[gemithomas]

I am looking for a car under the 3L bracket.

The options i found interesting were

1.MAruti 800 AC - Rs.2,30,507
2.Maruti Alto LX - Rs.2,81,075
3.Hyundai Santro XK(non-ac) - Rs.2,82,402
4.Tata Indica Xeta GVE - Rs.2,79,864

Maruti Alto LX - BS III vs Tata Indica V2 Xeta GVE - BS III vs Hyundai Santro Xing XK (Non-AC) eRLX - Euro III vs Maruti 800 AC - BS III | Car Comparisons - CarWale.com India

The usage would be as follows
- Mostly semi-rural travel with very rare highways runs.
- Driver Driven (not a permenant one but who ever is available).
- Maybe like 600-800 km per month max.
- Nothing much like taking good care of the car.

The Preferences ranked in order would be like
- Reliability (as in not getting us stranded on the road and not needing to
visit the service centre "as much as possible")
- Safety
- Fuel Efficiency
- Value for money

Personally i have an inclination towards the xeta since i feel its really good value for money. But i have heard real bad stories of their quality standards(if you could call them so!!)
HELP ME DECIDE.

[moralfibre]

In my opinion the Xeta fits the bill very well if it comes with AC.

[DCEite]

Hi gemi
Since its driver driven the car that makes most sense here is Indica Xeta.
My order of preference would be(based on backseat comfort):
Xeta
Alto lx
Santro XK
M800

[gemithomas]

the xeta comes with ac but no power steering. the santro comes with none.

[benbsb29]

How useful is the A/C to you? Santro is good if you do not require the A/C. Else, its between the Xeta and the Alto, with the Xeta taking preference.

@Gemi : U just bought an Adventure, rite?

[manikjeet]

If you want safety and mileage you can get a xeta but if you don't mind getting a second hand you have a huge choice tell me if you want a second hand one so i can suggest you

[esteem_lover]

I'd go for the Alto LX since i will not be driving it & you want a trouble free car. The santro is good, but it does not have an Aircon. Of course, the Indica is bigger in all dimensions, thats why it is called 'More car per car' whatever that means.

[DCEite]

If its driver driven, power steering doesnt make sense anyway. Stay away from Santro XK, since its without even a/c, and backseat isnt the best, coupled with bouncy ride. However, if self-driven, and a/c doesnt matter to you, then Santro is a very good contender.

[gemithomas]

[quote=benbsb29;412153]How useful is the A/C to you? Santro is good if you do not require the A/C. Else, its between the Xeta and the Alto, with the Xeta taking preference.

@Gemi : U just bought an Adventure, rite?[/quote]


YES. The Adventure is doing really well. Thanks .
This is for one of my relatives. They have asked me to get them the best at this price. I think an AC would be needed so the santro can be chunked out. I think the AC version of the santro is way too high for this budget.

[cutdcrap]

@gemithomas :

If I were you, I would buy the Alto without thinking twice.

- Reliability - Alto
- Safety - Xeta (tata has the best build quality)
- Fuel Efficiency - Alto
- Value for money - Alto

But if you are looking for safety strictly and the car is going to have a rough use, in terms of more than 1 person driving it, and used on semi-rural roads, then go for xeta. Of course, the "more space" is an advantage.

[arunforu1]

For backseat comfort go for xeta.
for safest out of your list go for xeta
for ac go for xeta
for semi rural roads, all are good
for maintenance maruti is trouble free
for fuel economy again maruti

but since you will be using a driver again go for xeta

[deepak_ms]

Hi gemithomas
My order of preference would be
Xeta
Santro XK
Alto lx
M800

when i was buying a car i had decided to for Xeta.... parents and frds told don't take petrol car from TATA so finally end by buying santro XL...
after becoming member of team-bhp and reading reviews of xeta am regretting my decision...

[Jaggu]

5 point rating and then i added up one at a time and came with this.

1.Maruti 800 AC - Rs.2,30,507
- Reliability ****
- Safety **
- Fuel Efficiency *****
- Value for money ** and half
Total- 13.5


2.Maruti Alto LX - Rs.2,81,075
- Reliability ****
- Safety *** and half
- Fuel Efficiency ****
- Value for money ***
Total- 14.5

3.Hyundai Santro XK(non-ac) - Rs.2,82,402
- Reliability **** and half
- Safety ****
- Fuel Efficiency ***
- Value for money ***
Total- 14.5

4.Tata Indica Xeta GVE - Rs.2,79,864
- Reliability **and half
- Safety ***
- Fuel Efficiency ***
- Value for money ****
Total- 12.5

Hope this helps.

[DCEite]

Santro more safer than Indica, Alto ?
I beg to differ there.
In my view safetywise Santro=Alto and Xeta>Santro,Alto

[goldie_malhotra]

For a chauffeured, reliable and VFM car, look no further than the Xeta, all others have a very poor backseat.
Moreover, it can take more of a beating on semi-rural roads compared to a Maruti.

Nevermind the quality stories about the Xeta - this is a greatly improved version over the V1/V2, though still a bit un-refined and poorly fitted compared to the Santro/Alto.