[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by amit

Secondly, I don't buy the honda=peace of mind and reliablity and ford= josh.

What I meant was you take 10000 honda's and 10000 Ford's the number of lemons will be higher in case of Ford.
Its nothing to do with japanese, or europe or Americas.
There are lots of surveys available(A very respectable one is JD Power) which rate companies based on reliability, and they rate Honda higher than Ford.

I have seen a broken down Toyota innova while travelling in my indica, this does not make Tata more reliable than Toyota right.
So If I wanted to know which company is a better buy, I would look at the studies done by such research houses.

[amit]

Its nothing to do with japanese, or europe or Americas.

Thats exactly what I said:

Anyone can make a bad car. If you are unlucky you will get a lemon and that lemon maybe a Honda too.

[devarshi84]

Ford edges Honda in the 2005 customer satisfaction study

http://www.jdpower.co.jp/press/pdf20...IndiaCSI_E.pdf

Ford tops customer satisfactions study in Malaysia. Honda is third.

http://www.jdpower.co.jp/press/pdf20...aysiaCSI_E.pdf

Ford ranked among the top three automotive brands in the JD Power Asia Pacific 2005 India Customer Satisfaction Index Study

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1736526,0002.htm

but totally falls down here

http://www.jdpower.co.jp/press/pdf2006/2006USIQS_E.pdf


But more than the car its the dealership approach.

why defame another manufacturer for selling your car?

Its different saying

Our car is better
and
their car is bad

Btw what are the sales figures of Fiesta and NHC for the month of June? Aveo Sold 1006 units

[tsk1979]

http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/new...asp?ID=2005261
There are lots of studies.
The one most relevant to a person looking at which car to buy would be the linked one

Maruti Wagon R, Maruti Esteem, Honda City, Skoda Octavia and Toyota Innova
Rank Highest in APEAL

The Honda City ranks highest in the midsize segment for a third consecutive year. Hyundai Accent and Maruti Baleno, respectively, follow the City in the segment rankings.

Three consecutive good years at the top means a lot.

Apart from that if you are looking for quality studies
http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/new...asp?ID=2005253

All models in the midsize car segment have improved since 2004. Honda City ranks highest at 72 PP100, followed by the Hyundai Accent and Maruti Baleno, respectively.

Now if you are wondering what was ford talking about, is the sales process. Which includes things like waiting time, attitude of sales service etc.,
Honda slipped on that part badly cause they could not make enough city's in time to make the people who booked happy.

OTOH we are going seriously off topic, I rest my case

[devarshi84]

but the last Indian satisfaction study was done in 2005.

And ford edges Honda there.

In the other studies there is no Ford Honda comparison( ikon and city fight in different segments)

Overall I am of the impression that Ford is good in Asia and average elsewhere
while Honda is good in Asia but better elsewhere.

hence Ford and Honda are pretty much comparable here.

But I am still suspect on FORD quality compared to HONDA.

[amit]

I rest my case

What case? No one is denying that Honda quality today is better then Ford and GM. I repeat, ANYONE can make a lemon.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by geek

Please let me know if there is another car worth considering in this category except Baleno.......the looks are too dated

The Baleno would meet most of your priorities like low maintenance, good FE etc and is a fun car to drive too. But then, since looks are a priority for you and you find its looks dated, it is ruled out. The other cars are the Petra, Indigo etc, but they are no lookers either. The Fiat Adventure station wagon is also a good car - great looks, nice build, etc. But then FE is pretty low.

Originally Posted by geek

Already done the analysis......I save approximetely Rs 20000 over a period of 7 years if I buy Honda city considering the initial cost difference and difference in fuel cost.

Curious to know how you arrived at this figure and the inputs used (like respective FE for both cars etc).

Originally Posted by geek

I dont know the difference between the resale price or maintenance cost of the 2 cars so that has not been consiedered.

Resale would be higher for the Honda and comparitively maintenance would be lesser.

Originally Posted by geek

Looks ................ Yes Definitely

Looks are subjective and you would be the best judge. I find both of them drab.

Originally Posted by geek

Maintenance Cost. Yes that is a factor....what would be the the annual difference in maintenance cost of the 2 cars

Don't have exact figures. But a recent issue of ACI (Nov'05, I guess) has a comparo of spares cost for C-segment cars. Have a look. I don't own either of the cars, so can't be authoritative. But from what I read here and from guys I know that own Ford (Ikons), I would rate the Ford to be higher in maintenance costs.

Originally Posted by geek

FE..................... Yes but as I said I save only 20000 over a period of 7 Years

NHC is the clear winner here.

Originally Posted by geek

Safety Features... I think both the cars should be up to the mark as far as safety is conerned

Not really. Fiesta scores here with quite some safety features that are absent in the NHC.

Originally Posted by geek

Resale Value....... Yes that is important

Honda would win here, but then quite a lot depends on the way the car was maintained.

Originally Posted by geek

Brand Value........ Both are equal from my point of view

Honda is rated higher by most Indians. But if they are same for you, we could leave it at that.

Originally Posted by geek

Exciting to drive vs peaceful mind - Cant I get both?
Speed vs Mileage - I drive only 20% on the highway and the maximum speed would be 120 I guess
City driving vs Highway driving - 80 % city and 20% highway
Looks & comfort - Initially when NHC was launched I did not like its looks, but now I guess I am used to the car. Fiesta, on the other hand, has a very masculine look. Also I found Fiesta more comfortable
Ride and Handling The power steering of honda was good but overall the Fiesta was a pleasure to drive

With majority of your driving in the city, and max speed of 120, if I were in your shoes, I would go for the NHC, which is a city car, gives best-in-class FE, has lower maintenance costs etc etc. But then, I don't like its looks, which was why I did not go for it and instead got myself a Baleno.

[gigy]

if you are calculating the cost of car to fe money saved baleno which comes a lakh cheaper and good high speed aerodynamics is better buy than hondacity. honda's only advantage is bigger or taller cabin. baleno hold the road i do 170+ on mumbai pune without loosing confidence.

[devarshi84]

Ok lets consider on why should the owner not buy the fiesta

or

why should the owner not buy NHC.

I would recommend the Fiesta as NHC is grossly underpowered for whatever anybody has to say.

[suman]

Gigy, he DOES NOT want to buy a Baleno.....so can we stop the Buy Baleno campaign before we go OT here?

[grvanand]

Honda City dude. Its a better car overall except for outright pace. Its even got a more luxurious feel in the segment.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by gigy

if you are calculating the cost of car to fe money saved baleno which comes a lakh cheaper and good high speed aerodynamics is better buy than hondacity. honda's only advantage is bigger or taller cabin. baleno hold the road i do 170+ on mumbai pune without loosing confidence.

You have a valid point there. But, the car's looks is a main priority for the thread creator and he finds the Baleno's looks dated. Thus we can leave the Baleno out of this and help him decide between the NHC and the Fiesta.

[Boom Shiva]

Honda is known for greater reliability, but some Honda owners I know will tell you how their service centres can really screw with you and rob you blind. One person I know who owns a Skoda and a Honda had this to say: "The Skoda guys rape you, but the Honda guys rape you mercilessly."

Also, let's not forget the hundreds of Honda owners who were abandoned without spare parts and service for months after their cars got damaged in the floods last year. They're not exactly singing praises either.

Having said that, Ford's not that great either, which I can say from personal ownership experience.

Point being, no one brand can be blindly trusted. You'll have to test and research both cars and companies thoroughly, decide what fits your bill best, and finally take that little leap of faith in making your choice.

All the best!

[himanshugoswami]

U can also look at an Elantra GT (ex-showroom 6.99L). Plus spend about 25 K for a snazzy set of alloys and u r all set!

Keep in mind that the elantra is a segment higher than both the city and the fiesta, with a more powerful and smoother engine as well as miles better A.S.S.

[suman]

Originally Posted by himanshugoswami

Keep in mind that the elantra is a segment higher than both the city and the fiesta, with a more powerful and smoother engine as well as miles better A.S.S.

And what about the mileage......????? Doesn't that s*** big time?