[Xehaust]

Hey Jaydeep,
I dont think ill be of immense help but i can put in a few pointers.
Thought i do not own any of the cars you have short listed, i have done some pretty extensive reading on them since i joined the forum. Personally, im very fond of the Palio since last year after i sat in my friends old palio. Was surprised at the build quality and the way it took his abusive driving and the bad roads. Im used to driving an Astra which is a sturdy car with the thud when you close the door and after 10 years, there are hardly any rattles or squeaks in the car and nor have i repaired any. The Palio was one of the closest i have come to the build quality of the astra.

After reading your posts, id say that Palio should be your 1st target.

Let me explain why:
1) Build Quality is excellent and since you said you want a reliable car, if serviced regularly, i think this is very reliable.

2) Yes, have heard of late that Tata have made significant progress with providing spares and services for Fiat, so i guess the spare scene is improving for Fiat cars.

3) Spares may be more expensive than the other cars you have shortlisted by i dont thing there is a huge difference. Furthermore though it will be more, but if you go to see, it is pretty affordable as no matter what car people buy, once its bought, no one sits and compares the spare prices anyways.

4) Whether you need to upgrade your tyres is completely dependant on your driving style. If it is just normal driving with once in a while dose of enthusiastic driving, then stock tyres are fine. If you are an enthusiastic driver, then upgrade is pretty much a given.

5) Dont buy the music system from the dealer under any circumstances. Firstly, your choice in head units is limited, and secondly, they charge way above, perhaps even double of what sole music system sellers will charge.

Since you have said you will use your ipod in the car, i would say go for a head unit which has auxiliry input on the front (on the panel itself) so that you can use any multimedia/mp3 player (ipod included) with it. I have one from pioneer and is very useful. You can check it out in my garage.

I would like to add here that when i bought my head unit, full ipod compatibily was not heard of by me and quite a few dealers i visited. Now, you get fully ipod compatible head units through which you can control the ipod from the head unit itself. Id recommend you go in for these as i can tell from personal experience that it is inconvenient to fiddle with the ipod while driving. Pioneer has good systems like these and is very budget friendly i should add that i am a pioneer fan and hence recommending this.
________________________________________

I hope the above helped you.

[Xehaust]

I just realised an oversight. A simple way to decide between the Palio and the i10 is based upon the roads you will be driving on. A no brainer would be:

Highways and bad roads = Palio
Congested, full of traffic route you will using most often = i10.

Though i have sung praises of the Palio in my previous post, i would like to say that the i10 is also a good competitor and a good car. A big plus goes to it on the merits of it being a hyundai and all hyundai, this being no exception, are frugal, peppy and rev-happy and enjoyable to drive and cheap to maintain.

Another thing going for the lil i10 is the interiors. Lovely interiors and if id suggest you go in for the top of the line Magna variant which will fulfill all your desires.
It has a good audio system prefitted and has auxiliry in inbuilt next to the handbrake so you can connect your ipod to it.
It is cheap to maintain and will give great fuel effeciency, much more than the palio. And im sure it is very reliable. Brownie points will be the sunroof and the gear position. Another brownie point will be that as soon as you take delivery, you are all set, no running to get an aftermarket audio system installed as it already comes with a good one with a connection for your ipod.

Furthermore, in traffic the palio will be a little cumbersome to drive (Due to the tank build quality), whereas the i10 will be right at home (light car and small, fit anywhere dimensions) and you will be fresh as a daisy after you reach your destination.

Finally, another point which will help in the deciding process will be to decide whether you would like to keep the car for a long term (say 5 yrs or more) or change after or within 5yrs. If you would maintain it very well and keep it long term (Over 5 yrs) - Palio.

If the less then or approximately till 5 yrs and then buying a new car - then i10. Korean cars are best owned for a short term basis and im sure they are made that way - to be cheap to buy, cheap to own, fun to drive and fun to own, but only for upto 5 yrs, then the build quality starts affecting a bit.
Remember, keep this point (Long term, short term) only as an extra point to help you decide and not the main factor for your decision.

[crosscap]

Ah! xehaust. Your review came in just nick of time! Thank you! Thank you!

In fact today I was just pondering over and comparing two cars : i10 and Palio Stile. What a pleasant surprise and coincidence! You have seriously discussed these two cars. Yesterday, I bought the magazine "What car?",a sibling of Autocar India magazine. In the buyer's guide section of that mag., I found the following :

1. Palio Stile(All variants) : Rating - 3 star => average, FE = 10.2/15.1 km/l for city/highway. Service costs(3 yrs/30K km.) = Rs. 7000/-
for SL and SLE, however it is Rs. 17800/- for SLX. Why is this discrepancy?About its cons they wrote "engine feels sluggish and too many vibrations."

Can you kindly ask your friend about his palio's mileage? Did he face any technical problems?

2. i10(all variants) : Rating 4 star => good, FE = 12.1/16.2 km/l for city/highway. For other things, they don't have any data since it's launched only few months back.

Their recommendation wa obvious : i10. Moreover, they have a brief review on Indigo CS which they highly recommended.

Personally I liked Palio very much. Its solid built, firm grip on the road will surely give an edge over i10 in highway driving. What do you say? Though I mostly drive within city, during vacation, I plan to go out for a long trip throughout India. On the other hand, when I think about its mileage and resale value, I feel disappointed. I feel I should go for i10. You readingabout Korean car's life-cycle is true. I know that very well. I have not yet decided but I hope I will keep this car for 5 years.

i10 Magna-o is beyond my current budget. If I buy, I'll go for Magna.

On Monday, I am going to visit the Hyundai dealer. I am going to press them for giving me a good deal.

Your feedback about music system, in particular compatibilty with ipod is very useful. It's obvious you have read my post in great detil. Thank you. Allahabad being a small town, it would be difficult to find out a dealer for Pioneer. I shall try. Pioneer is one of my favourite brands. I have an old tape deck from Pioneer. However, I found from Blaupunkt website that the Tata dealer from Alld. is also the authorized Blaupunkt dealer. So if I go for either Tata or Fiat, can't I buy the music system from them? They gave me a quote for a basic Blaupunkt system(HU + speaker ). It's around Rs. 8450/-. Is this reasonable? I have Mumbai MP26 inmy mind. Blaupunkt's website says it is compatible with ipod. Can anybody kindly give feedback on it?

[rajneeesh]

The Swift Dzire is geting launced on Mar 26. You can go for the ZXi with all the goodies and it should fit your budget as well.

[Nakul Kishan]

Hi Crosscap,
Now you have a wider choice. Swift Dzire is in the same bracket. Check it out at Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire

[codemarauder]

Originally Posted by crosscap

However, I found from Blaupunkt website that the Tata dealer from Alld. is also the authorized Blaupunkt dealer. So if I go for either Tata or Fiat, can't I buy the music system from them? They gave me a quote for a basic Blaupunkt system(HU + speaker ). It's around Rs. 8450/-. Is this reasonable? I have Mumbai MP26 inmy mind. Blaupunkt's website says it is compatible with ipod. Can anybody kindly give feedback on it?

In my Palio 1.6, I have London MP37, GTx693 in the rear and GTc 543 in front. 6 speakers in all as GTc comes with tweaters. It costed me 13500/- in Gurgaon.

And yes, compatibility with iPod is conditional - you have to purchase an iPod interface for 4,000/- seperately. Best bet is to buy an 3.5mm jack aux cable for 20/- and connect your iPod.

You may go for a basic HU but choose good speakers. Blaupunkt is OEM for Fiat India. Every thing fits in the slot and no wire cutting is required.

[ezee]

I dont know why you want to spend 5 lacks on small cars when a abolute VFM car Logan (Petrol) is available in same range?

Petrol 1.4 GLE 467210 Petrol 1.4 GLX 492217

These are Allahabad prices, there are many here driving GLE and till now I have not found one dissatisfied owner.

You may check review posted by one of my friend Ashutosh for his GLE here - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...5-000-kms.html

[crosscap]

Originally Posted by Nakul Kishan

Hi Crosscap,
Now you have a wider choice. Swift Dzire is in the same bracket. Check it out at Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire

Hi Nakul and Rajneesh,

Thank you very much for your reply. I know about the launch of Swift dzire. However, I have reduced my budget from 6L as mentioned in my post on page 3. I would love to TD this car. Probably in future, I will go for a big car.

[crosscap]

Originally Posted by codemarauder

In my Palio 1.6, I have London MP37, GTx693 in the rear and GTc 543 in front. 6 speakers in all as GTc comes with tweaters. It costed me 13500/- in Gurgaon.

And yes, compatibility with iPod is conditional - you have to purchase an iPod interface for 4,000/- seperately. Best bet is to buy an 3.5mm jack aux cable for 20/- and connect your iPod.

You may go for a basic HU but choose good speakers. Blaupunkt is OEM for Fiat India. Every thing fits in the slot and no wire cutting is required.

Hey codemarauder, many thanks for your feedback on the music system. Yes, ipod compatibility is absolutely essential for me. Is your HU compatible with ipod or did you buy a separate adapter as mentioned?

The tata dealer said that they can fit in Blaupunkt HU and speakers even in Indigo CS.

How is your experience with Palio Stile Sport? I know it's low on mileage, but how was its performance? Was their any trouble? How was your dealer and their service?

[crosscap]

Originally Posted by ezee

I dont know why you want to spend 5 lacks on small cars when a abolute VFM car Logan (Petrol) is available in same range?

Petrol 1.4 GLE 467210 Petrol 1.4 GLX 492217

These are Allahabad prices, there are many here driving GLE and till now I have not found one dissatisfied owner.

You may check review posted by one of my friend Ashutosh for his GLE here - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...5-000-kms.html

Hi ezee, thank you for your reply. When I started looking for acar in Alld, there was no dealer in this town. Later I didn't check Mahindra-Renault website to check whether they have got any dealer in Alld. I have reached an advacned stage of the decision making process. Since most of the dealers are offerring some good deal in MArch which will not be available after this month, I am afraid, I am little bit late to start the process of TD etc. with Logan. However, I shall try to do so. I am planning to strike a deal before 31st of March.

[codemarauder]

Originally Posted by crosscap

Yes, ipod compatibility is absolutely essential for me. Is your HU compatible with ipod or did you buy a separate adapter as mentioned?

The tata dealer said that they can fit in Blaupunkt HU and speakers even in Indigo CS.

How is your experience with Palio Stile Sport? I know it's low on mileage, but how was its performance? Was their any trouble? How was your dealer and their service?

You can read my ownership experience here:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ms-update.html

In short, I am really delighted. Mileage is not that low - it varies between 10 to 12 kmpl in the city depending on my driving style and in my last trip from Gurgaon to Lucknow I got 16kmpl. The power is awesome and its addictive.

You may go through Blaupunkt India - The advantage in your car. for detailed features of different HUs. I have not yet bought the interface for iPod but instead I use front Aux-in socket to connect. I would still advise you to go for better speakers.

[crosscap]

Originally Posted by codemarauder

In my Palio 1.6, I have London MP37, GTx693 in the rear and GTc 543 in front. 6 speakers in all as GTc comes with tweaters. It costed me 13500/- in Gurgaon.

Today the tata dealer gave me the following quotation : Mumbai MP 26 HU + BGX 402 front speakers + GTX 693 HP for rear, totalling Rs. 12500/-. If I buy the car from them, this price will be negotiable.

[Xehaust]

Originally Posted by crosscap

Ah! xehaust. Your review came in just nick of time! Thank you! Thank you!Your very welcome.

Can you kindly ask your friend about his palio's mileage? Did he face any technical problems? He doesnt maintain his car at all so i dont know about that, as for FE, he is saying that for some reason he gets around 13 - 15 nowdays. He himself is shocked.

My answers in bold. Also, about the blaupunkt system, i dont know much about the prices and details so i guess someone with knowledge on that will be able to help you out.

Another thing is, the Logan did not hit my mind at the time but do try to take a TD and consider it as well. It fits perfectly with your usage and is a perfect balance of the pros of the Palio & the i10.

[crosscap]

After spending lot of hours on thinking, I decided to shortlist the following two cars for the final round :

1. Tata Indigo CS
2. Fiat Palio Stile 1.1 SLX

I dropped i10 from the list mainly because of two reasons :

a) It's overpriced, though it's actually a compact hatchback: it's actually slightly wider santro with nice interiors.
b) The sales manager was very rude. This is a minor issue. But it would be difficult for me to face that person again if I purchase the car from there. The agent was a very polite guy though.
c) Contrary to all the reports here and in other forums with lot of Tata-Fiat bashing, I found the sales manager and his team in the Tata sales dept. in Alld., to be very polite and honest. In fact, I bashed them a lot. They were defensive and told me that the after sales guys are not well trained like guys in Maruti. However, they are trying theri level best to adopt that culture.

I shall go for booking today. I have to decide which one I should go for.

[crosscap]

I am really excited! 26th of March, 2008, is an important day in my life. I have booked a red Indigo CS GLS . Palio stile owners, I am really sorry. At the final moment, my dad said to me : "It's your hard-earned money and you are in academics. If you say that the resale of fiat is poor, think twice before taking the decision." So almost at the eleventh hour, I decided to go for the Indigo CS. Fiat owners, thank you very much for your help and feedback. I think my second car in India would be a fiat : Grande Punto looks terrific.

Financing will be done through my bank. So the purchasing is still not over. I shall be out of town from tomorrow. That complicates the matter. The dealer wants the full money by 31st of March. They said that the price might go up a little bit in April due to increase in the cost of iron. Are they playing any game here? I shall be back in Alld. on 31st morning. If I can complete the formalities regarding guarantor for the financing, I am almost through. The bank will issue a pay order or cheque to the Tata dealer on Monday.

Since I opted for the red colour, the dealer said that they already have a red new car. I am confused about the odometer reading. The odometer is digital. Does such an odometer show a fraction of a km? The reading at present is 602. I thought it's 602 km. The dealer said that it is 6.02 km. Can somebody please help on this regard? The sales manager admitted that due to high demand, they sometimes send a new vehicle booked by somebody, for test drive. I tld them strictly that such practice should be avoided with my car. I said that if the odometer reading is indeed six hundred and two km, I would not take that vehicle.

Hope this car doesn't disappoint me.

I a using this thread as a diary. As I grow older and look back into this thread, it will remind me of all the nitty-gritty details I went through

Ithink this is my 50th post. What a coincidence to be graduated from a newbie to BHP-ian!