[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by shuvc

New Alto LXi
Cost of car - 2.7*2250*60 = 3,64,500
Mileage - 14kmpl ?
Petrol for 5 years - 700*49*60/14 = 1,50,000
Maintenance - 3000 per year ? = 15,000
Resale value after 5 years - 80,000.??????????????????????
Total over 5 years = 4,49,500

My 7 year old Maruti 800 STD (Without ac model) fetched 97,000 when i sold it to Maruti True Value...

[supremeBaleno]

Nice calculations, shuvc.

However, it is not easy to put a number to intangible costs like loss of time/effort due to breakdowns and the resultant inconvenience.

Reliability is key (for me the most important attribute in a car) when it comes to automobiles and of the 3 options, I would plump for the Alto. The most FE petrol car today, with reasonable space for 4 people, minimal maintenance, good A.S.S etc etc.

BTW, In case if you go for option 1(i.e., keeping Indica Petrol), you can also do Somendher singh's mods(cylinder grooving for petrol based Indica) for following reasons:
* More FE(and ALTO economy of 14 kmpl)
* Good riding comfort(get good torque in higher grears at lower speeds)

[itwasntme]

Shuvc,

I recently sold a 2000 LEi run 55,000 km for 70k in Kolkata. See my T-BHP Garage!

Sold it as I have now relocated but I had initially planned your option 1 to spend 25/30k for the following:

1. The original superb Alpine Blue colour needed touching up;
2. General tightening up of nuts & bolts and elimination of rattles/squeaks;
3. Brakes needed servicing + brake shoe replacement.

My advice is to keep it and do Option 1. Why I say this is because of the following:

1. In Kolkata traffic, you NEED a car with good road presence. IMHO, WagonR, Santro, Alto etc are treated as 'chharpokas' (fleas :-) by the minibus and taxiwallahs
2. The sheetmetal is superb and will last you 5 more years. My car (ex-Bombay, mind you) had no rust at all after 7 years of ownership and without covered parking!
3. The resale value is a pittance. Best keep it
4. When is your 5 year road tax due? That will add a cool 18k to your calculations.
5. The petrol engine shares the same engine block as the diesel. Should be bullet-proof till minimum 100k
6. 20k per year maintenance cost is on the higher side I feel. Not much goes wrong with the LEi and the LSi IMO especially with a max of 700km/month
7. If you need to change tyres and have the budget, trash the stock 13" rims and go for the DLG's (or similar) 14" steel rims with corresponding tyres. If you are lucky, the 14" rims should be a pittance and the incremental cost for the tyres very low. This will cure the major problem with the LEi: Understeer and very rapid tyre wear!
8. Save on the insurance by keeping the LEi. If you have been lucky over the last few years, your NCB must have made your insurance premium about 3k!
9. 'Best' car for a driver to wreck :-) The average Kolkata driver will make mincemeat of your new car within 6 months.

CONS:
1. NO power steering! Don't know if wifey (and you!) will appreciate the inevitable biceps :-)
2. 5/6 kmpl is too low even for the LEi. Get everything checked out. I used to get about 9kmpl.
3. AC not too hot (pun intended). The LXi came with the more powerful compressor/HVAC system. Only option is to refill the AC gas and do a general cleaing of the AC bits/pieces etc.


Overall, KEEP IT and let me know what you did!

[shuvc]

Sigh. Too late. Been more than 6 months since I've sold the Indica (mid 07). I got 60K. It wasn't getting used at all.

In hindsight, it was a good decision, albeit a tad late. I have not needed a second car since Jan 06. The earliest I might need one could be sometime later this year (mid 08). Was pointless holding onto an unused car for 2.5yrs.

[itwasntme]

Do accept my condolences! Even after buying a Xeta 1.2 and a Aveo after I sold my LEi, I still remember it's 'Q-car' like raw rough power! Gave plenty of Santros, Altos & Zens a real scare who thought my (pretty rare) Indica 2000 LEi was another diesel slug :-)

The Xeta is almost feminine in comparison!