my first car and don't have any experience with cars, as you guys are car owners so please comment about it so that I can confidently buy this beauty.

I am located in noida, I have heard from one of my friend who is having palio, he faces lots of issues with parts and cost.

Please advise, reluctantly otherwise I will have to go for second option i.e. santro.

Thanks
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Old 31st October 2006, 09:57   #2
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hey fast_furious, the fiat dealer in noida is among the worst of the fiat dealers, anybody else would be better than them - so also check out other fiat dealerships or tata ones.

also, inspite of being such a decent car, going for a palio should only be done if you are madly in love with it and willing to take on the challenges w.r.t maintainence and after-sales.

palio spares/service costs are comparable with santro/wagon-r, but their availability can be an issue at times. though the tata-fiat alliance may have made things slightly better, they are still very very far behind hyundai/maruti.

otherwise, stick to santro - its a great city car which should give you years of trouble-free ownership.

i faced the same problem a few years back, and didnt find the palio that special a car, so stuck with santro - and it has been a very pleasant experience.
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Old 31st October 2006, 14:01   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fast_furious
Hello friends,

I am planning to buy palio 1.2 ELX but afraid of its:

Quote:
1. After sales support,
2. Parts availability and cost
3. Re-sale value.
This is going to be my first car and don't have any experience with cars, as you guys are car owners so please comment about it so that I can confidently buy this beauty.

Quote:
I am located in noida, I have heard from one of my friend who is having palio, he faces lots of issues with parts and cost.
Please advise, reluctantly otherwise I will have to go for second option i.e. santro.

Thanks
well, you have a friend who is facing problems with the palio & yet you want to buy this car. i think you got the right traits to buy the palio. there are a few members here who will convince you that there are no issues with the palio. wait for them.

my advice ? stay away from it since you are a newbie. get a maruti or a hyundai.
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Old 31st October 2006, 14:12   #4
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How did you zero in on the Palio1.2 compared to its peers like WagonR / Santro ? Just to know the thoughts behind the decision making. Looks ? Italian parentage ? Since you are not eyeing the Palio1.6, power / performance does not seem to be high on your priority list.

If you are the kind that is besotted with Fiat, the 1.2 is for you. However, be aware that along with the package comes issues like niggles, service centre problems, delay in getting spares etc. Not exactly the kind of experience for a person getting his first car and having no previous experience with cars.

IMO, get a nice trouble free car, with which you need to visit the service centres only for the prescribed services. But if your heart is still with the Palio, go for it.
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Old 31st October 2006, 14:44   #5
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My friend got a palio since he is very much fiat lover.
There were scratches all around the car on the brand new 1.2 car.
That too it was march 06 built car.The steering also has a issue and the car is back at the delearship .
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Old 31st October 2006, 14:55   #6
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depends on what exactly you want

I obtained price list for Petra before I bought one. I mailed to sales or marketing mail id obtained from FIAT web site. I'd suggest you do the same.

I have not had much A.S.S problems with the piece apart from one experience.

Some chip in alternator unit went bad, they could not get it. I asked them replace the whole unit, that was done quickly. It was like 7-8K Rupees versus 10k Rupees. I dont know how to interpret this, as availability or non availability of parts.

Writing down your priorities (or) parameters on a paper and evaluating them by comparing for cars falling in that range helps. I used a spread sheet to compare: Baleno, Esteem, Petra and Hyundai Accent. I split them in to categories: Build, ride, power, space, visibility, Quality of A/C, interiors, looks, service intervals/ reputation, Fuel Efficiency, resale, Is it fun to drive...

For me Build, fun to drive, ride, power, looks and space were priority parameters.

I thought Hyundai accent was smooth and seemed good fit if you are going to employ a driver, rear leg room was not good enough as well. I am not tall but had difficulty getting in/out of Esteem. Baleno I thought was a good car, but I was more impressed by the build of Petra.

Hopefully this will clear lot of things.

Last edited by sreenivass : 31st October 2006 at 15:05.
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Old 31st October 2006, 14:57   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by black12rr
My friend got a palio since he is very much fiat lover.
There were scratches all around the car on the brand new 1.2 car.
That too it was march 06 built car.The steering also has a issue and the car is back at the delearship .
"IF" there were scratches all around the car why did your friend bought it at first place? Could you elaborate on the steering issue coz its the first time i am hearing a steering issue with a palio?

Coming to the questions asked in the thread, Availability of spares isnt as good as Maruti or Hyundai if we talk abt open market, but if you will be servicing your car from an authorized service station then availability is not a problem at all. I have been told that Samyak motors is good, you can get more feedback on that from others here.
Secondly... spares arent expensive at all, infact in some cases they are cheaper than the competition.

The price at which palio is available right now, makes it a tremendous value proposition vis-a-vis the competition.

My first car is also a Palio... though i bought it second hand, even then i havent faced any issues at all. Touchwood :P

Up to you to decide.
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Old 31st October 2006, 14:59   #8
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As regards the spares, check this months autocar. they have done a cost of ownership comparison.
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Old 31st October 2006, 15:41   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by extreme_torque
"IF" there were scratches all around the car why did your friend bought it at first place? Could you elaborate on the steering issue coz its the first time i am hearing a steering issue with a palio?
competition.
.
Hmm i cannt explain the scratches part ,fiat love ,he said he didnt have time and all .
Steering thing , if he take his hands off the steering , the car would go to left .he had to keep the steering at light right to make it to straight.
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Old 31st October 2006, 15:52   #10
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A face lifted palio is to be out so your resale value is surely going to take a hit with the current models.Also for a first timer fiat experience may even come in as a shock[extreme condition].

Reluctantly have to tell you to stay away from the palio 1.2 atleast for now.
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Old 31st October 2006, 16:04   #11
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Spare are not expensive if not difrt cheap.

Availability is an issue. I own a Petra and I know what it means. There is an other issue I am noticing recently. the replacement parts do not meet the exact specs of the original parts.

If you are buying a Fiat and plan to sell it sooner, not a good idea. It will depriciate faster than the fuel in you fuel tank goes down.

Well, I to have the same question. Why 1.2. It is not the choice of fiat lovers. and Fiat has nothing to love but for the 1.6 engine.
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Old 31st October 2006, 16:08   #12
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I have not faced any problems with the spare parts till now. I have had my Palio 1.2 for close to 3 years and this is my first car. Yes, it it a little difficult to drive in the city as compared to say a Santro. A little difficult to park too. But is more solid than Santro and also offers a better combination of ride and handling. I thought Santro is a little more peppier in the city. The 1.2 engined Palio is a little lethargic, but is very stable at 3 digit speeds.

The pick is yours. If you want a good city car with decent space and with good service, go for Santro. On the other hand, Palio is not so good a city car, but its highway manners are good, though it is a little lethargic. Fiat service in Bangalore atleast is picking up good. I have no idea about the service in your part of India.

If you look at it purely from the resale point of view, I would advise you against Palio. With the new look Palio on the anvil, the resale of the present one will definitely take a tumbling.
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Old 31st October 2006, 16:16   #13
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http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/what-c...-elx-getz.html

Thats the first thread you posted regarding a similar query.Anyways,if you need so much convincing on whether or not your choice of car is right,I think its better you stay away from it.I'm saying this because I guess you've posted the same query on Palio Users Group and I'm sure 99% of the group members must have given you a lowdown on why Palio is better than Getz.Anyways,the Palio has already been diagnosed under a microscope on this forum as well and the facts are in the open.Its a good VFM car with suspect ***,parts are quite cheap but not readily available at times,and newer Fiats are having more niggling issues than they had in the past.
So good car but wait if you can for the Palio II that is due in dec-jan
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Old 31st October 2006, 16:29   #14
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Wheel alignment

Quote:
Originally Posted by black12rr
Hmm i cannt explain the scratches part ,fiat love ,he said he didnt have time and all .
Steering thing , if he take his hands off the steering , the car would go to left .he had to keep the steering at light right to make it to straight.
This is a wheel alignment problem, there is nothing serious about this. This can happen any time, even though we do not expect a new car to have this problem.

Well scratches and wheel alignment problems in new car, me thinks some thing else is wrong. Possibly your friend got a car that was used for demo (or) what so ever.
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Old 31st October 2006, 17:03   #15
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Thread closed. Similar threads exist, please use the search function before posting
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