[condor]

Originally Posted by abheekg

Are ford spares not at all available in the markets. I reckon that since I am buying a second hand car, most of my servicing will be done by the friendly roadside mechanic. Will the roadside mechanic be competent enough to handle such cars if I am not depending on Ford A.S.S. ? Thats a big question

@Abheek, if you notice the example I gave for Ford's monopolistic practices, you will see that Ford will not release the more critical spares outside of their control. Smaller spares may be available.

While your F.N.G will be able to do regular servicing, it is very likely that the bigger stuff will have to be done at the A.S.S - and anything wrong at that time will be put on the F.N.G. And a possibly with a good size bill to boot.

[lloydofcochin]

Dr.Ghosh,

Here is my 2 cents!

I might be pilloried for this but I'm throwing in the Palio Stile SDX her as a possible option for you.

FIAT is still producing the Palio in limited numbers on order and if you can get one under the Dhamaka scheme you might well get a brand new car for 4.5 lacs! I got mine for 4.63 lacs OTR here in Bangalore

Boy O boy this is a lovely vehicle and comes with the famed Multijet (National) engine. It just flies on the highways and is a lovely car to drive. I can vouch for this since in just 5 months of ownership my Car's odo reads 19190 Kms

The Palio is built like a tank and the interior space is good and at 280 ltrs it has a pretty spacious boot for a hatch. The Palio's service intervals are good at 7500kms and that means that you will visit the service station only 3-4 times a year.

I've been to the much derided FIAT A.S.S 3 times for servicing and all of them have been extremely pleasant experiences. FIAT has taken extra care to ensure that the customers are taken care of very well and have acted upon every bit of feedback given.

As per the Dhamaka offer the Car comes with Extended warranty - 18+18 months and 4yr Road Side assistance + 1st yr insurance is free.

Now coming to the cons - The parts might be a lil expensive in the long run

Cheers
Lloyd

[anoopash]

Go for the Fiesta , the news of new fiesta around the corner helped the resale of fiesta go down more. Fiesta Classic has been launched so finding spares for Fiesta will never be a problem. If you can get a low mileage car then I strongly recommend a Fiesta

[bluevolt]

I would suggest you Maruti Swift diesel. It will be cheap to maintain, run and availability of spare parts will not be an issue at all. As the car is available widely in second hand market you may fetch a good deal also. Happy hunting.

[archat68]

+1
I recently bought a Nov 2007 Swift VDi clocked 33K KM for 3.15L in Kolkata. The car needs minor paintwork but no obvious mechanical problem is there.

[dhanushs]

My choice would be Ford Fiesta.

Considering the below average resale of Ford cars you might find some excellent VFM examples.

Also, regarding your priorities:

• Engine should be fuel efficient giving 15+ kmpl in city - Check
• Should be a comfortable highway cruiser. - Check
• Should be spacious - Rear is comfortable, but not as spacios as Manza, Logan, but much better than the Swift/Ritz.
• Should have good Ground clearance - Yes, they do have good GC.
• Should be a proven performer - Check, proven mill
• Should not be too heavy on the pocket to maintain - Well, the Maruthi's will be bit more cheap, but Fiesta will not be too high either.
• This will be my daily driving car.. Great Drivers car!
• My max budget is 4.5 Lakhs - Yes, you can get a mid 2008 model Fiesta for this price. Especially now, after these massive price cuts by Ford.

Well, as for Fiesta, apart from critical parts, you will get most of them outside A.S.S. So, a planned maintenance schedule will save you some $$$.

[dot]

Originally Posted by abheekg

Where was this study published? Can you give me a lead so that I could check it up.

I read this in a magazine sometime during the middle of 2010. Sorry, can't recall the name. All I remember that Fiesta's parts and service cost were as competitive as others and in some cases lower.

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by dot

I read this in a magazine sometime during the middle of 2010. Sorry, can't recall the name. All I remember that Fiesta's parts and service cost were as competitive as others and in some cases lower.

Your right mate!. I saw this in the Ford dealership some two months ago. The IKON was pitted against the Dezire and logan. and IIRC, the Fiesta was pitted against the SX4 and the Verna.

It covered all parts, including accidental repair cost.

I think even the Figo has one. If possible, I'll try to source a scan of one of these.

[torquecurve]

Originally Posted by abheekg

Indigo CS may be a good option. But isn't the engine on this car a e-Series engine ? How good is this engine with regards to fuel efficiency and maintenance. If I include the indigo cs in my list, that throws up a lot of interesting and I believe low budget options.



regards,
Dr. A Ghosh

The E-CS is sold on fuel efficiency. I am sure you have seen the ads. Why dont you consider the Vista QJD, you can get a new Terra model and it is a superb car. Checks almost all the boxes you want!

[mdsaab]

I think the logan with about 172mm of ground clearance is quite adequate.
Add to this the wheelbase of 2630mm and i dont think bottoming out will be of much concern.
This is purely based on figures as i have not taken a logan out on the highway or over high speedbreakers.
Spares will not be a problem. And mahindra is retailing this car now without the renault badge.
Also while looking at the figures i noticed the rear seat width is a massive 141cm. So no doubt the rear seat passengers are going to be a happy bunch.

Originally Posted by dot

I read this in a magazine sometime during the middle of 2010. Sorry, can't recall the name. All I remember that Fiesta's parts and service cost were as competitive as others and in some cases lower.

I think you read this in autocar india, if i am not mistaken. I remember reading this too.
Ford India have come to realise that people like no wait love their cars after testing them.
But there main concern was the high cost of spares and service. Knowing this will affect the brand in the long term. Ford made it a point to reduce the cost of their spares and match prices with the competition. Even reducing the cost of many spares below competitiors. From this move, one could tell that Ford had turned serious and wanted to make an impact in the Indian market. One which they successfully did with the Figo. And just look at ford today, a giant leap ahead from where they were a few years ago.

[roy_libran]

Originally Posted by mdsaab

I think the logan with about 172mm of ground clearance is quite adequate.
Add to this the wheelbase of 2630mm and i dont think bottoming out will be of much concern.
This is purely based on figures as i have not taken a logan out on the highway or over high speedbreakers.
Spares will not be a problem. And mahindra is retailing this car now without the renault badge.
Also while looking at the figures i noticed the rear seat width is a massive 141cm. So no doubt the rear seat passengers are going to be a happy bunch.

I can happily certify to these figures. These numbers hold the owner in very good stead, under the very bad road conditions we encounter in India. Just yesterday, I took my car over a nasty hump that had been created to mount an open drain near NH8, ahead of Manesar. It was very nasty and had four people in the car. No bottom scraping at all.

[mdsaab]

Originally Posted by roy_libran

I can happily certify to these figures. These numbers hold the owner in very good stead, under the very bad road conditions we encounter in India. Just yesterday, I took my car over a nasty hump that had been created to mount an open drain near NH8, ahead of Manesar. It was very nasty and had four people in the car. No bottom scraping at all.

and there you have it a certification for the same. I think the Logan is making quite a strong case for itself here. What makes me point you towards the Logan is the sheer VFM on offer here.

[ObsessedByFIAT]

abheekg,

When you have a good budget of 4.5 lacs, you can eaisly get base model of Figo or TATA cars.

Else you can also get a very good condition Palio diesel for not more than 3 Lacs.

One of my friends got lucky and found a 1.9 Petra Diesel for 3.5 Lacs, but had to let it go as he purchased a new home.

A word of caution though: - Even if you buy a good condition second hand car, you might land up spending more than what it actually costs new in the market. For petrol cars, its fine, but when it comes to diesel, I would suggest you to be a bit careful.

Just my 2 cents.

Cheers!

[roy_libran]

Originally Posted by ObsessedByFIAT

For petrol cars, its fine, but when it comes to diesel, I would suggest you to be a bit careful.

I'd disagree to this assessment. Modern day Diesels are extremely reliable, quite driveable, and have as long a life as the higher revving petrols, if not more. I would not compare modern petrols and diesels on this ground, although the driving style, economy etc. would differ substantially.

[Gautam Misra]

IMHO the SWIFT VDi is the closest to fitting the bill. The following are some of the reasons for eliminating the other choices-

1.Fiesta/Fusion
May be a great choice; but maintaining a Ford is a tad expensive.

2.Ikon
Another ford; may be a dated car.

3.Logan
After Renault pulling out of the JV with Mahindra buying a Logan may not bring you peace of mind.

4.Ritz
If you like to be different(with so many swifts around) and like the looks of the Ritz then go for it.

If you want to be adventurous and can take risks then go for the fiesta. At least (unlike the Maruti) while driving you will not have a rattlesnake for company