[Ravveendrra]

Originally Posted by karizma_devil

........, checked out a GTX maroon colour 2003 , done about 63000 kms, @ 1.6 lakhs, loads of funny sounds when i drove was dragging to right all times, so not much interested.

......
@pasin : Dude would be of great help if you can help me out with a few GTX's,
@Ravendra : ............ but am not finding good 1.6's man.

You did the correct thing in walking away, if the car drives wonky (drag etc.) it is very difficult to set right.

1.6s, esp. good ones are RARE. I searched for almost a year before finding mine and as you have read, I had to get mine from Mumbai. Their rarity is part of their appeal and is now slowly pushing the prices up. A fellow T-BHPian sold his last week and got a very good price for it.

Cheers,

[garry.brant]

Fiat Palio GTX anyday.., go for it man there is not comparision between zen and palio.

[gaddiwale]

[quote=karizma_devil;1306676]
Frankly speaking mind says zen heart says Palio.

Ten months back I had gone through same dilemma. Palio 1.6 is no doubt a better car than maruti Zen in terms of space, design, chassis, excellent engine-transmission and obviously performance. We can also get a great deal for a preowned Palio 1.6.

But is that every thing? I pondered over the pros and cons, talked to a dozen of Zen and Palio owners and ultimately went with my calculated mind and got a preowned 2003 Zen for myself from Maruti TrueValue and really satisfied with the car. Owning a car is not a big deal but maintaining it is the biggest challenge, and it becomes really tough when its a Fiat. Though now-a-days TATA is giving service to Fiat cars, I would request you to visit a TATA service centre with a Fiat car and to a MASS with a ZEN/ any other maruti car you will get the answer. Fiat will give you a good driving pleasure (though Zen is not that bad) but at the cost of high fuel bill, really expensive and difficult to find parts.

On the other hand Zen has a fantastic responsive engine, which also give you a decent fuel consumption, great service back up by maruti, easy to find parts and they are much cheaper. If you buy Zen from TrueValue you'll get a year's warranty which is a bonus.

Now you have to decide - you want a easy and cheaper to maintain Zen, with a peppy engine, which will not drill a big hole in your pocket or a fantastic drivers car which is difficult and costlier to maintain and can burn your pocket. You want a peace of mind or headache after buying a car? Choice is yours! Keep us updated about your choice and all the best.

[karizma_devil]

@ Ravendra , i would like to know how much you paid for your car and how much more you have to put in after you bought it.

Guys today am going to check out a Zen Vxi 2002 and a Palio 1.2 today, but am really not intrested in 1.2,s but its been 15 days i have only found one GTX, that too not that good.

I was just thinking if i have any more options, can anyone suggest anything else??

My budget is 1.5 lakhs, but i would like to get the car around 1.2- 1.3 lakhs so that i have another 20 k after purchase issues. Am also looking to modd it ( only performance) and have about 40-50 k which i would pump in only after i have driven the car for 2-3 months so that am sure i would keep this car for 1-2 years.

[GTO]

My budget is 1.5 lakhs

You really can't do better than a Palio 1.6 for 1.5 lakhs. In fact, it's a steal! The Palio will beat a Zen hands down on power, space, ride quality and solid build.

However, it's imperative to pick up only a good example. The Palio was never Japanese reliable while some parts are hard to come by as well. Keep searching......with Fiats, it's always a buyers market.

[vnabhi]

It's gotta be Palio 1.6 all the way! But the only issue is getting spares in time for the Palio, Tata service notwithstanding.
I am saying this with my own experience of having a colleague's Palio 1.2 with me for the past 3 months (he is in the US on a business visa). It took me a herculean effort to contact 3 dealers in Hyd to get a fuel cap (inner) for the Palio. Each phone call would take at least 5 minutes of waiting for the call transfer to the Palio spares guy, and after that wait, I was told that there is no stock, and it would take a couple of weeks.

This apart, each dealer gave me a different price for it---varied between 250 to 500 bucks for it. Finally, only Concorde Motors had stock, and I drove all the way to Sanat Nagar to get it for Rs 150 only. Phew, what a relief! The car owner also confirmed to me that he had to run from pillar to post to get some spares for the Palio.

[loving_alaap]

If you go by your heart,
It has to be Palio 1.6: you will love the car, but prepared to pay high on maintenance.

If you go by your brain,
It has to be Zen: own it, drive it & have a peace of mind for years to go.

[kpzen]

Originally Posted by JayD

I'd go for the zen anyday! The palio may be more powerful, but at the end of the day, spares for it are a problem, and service is bad. Palio 1.6's are performance cars, and finding one which has not been abused could be tough.also, expect close to nothing when you sell it. The zen, especially in mpfi form is no slouch. Its a very reliable car, which still has its own share of fans. I had one, and still regret selling it. Also, the mod possibilites are endless.

I guess, if this thread was started in April, you would have suggested GTX.

[gods-envy]

go for the palio 1.6 dude.
its a monster of an engine.
Again, do a lot of home work before you narrow down on one.
A good 1.6 is quite hard to find here in bangalore, not sure about your place.

[FanaticOnWheels]

Its a no brainer. Go for the Palio 1.6 GTX!!! It beats the Zen hands down in all departments except fuel efficieny. Talking about reliability, the Palio scores really well here. Our car has had no major problems at all during its 7 years of running time. We've had minor problems like AC ineffectiveness, and it stopped once while running which was resolved by the on road service in under half an hour.

Go for it!!!

[devrajman]

Apart from Zen and Palio, can we add OPEL Corsa SAIL?

But I dont see many corsa SAIL for sale!

1.5L can get you a good range of cars like Alto, Esteem, Zen, Palio, Corsa, Corsa (SAIL), Astra, Lancer, etc.

Which of these arent good for buy as newer cars are available for cheaper than other olders cars in above list?

[JVH]

Zen was my previous car and GTX is my present car. GTX beats Zen hands down except for the feel good factor at the A.S.S.

Originally Posted by lohithrao

Karizma, first thing you need to do is find out if you have a reliable mech for Fiat around your place, pref at Tata workshop has a dedicated fiat trained team...

if Yes then go for 1.6, performance wise no comparison btw Palio and Zen

Fully agree here. Finding a competent A.S.S or a mechanic is imperative else you will join the frustated lot of FIAT owners. You can find examples right here in TBHP.

Not to forget spare parts issue. Almost all the time, the spares are not available immediately but can be ordered and fetched within a week's time. Atleast that's the scenario in Bangalore.

BTW, will you be doing a lot highway driving as well? Then, it's all the more reason to go for a GTX.

All the best for the hunt!

[manolin]

i went through the same dilemma in bombay and ended up buying a zen from truevalue. It all depends on whether you have time or not. If you are hard pressed over weekends also then i suggest go for Zen. Otherwise if you have decent working hours, take a palio anyday.

[hillram]

Undisputedly GTX beats Zen anyday.Its an ultimate driver's car.go for GTX.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by gaddiwale

Owning a car is not a big deal but maintaining it is the biggest challenge.

Totally agree with the above statement. I have never owned Palio so cannot comment about it. But the MPFI Zen that i own [bought it second hand] is a very capable car and has been easy to maintain so far.

But like everyone has pointed out it might prove difficult to find a well maintained GTX.

Good luck with your search!!