[rajushank84]

I never thought I would be posting in this section so soon, but I have been bitten by the Swift bug.

Explanation: My Xeta will reach its break-even point in a couple of months (point where resale value equals the loan outstanding), and I have just made a decision to sell my bike and do all my commuting by car (health and other reasons), so the car has to be GREAT. This will no longer be a weekend car, it will be for my everyday commute PLUS the weekend drives PLUS the highway trips (Ooty, Munnar etc). I know this is not a good enough explanation, but some decisions are taken by the heart, so logic and justification are just aftermarket fitments .

The thing is, I am confused which Swift would suit me for my constraints and my requirements.

Requirements:
1. It should be a Swift
2. Preferably Petrol, as my running is 800km per month and I understand the driving pleasure is more in petrol
3. Must-have accessories include 12V socket, music system (basic one will suffice), wider tyre than the 165 that comes stock (except zxi).
[I dont need power windows. I always wear my seat belt no matter what, so I dont need the car to remind me about that. Same with key not removed warning.]

Constraints:
1. My down payment will be around Rs.60000
2. I can afford a monthly EMI of Rs.7000 to Rs.8000

Options I am considering:

1. New Swift Lxi with 7-year loan
- My EMI will be Rs.7000
- I will have to spend extra on ICE, wider tyres and that 12V socket (Rs.30k?)
- I will not get a Tachometer
- I will get the K-Series engine

2. New Swift Vxi with 7-year loan
- My EMI will be Rs.7500
- I will have to spend extra on ICE, wider tyres (Rs.30k?)
- I will get lots of little goodies that the Vxi has
- I will get the K-Series engine

3. Used Swift Vxi with 5-year loan, costing around Rs.4 lakhs
- My EMI will be Rs.7500
- I will have to spend extra on ICE, wider tyres (Rs.30k?)
- I will get lots of little goodies that the Vxi has
- I will NOT get the K-Series engine
- Chances are the previous owner would have invested in seat covers and other little things already

4. Used Swift Zxi with 5-year loan, costing around Rs.4.3 lakhs
- My EMI will be Rs.8300
- I will get ICE and 185 tyres as it comes with Zxi
- I will get all the little goodies that the Zxi has
- I will NOT get the K-Series engine
- Chances are the previous owner would have invested in seat covers and other little things already
- I will get tilt steering, seat height adjust, ABS and airbags!

Points to be noted:
1. I am notorious for changing vehicles frequently
2. I am not in a position to stretch my budget

Miscellaneous questions:
1. Does the Diesel's driving experience REALLY match the petrol's? (I have decided to go for SWIFT only for the driving pleasure, so if there is even a 1% compromise here, I will stick with petrol).
2. If I go for diesel despite my low per-month kilometers, I will get back the extra cost when I resell the car, whereas I will save on day-to-day fuel costs. Does this make sense, or will the diesel depreciate much more?
3. Will any bank/dealer add in the cost of alloys+wider tyres, as part of the loan amount?

Please give me your suggestion . Most probably I will make the plunge and join the Swift club in a month or two.

[theMAG]

Used Zxi. Its fully loaded, you wont have to spend anything towards further accessirization, G13B/K-series comparison will be inconsequential in your case.

[aargee]

You're planning to sell you motorcycle is OK, but what happens to Xeta? Will you retain it or exchange that for Swift? If you're the only person who will be driving & planning to keep the Xeta & Swift then I'm sorry that I do not appreciate your idea for going to Swift.

If you're inneed of another car (probably for Wife or Parents) then, yes you can opt for a new car provided you increase your downpayment to atleast 50% & there by reducing your EMI (sorry I prefer spending less on interest); if you still insist on the second car, then, if I were you, I would wait until I increase the downpayment to a considerable amount.

Last but not the least, you've specified your car's requirement, but could you in addition explain the necessity for another also?

Just asking out of curiosity, is that little one incident at Medavakkam causing so much trouble on switching cars?

[Delta Wing]

Used ZXi or used VDi (which you could get pete'd). If you absolutely need the K series engine, then new LXi.

[rajushank84]

@aargee, I will definitely sell the Xeta if I am going to buy another car. Part of the reason for selling the motorcycle (other than neck pain) is that I am not able to maintain two vehicles properly. No way I will own two cars!

Nope, the truck incident has nothing to do with it. The same can happen with Swift also. That is not the reason I want to switch. I have been tentatively thinking about changing the car, but waiting for the break-even point. But what really got me thinking is these things:

1. After this, I will be using the car for everyday use, so it has to be really comfortable, reliable and not boring.

2. I have just started doing long drives and hill drives, in a way I am moving into the "enthusiast" category just now.

3. As the Xeta gets older, I am concerned with TASS. They seem to be very bad at doing routine service. Eg: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ro-heat-2.html. I no longer feel confident with Tata's service and will never go near a Tata vehicle again. I am saying this because I faced similar problems last year too, with a simple temperature sensor problem.

4. Resale value of Xeta is already quite low, but there is a possibility that it may completely go for a six if Tata stops Xeta production next year.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by rajushank84

@aargee, I will definitely sell the Xeta if I am going to buy another car.

Ok, here's what I'm thinking - New Swift Vxi
Reasons
1. Assume the price of New Vxi (in 2 months probably KSeries engine arrives) is 4.7L OTR
2. Assume your old Xeta fetches a mere of 1.1L + your downpayment of 60K put together makes the downpayment 1.7L; so you need to borrow only 3L
3. For a loan amount of 3L & for a tenure of 60 months at 10% ROI, you would be paying somewhere around 6.5K per month
4. Considering your point on "so it has to be really comfortable, reliable", you can have a peace of mind of several thousand miles when you go for a new one.

Now regarding the tyres, I'm not sure why the obsession on 185/70; if you still insist on that, considering your low EMI, I'm sure you can still afford for the tyres & ICE; even if not immediately, atleast in a span on couple of months.

Pls let me know where you tend to have different thoughts.

[Gandhi]

Originally Posted by aargee

2. Assume your old Xeta fetches a mere of 1.1L + your downpayment of 60K put together makes the downpayment 1.7L; so you need to borrow only 3L

I think the amount he'll get from Xeta resale will directly go to the outstanding loan amount. So your calculation won't work here.

Raju, as you said you have started doing long/hill drives and have started moving towards enthusiast community, you shouldn't compromise with any of the safety features (ABS/Airbags). Considering that, you should go with fully loaded used ZXi or even better would be to wait for some more time, save some more bucks and go for a new K Series Swift ZXi. That would be your best bet IMHO.

[rajushank84]

Originally Posted by Gandhi

I think the amount he'll get from Xeta resale will directly go to the outstanding loan amount. So your calculation won't work here.

That's correct!

However, I don't see much saving in waiting further, because the depreciation is going to keep up with the loan outstanding amount going down, so one year down the line I would still be in the same boat (staying at the break-even point). Unless of course I keep the car till the loan gets fully paid off, which I am not likely to do. Am I right?

[Pyrotek]

Assuming the economics work out, my simple suggestion would be the Swift VXi, definitely over the LXi anyday. You get a lot of little features that ensure the premium is more than worth it. I think you can safely rule out the Diesel, the 1.2 Petrol should suit you just fine.

Touchwood, this car has been the most hassle-free ones we've ever had. Hope it stays that way...

[Anandg]

HI All,
I have a query here. Sorry Mods if it does not belongs here. Does buying a used 2007/25kodo/ZXI for 4L makes sense? I am concerned about price/road manners in city and outsite/maintainability point of view from a newbie. The reason I paste this query here is Rajushank84 can also think about this option in case if he gets a good swift ZXI without compromising on his budget.

[rajushank84]

Originally Posted by Anandg

HI All,
I have a query here. Sorry Mods if it does not belongs here. Does buying a used 2007/25kodo/ZXI for 4L makes sense? I am concerned about price/road manners in city and outsite/maintainability point of view from a newbie. The reason I paste this query here is Rajushank84 can also think about this option in case if he gets a good swift ZXI without compromising on his budget.

I guess 4 lakhs should be fine for 2007 / 25k, considering Zxi comes with all the goodies and it is now close to six lakhs on the road. Am I right?

Also, I am just repeating one question: Does the driving experience of the Swift diesel really match the petrol's in ALL aspects? Reason I am asking is, test drive only gives a bare glimpse, so anyone who is experienced driving both, can enlighten.

[Ajay_J]

Since you change cars frequently stick to a new K series Swift. Use it for say 2 years then sell. I would say give a due thought to Swift K series - VXI if budget permits. Remember three things-

1)Swift commands excellent resale value. (Probably the best in the business). With K series you should be at further safer side in this regard.

2)K series will save you on fuel side too while give you slightly better city drive then G- series one.

3)New swift ride slightly better then old one, also suspension noise seems to be well insulated in this version.

Drive state of the art -> drive K series.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by rajushank84

I guess 4 lakhs should be fine for 2007 / 25k, considering Zxi comes with all the goodies and it is now close to six lakhs on the road. Am I right?

May not be direct 6L; it should work out close to 5.6 or 5.7 only

Originally Posted by rajushank84

Also, I am just repeating one question: Does the driving experience of the Swift diesel really match the petrol's in ALL aspects? Reason I am asking is, test drive only gives a bare glimpse, so anyone who is experienced driving both, can enlighten.

From my experience on both, the Swift diesel, for that money you pay, you get an excellent value in terms of price, power, economy, quality & service (last 2 points that you don't get with Indica); the diesel is sufficiently powered enough, but you cannot expect the steep good acceleration that you expect with petrol variants, but nothing less comparing Swift diesel & Indica petrol.

BTW - How old is your Indica; I assume its petrol & its 3 years old right & bought new?

[jigbarai]

Here's what I suggest.

The Swift D is also a fun to drive vehicle. And you have an option to add a tuning box later on, if you want even better performance.

Get the new Swift, LDi version (since you dont need power windows). It should come well within your budget. (Near to the cost of a VXi version.)

Immediately change the tyres right out of the showroom to a better and wider profile. You'll not have to spend too much here.

Also, you'll have the choice of adding your own ICE (which will be way better than stock ICE), your own selected tyres (which again will be better than stock 185 profile JK tyres).

Since you are getting keen to drive highways and stuff, expect your monthly running to go up. Diesel will help you here save monthly costs.

Swift D has one of the best resale values in the market, even better than the petrol.

[rajushank84]

Originally Posted by jigbarai

Immediately change the tyres right out of the showroom to a better and wider profile. You'll not have to spend too much here.

I've wanted to ask this question for a long time. Is it possible to change tyres at the showroom itself? My friend's friend drove straight from the showroom to the tyre shop, and the tyre wallah gave him only "used" tyre prices!

Originally Posted by aargee

May not be direct 6L; it should work out close to 5.6 or 5.7 only
...

BTW - How old is your Indica; I assume its petrol & its 3 years old right & bought new?

Zxi is 5.91 lakhs on-road in Chennai. My Xeta is 2.5 years old (Dec 2007 model).