[akrish01]

Greetings to everyone.

I’m from Chennai & presently own a Fiat Palio S10 (1.6 L), purchased in Sept 2003. The car is in excellent condition & has done only 38,500 km. I want to sell it & get another hatchback. What price can I expect for it? When I approached dealers for exchange offers, they are quoting ridiculously low prices. Should I put an ad in the newspaper instead?

I’ve been doing a lot of research on a few models & would like to take your expert advise on choosing the right car.

Here are my normal usage patterns.
1)My monthly usage will be about 1,000 kms.
2)Usage will mostly be restricted to city with an occasional drive on to the East Coast Road for about 60 to 100 kms up & down (maybe once a week)
3)I’m a very conservative driver & rarely exceed 80 or 100 kmph. I also don’t rev the engine beyond 3000 rpm. I have a smooth driving style & always accelerate & decelerate smoothly.

My requirements:
1)I want a car that is fuel efficient & economical to use.
2)I plant to keep the car for 4 to 5 years.
3)Decent interior space – shouldn’t be too cramped. Should at least be on par with the Fiat Palio.
4)Good resale value – not too much of a constraint though as I intend keeping the car for 4 to 5 years.
5)Petrol or Diesel?

Here are the cars that I’m considering.

1)Hyundai i10 Magna – The on-road price is Rs. 4,32,132/-. Took a test drive. Found the engine to be a bit noisy. Gear shift also not very smooth. I hear that it is very economical to drive & maintain but I don’t know if I would be able to take a step down as far as the space is concerned – from the bigger Palio to the smaller i10. Interior scheme looks good. Rear space not very good.

2)Hyundai Getz 1.1 GVS – The on-road price (after free insurance) is Rs. 4,57,911/-. Took a test drive. Good gear shift & very good interior scheme (best in it’s class). Very nice roomy car that costs only Rs. 26,000/- more than the i10 but the most worrying factor is the fuel economy & cost of maintenance.

3)Chevrolet U-VA 1.2 LS – The dealer is willing to offer 2007 model in “Icy Blue” colour for Rs. 4,64,921/- after free insurance and also with a Pioneer mp3 player with 2 speakers thrown in free. GM also has the free maintenance offer now wherein I don’t have to pay for maintenance for 3 years or 48,000 kms, whichever is earlier. Took a test drive. I’m very tempted to go in for it as the space is great and I don’t have to spend on maintenance for 3 years but I’m worried about the fuel efficiency & also the re-sale value. The dealer also says he can offer the 1.2 LT (2007 model in Cashmere or Platinum Metallic Colour) at Rs. 5,16,996/- after free insurance. Should I haggle more & bring down the price for both models?

4)Maruti Suzuki Swift vDi - The on-road price is Rs. 5,48,320/-. No discounts. Everyone’s raving about this car. I’ve taken a test drive and found it to be good. It’s got everything going for it – good fuel efficiency, easy maneuverability in the city etc. Interiors not as good as the Getz though. Waiting period is at least1 month (which is the biggest turn off). Also considered the LDi at Rs. 5,10,000/- but doesn’t have any of the goodies like power windows, central locking etc.

I also seek your advice on the following matters.

This being March end, dealers are offering discounts. Should I haggle more & try to get some more discounts on the price of the car, over and above the free insurance & existing discounts that are being offered on the Getz 1.1 & Aveo U-VA? If I manage to get a further discount on the car, should I continue to bargain with the bank for the financing as well (for the discount on payout)? Is it possible to get both? Pls enlighten me.

One more thing I wanted to get clarified is regarding the free maintenance scheme of Chevrolet. The dealer says he will either offer a cash discount of Rs. 10,000/- or give me the free maintenance scheme (Maintenance cost is zero for 3 years or 48,000 km, whichever is earlier). That means that if I opt for the free maintenance scheme, I will have to forego the discount of Rs. 10,000/-. Is this correct or are they trying to pull a fast one on me?

Looking forward to your replies.

Regards
A. Krishnan

[joseph5600]

If you feel that the Chevy service is good at Chennai, U-VA would be a good choice. I bought a Getz just because the Chevy service at Bangalore is not good.
I am getting around 10-12 kmpl (40% A/C) in bangalore city traffic. On highways I get between 14-17 kmpl (80% A/C and most of the time in 100), depending on riding conditions and no. of passengers. So if this efficiency is fine, I guess this would be a good choice.
I dont know whether you need a diesel car for a usage of 1000 km per month. Otherwise Swift diesel would be a good choice. If you are still a fiat lover, the 1.3 Multijet would be the best choice among all these. (Infact, i would have bought this if it was there when i was buying my car)

[akrish01]

Originally Posted by joseph5600

If you feel that the Chevy service is good at Chennai, U-VA would be a good choice. I bought a Getz just because the Chevy service at Bangalore is not good.
I am getting around 10-12 kmpl (40% A/C) in bangalore city traffic. On highways I get between 14-17 kmpl (80% A/C and most of the time in 100), depending on riding conditions and no. of passengers. So if this efficiency is fine, I guess this would be a good choice.
I dont know whether you need a diesel car for a usage of 1000 km per month. Otherwise Swift diesel would be a good choice. If you are still a fiat lover, the 1.3 Multijet would be the best choice among all these. (Infact, i would have bought this if it was there when i was buying my car)

Thank you for your comments joseph5600. Do you own a Getz 1.1 or 1.3? Is it getz Prime? How long have you owned it? How's the service? How much mileage have you done? Any issues (mechanical/ electrical/ rattling etc)? Pls let me know

Krishnan

[esteemer]

I don't think your running requirements qualify for a diesel(correct me if I am wrong).
If it's petrol , then I would recommend the Getz- The car looks great, don't know abt fe but heard its endurable, hyundai is second only to maruti in A.S.S., the car is smooth and rattle free.

The second I would recommend is the UVA.

[sukiwa]

For a person needing decent interior space & migrating from a palio, i10 and swift do not fit the requirements.

Please consider Getz 1.3 instead of 1.1 engine as you are migrating from palio 1.6.

Resale: Getz would be better than Aveo-UVA.

Why do you want to sell Palio S10? Is it due to low fuel efficiency/spares/service issues?

Palio S10 can serve for another 4-5 years, it's a fun car to drive.

[karanraheja]

Your running does not require a Diesel car in my Opinion. Suprised you
didnt shortlist the Swift Petrol. IMO Getz 1.1 is underpowered.
i10 is a great car but im not sure why you opting for cars with 1.1 litre
engine after driving the Palio 1.6. Give a shot for Swift Vxi.

[finneyp]

The car that comes close to the features of a Palio is Aveo UVA, though it has a 1.2 engine & obviously not powerful as a Palio 1.6!

[MG1558]

If you are doing 1000km per month and liked Swift Diesel - please test drive Swift petrol (Vxi) before deciding.
I found Getz and UVA to be 'not fun to drive' when compared to Swift. The maintanace is negligible (its a Maruti afterall) and gives 12kmpl in city (Bangalore bumper to bumper traffic) and about 16-17 on highways. You can test drive and take your own decision.

[joseph5600]

Do you own a Getz 1.1 or 1.3? Is it getz Prime? How long have you owned it? How's the service? How much mileage have you done? Any issues (mechanical/ electrical/ rattling etc)? Pls let me know

I own a 1.1 and I have clocked around 5000 kms on it. I am very much satisfied with the service. I had a Zen with me previously and even though Maruti had many service centres in bangalore, I was never satisfied with the quality of service offered from anywhere. But here I feel the quality of service is much better and the Hyundai service centres are more approachable compared to Maruti. I am not sure how many would agree with me, but this is what I experienced.
Till now, I havent come across any issues. The only issue was with the rear door locking and its because I had done some packing for the door speakers and i didnt do it in a Hyundai showroom. But it was rectified by the Hyundai service and didnt charge me anything at all.

[akrish01]

Originally Posted by karanraheja

Your running does not require a Diesel car in my Opinion. Suprised you
didnt shortlist the Swift Petrol. IMO Getz 1.1 is underpowered.
i10 is a great car but im not sure why you opting for cars with 1.1 litre
engine after driving the Palio 1.6. Give a shot for Swift Vxi.

Originally Posted by MG1558

If you are doing 1000km per month and liked Swift Diesel - please test drive Swift petrol (Vxi) before deciding.
I found Getz and UVA to be 'not fun to drive' when compared to Swift. The maintanace is negligible (its a Maruti afterall) and gives 12kmpl in city (Bangalore bumper to bumper traffic) and about 16-17 on highways. You can test drive and take your own decision.

karan & MG1558

Thanks for your replies.

I didn't short list the swift vxi because i thought vdi was better. did not test drive it either. but the biggest turn off with swift is the waiting period - not less than one month (some dealers are saying it is between 2 to 6 months depending on whether it is ldi or vdi). only 1 dealer has promised delivery within 1 month. no deals either for march end.

Krishnan

[gemithomas]

Has the S10 Experience kept you from even thinking about the Fiat MJD

[akrish01]

I probably need to explain to my fellow members why I'm giving up the seriously fast S10 & decided to opt for a car that's nowhere as quick.

I really wanted to do a lot of road trips when i purchased the S10. But I've been terribly busy over the last couple of years that I'm unable to plan a road trips. I'm mostly only able to use the S10 in the city and that's a shame. So, I decided to sell the car to someone who would put it to full use and get something that's enough to drive in the city.

If anyone's or anyone you people know is interested in buying the S10 from me, pls let me know

regards

Krishnan

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by akrish01

What price can I expect for it? When I approached dealers for exchange offers, they are quoting ridiculously low prices. Should I put an ad in the newspaper instead?

Unfortunately, resale value of FIAT cars in India are real low. Anyways, selling directly may get slightly better value. What are the prices offered by the dealers?

Originally Posted by akrish01

I didn't short list the swift vxi because i thought vdi was better. did not test drive it either.

Since you have mentioned that you are a sedate driver, and your running per month is also not too much, the Swift petrol makes sense. However, i agree with you, the diesel is actually a better car than the petrol. Why not do a TD and see if it suits you?

[blue_pulsar]

From your options, I suggest a Swift Diesel or the i10.

[khan_sultan]

Originally Posted by akrish01

....... If anyone's or anyone you people know is interested in buying the S10 from me, pls let me know

I would be interested in buying your S10, if available. Have PM'ed you.