[nandab]

I am buying my first car shortly. My budget is sub 5 lakhs. This car will be mainly used for city driving and once in a month long distance travels (about 700 kms total). My requirements in that order - spacious interiors to seat 5 adults comfortably, good riding and handling, safety, good aftersales support, style and value for money. The car should have a good rear seat ride, in addition to a handling capability such that an inexperienced driver can easily drive it in city conditions. If the car offers a fuel efficiency of 12 kmpl in city, that should be sufficient. A good resale value would be a plus.

My choices - Palio 1.2 ELX NV, Getz GLS, Corsa Sail 1.4. Which of these cars would you recommend?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Best Regards,
Anand

[shravan316]

Of the given choices..... i say Getz would suit your needs very much. Primarily because, Getz will have good after sales service, its spacious, its offers better visibility than the Palio, so it would be easier to drive in the city and finally it would have a good resale value.
The Palio, on the other hand, is a great car, no doubt, good spacious interiors, good handling and a very good ride. But, then the after sales service is one dept. where the Palio really would lose to the Getz. The mileage one usually gets in a Palio is around 9-10kmpl under city driving conditions. It would be a very good highway car too.
The Corsa Sail... i wouldn't look at it at all.... primarily because the maintainence costs are way too high, and the future of Opel in India is really uncertain. I doubt it would really give competition to the other choices of yours.
Anyways, thats just my opinion, lets see what others say.

[DCEite]

Fiat Petra all the way.........................................

[DCEite]

oops.. ur budget is sub 5 lacs.. then.. maybe... Tata Indigo/Indigo Marina.. or Palio D... or Indica DLX

[ported_head]

Tata Indica would be something to look at too, fresher package now. Since you've already narrowed down the choices i'd suggest the Palio, but then that's just an enthusiasts speaking. I guess the Getz is a favourable option, quite a few people have been bowled over by the Getz. You can read the unbiased reviews in the test drives section. Getz would definitely hold it's resale value better than the Palio, unless FIAT manages to pull a miracle in the next year or so.

[Dippy]

I would suggest you go in for either an Indica or Indigo saloon. Theve come a long way and they get better with each car that rolls off the production line. A diesel one is the way to go. Its very comforatable and spacious gives good FE and Tata service is pretty ood too plus parts are inexpensive as well. And the Indigo has a turbo. Either of these cars make a good proposition.

All the best for your purchase

Dippy

[Stratos]

Get an Indigo....a saloon for the price of the shortlisted cars which are hatches!! Trust me nothing can be more value for money!!!

[neverclever]

Since your budget is sub 5L, my bet would be the Palio nv ELX. Comes through on all your criteria except resale value. Met a guy the other day who bought a Palio Sport exactly a year ago and is now looking hard for a buyer who will pay him more than 2.25 Lakhs.

But otherwise you have an awesomely built, safe car, easily the best looking hatch in the market and superlative ride quality and handling. FE will also meet your requirements. The only hitch is that 3 people in the back seat will be a tight squeeze.

Fiat's bad service reputation, in my opinion, is more a matter of general perception than anything else. And brickbats do tend to stand out more than the bouquets. Fiat's after-sales did suck at one point (something the dealers will readily admit) but there are definitely efforts being made to improve on that front.

If you can stretch your budget just a wee bit further, look no further than the Getz GL. It comes out 'aces high' on all your criteria.

[lamborghini]

go for getz or indigo diesel
if u dont mind a fuel guzzling car- 8.5 kmpl in city - then go fpr petra
next up is palio
cheers
lambo

[drifter]

From the list given,

Go for the getz, its spacious, its comfortable, and it will have better resale value than the palio atleast...the palio is a great car...but poor performance of the dealers in aftersales is a real turn off...and the fuel economy although improved will still not be 12kmpl, its more in the region of 10kmpl in city.

Sail is not too bad an option either but doesnt offer much value for money, but its ride is second only to the palio...but i dont know too much about it so i'l stick to the getz.

Apart from the options...take a look at the indica diesel and the indigo diesel as well...i would personally take the indigo diesel...reasons being - with the turbo the engine performance is much improved over the indica and offers good fuel economy too and plus you get the boot which makes the car more practical. Tata service is decent too. And it offers unbeatable value for money.

Drifter

[johnjacob]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (shravan316 @ Nov. 25 2004,20:10)]The Corsa Sail... i wouldn't look at it at all.... primarily because the maintainence costs are way too high, and the future of Opel in India is really uncertain. I doubt it would really give competition to the other choices of yours.

Hi Shravan

Could you clarify what you mean by that? I agree with your comments on the Corsa specifically, but I would have thought GM is doing well in India with the Optra and the Tavera.