[manolin]

Originally Posted by keshiba

Thanks, point taken. But my worries regarding it cropped up because of a car mechanic who told me that even if a minor dash occured the air bags would pop out. He added that it would cost me Rs1 lakh to repair it since the entire dashboard has to be replaced.

Now I have not verified his claims about cost or the 'minor dash' thing, and was hoping to do it at a later stage when I at least make up my mind about which car to buy.

Not on all cars. Most now have modular systems for airbags. Also airbags don't deploy in minor accidents.

Cheers!

[ACM]

Originally Posted by keshiba

Thanks, point taken. But my worries regarding it cropped up because of a car mechanic who told me that even if a minor dash occured the air bags would pop out. He added that it would cost me Rs1 lakh to repair it since the entire dashboard has to be replaced.

Now I have not verified his claims about cost or the 'minor dash' thing, and was hoping to do it at a later stage when I at least make up my mind about which car to buy.

Originally Posted by manolin

Not on all cars. Most now have modular systems for airbags. Also airbags don't deploy in minor accidents.

Cheers!

Yep if an Airbag does deploy the expense will be quite high. Since it is a mini explosion that takes place to fill up the airbag even incase of modular construction area's around the Airbag do get spoilt and those parts too need to be replaced.

Yep it is true though that airbags don't deploy at very low speeds and for accident in certain angles for certain vehicles.

That said an airbag can deploy even at a speed of 30 kmph and it is indeed required at such speeds as well. Besides it is not just about how fast we are moving but also about the speed of on coming traffic and the resultant speed at impact.

If an Airbag does deploy you can be sure that you would most likely thank your stars for it irrespective of the cost as it is likely to save either your or your loved ones life as well as save you a lot of expenses in medical expenses. The 1L one may save in replacing a dash will be marginal if a life is saved.

Most Cars dont deploy Airbags in their lifetimes.

I have had frontal accidents between my Laura (with 6 airbags) and two wheelers approaching from the opp direction on two occations causing me to replace the front bumpers and one headlight but not the radiator (to give and idea of the moderate intesity). On both occations the Airbags did not deploy and they were not needed to either as we inside the car though shaken did not really hit anything in the vehicle. These are designed to deploy only if required.

Always get the varient with Airbags if possible.

[keshiba]

Thanks again! ACM I do see the practical side of your advice that Rs1 lakh saved initially may end up costing more. And leaving aside the monetary part, the safety of my family is more valuable. Done, now. Will ensure that my new car has airbags for both driver & passenger.

[agambhandari]

Originally Posted by keshiba

Thanks, point taken. But my worries regarding it cropped up because of a car mechanic who told me that even if a minor dash occured the air bags would pop out. He added that it would cost me Rs1 lakh to repair it since the entire dashboard has to be replaced.

Now I have not verified his claims about cost or the 'minor dash' thing, and was hoping to do it at a later stage when I at least make up my mind about which car to buy.

I believe an airbag popping out is much better than to have a passenger's brain popping out!

Just my 2 cents, if you can afford an Airbag, get it....

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

This is my hunt for the next vehicle to replace My ka Laal! Its done 90k now, has had its share of bust ups and now its share of component failures.

So life has turned a full circle for me. and how. From 33k in the first year, 91k in four, the car should be sold in another couple of months at just over one lakh.

The scenario has changed completely and let me lay out my current jumbled thoughts:

• We are in the process of relocating rather messily (read huge cash hit) to Chennai - the missus has a ~35km commute six days a week (not counting any diversions required to drop Daksh to his daycare). Hence the car should not go above 10L, 11 tops for something exceptional - but if our collective brain flips, we may just settle for a diesel hatch.
• I would be a weekend father i.e flying out to my client site five days a week for sure. At max, I would be having local meetings but that would be the company car.
• I would drive it only to dine out or for weekend getaways. Assume a 500-700km drive once a month. Net net the car should see around 20-25k/year in mileage. Hence, I would go slow on the FTD factor actually.
• The car will be 80% driven by the driver. Hence we would be looking for a comfortable rear bench.
• We don't need a FAST car - I rarely cross 100, though I cruise at 80-90 on the highway at all times.
• Airbags - YOLO. BUT - Given the mess that chennai traffic is, is it possible to switch off the airbag in city (last thing you want is a bumper to bumper snitch at 30 costing us 1 lakh in repairs?) and switch it on only when on the highways. I have seen passenger airbag switch-off option in a few cars - but driver airbag?
• It has to be spacious since Daksh's car seat and my wife will both be in the rear seat. She's not tall but wants the car to be roomier than the swift. If there's anyway that we can make the rear seat a flat bed, nothing like it. BUT - the missus has become a bit less status conscious in Chennai and would actually be open to a vista-like hatch (it would ferry relatives for max two weeks in a year).
• Decent service has become slightly less important because the driver should hopefully take care of such things.
• Good resale becomes important - we are moving to Chennai with a 3-5 year time horizon and this car should most likely be disposed of, within Chennai itself. Hence, I'm not really looking for LOOONG warranty periods. The regular 4 years/80k would be fine.
• From Chennai we would definitely travel to the western ghats - hence, ABS is a must-have. Unsaid rule - the car has to be structurally sound. We will visit kerala and though I'm a safe driver, I believe in stacking the chips on my side.
• The car needs to be with us by September 15 or so max.

Brands excluded:

• Skoda/VW - mental barrier.
• Fiat - This is primarily the wife's car!
• Renault Duster / Eco sport - not really fitting our needs/costs IMHO. Ecosport's waiting rules it out.

What I am considering:

• Nissan Sunny - Except the ginormously expensive spares cost (the turbo costs 1.1L+taxes!!), its a gorgeous car - hitting our 10L budget ideally.
• Mahindra Verito - The wife hates its looks - but for the love of God, there's no better car for 7.5L onroad Gurgaon . I would seriously consider the Vibe if they made it a true hatchback, not that stupid mess. But that said, it does tick my boxes quite nicely, except its silly price that makes the Ford Figo look like a rockstar.
• Mahindra Quanto - It is a practical all around vehicle, but yet to look at it as something for the wife to be chauffered around in.
• Swift dZire / Ertiga - We may just stretch for the Ertiga ZDi, but we currently feel its overkill. the SX4 ZDi is overpriced for what it offers. Not to mention its resale would be lower than the Ertiga.
• Tata Manza/Vista - I have some thoughts on this but I don't really trust TATA - else the damn car is quite nice and acres of space.
• Ford Figo - Except for the "small car" feeling, its a lovely car. The wife may want more.
• Toyota Etios - I hope it has the toyota reliability.
• Chevy Sail - For all the hype and hoopla - I found the Sail UVA very nicely priced and a good to drive car. I am okay with Chevy as a brand.
• Nissan evalia - if they were to reduce price by a lakh

What among these (or others I may have missed) would folks recommend? I need to TD this week, so that the wife can place the order in a fortnight.


Thanks in advance for your valuable suggestions as always.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

What among these (or others I may have missed) would folks recommend?

Chevy Enjoy - how about it?

[blackfire_9]

I have to begin by saying that I was actually waiting for this thread to start moving again, towards conclusion. I say this in a non-offensive way.......I found the opinions & views expressed herein very logical & mature.

From the options you have shortlisted, the three options that would be most appropriate for you are the Etios, the Quanto & the Verito.

My personal opinion about the Verito is similar to yours, but after-sales can be suspect. Though, people do say that things are better for this car in Southern states, where the diesel version has been popular.
Moreover, Mahindra's contract with Renault ends in 2015, post which Mahindra cannot use any of Renault's technologies (as per the online details published at the time of Renault-Mahindra JV split). So, the future of this car is dark.

Between the Quanto & the Etios, I would pick the Etios because its a Toyota & its a sedan. Plus, it meets your requirements perfectly, including good resale value.....something that the other two do not hold well, especially Verito.


Mod Note : Please avoid typing with excessive dots.........like................this.

[Shanksta]

So to sum it up rear legroom and ride comfort is the main priority here. So I would suggest in the following order:
1. Nissan Sunny
2. Toyota Etios
3. Renault Scala(looks better IMHO)
4. Hyundai Fluidic Verna ( mid variant)
5. Honda Amaze(decent legroom)
6. Suzuki Dzire

But out of these suggestions I would pick the Etios for the following reasons:
* Much better now.
* Very good ride comfort
* Good legroom
* Good car to be self-driven as well
* Center console, so your wife can also monitor the speeds.
* Good diesel engine, frugal too.
* 1-2week delivery period.
* Lastly It's a Toyota so very reliable and also holds it's value. Estimate is you would not lose more than 25-35% value when you sell it 4-5 years down the line.

[jkdas]

Wow! that turbo is costly!

But, Pulse,Verito,Micra, etc all have the same engine in one tune or the other right? Almost the second national engine. Seen the odo reads of it right? Why the tension about turbo?

Get Sunny! Or for looks the Scala.

Sail is a real VFM, interiors too. With an extra 26k or so you get a car for which you need to pay only for diesel, battery, tyre for 3 years.

And, if I remember correctly, Tata has a 4% loan now for Manza.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Chevy Enjoy - how about it?

Oh yes, missed that. Except it makes zero monetary sense :(

But here are the ex-showroom prices (in L) for the version with driver airbag and ABS:
Sail UVA: 6.03
Sail: 7.0
Enjoy: 8.07

I'm not sure I'm getting full value of my 1L extra in the SAIL sedan, forget paying 2L for the third row we may never ever use. We can't even roll down the seats to make a flat bed - then i can count the extra space as the equivalent of a 2-3k/night hotel bed and convince myself!

In fact, the Quanto makes little sense on that accord - its 7.38 ex showroom for ABS only and 7.9 incl airbags!

So unless they have mega discounts - even quanto is out.

Question is whether its worth it to go from 7.0 to 8.3 ex-showroom for the Sunny.

and between all this is the reliable but painful Mahindra Verito. They have still not upgraded the seats in all these years - the wife may just can it basis the interiors.

Originally Posted by jkdas

Wow! that turbo is costly!

But, Pulse,Verito,Micra, etc all have the same engine in one tune or the other right? Almost the second national engine. Seen the odo reads of it right? Why the tension about turbo?

Get Sunny! Or for looks the Scala.

Sail is a real VFM, interiors too. With an extra 26k or so you get a car for which you need to pay only for diesel, battery, tyre for 3 years.

And, if I remember correctly, Tata has a 4% loan now for Manza.

Sir - If you hit the car's sump - the turbo fails within seconds.

Agree on SAIL.

As for Manza - the loan is a good idea since we've been crushed by the relocation costs, but it depends on TASC, which I need to see to believe.

Originally Posted by Shanksta

So to sum it up rear legroom and ride comfort is the main priority here. So I would suggest in the following order:
1. Nissan Sunny
2. Toyota Etios
3. Renault Scala(looks better IMHO)
4. Hyundai Fluidic Verna ( mid variant)
5. Honda Amaze(decent legroom)
6. Suzuki Dzire

But out of these suggestions I would pick the Etios for the following reasons:
* Much better now.
* Very good ride comfort
* Good legroom
* Good car to be self-driven as well
* Center console, so your wife can also monitor the speeds.
* Good diesel engine, frugal too.
* 1-2week delivery period.
* Lastly It's a Toyota so very reliable and also holds it's value. Estimate is you would not lose more than 25-35% value when you sell it 4-5 years down the line.

Thanks - this is quite in line with my perspective as well. Plus the wife will be mentally at peace, unlike the

Originally Posted by blackfire_9

I have to begin by saying that I was actually waiting for this thread to start moving again, towards conclusion. I say this in a non-offensive way.......I found the opinions & views expressed herein very logical & mature.

From the options you have shortlisted, the three options that would be most appropriate for you are the Etios, the Quanto & the Verito.

My personal opinion about the Verito is similar to yours, but after-sales can be suspect. Though, people do say that things are better for this car in Southern states, where the diesel version has been popular.
Moreover, Mahindra's contract with Renault ends in 2015, post which Mahindra cannot use any of Renault's technologies (as per the online details published at the time of Renault-Mahindra JV split). So, the future of this car is dark.

Between the Quanto & the Etios, I would pick the Etios because its a Toyota & its a sedan. Plus, it meets your requirements perfectly, including good resale value.....something that the other two do not hold well, especially Verito.

Thanks.

In fact, I see most Veritos in the north in diesel-crazy Punjab. But if Mahindra cannot use Renault tech post 2015 - then it is out for me. I see you are going towards the Etios as well. Let me see it in more detail then. TD this weekend for sure! Expect a flurry of TD reports!

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

...the third row we may never ever use.

Part-time dads who don't employ full-time maid-cum-babysitters will never figure out the importance of the third row!

[infotech58]

I think two cars that fit the bill in your case are Sunny and Etios. I used to hate Etios but I realized the frugality of Etios when I drove it for over a month recently. It was comfortable, efficient, easy to drive, and had sufficient space. Only negatives that I felt were too basic interiors and poor NVH insulation (which I think has been fixed in the recent upgrades).

Originally Posted by phamilyman

The scenario has changed completely and let me lay out my current jumbled thoughts:
...
Thanks in advance for your valuable suggestions as always.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by infotech58

I think two cars that fit the bill in your case are Sunny and Etios. I used to hate Etios but I realized the frugality of Etios when I drove it for over a month recently. It was comfortable, efficient, easy to drive, and had sufficient space. Only negatives that I felt were too basic interiors and poor NVH insulation (which I think has been fixed in the recent upgrades).

Thanks - so the sunny and the etios it is, who are in prime time contention!

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Part-time dads who don't employ full-time maid-cum-babysitters will never figure out the importance of the third row!

Sir,

we don't have any baby-sitter and neither will we get one. That is pretty much a given at the moment.

Either mother would visit us in Chennai only for like a week or ten days at max. There'll be negligible socializing as well. There's no real usage for the third row.

[drmohitg]

Between the Sunny and the Etios, I would pick the Sunny for the following reasons:
1. Phenomenal rear bench space. It makes even the Etios look like cramped.
2. Much better interior finish and low NVH levels.
3. Excellent low end torque which makes driving in the city a breeze.
The base variant is fairly well kitted with the only important feature that is missing is the Electrically foldable ORVMs. Otherwise it comes loaded with ACC, ABS, Airbags, decent music system, steering controls, Rear AC blower, Electric adjustable ORVMs etc etc.

Nissan and Toyota are both good brands and till now I haven't faced any after sales hiccups with either of them although Toyota surely is slightly ahead of them in terms of after sales service.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

I need to TD this week, so that the wife can place the order in a fortnight.

Out of your preferred choices, I would recommend the Sunny. It looks decent, have loads of space, and the Nissans are generally very reliable. Next-in-line suggestions are the Sail or the Figo.

Alternately, I would recommend to keep aside the mental barrier and do a TD of the Vento. Happy shopping