[vinay_ss]

My colleague has been in a dilema on his new car buying decision and has already spent 3 agonising months pondering over what to buy. The wait was stretched for the new Ford Fiesta, but after checking it out in the showroom over the weekend, he has decided to drop it for the bad interiors.

Now his requirements -

Petrol engine
Reasonably good power, although his driving would be 60-70% in city
Not very particular of high end specs like alloys or leather
ABS, Airbags and safety features high on list
Budget is around 10.5lacs on road bangalore

With the above parameters, his take on the cars of choice are

a) ANHC - with reduced prices, makes a lot of sense and is the easiest to drive. Also you have the feeling of "you cant go wrong with the decision to buy this car"

b) Verna - classy, feature rich, great looking stunner. The only problem he sensed his the soft suspension and floating like feeling at high speeds. He isnt sure if this issue would come up in long city drives as well and his wife is quite paranoid of some cars which give a puky feeling

c) Tjet - while the Fiat tjet is not currently in his shortlist, being the Fiat fan i am, i just have enough reasons to convince him this is THE car he should buy. I have the tJet for the last 8 months, and i am way to happy with the car (although i havent driven the new verna). I think its absolute value for money and a great looker. The fact that it sells few is actually a good reason to buy - you dont want to be one amongst the masses

So what better than to ask the forum for the choice between the 3 cars. Would like the Gurus to offer their suggestions.

cheers
vinay sambaragimath

[moralfibre]

Head says ANHC, heart says Fiat. I'd stick to the ANHC for more practical reasons of reliability, provenance and service but voted for the TJet.

[amitoj]

TJet is what i would recommend.
Followed by ANHC (you can't go wrong with a Honda (atleast very very less chances))
Last and the least, ANHV.

By the way, does your colleague currently own a car? If so then which one and what has been his experience with it?

[bluevolt]

As he will be driving in City I will suggest him ANHC. In petrol C segment this is the best car. I know Linea is a fantastic car but only problem is TATA A.S.S. If he can handle servicing niggles then there is no issue with Linea either. But overall Honda City has the edge. Let your friend test drive these cars and decide. Hyundai Verna is slower than Honda City even with those extra horses. TD is the best way to know which car suits you well. I voted for ANHC for its refinement, reliability and 'Honda City' factor!

[volkman10]

Hard to decide between the ANHC & the T-jet.

For build quality, reliability and the most important after sales network ( in comparison to Fiat) voted the ANHC.

Cheers!

[Guna]

One question is, does he care about how the car drives and handles. If he wants a driver centric, 'fun to drive' car, it is between T-Jet followed by ANHC.
If he just wants a practical to commute between point A to B, ANHV should be a good choice.

[vishnurp99]

Honda city no doubt. After the recent price cuts, the car is VFM. The city is any day a better car than the new verna petrol and for me it looks better too. The city's back seat is a comfortable place to be in.

[vb-saan]

It’s a close fight between the T-Jet and the City. Between these two, it all depends on what kind of a driver is your friend. If s/he is someone who likes a nice car which is good to drive, and offers loads of peace of mind, go for the City.
If s/he is someone who enjoy the joy and sorrows of car ownership, go for the T-Jet. With the lengthened service intervals, there may not be a need to visit the service center much, but if s/he need to – Honda-like efficency maybe missing there.

As alternate option, why not bring in the New Fiesta petrol also into the equation? I feel, it will be a nice compromise between the City and T-Jet.

[vinay_ss]

Thanks for the responses and your comments, and the results would surely surprise him !

To answer some questions,

a) He currently owns a Indica petrol (guess about 4 years old).

b) He is not an enthusiast, but surely loves a peppy car. Like i indicated, body roll is a strict no no

c) On service of Fiats, i am confident with the dealership network in Bangalore, having experienced it myself over last 4 years of Fiat ownership across Petra, Palio MJD, Adventure 1.6 and the Tjet. I have generally not been let down any more than the other car dealerships

d) I guess my friends head is on the ANHC, heart on the Verna Fluidic and neither the head nor the heart on the Tjet. Right now i am hooting for the Tjet, although its always the underdog. The ANHC is always perceived as the "cant go wrong" choice.

e) Finally my perception - its classier to be seen in a Tjet than a Honda City (which to me is another mass market junta car..might be for the good reasons of engine and mileage and not so good reason of the hype and brand)

Thanks all and hope to see the comments coming in. He is to decide in a couple of days, and would be grateful to Team BHP in making this decision

cheers
Vinay

[adimicra]

I voted for the T-Jet. But seeing your friend's requirements, I feel the ANHC will be the best suited for him

[ghodlur]

Voted for ANHC but was all for T-jet. Its the best engine in its class. ANHC recommended purely on the resale value.

[cranky]

If he's got his head set on the ANHC, then that's what he should get. Or the Verna, except I'm not so sure of the high-speed manners given it's tuned for comfort.

Don't push him into something he didn't originally want. It usually comes a cropper, because very little niggle then tells them that it was the wrong choice.

I love my T-Jet too but wouldn't want to push it down anybody's throat. Hence not voted.

[sriramv.iyer]

ANHC All the way - The BEST Petrol Car around the budget. After Indica, ANHC is probably the only car that would an equivalent 'spacious' feeling. The engine / gear shift is smooth, and iVTEC would also quench the thirst of an enthusiast.

It may not be a handler like TJet, but, with the new prices, there is no reason to look anywhere else. I am not a fan of Hyundai's petrol engines. Actually, ANHC, despite severe lack of features, is a better car than both of its competitors you've mentioned here.

[thenomad]

Voted for ANHC. You cannot go wrong with this car.

There are not many T-Jet's on the road and long term spares, re-sale and *** Honda is still a better option. Having had a Indica for the last 4 years, he will for sure appreciate the the Honda brand.

Though I own a Palio, I am against recommending a T-Jet. They still have to get the right ticks in the Indian marketplace.

[KarthikK]

Voted for the T-Jet from the requirements you mentioned. My only grouse about the honda city is the relatively frequent (every 6 months or so) and more expensive servicing. ANHC owners could elaborate on the service costs and frequency part.

However, if the high speed handling and bouncy ride is not an issue, for city driving the Fluidic Verna would be a good VFM offer too with all its hi-fi features. As far as the "cant go wrong with Honda" comment is concerned, I would say you can't go wrong with buying a Hyundai either. They are second best only to Maruti in the servicing department. Just that Hyundai's brand name isn't as much as a Honda.