[acidkill]

Guys,

I am in the market for a 7-8 Lakh diesel car. Im from Chennai & Mumbai . My requirements are

1. I will drive for about 100 Km each day on B grade roads with loads of heavy traffic
2. I will be personally driving this car
3. I would like to use the same car for my weekend trips out of the city
4. The car should have above average social presence
5. It should be a refined, sturdy car with fair ground clearance
6. It must be fuel efficient (15 Kpl + ) with average creature comforts
7. It must have a boot
8. It must have a respectable total cost of ownership (purchase, resale, maintenance, ownership experience)


My shortlist is

1. Used C & D segment car like Cruze or Laura (please recommend)
2. Used Innova
3. Fiat Linea or Hyundai Verna
4. New Maruti Dzire / Tata Manza (trying to look as far away from it)


Request your suggestions

[sidindica]

get an indigo manza qjd aura plus, an all rounder that blends all your requirements.
EDIT: I too recommend the fiesta for most of the points, no turbo lag, hoot to drive, solid sturdy construction, fuel efficient, now maintenance costs is also lower. Do take a TD of both the cars.

[Gilead]

You have missed out on probably the best C segment diesel which is the Festa. A TDCi ZXi should be around 8 i think. Maybe you deliberately left it out because of high maintenance perception, but I think it's maintenance cost is on par with others in the segment. My opinion may be biased as I own a Fiesta (petrol) as well, but take a look at it anyway. It's a competent car and since you will be doing the driving yourself, it's a hoot to drive.

If you don't want the Fiesta, it has to be the Linea MJD.

[donarun]

Originally Posted by acidkill

My shortlist is

1. Used C & D segment car like Cruze or Laura (please recommend)
2. Used Innova
3. Fiat Linea or Hyundai Verna
4. New Maruti Dzire / Tata Manza (trying to look as far away from it)

Why not the ford fiesta, any specific reasons for it to be left out of your shortlist ?

[acidkill]

Guys,

Thanks for the inputs so far - please do keep them coming.

Why not Fiesta?:

Notwithstanding the Fiestas many merits, my main concern with 'Ford' stems after my ownership experience of the Ikon for 6 years. After problems with the high maintenance, low mileage, and poor resale i am going thru the 'once bitten twice shy feeling'.

Additionally, i do have a minor grouse that the car isn't well powered enough and it is also at the fag end of its lifecycle

[sachinj12]

I was about to suggest a Fiesta, now that you mentioned that you dont want it.

1. Linea/Verna
2. Dzire/ Manza. Both ugly looking. True VFM's

Stay away from used Skoda's. You never know. Their cars have an uncanny knack of failing as soon as the warranty ends.

[thedreamcatcher]

Have you though of the Elantra. I drove this car and was really impressed by its performance, space and handling.

You can also get a good car for around 6 lakhs and I am talking about a 2007 car.

[raka1o]

Logan Diesel might be an option at this budget. Its real VFM.....if look is very important then you might not want to consider this.

[rajivn]

What you went thru with Ikon, you may not go thru with Fiesta.
Infact we upgraded from Ikon 1.8D to Fiesta 1.4 TDCI 6months back after owning Ikon 1.8D for 4.5 yrs. The going has been good with Fiesta, service and spare parts are very reasonable and Fiesta is much more reliable than Ikon.

That said, Fiesta being at the fag end is a valid point, which even I considered when buying Fiesta 6months back. But, was hardly left with options and Linea seemed a bit risky proposition. And resale is also a valid concern. Though 1.4 TDCi resale is quite decent, Ford might further reduce prices when Ikon is stopped and when new Fiesta debuts. So quite uncertain scene.

I feel even Verna might be replaced next year. I think Linea is a very good option, though a slightly risky one. So, Linea would be my pick. You can find barely used Linea as well, for really good prices.

As far as used Cruze or Laura is concerned, its a good option to explore. If you find a good deal, its definitely worth considering. But, keep the A.S.S of Skoda in mind.

Dzire and Manza - I hate both.

[GTO]

You sure have a complicated set of requirements + heavy mileage (100 kms a day!!). I have some questions for you, which will enable us to advice better:

1. 100 kms with heavy traffic. Bumper to bumper traffic or highway?

2. How much time do you spend on the road everyday?

3. Why is a boot a "must-have"?

4. Are you open to automatics?

[acidkill]

Originally Posted by GTO

1. 100 kms with heavy traffic. Bumper to bumper traffic or highway?

2. How much time do you spend on the road everyday?

3. Why is a boot a "must-have"?

4. Are you open to automatics?

Due apologies, I'm glad i can amuse you! well here are my answers

1. 75% Highway , 25% city. Imagine driving in the suburbs of any city - from 1 construction site to another. Post that runabout, i have to drive back in to the city to handle admin, meet suppliers, and all the other jazz. But there is no bumper to bumper traffic 'a la' Mumbai in Chennai. Having just moved base to my hometown after 5 very glorious years in Mumbai, i can vouch for that one.

2. 2-3 hours types. I usually can avoid peak hour traffic in the evenings

3. Well apart from the commercial parameters discussed in a recent thread, a diesel car to me, is a logical choice only if its utility is maximized with a boot. Its also useful for frequent trips to my holiday home in Kodai

4. No problem with autos

[SunChaser]

I think you should check out a used Hyundai Tucson.. its a Suv for the 75% highway use, and compact like a car from the inside, which will serve you in traffic i.e 25% of your city use! I personally own one, have done a lot pune-banglore, mumbai-delhi runs in it. Its fab.! Gives me 14 to a litre, at 160kmph! And isnt too steep maintaining one too. Can give it a look..

[devarshi84]

Fiat linea will help social status and FE and is sturdy too. But It's not the best in any single factor.

Ford Fiesta's engine is weak on paper but the way it puts power down on road is awesome.

Hyundai Verna automatic should make the most sense considering you intend to drive a lot and it has loads of creature comforts. The diesel is powerful and a hoot to drive but the same cant be said for handling prowess.. My pick

Tata Indigo Manza is equally good as a Fiat Linea with less features for much cheaper pricetag than most cars.

A personal test drive will only reveal what car suits you best.

[jigbarai]

With so much of driving in traffic, you absolutely need an automatic.
The obvious choice : Verna AT CRDi
Ticks most of the boxes of your expectations.

Cruze is also a good car but Diesel + AT would go way above your budget.
And there are very few chances of finding one in the used market.

Another option - used Octy Diesel AT.

[imp!]

Perhaps the best option might be a 1-2 year old slightly used Sonata Diesel; you should be able to pick one up for quite cheap.