[Archon]

Hi,
First time car buyer here.


Requirements:
1. VFM car for around 500k OTR which can seat 5 people (hard facts matter more than brand value)
2. monthly running would be mostly office commute based so 700 km max including some (improbable) highway trips [hence had ruled out diesel initially]
3. looking at using it for at least 4-5 years if possible, so resale value is not the most important consideration. obviously, maintenance & service costs need to be under control.
4. Driving in Hyderabad with lots of sloping potholed roads ie decent ride quality along with an engine to tackle slopes with AC on. Did I mention a good AC.
5. Safety features like ABS/airbag would be a big plus
6. Need it almost off the shelf (rules out Swift and i20 here)
Needless to say, I had the most (over)populated segment in the car market to choose from; and hence this post.


Had zeroed in on figo petrol but heard horror stories of its mileage & ford's record in maintenance and put it on hold (engine too is pretty avg). current inclination is towards vista diesel as i have heard good things about the car and the dealer here; but a diesel premium is tough to justify based on my travel requirements. Trying out i10 Magna version but not sure about its VFM proposition.



Would greatly appreciate advise/comments/suggestions

[bhp_maniac]

Originally Posted by Archon

Hi,
First time car buyer here.


Requirements:
1. VFM car for around 500k OTR which can seat 5 people (hard facts matter more than brand value)
2. monthly running would be mostly office commute based so 700 km max including some (improbable) highway trips [hence had ruled out diesel initially]
3. looking at using it for at least 4-5 years if possible, so resale value is not the most important consideration. obviously, maintenance & service costs need to be under control.
4. Driving in Hyderabad with lots of sloping potholed roads ie decent ride quality along with an engine to tackle slopes with AC on. Did I mention a good AC.
5. Safety features like ABS/airbag would be a big plus
6. Need it almost off the shelf (rules out Swift and i20 here)
Needless to say, I had the most (over)populated segment in the car market to choose from; and hence this post.


Had zeroed in on figo petrol but heard horror stories of its mileage & ford's record in maintenance and put it on hold (engine too is pretty avg). current inclination is towards vista diesel as i have heard good things about the car and the dealer here; but a diesel premium is tough to justify based on my travel requirements. Trying out i10 Magna version but not sure about its VFM proposition.



Would greatly appreciate advise/comments/suggestions

Based on your current requirements, a petrol will be OK for you. 700 PM is not in the diesel territory. But will your monthly figure increase, any chance on that? Do consider that also, since you are planning to keep the car for 4-5 years.
Both the shortlisted cars are strong in their own areas. While i10 scores in the driving easiness, plastic quality and Hyundai A.S.S, Vista scores in the place of space, FE and VFM factor. Since you told 5 people, I think Vista will be a good option. I suggest you do a test drive of both the cars, if possible on the same day. Good luck

[anvancy]

If you want AC and zero engine lag,skip the wagonR.I am going to cover that in my own review.

Anvancy

[superboy44]

the first car that comes to mind that suits your requirements is the Ritz zxi.
though it overshoots your budget by about 50k or so, but i feel it is an absolutely brilliant VFM buy.
has a gem of an engine, spacious and being a maruti is pretty reliable.
also it has the safety equipment you are looking for.
it is way better than buying the vista diesel as your running does not justify a diesel car.

[SS-Traveller]

A Chevy Beat? Takes care of your maintenance costs too. Decent & reliable runner, in your budget, readily available off the shelf, and meets all your other requirements too. Plus good discounts available presently.

[Archon]

Originally Posted by bhp_maniac

Based on your current requirements, a petrol will be OK for you. 700 PM is not in the diesel territory. But will your monthly figure increase, any chance on that? Do consider that also, since you are planning to keep the car for 4-5 years.
Both the shortlisted cars are strong in their own areas. While i10 scores in the driving easiness, plastic quality and Hyundai A.S.S, Vista scores in the place of space, FE and VFM factor. Since you told 5 people, I think Vista will be a good option. I suggest you do a test drive of both the cars, if possible on the same day. Good luck

Thanks! Don't foresee more usage than that; in fact I would think 500km/month on avg is all I would do. Trying out i10 Magna; quoting at almost 5; i would rather go for figo in petrol, unless i get a discount.

Originally Posted by superboy44

the first car that comes to mind that suits your requirements is the Ritz zxi.
though it overshoots your budget by about 50k or so, but i feel it is an absolutely brilliant VFM buy.
has a gem of an engine, spacious and being a maruti is pretty reliable.
also it has the safety equipment you are looking for.
it is way better than buying the vista diesel as your running does not justify a diesel car.

Ritz petrol has a waiting period here.

[antriksh]

Originally Posted by superboy44

the first car that comes to mind that suits your requirements is the Ritz zxi.

+1

The Ritz seems to fit the requirements here, the 1.2 K series is a gem of an engine and is also fuel efficient. The vxi with abs should fall into your budget, you can also check out the ritz special edition Genus which is also priced under 5 lacs.

If your are intent on the diesel, also check out the Figo Lxi/Exi Diesel variants.

[sanagg1]

Originally Posted by Archon

1. VFM car for around 500k OTR which can seat 5 people (hard facts matter more than brand value)
2. monthly running would be mostly office commute based so 700 km max including some (improbable) highway trips [hence had ruled out diesel initially]
Trying out i10 Magna version but not sure about its VFM proposition.

Dear Archon

-i10 and "can seat 5 people" do not gel perfectly. It is more of a couple car.
-Ritz is better on this account, BUT i have serious doubts about comfort level for "can seat 5 people".
-If you want good engine with some "Fun to Drive" torque premium for modern day diesel is more than amply justified. And Yep ! FE comes as a bonus.

So what are you left now is
Figo-Diesel
Vista-QJD

TD both and have fun
Cheers

[Archon]

Originally Posted by anvancy

If you want AC and zero engine lag,skip the wagonR.I am going to cover that in my own review.

Anvancy

In fact I am planning to TD it soon as Ritz & Swift petrol have waiting periods: just to try an MSIL vehicle

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

A Chevy Beat? Takes care of your maintenance costs too. Decent & reliable runner, in your budget, readily available off the shelf, and meets all your other requirements too. Plus good discounts available presently.

Don't know about the discounts but I guess I can TD it although it looks too small to have 5 ppl in it besides the doubts about A.S.S

Originally Posted by antriksh

+1

The Ritz seems to fit the requirements here, the 1.2 K series is a gem of an engine and is also fuel efficient. The vxi with abs should fall into your budget, you can also check out the ritz special edition Genus which is also priced under 5 lacs.

If your are intent on the diesel, also check out the Figo Lxi/Exi Diesel variants.

Vista Aura+ QJ (top-end) has been quoted to me abt 10-15k lesser than Figo 1.3 Titanium. If I pick diesel, it will be Vista.

Originally Posted by sanagg1

Dear Archon

-i10 and "can seat 5 people" do not gel perfectly. It is more of a couple car.
-Ritz is better on this account, BUT i have serious doubts about comfort level for "can seat 5 people".
-If you want good engine with some "Fun to Drive" torque premium for modern day diesel is more than amply justified. And Yep ! FE comes as a bonus.

So what are you left now is
Figo-Diesel
Vista-QJD

TD both and have fun
Cheers

Finally someone who prefers diesel despite the fact that I'll be doing hardly 500 km pm If only I could come to terms with how much "torque premium" I can pay for 100k extra )along with FE)

[ajay0612]

Originally Posted by Archon

Trying out i10 Magna; quoting at almost 5; i would rather go for figo in petrol, unless i get a discount.

Figo is the best value for money car (hatchback) right now. You can get fully loaded one for 4.55Lac Ex-showroom. The car's big boot is invaluable and the width (hence interior space) is in sedan category. i10 is not as wide and boot space is quite less. It does not command such a high price.

[antriksh]

Originally Posted by Archon

Vista Aura+ QJ (top-end) has been quoted to me abt 10-15k lesser than Figo 1.3 Titanium. If I pick diesel, it will be Vista.

That's quite strange, because purely on an Ex-showroom price basis, the Figo 1.4 Titanium (top-end) is around 30k cheaper than the Vista Aura+QJD (top end) variant so the same should reflect in the OTR prices also. (I am talking about the BS-IV variants).

Do make sure they are not offering you an older model (read old manufacturing date).

-Antriksh

[joshguy]

Archon you should look at Indica Vista D/ Indigo CS D/ Nissan MICRA / FIGO D

i10 santro estilo are all ruled out due to the space constraint

My choice is Vista first ,indigo CS 2nd and FIGO and then Micra

But please remember that you will not get airbags and abs for 500K OTR ,you definitely need to stretch little bit more for these feature and if so you will have more choices too

[MileCruncher]

With your monthly run under 1000 Kms, diesel doesn't make any sense. Hence I would suggest the i10 but the flip side isit can only seat 4 people comfortably. You can also look at the Fiat Grande Punto 1.2, Chevy Beat or the Chevy U-VA. All these models have decent discounts available. Actually the U-VA is the roomiest of all so you might just want to check that out as well while in the Chevy dealership.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Ritz Petrol, and Indica Vista diesel (I'm one of them who think TATA reads diesel) are the two cars that come to mind, after hearing your requirements!

Originally Posted by Archon

Ritz petrol has a waiting period here.

Waiting period for petrol?

Is this for a specific colour/ version? ABS versions usually have waiting periods!

Originally Posted by Archon

Vista Aura+ QJ (top-end) has been quoted to me abt 10-15k lesser than Figo 1.3 Titanium. If I pick diesel, it will be Vista.

Meets your requirements on VFM, maintainence and service costs, seating five in comfort, ac, decent power, ABS and airbags etc. Price is not too high as well (even compared to competiting petrols!).

[Archon]

First of all, thanks all for the valuable inputs. HAve an update on "next gen" i10 Magna. being quoted for 4.8l OTR with mp3 player and other accessories (which should be free in any case). effectively its just OTR quote - insurance with freebies. Considering that I now estimate my running to be not a lot more than 500km pm and that 5 ppl wouldnt have to sit for too long at a time, I am seriously considering i10.

Originally Posted by ajay0612

Figo is the best value for money car (hatchback) right now. You can get fully loaded one for 4.55Lac Ex-showroom. The car's big boot is invaluable and the width (hence interior space) is in sedan category. i10 is not as wide and boot space is quite less. It does not command such a high price.

Agree width/boot space is disappointing. the upside i see is with this model being just out in august, i can get better resale value 3 yrs down the line if i want to trade in for a bigger car. Hyundai A.S.S. is a plus also. ford is an unknown.

Originally Posted by antriksh

That's quite strange, because purely on an Ex-showroom price basis, the Figo 1.4 Titanium (top-end) is around 30k cheaper than the Vista Aura+QJD (top end) variant so the same should reflect in the OTR prices also. (I am talking about the BS-IV variants).
Do make sure they are not offering you an older model (read old manufacturing date).

I'll be sure to check if I am going for Vista although with 500km pm i have to think hard about it. Btw how old would be acceptable do you think?

Originally Posted by joshguy

Archon you should look at Indica Vista D/ Indigo CS D/ Nissan MICRA / FIGO D

i10 santro estilo are all ruled out due to the space constraint

My choice is Vista first ,indigo CS 2nd and FIGO and then Micra

But please remember that you will not get airbags and abs for 500K OTR ,you definitely need to stretch little bit more for these feature and if so you will have more choices too

5 people can "adjust" in an i10 i guess for 30 min. i guess i am reducing the importance of that requirement. I actually don't plan to be seating 5 on a regular basis

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

With your monthly run under 1000 Kms, diesel doesn't make any sense. Hence I would suggest the i10 but the flip side isit can only seat 4 people comfortably. You can also look at the Fiat Grande Punto 1.2, Chevy Beat or the Chevy U-VA. All these models have decent discounts available. Actually the U-VA is the roomiest of all so you might just want to check that out as well while in the Chevy dealership.

Orange dealer is not bothering to give me a TD right now. Let's see if it turns out to be missed opportunity.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Ritz Petrol, and Indica Vista diesel (I'm one of them who think TATA reads diesel) are the two cars that come to mind, after hearing your requirements!

Waiting period for petrol?

Is this for a specific colour/ version? ABS versions usually have waiting periods!

Meets your requirements on VFM, maintainence and service costs, seating five in comfort, ac, decent power, ABS and airbags etc. Price is not too high as well (even compared to competiting petrols!).

Dealer has some 1-2 colors available only in one of the petrol variants. Will check with dealer when he comes for the TD. I don't think I have a any problem with Ritz except for how it looks (and price possibly).