[dr_aryan]

thanks a lot everone for your help, regarding my previous post. appreciate.
i have narrowed down on indica xeta, and fiat palio.
i wud like to ask you the relaibilty quotient of both the car in terms of truble free drive and ***. trouble free drive because some people have complained about indica getting heated up and left stranded. also that many issues keep cropping up.
xeta looks value for money, i would like to ask is power stearing necessary? because i will save more than 30k without it.
palio also looks value for money in its segment. same reliablity issues?

and amongst both the cars which one is better.

if u rule out both then why and which car will you suggest.

sorry for asking so many questions, im really confused.

p.s. im sorry to have earlier posted in sms lingo, have genuinely tried to avoid this time.

[Eddy]

Power steering is absolutely neccessary and especially so in an Indica. The general perception is that Tata cars are a little unreliable when it comes to niggling issues.
So would suggest you to for the Stile / WagonR / Estilo

[dr_aryan]

my freind has an indica(although diesel) for the last 5 years, and he says is satisfied by the car overall. its without power stearing, and i have driven it without any know problem. am still driving maruti 800, without power stearing and dont seem to have any problem.

but i want experts advise on both the issues.
thank you!

[tsk1979]

Are you buying petrol?
In that case Palio 1.1 and Indica Xeta 1.2 both are mixed bags.
Indica Xeta sells a lot of numbers, so many of the reliability issues have gotten fixed. Palio sold 234 last month.
Also Indica Xeta has better driveability since it has more power, this is true esp on highways.

So its more of a mixed bag.
Both cars were designed by the same guys, they have a very similar bodyshell, Xeta wins on Power to weight ration, Palio wins on refinement and interiors.

Power steering is a must for both of them. They are heavy cars. But if you can do without it, then go ahead, but it will be a pain parking in tight spots. Our first indica was a Non-PS and it was a pain parking.
You are not in a big city, so one thing you may beed to consider is the A.S.S.
In metro's Fiat service and support(through Tata now) is okayish, but if you are talking small towns, then its a nightmare.
We ourselves have been at the receiving end of the company more than once. Since we have owned Tata's too, fiat has given more trouble than Tata, but then people in Delhi/Bombay are happier.

So I suggest you base your purchase on
1. How good is the Fiat service backup in Lucknow
2. Which car do yo u find more comfortable and entertaining to drive.

[GeekSrik]

both cars are handled by tata. both cars have their own pros and cons. since the dealer is the same, i would not really look at which one i buy. the boot space in palio is far better than xeta. the passenger space is tad bit better in indica, but not that palio is bad at all. gear shift and driveability, i like the palio. xeta too is quite refined for a petrol car. the interiors are better in xeta than palio. moneywise both are nearby mostly. i suggest you go with palio (since a.s.s is handled by same people - tata), the fit and finish of power windows, and other stuff, is good in palio. its got a slightly more heavier feeling. and i seem to like the car being properly planted on the road when i drive.

guess i ve only confused you more. if you have extra money, go with palio, if you want to save money and use it up on fuel instead, go with xeta. one thing - whatever you buy ensure you dont regret the choice. as tsk pointed out, drive both once again, you mind will tilt towards only one of these surely! and do update us!

[dr_aryan]

thanks a lot guys.
i wud just like to ask the secind part of my question again, that in the same price range that is below 4 k wud u suggest these cars or any other car is better than these?
not much of driving(300kms a month in city) and usuallay 4 sumtimes 5 people sitting.

[tsk1979]

4-5 people sitting you have just Palio and Indica which can seat so many people with comfort.
How is Palio sales and service in Lucknow.
I have seen when a car has very low sales, the workshop does not bother to keep any "not common replacement" spares.
Secondly with 5 people on board the Indica will definitely perform better. More power in the Xeta. I guess even the Xeta top end with 1.4 liter engine costs less than 4L

[himanshugoswami]

I own a 2003 model Indica LSi that has done over 40K kms, mostly driven under full load and not that well maintained since it was used for office work mainly. The car, while not very refined, has given NO trouble till date- now after 40K it needs new tyres and clutch.

Indicas are pretty reliable cars- the trouble is mainly with electrics like power windows, adn AC (in some earlier cars)- the mechanicals of the petrol version are pretty rock solid- since the xeta is supposed to be an improvement over the earlier petrols, I dont see any reason why it should not be reliable. also, it appears that you are looking for the GLS(AC and PS) so you will not have to account for problematic central lcking and power windows. Go for it, I say- at that price, nothing comes close to it for sheer value- not even the Palio.

[wolfinstein]

What reliability factors are you looking for ?

XETA does not heat-up and conk

Does not have any major issues, the normal ones are there in every car..!

Its a big advancement from the Lsi Days and is indeed a VFM- I'm Currently on 14,300 KM on my XETA and nothing major..!

Items replaced :

Rear Shock Arm- Squeeking Noise

Ignition Coil: Changed due to CNG High Surge Error coming- Fault later isolated to Advance Timer of the CNG unit.

Central Locking Master Unit- One door not responding

Power Window switch replaced- Since 1 LED light went off

Gear Arm Bush- To reduce Play-Vibration

Other than that all my visits were to diagnose the CNG Check Engine issues which came up initially

Current Issues- Belt Squeeling till engine not warmed

Its a good car , Have no regrets on buying it.

Advise you to look at 1.4 GLG or GLX rather than 1.2 GVG, since the Extra power makes a lot of difference when looking at the weight and power of XETA. However this is not a High Mileage car- with XETA 1.4 you will get around 11-12 Kmpl and with 1.2 You will be getting 14-15 Kmpl. But with distances in lucknow You can manage with choosing the 1.2 as it is you won't find wide enough roads or smooth traffic in Lucknow during peak hours..!

And when you have all cows and Rickshaw hitting at you in Kapoorthala or Chowk, The XETA body will be vouching for its Build, its strong and built like a Tank..You don't need to worry about any damage issues as its very safe and gives a strong feel once inside.

[Zappo]

dr_aryan, you can save some money buying a non-ps car. agreed. in fact you will probably also manage pretty well if you drive in smaller cities where the roads are not so congested. i have myself driven a non-ps indica (that too diesel=heavier) and would say driving is very comfy with ps. however you get to understand the problem if and when you have to parallel park in busy lanes. when you have to sneak the car into those tight spots and your speed is almost zero the car can make you sweat. so think about that. of course the body colored bumper and such stuff can be had even otherwise by paying some extra money.

about whether you can go for any other petrol car upto 4l mark, well you definitely can. there are a lot many. however, to begin with be sure how many people you want to squeeze in. for 4 to 5 people nothing comes close to the Indica/Palio combine. In any other hatch it is always a tight fit. Also, the luggage space is much lesser in any other hatch at this price range.

Now to choose between the Indica Xeta and Palio I would say read what Tsk has suggested in his post. Beyond what he has written I would like to say also consider the period for which the car will remain with you. If you plan to sell it before 5 years the Xeta will fetch you a better resale value compared to a Palio.

Finally, everything else being ok with you, test drive both the cars and then decide which one appeals to you more.

[prince_pervez]

Originally Posted by Eddy

The general perception is that Tata cars are a little unreliable when it comes to niggling issues.

To Support that, you can count the number of
Vehicles stranded/hoods up, along the road side!

I think most of them would be Indicas/Indicabs.

But, My cousin bought a Xeta, when they were offering
25K Discounts early this year. One less than the Top end.
GLG or something. My, the AC is powerful (Tested that in Mumbai).
Drivewise also comfy. Very Spacious indeed.

I have a American colleague, She finds the indica very
cute??!! Wait till she sees the Spark

As for TATA Motors, they have come a long
way from Dumpers,1312,407 to refined Indiacas.

Kudos!

Warm Regards,

Pervez Patel.

[Zappo]

The XETA body will be vouching for its Build, its strong and built like a Tank..

Uh oh... cut that wolfi thats a very dangerous territory. We already have a war raging on another thread over such superlatives being thrown around too often. Anyways, dr... if you would have it both Palio and Indica have that tank like buid quality. So that point actually evens out in the comparision scale.

[Deeps]

Would second most of what wolfinstein has said. Clocked 10,800km on my Xeta and most of my workshop visits have been CNG related. Since you'll only be running on petrol you do not need to worry about the reliability. Would strongly recommend the power steering. As for 1.2 or 1.4, I'd ssay just go for the 1.2 since the price difference is significant and your running is quite low. The TATA A.S.S has also been reasonably satisfactory so far. BTW, i get a feeling that the fiat owners get ripped off a lot more than the TATA owners at the workshop.

[hrag]

Originally Posted by himanshugoswami

I own a 2003 model Indica LSi that has done over 40K kms, mostly driven under full load and not that well maintained since it was used for office work mainly. The car, while not very refined, has given NO trouble till date- now after 40K it needs new tyres and clutch.

I agree.

My March 2003 Indica LSi has done close to 79K kms - some trouble with the alternator and A/C, otherwise as reliable as can be. The only time it failed to start was in June 2003 when the battery failed due to being overcharged by the regulator unit. I changed my front tyres at the 65K mark and the rear tyres at the 74K mark. Suspension and clutch are still original.

I drive this car everywhere and it has gone all over the 4 southern states. The windows have started to rattle but that should be fixed easily at the 80K service.

Tank like build? I wouldn't know - I've never sat in a tank and shut the doors

[spadival]

Originally Posted by dr_aryan

i would like to ask is power stearing necessary?

I think its necessary unless you wanna build up the muscles in your arms and shoulder. Both cars are pretty heavy (Probably the heaviest in the segment) and driving them without PS is gonna be a real pain in the .. err.. arm.