[sivadas]

I need to buy a car in Kerala for my Brother-in law. I mean I need to buy it with his money. He is not very sure on the budget, but I assume it could be around 6-6.5lacs. The usage would be minimum, will be mainly used by my mother in-law chauffeur driven(brother in-law is working abroad). She has problem with one leg and is not comfortable getting into low seat cars.

Here are my choices in order of preference.
1. Ford fusion :
+ Spacious, High ground clearance, comfortable for elder people, good engine, 15" wheels, very nice interiors
- Not sure on the a$$ at Kannur, Parts are probably costlier, bad low speed ride(?), most of my friends are against it!

2. Aveo U-Va
+ Spacious, relatively powerful, good mileage, decent boot space
- Not sure on the a$$ at kannur, skinny tires

3. Swift
+ I like the car very much.
- The limited boot space is not encouraging at all, back seats are not as good as above two.

4. Ikon Flair
+ Comfortable back seats, good boot space
- Low on power, With 5 people, scrapes at speed breakers, I believe there is a known issue with the A/C if you are using heater.

5. SX4
+ Every thing is good about it
- Out of budget, back seat can accommodate only 2

Notes:
I dont like Tata cars and Esteem.
Ford show room at Kannur is a new one.


Please give your thoughts and help me to decide.

[mail4ajo]

Originally Posted by sivadas

1. Ford fusion :
+ Spacious, High ground clearance, comfortable for elder people, good engine, 15" wheels, very nice interiors
- Not sure on the a$$ at Kannur, Parts are probably costlier, bad low speed ride(?), most of my friends are against it!

Ford is definately costlier to maintain. A.S.S is not available in Kannur. You have to come to Kozhikode or Kochi.

Originally Posted by sivadas

2. Aveo U-Va
+ Spacious, relatively powerful, good mileage, decent boot space
- Not sure on the a$$ at kannur, skinny tires

You have A.S.S in Kannur. Car hasnt done well due to not being value for money and unproven reliability.

Originally Posted by sivadas

3. Swift
+ I like the car very much.
- The limited boot space is not encouraging at all, back seats are not as good as above two.

Swift has decent bootspace. The rear according to many owners are comfortable for 3. Swift perhaps has the best underthigh seats in its class. Service is not an issue anywhere in the country.

Originally Posted by sivadas

4. Ikon Flair
+ Comfortable back seats, good boot space
- Low on power, With 5 people, scrapes at speed breakers, I believe there is a known issue with the A/C if you are using heater.

Since this car is going to be chauffeur driven, less power shouldnt be an issue, the driver can always work the gears to get more. I have not heard the AC issue. The service and cost of ownership is high. No A.S.S in Kannur

Originally Posted by sivadas

5. SX4
back seat can accommodate only 2

Not true....Can seat 3 avearge built adults. This wont fit your budget.

That leaves only UVA and swift to decide between. I would suggest swift Zxi (keeping your budget in mind) for its value for money, service, cost of maintainence, reliability and resale value. What more reasons would you need?

[hari_rama]

Originally Posted by sivadas

I need to buy a car in Kerala for my Brother-in law. I mean I need to buy it with his money. He is not very sure on the budget, but I assume it could be around 6-6.5lacs. The usage would be minimum, will be mainly used by my mother in-law chauffeur driven(brother in-law is working abroad). She has problem with one leg and is not comfortable getting into low seat cars.

i think it should be the SX4 then......being a maruti am sure tht there wud be atleast a service station around the locality....also as from the reviews on tbhp,the suv ground clearance & the seat level makes the ingress and egress easy.....and yeah its rear seat is pretty comfortable too as from reviews.....

forget the swift as the car is to be used as a chauffer driven car....the incline of rear seat is very low (i mean its kinda vertical) and doesn feels comfortable atleast to me....also the ride is little stiff rite??

[vivekiny2k]

Originally Posted by sivadas

- Low on power, With 5 people, scrapes at speed breakers, I believe there is a known issue with the A/C if you are using heater.

heater, in kerala?


have you considered hyundai?

[swathyd]

Ikon is the only choice left, if you are not very particular go for a second hand baleno which has got the best rear seat than all other cars you mentioned above.

[mail4ajo]

Originally Posted by hari_rama

i think it should be the SX4 then......

SX4 is about 6.3L exshowroom in kerala. Onroad price will exceed the 6.5L budget he has.

[mail4ajo]

Originally Posted by swathyd

Ikon is the only choice left,

Imagine driving to Kochi (320kms) or Kozhikode (100+kms) for service. If it breaks down, you are doomed, unless Ford agrees to pick it up or you find a local service guy.

[mail4ajo]

Originally Posted by vivekiny2k

heater, in kerala?

have you considered hyundai?

If you can find a Accent GLE or GLS in stock, its really value for money and will fit the bill.

[hari_rama]

yes mail4ajo thts rite....sx4 VXi comes around 6.75lakhs onroad in trichur as i have heard...but then i think its worth.....if the car is for long term use,i would suggest sx4....its jus around 25k exceeding rite??

actually wen our family was buyin a car around a year ago,we had been looking at budget of around swift...but then fell in for baleno and even with budget constraints went for the low model baleno....and we are really happy with tht decision....
in his case the diff is around 25k rite??for tht he is getting a car which is the latest and have the modern engine from the suzuki and also new design....

[mail4ajo]

Originally Posted by hari_rama

in his case the diff is around 25k rite??for tht he is getting a car which is the latest and have the modern engine from the suzuki and also new design....

100% agree with Hari. If you can squeeze your budget (6.5L) a little more SX4 is a good option.

[benbsb29]

Sivadas, SX4 is a good option, and at the same time you could also take a look at the Fiesta 1.4 EXi, which i think falls in that range. [Someone please correct if wrong]

You did mention a Ford outlet in Kannur. Do they provide A.S.S. ?
The car being chauffer driven, the Flair is not a bad choice here. As for the heater issue, why would you need to use the heater in Kerala?

Accent GLE is also a good option, check it out. i feel with a budget of 6.5, you could look at options beyond the Swift. U-VA i dont feel is worth the price it commands.

[hari_rama]

just found this thread here in teambhp stating the hyundai phasing out the Hyundai Accent.so maybe as a used car option,u may get the crdi accents cheaper in market.dont know how good a second hand crdi will be though on maintanence side

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...tml#post441283

[nikkibike]

Why don't you checkout Wagon R! I prefer this car in your situation! Its an easy catch on your budget + the elders will find it easy to 'get in' and 'get out' from this car pretty comforatbly than any other car available at present!! You get decent boot space also!! Maintenance also wudn't be a problem tooo!! Get the 'duo' so that economy will be at par too !!

[sivadas]

Thanks every one (especially mail4ajo for the detailed reply) for your suggestions.
I saw a new Ford showroom in Kannur during my last trip. So a$$ is there, but not sure on the quality and parts cost.
I am a bit selfish here, as i will be using this car once I go to native (once in two months). That is the reason why Fusion has come up on top of others.

I will check out SX4 price there as well. I had a test drive here in bangalore couple of days back and really liked it. But like I said earlier, middle seat is terrible, my friend got back pain after sitting for 10 mts.

Need to check out the price of the one accent model available, can some one tell what is the ex-show room price of it in Kerala.

We need larger boot area as there are good chances that my father in-law will use it to ferry items like coconut, banana etc occasionally. Now dont tell me to go for a Sumo or Jeep.

And here is the problem with Flair which happened with couple of my friends:
Once you put the heater on and then try to put it onto cooler side, A/c stopped working. they had to switch off the engine completely and start again to make it normal.

Please continue giving your thoughts, I need to decide in next couple of weeks.

[sivadas]

Originally Posted by nikkibike

Why don't you checkout Wagon R! I prefer this car in your situation! Its an easy catch on your budget + the elders will find it easy to 'get in' and 'get out' from this car pretty comforatbly than any other car available at present!! You get decent boot space also!! Maintenance also wudn't be a problem tooo!! Get the 'duo' so that economy will be at par too !!

Pure selfishness . Though I am not going to use it daily, I want a better car.