[archat68]

Hi,
A friend of mine wants to buy a car for his use. The criteria for selecting the car are:

i) Budget:

As cheap as possible. But preferably a new car.

i) Cheap running cost:

He will run the car about 60-80 KM a day. 50% in city traffic and 50% in open roads. So should as cheap as possible to run.

A diesel is ideal for him - but no good diesel is available below 5L which he can't afford.

So, looking for a LPG car. Prefers factory fitted LPG kit. Between Spark, Santro, Wagon R and M 800 - the 800 AC is the cheapest (about a lakh less than the other cars) and also the most fuel efficient.

He is driving a 2005 Zen for last 6 months (not owned by him - the owner is out of station and lend him the car for the time being).

He is thinking that how the driving experience will be after driving a bigger engine car with 5 speed gearbox compared to a 800CC 4 speed M 800. He is not very enthusiastic driver and seldom drives above 80KMPH.

Neither he nor I drove the 4 speed M 800.

So, what's the suggestion guys? Is it advisable to go for the M 800 LPG or should he buy an Wagon R DUO (2nd hand) or even a 2nd hand Indica (he is not very much interested in a 2nd hand car though)?

[gaurav_chopra04]

Find my replies in bold please

Originally Posted by archat68

Hi,
A friend of mine wants to buy a car for his use. The criteria for selecting the car are:

i) Budget:

As cheap as possible. But preferably a new car.

only nano is cheaper than that and morever its not available for more than a year as of now. plus reliability of nano is yet to be seen. 800 is ripped, tested and proven!

i) Cheap running cost:

He will run the car about 60-80 KM a day. 50% in city traffic and 50% in open roads. So should as cheap as possible to run.

expect the car to be cheaper than your expectations, yes which car in the world has brake pads worth Rs. 200 or have a complete service done including oil change, oil filter change, air filter change, coolant change, gear oil change, fuel filter change and brake pads for under Rs.2500 including labour. (This is the cost if you get it done from a local mechanic, froma service center it will be more, but still very affordable).

A diesel is ideal for him - but no good diesel is available below 5L which he can't afford.

So, looking for a LPG car. Prefers factory fitted LPG kit. Between Spark, Santro, Wagon R and M 800 - the 800 AC is the cheapest (about a lakh less than the other cars) and also the most fuel efficient.

I am a bit doubtful here, I havent got a clue but is 800 successful with both AC and LP on it? I mean how much load can this 800cc engine take. Even if the AC do some modest cooling on LPG consider it VFM. In this case a bigger engine would be better, so a second hand Wagan R duo is definately worth considering but you wll have to pay a premium for a good second hand car as resale is very good.

He is driving a 2005 Zen for last 6 months (not owned by him - the owner is out of station and lend him the car for the time being).

He is thinking that how the driving experience will be after driving a bigger engine car with 5 speed gearbox compared to a 800CC 4 speed M 800. He is not very enthusiastic driver and seldom drives above 80KMPH.

Neither he nor I drove the 4 speed M 800.

It will take some time to get used to the four speed car, though I have an 800 but its 5 speed and when I once drove a 4 speed I always tried engaging the fith gear but it did because there isnt the fifth gear. The car becomes noisier after 70-80 due to high revs on 4th gear. Rest I still love to drive my 800 coz even if you rip it to the extreme limit it wont trouble you, its can take anything on the road.

So, what's the suggestion guys? Is it advisable to go for the M 800 LPG or should he buy an Wagon R DUO (2nd hand) or even a 2nd hand Indica (he is not very much interested in a 2nd hand car though)?

Its hard to find a good second hand Wagon R duo and if you do, go ahead with it. Maruti Suzuki cars are affordable to maintain and last long (Japanese remember). Else, check how the AC on 800 performs with LPG. If its decent enough, ask your friend to close your eyes and buy an 800.

No second hand Indicas pls, cheaper to own and maintain is what I guess your friend is looking for.. Right!

[newcoolgadgets]

Maruti 800 LPG: The cheapest car to buy and run is the Maruti 800 LPG. The AC version will cost about 3,05,000 on road in Kolkata. The 800 is a 3 cylinder engine and will feel much less refined than the 4 cylinder Zen. Take your friend for a test ride and let him decide if he feels the driving experience to be very inferior than the Zen. If he likes the Maruti 800, go for it.

Chevrolet Spark LPG: If he does not like the 800, which he probably wont, then the next best option is the Chevrolet Spark LPG. It is a 4 cylinder engine, much more feature rich than the 800, has a good AC, and is very refined. It is cheap to run and Chevrolet's 3 year warranty makes it very cheap to maintain too. The AC version will only cost about 65,000 more than the 800, but he will love it more than the Zen. If your friend can stretch his budget, this is the car he should be looking at.

Indica Xeta LPG: Another option is the Indica Xeta LPG. It is marginally cheaper than the Spark LPG, but the fuel efficiency may not be the same as Spark. It is the most spacious among all three and the seats are very comfortable. The Xeta engine is however not the best of petrol engines IMHO, and I am not sure about the maintainence costs for the Xeta.

As your friend is not interested in 2nd hand cars, I suggest you only look at new options.

[Caramelo]

go for the indica xeta . at least you will be a lot safer. and it has more space. and its definitely better than the 800 and more powerful too. you are not going for drag racing. so pick up and stuff will be OK.

[Rajiv-Bang]

Considering that he has been driving around in a Zen for last 6 months i feel he may not be to pleased with the engine power of M800. Especially the LPG model.
I think he should test drive the M800- LPG, Wagon-R Duo, Spark-LPG, Indica Xeta- LPG. Engine response in LPG cannot be definitely compared to a petrol engine is something he will have to note as well.

[EssYouWe]

Tight choice there!
The M800 would give the lowest ownership costs for sure, but the lack of power gets irritating at times.
I am not exactly sure how Kolkata's traffic behaves but if it is anything like Delhi, you'll need a bit of acceleration at hand.

Do give the Spark a try for sure. It is a good car. The Xeta would make for a nice option too. I would however advise against going for a second hand WagonR Duo.
Best would be to test drive the Xeta and the Spark.
He could consider the pick up with the AC on, the FE, the maintenance costs as factors for the buy.
Hope this helps!

[chbpreddy]

@EssYouWe,
Why would you advise agaist used Wagon R duo?

[EssYouWe]

I advised against a second hand Wagon R. They are rare and if you put yourself in an owner's shoes, why would you sell one?

Extremely frugal in ownership and running, no one in their right minds would dispose of a good piece. Just my two cents.

[sanagg1]

Better 4 cylinder engine
smooth nice ride
good fuel economy
sequential LPG kit

go for SPARK eyes closed with 3 years warranty

cheers and happy dipawali to all

[idea1979]

Originally Posted by newcoolgadgets

Maruti 800 LPG: The cheapest car to buy and run is the Maruti 800 LPG. The AC version will cost about 3,05,000 on road in Kolkata. The 800 is a 3 cylinder engine and will feel much less refined than the 4 cylinder Zen. Take your friend for a test ride and let him decide if he feels the driving experience to be very inferior than the Zen. If he likes the Maruti 800, go for it.

Chevrolet Spark LPG: If he does not like the 800, which he probably wont, then the next best option is the Chevrolet Spark LPG. It is a 4 cylinder engine, much more feature rich than the 800, has a good AC, and is very refined. It is cheap to run and Chevrolet's 3 year warranty makes it very cheap to maintain too. The AC version will only cost about 65,000 more than the 800, but he will love it more than the Zen. If your friend can stretch his budget, this is the car he should be looking at.

Indica Xeta LPG: Another option is the Indica Xeta LPG. It is marginally cheaper than the Spark LPG, but the fuel efficiency may not be the same as Spark. It is the most spacious among all three and the seats are very comfortable. The Xeta engine is however not the best of petrol engines IMHO, and I am not sure about the maintainence costs for the Xeta.

As your friend is not interested in 2nd hand cars, I suggest you only look at new options.

Originally Posted by sanagg1

Better 4 cylinder engine
smooth nice ride
good fuel economy
sequential LPG kit

go for SPARK eyes closed with 3 years warranty

cheers and happy dipawali to all

+1 for this.

Basic criteria is cost and economy and preferably new vehicle.

Spark is best option. I own both xeta and spark (not LPG though)

[thegame]

Depends on what your requirements are.

If you are after better handling and ride quality, go for the Spark. It has lot of features to choose in terms of different variants. GM is also running a huge discount of about 50K now. A.S.S is good because of the 3 year warranty. Down side is the tiny boot size

If you need more space, go for the Xeta. It has plenty of it. Down side is the ride quality and Tata A.S.S.

Go for the 800 ONLY if your budget doesn't allow you to spend about 40-50K more than the cost of 800.

[patil]

If the budget is upto 5 lacs you can buy the Indica Vista Diesel with 1.4L TDI engine either the base varient or the middle varient with front power windows. It costs about 4.8L on road in Karnataka and may be it costs little less in your city. It is a very capable car with a Fiat Gear Box and Tata Engine and is very spacious, lot more safer than 800 and economical to run also. May be you will spend a little more on maintenance but not very much. Considering the difference in segment, power, space, comfort and safety it is a value for money buy. If the budget does not permit you can either go for Spark LPG OR Santro LPG.