[Jessierider]

Keep or sell a 13 year old Swift Dzire(beater car) in favour of a brand new B1 hatch.

This is my first post, request moderators and readers to be considerate and kind towards me.

We have two cars in our garage, a 2009 first gen Suzuki Swift Dzire(159***km), and a 2019 Suzuki Ciaz, Delta(32***km).

Current Car Usage Pattern.

Suzuki Ciaz- Used as a daily driver by dad who works near Devenahalli( outskirts of Bangalore) and on all our highway runs. Dad retires next year so his usage of Ciaz would be very limited.

Suzuki Dzire Used predominantly in and around city limits by me as well as dad with occasional highway runs only when the Ciaz is occupied. I prefer using a two wheeler within Bangalore. With a possible marriage coming up in a year or two, the usage pattern is set to favour a car over a Motorcycle.

We have always retained our cars and bikes very long. The Dzire which has been mechanically sound was good to go for another 4-5 years as a beater car with minimal spare replacement on account of wear and tear. Our plan was set on buying an electric hatch by 2026-27 when much better options were available in India.

The other day we got an unsolicited offer of 2.7 lacs for the Dzire from our Maruti Authorised Service center, in addition, atleast 5 others have enquired in the last 1 year on our plans of selling the car. This got me thinking, the ideas in my mind as as below,

1. Option 1- Sell Dzire Immediately and buy a B1 segment Petrol Hatch- Cash in on the global chip shortage, pay the sale proceeds as a down payment and pick up an AMT Tata Tiago XTA petrol immediatly. The plan is to use the car till 2027-28 after which I can pick up a new BEV. Dad in his mid 60s then can continue with the ICE Tiago when his usage would be limited to about 3000/4000km/year or lesser.

2. Option 2- Sell Dzire after 1 year well within the expiry of its RC and stick with just Ciaz until a suitable car is launched- The Tiago was launched 6+ years back, perhaps a new model is just around the corner, it might also come with an BEV powertrain. In addition, a year or two from now would also have a few more electric cars to choose from.

3. Option 3- Retain Dzire for another 4-5 years- mend some of the battle scars, upgrade the ICE and continue with the usage pattern. Sometime in 2026-27 pick up a BEV as much varied options would be available in the market by then.


Additional Points

1. Dzire currently runs between 6-7000 km/year, it's replacement as per my calculation would run atleast10-12000km/year if not more. The only safety features on the Dzire are the seat belts, a metal shell, 2 additional wheels and our faith in God. The safer replacement would instill confidence on the highway which invariably means more highway runs.

2..An automatic seems like the way forward considering Bangalore traffic and my dad's post retirement usage pattern( he would be the secondary user for now). Since it will be predominantly used in city, an AMT and it's abrupt transmission can be tolerated.

3. None of the cars in the B1 segment from Suzuki or Renault has impressed us, I have used a Tata Tiago both in city and on highways and I was impressed by it. If I have to choose a car from the current line up, it would be a Tiago.

4. A Tata Nexon EV and Tigor EV are wonderful options but I feel they are not fully ready yet, I don't want to be stuck with them when better options are all around. My mother in her mid 50s is keen on getting herself a driving license, perhaps a smaller automatic will make her more comfortable.

5. B2 segment cars were also considered but somehow the premium they command over a B1 segment was not justified considering my usage pattern. I did look at a few B2 segment examples on the used car market, some 3-4 year old cars are selling within a lakh and a little more off a brand-new petrol Tata Tiago XTA

6. I don't know how well a 18 year old Dzire would perform in the used car market post this pandemic and chip shortage. The cost of reregistration is minimal but i am worried about ownership costs as years tumble down on account of our preventive maintenance policy and inability to abuse a car.

7. Head and heart says retain Dzire for 4-5 more years or even more till I find the most suitable car for my requirement which had been the original plan but the practical and safety concious me is a tad bit confused.

If I retain, the Dzire needs a thorough modernisation in addition to figuring out why the car may be a little sluggish under hard acceleration. All this means atleast a lakh if not more.

Basic modernisation plan is as under
a. All four alloy wheels and all 4 brand-new Micheline XM2 plus rubber.
b. Mend all the battle scars and e, replacement of front windshield ( plenty of stone chipping) and all new car seat covers. In addition to replacement of all parts within the cabin which are either worn or loose.
c. A new ICE system, reverse camera, new steering wheel for Bluetooth telephony and audio controls, front dashcam.

Thanks
The Suzuki Dzire, picture taken a few days back.

[TorqueMonster]

As an owner of a 12-year-old Dzire, of the same trim and same colour too, I would tell you to retain till the next electric car purchase. The vehicle is mechanically sound and reliable, and more comfortable than any hatchback. It's also easy to maintain. Except for ICE upgrades, my car has been running sound with zero breakdowns.

I am in the same boat but hoping to buy a much bigger 4x4 later on, currently saving up for finances. And for this short delay, the Dzire has been perfect.

You may feel your car to be outdated, so to improve the car, I would suggest ICE upgrades, I currently have new speakers and a touchscreen, you could add mods of your choice too. I can now easily drive the car around for the next 2 - 3 years after which I may buy a new car.

[condor]

You could sell the DZire either now, or later. It will still fetch a good price.

However, I suggest the replacement be a true AT and not an AMT. You could wait for the upcoming Altroz AT. Or any other AT.

[Jessierider]

Originally Posted by TorqueMonster

As an owner of a 12-year-old Dzire, of the same trim and same colour too, I would tell you to retain till the next electric car purchase. The vehicle is mechanically sound and reliable, and more comfortable than any hatchback. It's also easy to maintain. Except for ICE upgrades, my car has been running sound with zero breakdowns.

That is quite a coincidence, as you rightly mentioned, the engine is almost bullet proof. If not for the safety aspect and a fear of a sudden fall in resale value post the pandemic and chip shortage, i don't have any reason to sell it off. A car retaining it's 50% value post 13 years of usage by itself is a testament to its demand.

Ironically, the ones who have approached us so far have all been people who know more about cars and it's working. The Service manager at the ASS, owner of a fleet of cars leased to an MNC, a few drivers associated with my dad's office.

[AJ56]

How important is it to have the next car be strictly an EV? Reason being most affordable EV’s are very poor performers at higher speeds (with the likes of Tigor being restricted to just 80 km/hr).

Normally I recommend keeping your old car, but in your case it doesn’t even have airbags or abs which is unacceptable in 2022, so I’d say sell it. Also suggest you get a lightly used car as new cars are compromised in one or more areas this side of 15L.
Which car will depend on your personal needs and importance you assign to different parameters like power/space/safety, etc.

[landcruiser123]

If you can do highway runs in the Ciaz and hire a chauffeur for long city drives, retain the Dzire.

Any automatic car with similar levels of comfort will cost you 4x what you are going to get for the Dzire today. Simply not worth it IMHO.

[shancz]

Voted 1.

Reasons :
- the industry would be busy clearing backlogs for the next year least so I am not expecting any effective BEV launches.

- this gives you a chance to try something outside of MSIL and also an AMT. Since you clearly like the Tiago I am not going to suggest other options like the Ignis/Nios etc. Although I also wouldn't recommend an AMT but that's your call.

- The mods and repairs you've mentioned indicate that you need those features now so IMO you should get a new car.

[Kosfactor]

@Jessierider - Its nearly impossible for this generation of Dzire to look attractive, the later generation vehicles were a lot better. You could spend the money on Alloys to lift up the exteriors but it's not going to do much.

I would suggest making use of the incredible demand for used cars now and swap this for a brand new AMT equipped Maruti for city use.

[shrinz.vivek]

If your car is a diesel then keep it without a doubt. Because only a petrol turbo or an electric can match the excitement of driving a diesel. And in order to buy a petrol turbo, you will have to shell out min. 10lacs + the resale value. No worth in my opinion.

If your car is a petrol, then you can sell and buy another petrol automatic. But I don't think you will get a much better driving experience. All you will get is lots and lots of gimmicks like auto headlamps, sunroofs etc. I am speaking based on my experience of driving a new i20 NA and a VW Taigun 1l turbo. Except for the electronic features I did not not feel any difference in driving excitement. I rather started hating these cars for all the cost cutting they have done in essential things like seats, underbody protection etc.

So I voted to keep the car till you find a worthy EV.

[busydrive]

Interestingly I am in similar boat (Similar car, color with 65K mileage) and recently started a thread on Team-Bhp. I voted for option 1 as I felt going with a new car is a better option. The number of votes in favor of option 4 is making me rethink

[DogNDamsel12]

Are there no regulatory issues in keeping the car beyond 15 years? Would they provide a re-registration and environmental clearances? I have my Delhi-registered WagonR from 2008 which helps my father to get around. So I am following the post but am abstaining from voting.

[headbanger]

My 2 cents:
1. Dzire is costing you nothing. Fill it, forget it type.

2. The thought of new car and emerging situations in future stems from the excellent resale that you are getting.

3. Unless absolutely necessary or your dad wanting to move to a smaller auto hatch immediately post his retirement, I will go with Dzire being the beater car and Ciaz doing highway duties.

4. If the urge is to go for auto gearbox for a new car, revisit the idea of AMTs. Don't get me wrong but how many cars have you seen with similar mileage as your Dzire.

5. Purely from a diversification and future garage perspective along with resulting cash flows for a new car, I will strongly vouch for Dzire getting replaced by an EV down the line. This may be a good time to start accumulating funds for the new EV and make it a financial goal.

Dzire is costing you virtually nothing and the closest replacement for achieving the same result is EV. For all the brickbats showered on Maruti and rightly so, their engines are absolutely top of the pack when it comes to reliability.

[am1m]

Pleasantly surprised to hear that Marutis are going strong and reliably after 13 years and 150K+ kms. We've always owned Marutis, even kept one of them around for more than a decade previously, but usually switched much before reaching the 100K km mark, because we usually have very low monthly running. Would like to retain our present ride (Swift, 4yrs, 30K km) for as long as possible because- it does the job perfectly, we don't see any need for more space in the future, and because we're pretty sure this is our last ICE car but also looks like it'll take at least a decade more for enough reliable EV models to enter the market at a reasonable price. So, it's good to hear that we can rest easy on Maruti engines lasting beyond the 1.5L km mark (always thought that was Toyota territory!)

[K_Drive]

Voted for "Retain Dzire for 4-5 years, pick up a BEV when more options are available".

In another year or so, chip shortage issues will be rectified, pandemic will be almost gone(fingers crossed), inflation will be in better shape, used car market price may come down and more and more BEV vehicles will be launched. So my suggestion will be not to spend too much money on the existing car.

[Nissan1180]

Except for the addition of safety features, little has changed in terms of technology, comfort, and performance features for cars below 10 lakhs in the last decade. Even the real-world fuel efficiency is similar for most models. Hence, I voted 4.