[quadmaniac]

I am in this dilemma now with my 5 year old blue Chevy Beat.. my first love :-)

Market research suggests that I can get around 2-2.5L for this (immaculately maintained) baby, and it's clocked only 38k kms, but wifey wants a sedan.

What to do :( ...

Given GM's non-charismatic performance in the Indian market, I am in two minds, though my Beat has not given me trouble at all (touch wood).

[The Rationalist]

Originally Posted by quadmaniac

I am in this dilemma now with my 5 year old blue Chevy Beat.. my first love :-)
Market research suggests that I can get around 2-2.5L for this (immaculately maintained) baby, and it's clocked only 38k kms, but wifey wants a sedan.
What to do :( ...
Given GM's non-charismatic performance in the Indian market, I am in two minds, though my Beat has not given me trouble at all (touch wood).

Hi quadmaniac,
5 years, 38000 kms, touchwood. Do you need any other reason to hold on?
Why does your wife need a sedan? If the need is a real one, get a sedan, if not GIVE HER A STUNNING GIFT. Then wait for another 3 years, get a new Sedan.

[landcruiser123]

Originally Posted by quadmaniac

Given GM's non-charismatic performance in the Indian market, I am in two minds, though my Beat has not given me trouble at all (touch wood).

The Beat is a fairly reliable car which seems to keep it's owners happy due to being easy to maintain.
If you don't do a lot of highway driving, I suggest you to keep it. GMs dealerships may close in the long run, but spares shouldn't be a problem and you can shift to your FNG.

but wifey wants a sedan.

Lest's face it that if your needs require a sedan, you're better off buying it. A sedan will give you more space, comfort and there are extremely competent ones in the market. Also, on the safety front, a sedan with ABS and Airbags are worth.

I'm not saying a person doesn't require ABS or Airbags

Look for a premium hatchback as an alternative to a compact sedan.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by quadmaniac

I am in this dilemma now with my 5 year old blue Chevy Beat.. my first love :-)

Market research suggests that I can get around 2-2.5L for this (immaculately maintained) baby, and it's clocked only 38k kms, but wifey wants a sedan.

What to do :( ...
.

I think the first question is why your wife wants a sedan. Is it because of bigger boot space and overall space? Is it because of general overall comfort especially during long drives. Or is it generally the prestige factor associated with having a bigger car.

Also, when you say sedan, will compact sedans work, or it has to be a full sedan.

If there are needs that are not satisfied by the beat, then no harm in upgrading( provided your financials also support it without a stretch).

Just on the face of it , 5 year old 38k car really need not be upgraded.

[quadmaniac]

Thanks for the responses everyone!

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

I think the first question is why your wife wants a sedan. Is it because of bigger boot space and overall space? Is it because of general overall comfort especially during long drives. Or is it generally the prestige factor associated with having a bigger car.

All of these

To be frank, the only complaint I have with the Beat are its boot space, and the shoddy attitude of the GM service centre guys.

I'll wait till start of next year to figure things out. No matter what, a sedan is a decent enough dent in my finances. In any case, I'd be thinking of an 8L range (Amaze etc).

[NPV]

Originally Posted by quadmaniac

I am in this dilemma now with my 5 year old blue Chevy Beat.. my first love :-)

Market research suggests that I can get around 2-2.5L for this (immaculately maintained) baby, and it's clocked only 38k kms, but wifey wants a sedan.

What to do :( ...

A hatchback can be easier on the wallet and in terms of drive-ability in city conditions, especially as a second car.

If this is the only car in the household, then it does make sense to go with a Sedan, especially if you have children and the boot space will be useful on longer/highway runs.

[drsingh]

Originally Posted by quadmaniac

Thanks for the responses everyone!

All of these

To be frank, the only complaint I have with the Beat are its boot space, and the shoddy attitude of the GM service centre guys.

I'll wait till start of next year to figure things out. No matter what, a sedan is a decent enough dent in my finances. In any case, I'd be thinking of an 8L range (Amaze etc).

I'd suggest you hold on for some time. The sub 4m segment is just getting started. estates, MUVs, SUV'S, Vans will all be available at compact hatchback price points.

Maruti has plans for an extended wagon R. TUV 300 is an option. Renault wants to bring in Vans/MUV s.

A lot of new hatches, wagons, sedans, MUV, suv, Vans, built for the lower excise segment are interested works.

A lot of foreign manufacturers are setting up Finance companies to offer lower interest rates. I see this becoming widespread with more competition.

Right now you can probably buy a Renault Duster at their 4.99 %, 7 year loan offer. Emi about 10.5k. As much as a diesel hatch!

[mrinalbarua]

Wives need everything you don't have. Never fall in that trap. Avoid buying a car on loan. Assess your actual need wisely. Settle for a less expensive car if your budget is tight. Cars have only four real benefits over other forms of transport (rest is subjective):
1. You don't have to walk from home to catch a bus.
2. More than two people can sit in it.
3. It's safer than a two wheeler.
4. You have the liberty to travel at any time of the day.

[quadmaniac]

Originally Posted by mrinalbarua

Wives need everything you don't have. Never fall in that trap.

Yes, I've decided to wait a while, at least till next year before even considering anything. Let's see what new launches are coming up.

Thanks for the responses guys

[Figopian]

I was considering selling my 5 and half years old Ford Figo, but changed my mind. The odo is at 85k, no major issues, except the brake caliper noise that re-occurs time and again. I wanted to change because I want to have an automatic, but I also wanted a Diesel automatic where the choices are limited and very costly!! Maybe I will stick with this for at least another year or so till it becomes very difficult to accommodate my family of 5 (including my 10 years old son)

[On the Move]

Very informative posts...and damm do they force you to wait and take stock before jumping on to signing for that new shiny feeling waiting to be taken on road...

But having read though each post, well i do agree not to sell before using up the car though its good value (in terms of Kms and years and tech), but I am in a delima here...i have a skoda fabia elegance petrol 1.2...bought in feb 2011 (oct 2010 purchase), with odo running close to 40k kms....being a top end model it does have all necessary safety (ABS, Airbags) and other usable features such as MID, and looks good for anyother 40-50k kms. Till date car has given no problems or hiccups; service costs although high, but are nothing unusual (and with 1 service per year, almost is comparable to 2 per year service cost of japs and koreans). The service center response and quality seems to have upgraded, atleast in Mumbai, so far no horror stories, other customers met at service station also seemed very relaxed and convinced with service records and reliability. The car has proved very reliable and feels solid like a tank (especially considering flimsy thin sheet metal boxes of new japs, koreans or indians).

However, on account of long term availability of parts, hanging sword of a costly repair (if and when need arises, god forbids never) it does come up and the ever dwindling resale price (which may further go south exponentially with each passing year), I have been considering swapping it for a bigger upgrade to a SUV (mostly a Safari 400), which does give me a upgrade in seating capacity, luggage and less long term ownership costs.

The question now would be, whether to retain this till ownership becomes in-affordable (in which case it won't fetch more than scrap price) and look for new vehicle as a second car on (as and when need basis) or with a heavy heart, trade this right now at whatever market value this fetches now.

On a separate note, I did consider a lateral upgrade, and while it does sound a valuable proposition, the mind just doesn't seem convinced about the option of driving a 'pre-worshiped' car (maybe coz of past niggles in vehicles), but prefers to buy something new, which I can afford to maintain, rather something which I cannot.

Note to Mods: please let me know if anything is inappropriate or if needs to posted in any other thread.

[shankar.balan]

Talking of lateral upgrades, today I was loafing about the used car world.
Saw an Audi 2008 model A4 - at 11 Lacs. Im sure the fellow would have negotiated.
Then a beautiful Mini Cooper S (2 door + hatch) at 31 lacs. Again this was negotiable. (A New one costs 48 lacs!)
Then the piece de resistance (pictured) - seen on Carwale - again spoke to them and they said it was negotiable. The car looks lovely indeed. What a car this Combi is! So very tempting and Im sure they will let it go at a nice price because it is no longer in production and the resale value is really down.
Considering things, they may even let it off at 3 lacs or so - and what a car for that price! Gorgeous machine.
Wish it had that 4WD version though, as in the UK versions! But seriously, this is drool worthy!

Anyone upgrading from a hatch in the current market, would do well to consider a lateral used car upgrade, for sure!

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Then the piece de resistance (pictured) - seen on Carwale - again spoke to them and they said it was negotiable. The car looks lovely indeed. What a car this Combi is! So very tempting and Im sure they will let it go at a nice price because it is no longer in production and the resale value is really down.
Considering things, they may even let it off at 3 lacs or so - and what a car for that price! Gorgeous machine.
Wish it had that 4WD version though, as in the UK versions! But seriously, this is drool worthy!

Anyone upgrading from a hatch in the current market, would do well to consider a lateral used car upgrade, for sure!

There is a very good reason why the old Octavia VRS has a such a low resale value. I would not recommend it as a lateral upgrade to anyone who owns a mainstream hatchback unless they are prepared to shell out the kind of money it would take to maintain something like a Merc on its upkeep (owning or knowing of friends who have owned rapids, lauras, diesel octavias, yetis etc. will not prepare you for the maintenance nightmare this is the original VRS Octavia). While it had lots of charm, more so in its stationwagen form (my personal favourite ), there is no denying the severe reliability concerns and design faults that plague the car. Not to mention, that rear bench is severely cramped compared to several hatchbacks out there. Simply go through this thread to get an idea of how cranky the old Octavia VRS is: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...les-heels.html

[grevvity]

Hi Folks,

I am in a great dilemma to decide on whether to keep or exchange my Linea with a hatchback. Before I go ahead, following are the details of my steed:

Model: Fiat Linea Multijet Emotion Nov 2012.
Date of purchase: Bought it as pre-loved at a fantastic price in April 2015. Odo was 39000 at the time of purchase. Current ODO is 52000
Upgrades Done: Changed all the tyres at 35 K and upgrades the front speakers to component one (forgot the brand) with complete damping of front doors.

Now the dilemma, my Fiat is Delhi registered which I drove from Delhi to Bangalore in August 2015 when I moved here. I was using it for my daily office drive (approx 4 km) till last week however my company has decided to also move to a new premises which is also approx 6 km from my place which will add a couple of junctions where there is a frequent RTO checking to catch non KA registered vehicles. Now as we all are aware of the strange road tax structure here in Bangalore and after paying all the income tax and all, I am no mood to shell out a single penny to please the Bangalore RTO. Hence, I am left with following options:

Option 1: Try to exchange my Linea with any hatch till the time I am here in Bangalore. However, I will loose on space comfort and safety of my tank in this case.

Option 2: Look for any used bike for my daily office commute and retain Linea for highway drives (for longer city drives I use Zoom cars)

Options 3: Keep playing the hide and seek with the RTO till I am caught and cough up close to 1.2 Lakh Rs. when they catch hold of me. One thing to note is that there are very bleak chances of getting a refund when I move out of Bangalore.

P.S: I am love with my Linea and and I will be heartbroken I have to say goodbye to her.

I would love to hear your suggestions/comments and help me find a solution quickly.

[TorqueyTechie]

Originally Posted by grevvity

Option 1: Try to exchange my Linea with any hatch till the time I am here in Bangalore. However, I will loose on space comfort and safety of my tank in this case.

Option 2: Look for any used bike for my daily office commute and retain Linea for highway drives (for longer city drives I use Zoom cars)

Options 3: Keep playing the hide and seek with the RTO till I am caught and cough up close to 1.2 Lakh Rs. when they catch hold of me. One thing to note is that there are very bleak chances of getting a refund when I move out of Bangalore.

Grevvity, thats a dilemma which a friend of mine was also in. He wanted to get his Goa registered Linea here but after checking out the road tax that one has to pay , I suggested him to sell his car there and buy a new/used one here depending on his needs. Out of all the options that you have listed, option 1 is the best for you if your stay in Bangalore is going to be >2 years. I understand you love your car and like the extra space you get but you will always be on the lookout for RTO/cops whenever you venture out and shell out extra money in case of getting caught. I do not like opting for option 2 or 3 as it means that you will be willfully committing a mistake (however anarchic the road tax structure here is).

Simple solution is sell your car. Buy a highway worthy used hatch for the same money and get a bike for your local commute. This way when you are moving out you will not lose out much when reselling them. Also you get (a) peace of mind without having to look out for RTO people as well as Bangalore traffic (b) Reduced commute time to office and savings. (c) Still have a good car for those highway runs and weekend drives.

Just my two cents!