[radek]

Originally Posted by HammerHead

Good to hear from someone who owned Alto, owns Spark and gets his hands on Estillo which IMO is the closest car one may compare Spark with.

How much do you pay for regular servicing of Spark? Approx values will do.

I have not kept track of servicing cost from start. But in last one year, it is around Rs 3000 per service. Earlier it used be less than this. There are some extra jobs they do after vehicle crossed 40K km e.g. Fuel system cleaning etc. Also, this cost includes some of my discretionary expenses like changing of wipers etc.

In terms of problem faced which are not routine -
1. Indicator switch off after turning: I always felt that Spark needs sharper turn to auto-stop the turn indicator (compared to Estillo). I pointed out this at the time of servicing. They promptly fixed this problem.

2. Driver side door open lever was not working. So I had to roll down the window and open it from outside.

3. Major expense - AC stopped working. Reason was punctured condenser. When they loaded the car on their hydraulic jack, we realised that there was some kind of impact which damaged lower part of front bumper also. This must be when I tried to take a big rock between the front two wheels. The whole thing costed approx 10K including change of bumper.

Other than above problems, there was no major problem.

FE is approximate 15 KM/L

[HammerHead]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Still its an inter-segment comparison. Sort of like comparing the A-Star_Zxi to the i20_topEnd and saying that the i20 is safer due to its 6-airbags.

I know these two should not be compared but when someone still wants to compare then why not top end's like in any other review?

True. But what about when compared to the sales of the WagonR or i10 ? And this is inspite of the Spark having price-advantage and the 3-year maintenance offer.

When Swift & Ritz could not pass i10's sales figures, do you think its right to pinpoint Spark? Forget about Spark, even Estilo & A-Star stands no where near i10 or WagonR

End of the day my only point is, even AltoK10 cannot beat Spark all around. Definitely not 'all hands down' as said by some people here.

@radek, thanks for the info.

[radek]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

BTW, if you have been on tbhp for sometime, you would know that winning a poll here means nothing in the real world. All cars that win polls here have been duds in the marketplace and those that lose polls are usually the ones that rake up sales. Case in point - the Alto that loses here sells about 32K units a month, while the winner Spark sells 4K odd.

True. But at Team-BHP, we do not just go by market verdict or mass appeal. Otherwise, only relevant thread here will be monthly sales analysis thread.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by radek

True. But at Team-BHP, we do not just go by market verdict or mass appeal. Otherwise, only relevant thread here will be monthly sales analysis thread.

Well said! About 2 / 3rds of cars in India are sold without a test-drive. It's mainly the brand, looks & fuel-efficiency that seal the deal.

I'm sure the % of test-drive based purchases is far greater amongst Team-BHPians. How the car drives, quality, interiors, engine, ride, handling etc. are everything to us. Hence, I would consider our polls as an opinion of "informed folk" vis a vis sales figures that are representative of the mass market.

[jeevmenon]

Today is the last day for a best-price Spark as advertised in the papers. But thats always the case with GM/Spark But go for it for those who are undecided. I am owning it for the past 1.5 yrs and am just loving it. Total VFM.

We just had a free camp last Sat/Sun. Quick check-up/clean-up, a free wash-coupon, chat with the manager, lunch-box gift - done and dusted in 45 min. Impressive!

[sharma_sanjeevi]

Friends, i am looking for a small car for my wife. I will keep the car for a period of 2 years due to Company Leased Vehicle and then sell it off.

I have zeroed down on the K10-VXi & Spark LT.

If i sell the car after 2 years, which one would give me a better resale value ?

[supremeBaleno]

^^^
If resale is your main concern, the Alto would be the better bet.

BTW, one of my colleagues is also looking at leasing a car and did extensive research on which combination yields the maximum benefit, which he collated into an excel sheet - very informative. As per him :
1) the 2-year lease is the best. Sell car after 2 years and take another on lease.
2) Buy cars with good resale value (due to point-1 above)
3) A 5-lakh car would yield more benefit than a 10-lakh one (depreciation loss more for costlier cars).

[sharma_sanjeevi]

SB, you are spot on, that is why i am planning for a 2 year lease.
In case you have that excel sheet prepared by your friend, can you share?

Initially, i also thought for the Alto for the resale point of view, but was just confused due to the ongoing offers on the Spark.

[supremeBaleno]

BTW, do also check what resale value the Spark gets in 2-years. It is possible that you might get a good price, since 2-years is nothing in a car's life. Spark owners on the forum can help you on this.

If it gives a decent resale, I would suggest you go for the Spark which is overall a better car than the Alto. Yes, the K10 has better power and a/c is not compromised, but other than that and a few minor features, it retains most of the Alto-800 stuff.

PM me your email-id and I will have my friend send you the excel sheet (I need to check with him if he is willing to share - though I see no reason why he would not want to).

[sharma_sanjeevi]

SB, thanks buddy for the quick response. PM'd you my e-mail ID.

Yes, i do feel that the Spark is altogether better built than the K10, also the interiors are airy & interior space is also well suited for 5 adults.

[SAS]

It has to be the Spark. The Alto only has fuel efficiency, manouverability and maruti service on it's side. The spark is more spacious, more refined (4-pot motor), better interiors, better ingress due to it's slightly higher body design. The spark's engine is the most refined in it's class.

This is coming from someone who has used an Alto for over 6 years... Yes it was great in it's time but the competition has surely moved ahead.

[bikxsans660]

Spark is definitely the option. Its well priced and feels a bit sturdy than the Alto.
The chassis is well off than the Alto too.
I feel the Alto engine dies down when it comes to switching ON the A/C when running.

If i were you, Spark would have been my option.

Again, this comes from an Alto owner for over 5 years.

cheers.

[recker_us]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

BTW, do also check what resale value the Spark gets in 2-years. It is possible that you might get a good price, since 2-years is nothing in a car's life. Spark owners on the forum can help you on this.

If it gives a decent resale, I would suggest you go for the Spark which is overall a better car than the Alto. Yes, the K10 has better power and a/c is not compromised, but other than that and a few minor features, it retains most of the Alto-800 stuff.

I have used an Alto for five and half years and very satisfied with it. It never failed me whether its the bad roads or city conditions. Having said that, I feel Spark is a more spacious and comfortable car than Alto.

But when it comes to resale value, Alto RULES. I bought my used Alto for 2.40Lacs and it was 1.5 years old when I bought it. I used this car for 5.5 years and sold it for 1.5Lacs, that too I got instant buyers. I would have got even better price in case I wanted to wait longer.

[AvonA7]

OT:
This is one of the most interesting thread going on ... a comparison between 2 cars - 1. which sells 33+K/month, and 2. 1/10th of the first one (~3K per month). Now still, if this thread attracted 300+ posts, then there must be something to appreciate in the 2nd car...

[pvgeorge]

GM offer on spark still going on. in that cost this is a steal, but please make a note that the 3 Yrs service pack and other freebies are not included in the offer. In fact, the dealer charged me even for the basic accessories.

But still considering that the LS and the K10vxi comes at the same price, I think this is a good choice, espessially for people who are going to use the vehicle for more than 5 yrs (resale doesnt matter nuch with that age)

I m yet to get delivery of the LT version. waiting for the loan process to get through

Regards,
George V