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View Poll Results: Which car do you like??
Alto 94 31.86%
Spark 205 69.49%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 295. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 17th June 2010, 14:21   #61
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kiku007 View Post
Happens only in India. And why not? All we want is more bang for buck!
But of course! And you make a virtue sound almost like a vice!

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Originally Posted by kiku007 View Post
I'm surprised that you mention that the spark is only marginally better than the Alto is space. Spark is taller and it's a car with a cleverly packaged interior. The benefits are obviously more.
I said it is not so much better as to make an impression on me. I prefer the lower stance of the Alto on the occasional highway trips, though I have to contort myself to get in and out! Also, can you deny that GM cars take the maximum depreciation hit?

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Originally Posted by kiku007 View Post
People don't stop buying their Sell By Date cars (M800, Alto, Omni) >> So they don't kill the unsafe stale models >> So their resale value never comes down.

The herd mentality is a big dampener to the growth of Indian Automobile Industry as a mature market.
I am all for modernizing the Indian car market, but really not interested in being the harbinger of that change! Let others do it, I would happily follow! Me only interested in most bang for least bucks, resale value included!

Last edited by Gansan : 17th June 2010 at 14:24.
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Old 19th June 2010, 13:07   #62
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gansan View Post

I am all for modernizing the Indian car market, but really not interested in being the harbinger of that change! Let others do it, I would happily follow! Me only interested in most bang for least bucks, resale value included!





Then why did you go for Alto? You could have bought an M800.It ticks almost all of your boxes ( sans one less gear but i guess you wouldn't mind) + it could have saved you some money in the present than thinking about saving some in future ( the resale factor).
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Old 19th June 2010, 19:42   #63
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Then why did you go for Alto? You could have bought an M800.It ticks almost all of your boxes ( sans one less gear but i guess you wouldn't mind) + it could have saved you some money in the present than thinking about saving some in future ( the resale factor).
The main reason was the superior AC and PS. Also the fact that the 800 was about to be discontinued in the metros. And the extra 8 BHP as well as the 5th gear did matter to me! "Most bang for the buck" is the Alto really, more than the 800.
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Old 20th June 2010, 05:58   #64
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Don't know exactly, but around 2.25 L I guess.
My car after 3 years and couple of accidents was fetching me 1.4 lcs.
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Old 21st June 2010, 08:11   #65
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Alto or Spark?

Let's put some numbers here... Grin...

Ok.. Dealer warranty means warranty lies on dicretion of dealer than company.

Alto LX with CNG kit - 3.12L with dealer warranty 2yrs 45000kms.
Seat Covers - Mats - Mud Flaps.

Spark With CNG Kit - 3.55L with Dealer warranty 3 yrs 75000kms + 3 years Service Holiday.
Seat Covers - Mats - Mud Flaps - Music System - 2 Speakers - Gear Lock - Car Cover - Auto Cop - Sun Film.

Spark LPG - 3.51L with company warranty With POWER STEERING with company warranty 3 yrs 1,00,000kms + 3 years Service Holiday.
Seat Covers - Mats - Mud Flaps - Music System - 2 Speakers - Gear Lock - Car Cover - Auto Cop - Sun Film.

Now let's keep the sugessions coming.

LPG Pumps are lesser but 5 stations within my dad's route one being in front of my house.

I own an esteem after owning an adventrue. I'm so zapped at people who say esteem is such a great handler.

Walls is such a nice ice cream, oh till we ate baskin robins...

Importance:
Comfort
A/C
Cheap to Maintain.
Will be driven by driver only.

What should I buy for Delhi?

Thanks
~*Samy*~
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Old 21st June 2010, 09:42   #66
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Originally Posted by urdudesamy View Post
Importance:
Comfort
A/C
Cheap to Maintain.
Will be driven by driver only.

What should I buy for Delhi?
Do you mean you the driver will be the lone occupant or you will engage a driver? If the latter, neither will be good enough, though the rear seat of Spark will be better in comparison.
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Old 21st June 2010, 10:03   #67
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Quote:
Originally Posted by urdudesamy View Post
Let's put some numbers here... Grin...

Ok.. Dealer warranty means warranty lies on dicretion of dealer than company.

Alto LX with CNG kit - 3.12L with dealer warranty 2yrs 45000kms.
Seat Covers - Mats - Mud Flaps.

Spark With CNG Kit - 3.55L with Dealer warranty 3 yrs 75000kms + 3 years Service Holiday.
Seat Covers - Mats - Mud Flaps - Music System - 2 Speakers - Gear Lock - Car Cover - Auto Cop - Sun Film.

Spark LPG - 3.51L with company warranty With POWER STEERING with company warranty 3 yrs 1,00,000kms + 3 years Service Holiday.
Seat Covers - Mats - Mud Flaps - Music System - 2 Speakers - Gear Lock - Car Cover - Auto Cop - Sun Film.

Now let's keep the sugessions coming.

LPG Pumps are lesser but 5 stations within my dad's route one being in front of my house.

I own an esteem after owning an adventrue. I'm so zapped at people who say esteem is such a great handler.

Walls is such a nice ice cream, oh till we ate baskin robins...

Importance:
Comfort
A/C
Cheap to Maintain.
Will be driven by driver only.

What should I buy for Delhi?

Thanks
~*Samy*~
If you're the only driver then Alto fits your bill but if it's chauffeur driven then Spark is the one for you with good legroom/space at the back seat.

For you to decide.
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Old 21st June 2010, 11:03   #68
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I am sorry but an Alto with a CNG kit will be a dead meat especially with the A/C on. Spark is far far better here.
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Old 21st June 2010, 11:10   #69
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But i think he's mentioned easy to maintain , cheap and AC so the speed and frequent gear shift due to slackness of CNG scores over that.

I would never go for CNG in my alto.
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Old 21st June 2010, 19:52   #70
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Hey Harish,

I have been driving a Chevy Spark since last October. I had graduated straight from the driving school then!! So i had driven Santro, Alto and Maruti800 as well. But trust me and its a easy pick, Chevy Spark is the best among all. I guess comparison with Alto is a bit unfair as Alto is a 800cc engine as compared to Spark which is 1L. Spark has a dead silent engine and handles great. You will compliment your decision to buy Spark when you take the baby to highways. It handles smooth even at speeds over 130Kmph. So Spark gets the vote from my side and without a doubt in my mind. And remember, its an objective opinion and not because Spark coincidentally happens to be my car as well :-)
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Old 22nd June 2010, 04:36   #71
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Originally Posted by Lightening-Fast View Post
Hey Harish,

I have been driving a Chevy Spark since last October. I had graduated straight from the driving school then!! So i had driven Santro, Alto and Maruti800 as well. But trust me and its a easy pick, Chevy Spark is the best among all. I guess comparison with Alto is a bit unfair as Alto is a 800cc engine as compared to Spark which is 1L. Spark has a dead silent engine and handles great. You will compliment your decision to buy Spark when you take the baby to highways. It handles smooth even at speeds over 130Kmph. So Spark gets the vote from my side and without a doubt in my mind. And remember, its an objective opinion and not because Spark coincidentally happens to be my car as well :-)
That's great however i'm not sure if you went through the entire thread or not but i've quite traveled across India in my Sparky and have pretty much enjoyed the drive too. I've also mentioned the pros and cons in my Ownership thread.

As far as comparison b/w Alto and Spark goes most of the first time buyers are confused b/w these 2 cars and hence the discussion.

Here are few of my trips on Spark and the ownership report too.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...shno-devi.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...lhi-spark.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...rs-report.html
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Old 22nd June 2010, 09:06   #72
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Spark is definitely a better built car than an Alto.

Spark looks a 100 times better than an Alto

Spark drives a 100 times better than an Alto

Spark pulls well with A/C on than the chugging Alto

Spark is more spacious than the Alto

Spark is as easy to maintain as the Alto

Spark has better features loaded than the Alto

What makes someone think of buying something when you have a Better car. I fail to understand.
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Old 22nd June 2010, 09:11   #73
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Oh ya harish, i have definitely gone through your experiences on road in your chevy. Your Delhi-Karnataka-Delhi is a benchmark to beat. Well done mate. Do you see any competition around :-)
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Old 22nd June 2010, 21:47   #74
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Inspite of the Alto's FE and wider A.S.S. reach, in totality the Spark is surely a better car. There is simply no comparo here - ofcourse the comparo is flawed, because apples need to be compared only to apples (not to oranges).

But if this means that someone fails to understand why someone would buy an Alto if a better car is available, there are many reasons :

1) Budget : Someone who has only 3L to spare and needs a car with A/c and PS, there aren't many options.

2) Even when budget is not a constraint, there would be people who want a 'small' car that is cheap to use/maintain and the Spark would fail here, inspite of its 3-year free maintenance plan.

3) There is always another better car. If the idea of car purchase is to get the best car, there won't be an end, because there is nothing like the best car. OK, the Alto is not good enough compared to the Spark, but there are hundreds of cars out there better than the Spark. So what do you finally buy ?

4) Personal choice. To each his own. For the life of me, I cannot understand why someone would go searching for junk and then spend time/effort/money on restoring them to their glory. Maybe they don't have anything better to do with life. But, that's just me. I just fail to understand.

Last edited by supremeBaleno : 22nd June 2010 at 21:49.
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Old 22nd June 2010, 22:02   #75
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PAVAN KADAM View Post
Spark is definitely a better built car than an Alto.

Spark looks a 100 times better than an Alto

It certainly looks better, but I don't agree with your superlative! Looks are subjective.

Spark drives a 100 times better than an Alto

Again I agree, but it is only marginally better.

Spark pulls well with A/C on than the chugging Alto

It does pull better, but the AC is not as effective as the Alto.

Spark is more spacious than the Alto

Again only marginally so.

Spark is as easy to maintain as the Alto

We will know only after the completion of the three year period.

Spark has better features loaded than the Alto

Such as?

What makes someone think of buying something when you have a Better car. I fail to understand.
The following factors outweigh all the plus points of the Spark when compared to Alto:
a) The dubious reputation of the manufacturer. b) The iffy resale value. c) Korean product masquerading as American. d) Lesser FE.

Last edited by Gansan : 22nd June 2010 at 22:13.
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