[n.devdath]

Hi Shankar,
My personal fav still remains the Corolla. The decision is pretty simple.
The couple are getting a world class, proven, reliable, well maintained, sparingly used, clean history, comfortable, safe, durable and easy to drive car. The points in which the Corolla scores above the SX4 in my opinion are in bold.

I would recommend the Corolla unless they prefer to hear rattles rather than music a couple of years down the line.

I guess I have said my part to it. Just keep us informed about your purchase.

[kartho]

Originally Posted by gods-envy

A 2004, 45k model can be considered as a hardly-used toyota.

I would have agreed completely if it was a MT variant, an AT box used for 45k in city traffic bangalore (that too in the madenning BLR traffic), i really think 5.25 is too expensive for a AT box thats used in a congested city like BLR... just my thoughts !! Ofcourse I dont think SX4 should even be considered as a comparison, may be another good used car !!

[D.V.R]

I would go for the new SX4.The corolla might be a TOYOTA but it still is a car.The reliability of a new car will be better than a 5 year old car.

[manikjeet]

My friend has a 2003 corolla MT from the first lot and he abuses badly so say the least and the car has done about 2lac km but its still going strong and not a single rattle

and i also had 2006 model for a year and did around 70k without any problem

after all this experience i can say that 45k done corolla will be a good buy

[nirmaljusdoit]

HI,

My vote to the Toyota, quality and reliability of the vehicle, Toyota parts are engineered to a quality level much much higher that of Suzuki, & after all the world's largest seling vehicle ! Corollas are designed for markets around the world and the single most important model in Toyota's stable.

You can negotiate the prices downwards as the AT model didnt sell very well in the market, 45K kms, is relatively nothing for the Corolla and it can go on for atleast 3 lakh kms without needing any engine work !! (provided all the services are carried out on time and maintained properly)

Since the usage is not going to be much and FE not much of an issue, go for it, will not disappoint you,

Cheers,

[shankar.balan]

is there a way one can add a poll to this thread to get the number of responses in favour of each of the two choices?

[akas_chauhan]

I will go for corolla, it's built is far better than SX4 and i think 45K means around 25% of life done. Even they sell car after 5 years they will get around 2 lac, so 3.8 L for 5 years. If you sale a SX4 after 5 year it'll sell in hardly 3.5 Lac. So you paid around 5 Lac for 5 year and more insurance payment.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

is there a way one can add a poll to this thread to get the number of responses in favour of each of the two choices?

I thought you were in a hurry to decide. Do you still have time for a poll?

Moreover, going by the number of people who have answered in favor of the Corolla and the points substantiated by them, it becomes pretty evident that it is the clear winner here.

[neeraj_125]

My 2 cents:
One thing you should be careful about is what is emission standard of the old Corrola AT. Today BS3 &4 are norm for indian cars, you never know if govt of India makes it mandatory for all cars to be BS4, All car manufacturing companies are following BS4.
So there is a potential risk your are having by saving that 2.5 lac.

[Sn1p3r]

I never bought a second hand car, but here I would recommend the corolla. The car can not be compared to SX4. The comfort is poles apart (I have driven both), else just let them take a TD in both the cars, simple.

[shankar.balan]

thanks - I agree but rather doing a manual poll by counting and analysing each response it would be lovely to get it via the site itself - the indicator will tell the truth. can someone help? and can I request all the gentlemen who have been so kind to get on board this to simply say Y/N?

further gentlemen, the blessed SX4 AT comes only in Zxi trim and it costs Rs 9.64 Lacs on Road Bangalore - not 8.6 as earlier thought!!
One Straight Lac Rupees more so the difference is pretty huge in comparison with the Corolla.
Further the chap at the dealership said he would knock off 25000 on year end discount and give a few free accessories.
Taking all into account here we have an expenditure for a Brand New SX4 AT of Rs 9.25-9.3 Lacs and the used Corolla AT at about 5.8 (hopefully after negotiations and including new tyres and other necessary expenditure.)

So 9.25 vs 5.8 - straight difference of 3.5 lacs!

Lets see and do a test of the vehicle on the weekend and basis that my friend will be able to decide!

Now to chuck another googly into this fray - what do you think of a Brand New DZire MT instead of both the above options??

Reasonable price, Good GC, Quite tough, decent performance from the engine, basically good chassis and construction, servicing ease in Coorg, Easy to Drive, Comfortable, Easy to Park and get about; reasonable FE, inexpensive to maintain, reliable and basically a solid, sensible, family type sedan with more than adequate boot space - these are a few attributes that come to mind when thinking of a Dzire!

Forget about looks, prestige and badge value etc for the moment because frankly these things dont matter. What one wants is a good vehicle which will run peacefully and well for a minimum of 5 years.

What say the experts on TBHP to this Googly??

Keenly looking forward to your responses!

Originally Posted by n.devdath

I thought you were in a hurry to decide. Do you still have time for a poll?

Moreover, going by the number of people who have answered in favor of the Corolla and the points substantiated by them, it becomes pretty evident that it is the clear winner here.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

So 9.25 vs 5.8 - straight difference of 3.5 lacs!

This makes sense, so the Corolla it is I guess....

Lets see and do a test of the vehicle on the weekend and basis that my friend will be able to decide!

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Now to chuck another googly into this fray - what do you think of a Brand New DZire MT instead of both the above options??


Forget about looks, prestige and badge value etc for the moment because frankly these things dont matter. What one wants is a good vehicle which will run peacefully and well for a minimum of 5 years.

What say the experts on TBHP to this Googly??

Keenly looking forward to your responses!

This is not a googly in my opinion, it is a 'Dead Ball'.
Apart from the intangible things that you have mentioned, what about ABS, Airbags, more powerful ( which translates into easier driving in hilly areas) engine, more space and yes, far better crash worthiness in the Corolla.

Moreover, in your first post you had explicitly mentioned their preference for an automatic irrespective of its fuel efficiency. Now we are not only comparing 3 different segments but also apples and oranges.

The point here is so simple. The Corolla is a well made spacious comfortable and reliable car which best suits their minimal driving requirements. The rest is upto you.

[shankar.balan]

these points are fair and I have taken them well on board which is why Im planning to test that Corolla over the weekend and share feedback with my friend.
yes i know its a bit of an apples vs oranges thingy but while the preference may be for Automatic, one of the cars in their original consideration set was always the Dzire and the other was the Fiesta Diesel TDCI.

So lets re-work the options:
Option 1: Corolla USED H4 AT - 5.8 Lacs
Option 2: SX4 New AT - 9.3 lacs
Option 3: Dzire Top end MT- say about 7.5 lacs
Option 4: Fiesta TDCI MT - say about 7.5 odd lacs

A couple of points more:

• Somehow I dont subscribe to the idea of an SX4 AT being a "Rs 10 Lac" car - seems a bit too expensive at that kind of price.
• I have a concern on the Corolla only as far as the kind of beating that AT must have taken over the last 5 years in bumper to bumper Bangalore daily traffic especially since its been driven by paid drivers more than the owners. If something goes "PHUT" then it will cost an arm and a leg to repair, not to mention the down-time, service inconvenience etc.

So now, while it seems a bit of a muddle, it is a very real set of issues in our minds so I request your patience and help!

Cheers!

Apart from the intangible things that you have mentioned, what about ABS, Airbags, more powerful ( which translates into easier driving in hilly areas) engine, more space and yes, far better crash worthiness in the Corolla.

Moreover, in your first post you had explicitly mentioned their preference for an automatic irrespective of its fuel efficiency. Now we are not only comparing 3 different segments but also apples and oranges.

The point here is so simple. The Corolla is a well made spacious comfortable and reliable car which best suits their minimal driving requirements. The rest is upto you.[/quote]

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

So lets re-work the options:
Option 1: Corolla USED H4 AT - 5.8 Lacs
Option 2: SX4 New AT - 9.3 lacs
Option 3: Dzire Top end MT- say about 7.5 lacs
Option 4: Fiesta TDCI MT - say about 7.5 odd lacs

Option1: Yes, yes and yes due to the detailed discussions that have happened so far.

Option2: Not worth the investment looking into their needs.
Option3: Still costlier than Option1 and moreover, lacks the quality and build of Option1. And yes, I would rather have my parents drive a Corolla than a Dzire any day. Reason: Peace of Mind.
Option4: Hard to negate. Decent car, good space and frugal engine. Yet, the 1.5 lacs that you save over Option1 and the very less usage pattern means approximately the same running cost.

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

A couple of points more:

• Somehow I dont subscribe to the idea of an SX4 AT being a "Rs 10 Lac" car - seems a bit too expensive at that kind of price.
• I have a concern on the Corolla only as far as the kind of beating that AT must have taken over the last 5 years in bumper to bumper Bangalore daily traffic especially since its been driven by paid drivers more than the owners. If something goes "PHUT" then it will cost an arm and a leg to repair, not to mention the down-time, service inconvenience etc.

So now, while it seems a bit of a muddle, it is a very real set of issues in our minds so I request your patience and help!

Very simple answer to the topic of maintenance of the Corolla:

Automatics are "designed" with stop-go traffic in mind. This implies that if maintained as per schedule, they will run well. You say this car has been maintained as per schedule.

The use of its future owner doesnt involve stop-go traffic if that bothers you and moreover, the usage itself is very limited and sane.

Drivers can easily abuse manual cars than automatic because they can have more "fun" in them compared to auto boxes. Also, the owner will not tolerate an abusive driver for long periods. A talk with the driver will reveal his nature anyway apart from a check of the car at any Toyota ***.

[gods-envy]

Shankar,
The following table is an assumption of the depreciation for the next 5 years. I know this is not an exact number, but still can be used as an assumption.

Assumption - The three new cars that you have mentioned depreciate at 25% for the first year and 10% there after, where as the Corolla would just depreciate 10% for all the next 5 years.

SX4 Corolla Dzire Fiesta
2009 930000 580000 750000 750000
2010 697500 522000 525000 525000
2011 627750 469800 472500 472500
2012 564975 422820 425250 425250
2013 508478 380538 382725 382725
2014 457631 342485 344453 344453

As can be seen from the table, the difference in the car price after 5 years is just about a lakh. And I don't think thats a huge amount considering your investment.

Maintenance Cost - Keeping in mind the yearly running of about 10k, the maintenance cost for the Corolla would not be more than 5K. You can add another 5k to include consumables (if any that need replacement)

I am not sure how much the cost would be for servicing the other three cars, but I think it would be a little cheaper than the Corolla, but then think of your investment for the Corolla which is almost 1.7L cheaper than the cheapest cars listed here.

So my vote goes for the Corolla.