Help decide a car for parents

ampere · 11th February 2010, 21:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by khoj

@ampere

That is an ATKT for you.

That is his parents plan, our man is having other ideas

I thought since his parents were zeroing in on DZire, convince them for an i20.

Since they are OK to change the Santro by the year end to a high-end Japanese car, you can get best of both worlds.

A Hot hatch and a powerful highway companion !

chevelle · 13th February 2010, 15:57

I am not too convinced on i20 and a sedan later. Because whatever job i20 will be doing, that is doing city rounds, that can be done in santro too. If the same purpose can be fulfilled in half price, why pay more? ya i know much better safety, features and size. But with respect to price we pay, i am not sure if its the way to go. The saved money can go towards the down payment for sedan or towards some other things.

Nevertheless, i will suggest ampere's idea to them.

Also talked with Kiran Motors, they said dzire 1.2 has 4 months waiting. He is aware of some short comings of dzire, but he is apprehensive on trying Ford, GM, Fiat due to respective owner's(dad's business friends) response regarding a.s.s in Baroda for each of them. Almost all brands are covered in his group so whenever he suggests some make, they have an example of their own experience which makes him nervous.

Sorry for such long post, but this is how the talks go whenever we start topic on what car.

khoj · 6th March 2010, 23:32

Hey chevelle

Saw your post in the Hindi movies thread. Are you back in Baroda? If yes, then should we look forward to a culmination of the search for the new car.

shreeps · 8th March 2010, 00:22

Just came across your thread and read all the posts. Did you TD the new SX4 that was launched during last Diwali? How did that stack up in your priority list?

Well the bottom line is that there is NO perfect car. Each car will fall short in something or the other. There are 2 ways in which you can zero in:
1. What you will need to do is first eliminate the "dealbreakers" (cars which have things you cannot stand be it features, price, looks, a.s.s etc) then out of the contenders still remaining, choose the one that all of you feel happy about. This is what I call the head over heart approach.

2. Choose the car that pulls your heartstrings and you will be able to live with its quirks without grumbling later on

all the best and do let us know when the big decision is taken.

khoj · 30th April 2010, 18:18

Chevelle,

Saw your post in the Hindi movies thread again. So were you able to take this car business forward while you were here.

chevelle · 30th April 2010, 18:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by shreeps

Just came across your thread and read all the posts. Did you TD the new SX4 that was launched during last Diwali? How did that stack up in your priority list?

Well the bottom line is that there is NO perfect car. Each car will fall short in something or the other. There are 2 ways in which you can zero in:
1. What you will need to do is first eliminate the "dealbreakers" (cars which have things you cannot stand be it features, price, looks, a.s.s etc) then out of the contenders still remaining, choose the one that all of you feel happy about. This is what I call the head over heart approach.

2. Choose the car that pulls your heartstrings and you will be able to live with its quirks without grumbling later on

all the best and do let us know when the big decision is taken.

I am sorry for not replying earlier. SX4 isn't consider due to 'status' requirement of my dad. Otherwise its a pretty competent car. He needs a car that makes him look good among his business associates and friends.

Thanks for your unique suggestion of narrowing on a car. Will surely follow it to come up with something.

Quote:

Originally Posted by khoj

Chevelle,

Saw your post in the Hindi movies thread again. So were you able to take this car business forward while you were here.

Hey Khoj, i was there last year. haven't been able to come to India this year. But my family tested polo (rejected - lack of rear space and noisy engine), i20 - still under consideration but in 2 minds, fiesta - now out of contention due to a.s.s issues specific to Ford-Baroda faced by my dad's friends and less rear space for my parents, new sx4 - low quality interior for 8 lac car and not desirable enough..
Still in - verna, city, aveo and the least desired option of settling for dzire and i20 if nothing else comes up and then upgrade to 2 segment up.

Also, plan may be pushed to Diwali due to news of upcoming polo sedan and Toyota etios sedan.

So this is how its panning out. just expect surprises to be honest.

jayanth_yk · 3rd May 2010, 16:32

How about a used Honda Civic. GTO got almost new CIVIC for 8-8.5 ish. A used Honda is defnitely true VFM because of the reliability that the brand commands. I am sure your parents enjoy the ride as well.

chevelle · 10th May 2010, 17:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by jayanth_yk

How about a used Honda Civic. GTO got almost new CIVIC for 8-8.5 ish. A used Honda is defnitely true VFM because of the reliability that the brand commands. I am sure your parents enjoy the ride as well.

Jayanth, you have good sixth sense

. Reason: We are indeed looking for an used Civic. Yes GTO's grand deal has indeed influenced me to search for one.

Didn't really wanted to update till everything was concrete which it is not. Have laid eyes on a 2008 - 28k run pre-owned Civic. Lets see how it goes.

spadix · 12th May 2010, 12:08

From the thread it looks like the Indigo family isn't really under consideration, but my parents are extremely happy with their Indigo LX (~4 years, 52900 kms so far). For them it was an upgrade from an M800.

I've outlined some of the reasons in this post, but I'm sure you've received those inputs already here.

That said, a used City/Civic will definitely command much more respect from peers and I can say that they (the City especially) is more driveable in urban traffic. The Indigo does lose some points in the urban driveability stakes.

Regards,
Spadix

jayanth_yk · 12th May 2010, 20:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by chevelle

Jayanth, you have good sixth sense

. Reason: We are indeed looking for an used Civic. Yes GTO's grand deal has indeed influenced me to search for one.

Didn't really wanted to update till everything was concrete which it is not. Have laid eyes on a 2008 - 28k run pre-owned Civic. Lets see how it goes.

Just go for it chevelle, A used Honda is any day is a better bet. Just follow the guide to buy used car from T-BHP. Auto Terrace from Honda is also a good option.

chevelle · 14th May 2010, 07:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by jayanth_yk

Just go for it chevelle, A used Honda is any day is a better bet. Just follow the guide to buy used car from T-BHP. Auto Terrace from Honda is also a good option.

The 2008 civic is a total no-no. was very badly maintained. Service history was also not upto the mark. So the hunt is still on.

V-16 · 14th May 2010, 14:16

May i suggest you look at the pre-owned cars market. You can get some very very decent deals. Since its for your parents and you mentioned your mother would also be driving it occasionally, i would go in for an automatic. Trust me, get them to try an automatic car and if they atre not sold on it, im prepared to loose anything.

A decent Skoda Laura L&K spec will within our budget, so will a nice Toyota Corolla A/T. I know diesel sounds good but you will be wasting your money if you are not going to be doing in excess of 200-300 kms per day. Then account for the high maintainance and earlier service intervals. Even a Honda City would be a good pick. Pick and choose and dont be stuck to a car model. Usually go around and do some window shopping. IMHO, the net is the worst place to look for a bargain. Most cars i have seen advertised on the net are almost always overpriced. Just an observation.

chevelle · 14th May 2010, 14:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by V-16

May i suggest you look at the pre-owned cars market. Since its for your parents and you mentioned your mother would also be driving it occasionally, i would go in for an automatic. Trust me, get them to try an automatic car and if they atre not sold on it, im prepared to loose anything.

A decent Skoda Laura L&K spec will within our budget, so will a nice Toyota Corolla A/T. I know diesel sounds good but you will be wasting your money if you are not going to be doing in excess of 200-300 kms per day. Then account for the high maintainance and earlier service intervals. Even a Honda City would be a good pick. Pick and choose and dont be stuck to a car model. Usually go around and do some window shopping. IMHO, the net is the worst place to look for a bargain. Most cars i have seen advertised on the net are almost always overpriced. Just an observation.

Thanks for your opinion.

Diesel is totally out of question. We don't do much travel, its around 4000-5000 kms a year. Yes we are looking at pre-owned market but my dad is not too keen on it. I am though pushing for it.

They are not too keen to get it from dealers, so we are just inquiring in our friend circle if anyone is willing to sell a decent sedan. Came across a friend's civic, rejected due to bad service history, was late on a skoda octavia, got sold before we could talk to owner. My bro's friend had a lancer, it had done 100,000+ kms so we weren't too keen on that as it had done so many kms. It got sold too.

My bro is doing all the search for me while i am in CA. He went to Aspen/Apex Honda, they had pre-owned city on sale but they were asking high price for it. It was late 2005 model and asking price was Rs 5.75 lakhs. They were willing to go till Rs. 5.60 lakhs and not even a penny less. So again it was rejected.

And yes, as you mentioned, we are not at all looking online.

So yes, the hunt is still going but still hitting a wall time and again.

battada · 17th September 2010, 11:29

Folks,
I am in the same situation as our friend Chevelle is.
Users: Parents
Budget: < 8L (cannot go any further)
Monthly run: <800 KM, mostly highway with luggage
Place: Visakhapatnam, AP.
wish to keep it 5+ years
Preference: Good driving comfort, cabin insulation, rear seat comfort
Power is not a big factor

We are considering the following cars -
Linea Dynamic
Fiesta ZXI
SX4 VXI (marginally crossing the budget)
Aveo??

The issue is they like the Linea going by the looks, but I am not very sure about Fiat and Parents going together very well. The big questions is if it will remain hasle free say 5 years down the line.
Fiesta is a generation old and a new launch is due very soon.

can you pls. advise?

shankar.balan · 17th September 2010, 11:52

have you considered the Tata Manza?
It really is a very good car given the stuff it comes loaded with.
And it is extremely spacious and comfortable indeed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by battada

Folks,
I am in the same situation as our friend Chevelle is.
Users: Parents
Budget: < 8L (cannot go any further)
Monthly run: <800 KM, mostly highway with luggage
Place: Visakhapatnam, AP.
wish to keep it 5+ years
Preference: Good driving comfort, cabin insulation, rear seat comfort
Power is not a big factor

We are considering the following cars -
Linea Dynamic
Fiesta ZXI
SX4 VXI (marginally crossing the budget)
Aveo??

The issue is they like the Linea going by the looks, but I am not very sure about Fiat and Parents going together very well. The big questions is if it will remain hasle free say 5 years down the line.
Fiesta is a generation old and a new launch is due very soon.

can you pls. advise?

13th February 2010, 15:57	#62
chevelle Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: sacto Posts: 1,299 Thanked: 552 Times View My Garage	I am not too convinced on i20 and a sedan later. Because whatever job i20 will be doing, that is doing city rounds, that can be done in santro too. If the same purpose can be fulfilled in half price, why pay more? ya i know much better safety, features and size. But with respect to price we pay, i am not sure if its the way to go. The saved money can go towards the down payment for sedan or towards some other things. Nevertheless, i will suggest ampere's idea to them. Also talked with Kiran Motors, they said dzire 1.2 has 4 months waiting. He is aware of some short comings of dzire, but he is apprehensive on trying Ford, GM, Fiat due to respective owner's(dad's business friends) response regarding a.s.s in Baroda for each of them. Almost all brands are covered in his group so whenever he suggests some make, they have an example of their own experience which makes him nervous. Sorry for such long post, but this is how the talks go whenever we start topic on what car. Last edited by chevelle : 13th February 2010 at 15:58.
	() Thanks

6th March 2010, 23:32	#63
khoj Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Dilli Posts: 2,718 Thanked: 1,287 Times View My Garage	Hey chevelle Saw your post in the Hindi movies thread. Are you back in Baroda? If yes, then should we look forward to a culmination of the search for the new car.
	() Thanks

8th March 2010, 00:22	#64
shreeps BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pune Posts: 271 Thanked: 20 Times	Just came across your thread and read all the posts. Did you TD the new SX4 that was launched during last Diwali? How did that stack up in your priority list? Well the bottom line is that there is NO perfect car. Each car will fall short in something or the other. There are 2 ways in which you can zero in: 1. What you will need to do is first eliminate the "dealbreakers" (cars which have things you cannot stand be it features, price, looks, a.s.s etc) then out of the contenders still remaining, choose the one that all of you feel happy about. This is what I call the head over heart approach. 2. Choose the car that pulls your heartstrings and you will be able to live with its quirks without grumbling later on all the best and do let us know when the big decision is taken.
	() Thanks

30th April 2010, 18:18	#65
khoj Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Dilli Posts: 2,718 Thanked: 1,287 Times View My Garage	Chevelle, Saw your post in the Hindi movies thread again. So were you able to take this car business forward while you were here. Last edited by khoj : 30th April 2010 at 18:20.
	() Thanks

3rd May 2010, 16:32	#67
jayanth_yk BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 314 Thanked: 2 Times	How about a used Honda Civic. GTO got almost new CIVIC for 8-8.5 ish. A used Honda is defnitely true VFM because of the reliability that the brand commands. I am sure your parents enjoy the ride as well.
	() Thanks

12th May 2010, 12:08	#69
spadix Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 1,022 Thanked: 207 Times	From the thread it looks like the Indigo family isn't really under consideration, but my parents are extremely happy with their Indigo LX (~4 years, 52900 kms so far). For them it was an upgrade from an M800. I've outlined some of the reasons in this post, but I'm sure you've received those inputs already here. That said, a used City/Civic will definitely command much more respect from peers and I can say that they (the City especially) is more driveable in urban traffic. The Indigo does lose some points in the urban driveability stakes. Regards, Spadix
	() Thanks

14th May 2010, 14:16	#72
V-16 Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2005 Location: mumbai Posts: 4,594 Thanked: 950 Times View My Garage	May i suggest you look at the pre-owned cars market. You can get some very very decent deals. Since its for your parents and you mentioned your mother would also be driving it occasionally, i would go in for an automatic. Trust me, get them to try an automatic car and if they atre not sold on it, im prepared to loose anything. A decent Skoda Laura L&K spec will within our budget, so will a nice Toyota Corolla A/T. I know diesel sounds good but you will be wasting your money if you are not going to be doing in excess of 200-300 kms per day. Then account for the high maintainance and earlier service intervals. Even a Honda City would be a good pick. Pick and choose and dont be stuck to a car model. Usually go around and do some window shopping. IMHO, the net is the worst place to look for a bargain. Most cars i have seen advertised on the net are almost always overpriced. Just an observation.
	() Thanks

17th September 2010, 11:29	#74
battada BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 77 Thanked: 2 Times	Caught up in the same situation Folks, I am in the same situation as our friend Chevelle is. Users: Parents Budget: < 8L (cannot go any further) Monthly run: <800 KM, mostly highway with luggage Place: Visakhapatnam, AP. wish to keep it 5+ years Preference: Good driving comfort, cabin insulation, rear seat comfort Power is not a big factor We are considering the following cars - Linea Dynamic Fiesta ZXI SX4 VXI (marginally crossing the budget) Aveo?? The issue is they like the Linea going by the looks, but I am not very sure about Fiat and Parents going together very well. The big questions is if it will remain hasle free say 5 years down the line. Fiesta is a generation old and a new launch is due very soon. can you pls. advise?
	() Thanks