[Live To Jive]

Originally Posted by Archon

Thanks!

AP/Karnataka probably have the highest road tax in all of India. Despite that the roads are pathetic :( Finally got an i10 Magna without accessories for <4.7

This is absurd. A friend recently picked up an i10 Sportz for 4.7 Lakhs OTR after discounts in Goa. The Magna is much cheaper here. Check Melvyn's thread.

[theoriginal9321]

Originally Posted by Archon

Thanks!

I recalculated my monthly usage after the time I posted here I think and it was coming to hardly 500 km/month. I compared the cost savings in terms of extra mileage and lesser fuel cost of diesel to the price overhead of buying a diesel car, and it appeared that it would take a good 6-7 years of this kind of usage to recover that cost (not taking into account the higher charges of maintenance which people associate with diesel engines) So against my hearts wishes, I decided against a diesel and went for petrol.

So yes, in the final analysis, it was price which decided it for me. I would also recommend that you have a look at Vista Aura+ Quadrajet if the TATA dealership in Lucknow has a decent reputation (and you're still considering diesel): i was quite impressed by the car (especially with the heavy discounts running this month).

PS If I had the budget for an i10 Asta and it was priced similar to Figo Titanium TDCi/Vista QJ Aura+, I would go for the one of the latter two options

Thanks for your advice, I am not really considering vista anymore as we (or my uncle) had an indica v2 diesel but it took only little misuse and abuse to make the car look 8 yrs old only after 2 yrs from both the inside and outsides! Not really impressed with the quality of tata but might just check out the showroom. I am now sort of leaning more towards the figo tdci thou. My only problem is the noise of the diesel engine inside the cabin, but will test drive it soon to see for my self!
Thanks

[misquitas]

Hi there,

Many face a similar situation on whether to buy a diesel or a petrol. I had a faced similar predicament here in Goa, before I worked out the following calculations:

My budget: About Rs 5 lakh
My options: Ritz LDI (Rs 5.2 lakh) and I10 1.2 Magna (Rs 4.4 lakh)

Difference: Rs 80,000

Cost of driving Ritz LDI:

Cost of diesel: About Rs 40 per litre
Ritz FE: 19 kmpl (approx)
Cost per km: Rs 2.1

Cost of driving I10:

Cost of petrol: About Rs 56
I10 FE: 16 kmpl (approx)
Cost per km: Rs 3.5

Benefits of driving Ritz LDI over I10: Rs 1.4 per km (Rs 14000 per 10,000 kms).

My approx. annual drive: 15000 kms. So benefit of driving Ritz LDI over I10 would be about Rs 21,000.

Now, if I were to put Rs 80,000 (price difference between Ritz LDI and I10) in a mutual fund / company fixed deposit, I would earn about Rs 8000 (10%) per year.

So, net benefit of driving Ritz LDI over I10 would be:

Rs 21,000 - Rs 8000 = Rs 13,000

Now, if I were to drive the Ritz for about 15,000 kms each year, I would take about Rs 6 years (Rs 13000x6 = Rs 78000) to break even.

In my opinion, the I10 seemed a better bet, as I would still stand to gain for the first 6 years. Even better is the fact that after 6 years I would still have the Rs 80,000 cash at my disposal, should I need to buy a new car at that time.

These figures are merely for the fuel costs for the car. I assume that maintenance of petrol and diesel cars and other factors are the same.

[theoriginal9321]

^^ Thanks, some impressive calculations, reminds me exactly of my dad!!

and

WOW, it takes only one post to completely sway my mind off diesel!
I think I might just go with the i10 now, any other petrol you'd suggest instead of i10 in the same price bracket (ie, 5 to 6 lacs on road)?? Or is I10 enough?

Thanks

[misquitas]

Originally Posted by theoriginal9321

^^ Thanks, some impressive calculations, reminds me exactly of my dad!!

and

WOW, it takes only one post to completely sway my mind off diesel!
I think I might just go with the i10 now, any other petrol you'd suggest instead of i10 in the same price bracket (ie, 5 to 6 lacs on road)?? Or is I10 enough?

Thanks

Pressing of a few buttons on the calculator left even me surprised. Mind you, I worked out only the fuel costs to move the car from Point A to Point B. Point is, I found out that even if...

1. One's annual driving is about 15,000 kms
2. The difference of fuel rates (between diesel and petrol) per litre is about Rs 16
3. A diesel car gives you about 3 kmpl more than a petrol car.

One can still be smiling with a petrol car (in my case, the I10) for the first 5 years or so. The hefty Rs 80,000 that one pays upfront to buy a diesel car is generally the culprit to ensure the benefits of a petrol car during its prime time, which, in my case is about 5 years.

Then again, if you dig deeper, there are other little benefits in store. For instance, the road tax and insurance of a vehicle (the non-negotiable costs) is generally calculated as a percentage of the ex-showroom cost of the car. Hence, the insurance and road tax of a Ritz LDI (which is about Rs 80,000 extra) would always be higher (by about Rs 3000-Rs 5000) than the I10. There, some more savings for you.

As far as my choice of car is concerned, I recently bought the I10 1.2 Magna. My detailed ownership experience can be read at:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ve-dwarfs.html

Now, there are quite a few cars that stand out from the rest and there would be many factors that could influence your decision, like it did with mine. My advice to you is this:

1. The journey (experience of shortlisting a car) can be as rewarding as the destination (experience of purchasing the car you shortlist). The different test drives will not only give you knowledge of the vehicle, but more importantly, it will offer you valuable clues about the dealer. Buying a car is one challenge, owning and maintaining it is another. I have always believed that a dealer can make or break a vehicle.

For example, one Tata dealer at Panjim did not even have diesel on its test drive vehicle. The other Tata dealer at Verna offered me a test drive on a brand new vehicle that was to be delivered to a customer. If these Tata dealers do not have the will (or money) to have a demo car ready at all times, how are they expected to earn the confidence of a potential customer?

2. It is immensely beneficial to do your own research on a car. Most sales executives in almost all of the different car dealers that we visited here in Goa had limited knowledge of the car in their own showroom. Some openly (and sheepishly) admitted that they were unaware of certain features of a car, until I brought it to their notice. A few others tried to claim non-existent features on a particular variant, till we exposed them by proving them wrong.

In one such case, a Ford sales executive was unaware that Ford did not have dealers in many parts of Karnataka, until I told him so. I even advised him to check out his own website for details. Another sales person at a Hyundai dealer was unaware of identifying a vehicle and period of manufacture on the basis of the VIN number. I happened to download the VIN identification chart of the I10 from a thread on this forum. When I succeeded in identifying the details of the I10 on the basis of the VIN, the sales person was impressed with this knowledge and quickly asked me if she could make a photocopy of the VIN identification chart for her reference.

Though (as mentioned in my opening post) I'm not familiar about technical/mechanical aspects of a car, I ended up educating many sales executives on the cars in their own showroom, thanks largely to the wealth of information that I collected from team-bhp.com. I had advised many of these sales executives to become members of team-bhp.com or at least visit the website as guests, so that they can enhance their knowledge of the cars they plan to sell to their customers.

I am glad that we could test drive different cars for about 2 weeks before we eventually decided on the I10. Many may not have the luxury, time or inclination to do so and may end up making a quick (and perhaps, hasty) decision.

I believe it is always good to have a list of cars that you would like to consider and then eliminate them till you have two main candidates. These two cars should then be put through various checks and parameters that you have in mind, until one car emerges as the winner.

Hope this helps you.