[rrsteer]

Hi All,

A month after my family decided to buy a new car, we are finally decided on our choice(s) but in the process have also hit a roadblock. So would request the learned members of this forum to help us out of this quagmire.

Currently we have a Safari & M800. The Safari is 3.5 years old and has covered 121376 kms at last count. While the M800 is 5 years and 45,632 kms old. Luckily both my cars have performed very well so far. And contrary to what one would expect it is the Safari which has overshadowed its mini brother with its reliability scores. The tiny red M800 has often shown some small tantrums.

Some time in March we as a family decided to purchase a new car. Now as you would have guessed from the details above we need a big SUV/MUV for very frequent highway runs - a real comfortable highway star & one smaller car for the city. Of course the bigger of the two has to be a diesel and we are kind of ambivalent on the type of heart the other car chooses to have.

So after a lot of brainstorming sessions, we as a family reached the conclusion that we need to pick one from the two choices listed below. Its just that we are now unsure which one to pick.

1) A 3.5 yrs/120000 km Safari + A new petrol Etios : At present the Safari is the defacto choice for the family. So whenever anyone in the family (we all drive) needs a car and has a choice between our two cars, its invariably the Safari which gets the stick (I use that expression because apart from my velvet glove treatment, my mother & wife absolutely pull the horns of this car. They just dont know how to drive it). So if we get the Etios, I am positive that Safari would really get relegated to just the highway drives (which is what I want). My concern with this combo is the increased ownership costs of the cars, which I want to minimize and the fact that some where down the line I would have to buy a big car again. Among the main reasons to choose this option is that everyone adores the Safari, for what it is and feel that we have no reason to dispose off a well running car so soon.


2) The M-800 + A new Innova : This is the option which I probably prefer more. In this case we get a new car which actually does the business. I mean we would be spending the maximum amount of time in the big family car. So it makes sense that we may as well get the new big car. Also I am confident the Innova will be even more reliable and cheap to maintain than the Safari.

So, what should we do?

PS: If a big car has to be bought it has to be Innova. No XUV, Xylo, Aria. (Innova is non negotiable, at this point) It beats them all. I wanted the XUV. But the car is so problematic - even the sales person admitted to that. The electronics and all are very nice, but first the product should come across as solid.

For the sedan part, I am willing to look at options other than Etios & diesel or petrol. But I feel the Etios (P) is the best among the options.

[libranof1987]

Apart from vehicle age, any particular reason for buying a new car?

If age is the factor, I think you're better off selling the Safari and getting yourself an Innova. The Safari has already crossed 1.2 lakh kms so a lot of replacements/repairs/issues will crop up soon.

Since the Innova is non-negotiable, you should swap the Safari with Innova.

You haven't mentioned your budget. You could also look at swapping the 800. Not that the 800 will face parts/reliability issues, you could consider an i10 sorta hatch or probably a diesel.

[SmartCat]

If the Safari has been trouble-free in the past 3.5 years, the chances of it continuing to give trouble-free service is higher. Keep it. You might have regular wear and tear expenses in the future, but you will lose more financially if you sell the Safari & buy an Innova - over a period of, say, 5 years. Plus, your mother and wife have no big problems driving the big SUV.

M-800 is a 20 year old cramped petrol car. Get rid of it. So, what exactly is the role of the second small car? City runs where parking is an issue?

Here is a thought - since you like the idea of owning an Innova - you could consider selling the M800 and buying an Innova. The MUV might look big, but it is the size of a Civic or a Corolla, just a lot taller. So narrow lanes or parking is not such a big issue as you might imagine. Safari/Innova is not a bad combo - both diesel, both spacious - with Innova being pretty compact enough for the city. But your net financial outgo might be higher with this combo.

[rrsteer]

It really started off with wanting to dispose off the M800 for a new car. Somewhere down the line the discussion got convoluted, with many scenarios being added in the mix and in the end requirement stood that of a new car!

The budget is around INR 7 lacs. So a new car for that money, or the proceeds from Safari + that kind of sum.

I understand what you say with regards to getting a hatch, my preference for a Sedan was that sometimes when we make those not so long inter city trips, a sedan can replace the Safari. So the kms get distributed more evenly between the Safari & a sedan. A case in point my mother & wife put a lot of exhibitions. Everytime they do so the Safari has to go. I am imagining with a sedan in place, those short inter city tours won't require the Safari anymore.

Also I need to add post 1 lac kms, the Safari has gone through a suspension, clutch & brake overhaul. Plus it has a new battery & relatively new tyres.

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by rrsteer

A case in point my mother & wife put a lot of exhibitions. Everytime they do so the Safari has to go. I am imagining with a sedan in place, those short inter city tours won't require the Safari anymore.

Also I need to add post 1 lac kms, the Safari has gone through a suspension, clutch & brake overhaul. Plus it has a new battery & relatively new tyres.

I own a sedan and Safari too. But Safari does the main duty as even for a simple shopping trip, folks prefer safari for its cavernous interior. Your mother and wife may still opt for Safari to cart material for the exhibition. The humongous size of the safari - they are already used to. Sedan will be relegated to excursions in narrow streets only.

Now that you attended to the suspension and transmission, you may want to stick on to Safari. I agree with others in that you should ditch the M 800 and look for a better Sedan.

[infotech58]

this is what i would suggest:

• sell safari for 650000, add 550000 to this an buy an Innova.
• sell your M800 for 80000-100000, add this money to 1.5 lac you have (out of your orignal 7 lac budget) and buy a Nano.

P.S. Your location "144022" - are you from somewhere around Jalandhar?

[rrsteer]

Originally Posted by infotech58

this is what i would suggest:

• sell safari for 650000, add 550000 to this an buy an Innova.
• sell your M800 for 80000-100000, add this money to 1.5 lac you have (out of your orignal 7 lac budget) and buy a Nano.

P.S. Your location "144022" - are you from somewhere around Jalandhar?

Yes, you are right I am from Jalandhar. Are you from there too?

Unfortunately, the Safari is not going anywhere for more than 4.5 lacs.
And the M800 I have is a red colored one, which I am told is hard to sell due to the color, and the max quote I have got for it is 60k.

[infotech58]

Originally Posted by rrsteer

Yes, you are right I am from Jalandhar. Are you from there too?

Unfortunately, the Safari is not going anywhere for more than 4.5 lacs.
And the M800 I have is a red colored one, which I am told is hard to sell due to the color, and the max quote I have got for it is 60k.

I can understand about the price being quoted for M800, but for Safari (assuming it is 2009 make) 4.5 is too low (tempts me to buy one ). Are these quotes form the dealers?

yes, Jalandhar is my home town.

[scopriobharath]

Mu Suggestion - Go in for the Innova.

Safari is prone to problems and 1.2 lacs is pretty much on the high mileage side.

Unless you do Off-roading, Innova will server you better as a highway cruiser. M800 is easier to manuever in traffic than an etios. For those some occassions where you need more boot space, you can always take the innova for that (Shopping / airport / station / bus-stand pickup & drops etc).

m800 spares are easy to find and maruti WILL support the 800 for a long time, not to mention the aftermarket spares shop. Matiz & cielo parts are avaialble, heck so finding a maruti part is a walk in the park for you.

[NST440]

@ rrsteer i would recommend you the innova obviously as i sold my safari & bought an innova V to know what reliability means, you can always move from M800 to any other hatch easily in jalandhars second hand market, esp. the one near hans raj stadium or near regent park hotel.

YES i am from jalandhar as well, in case of any help do let me know fellow jalandhari bhpian

[mayankjha1806]

Although i have never owned a Safari but what i learnd from the forum is Tata cars do not age well. So if the Safari is already over 1L Kms then it might be time to sell it off. That being said, i guess only you can be the best judge if this is so, my experience on Tata started and ended with Indica.

The M800 is quiet new in that aspect, i.e. only 45K Kms, and my best guess is it can carry on for some more time, although lack of new age toys and safety equipment could be quiet an irritant.

I guess it will depend what use you are thinking of the new car to serve, specifically Highway or City, and if you are still happy with Safari's highway manners. If you are then replacing the M800 might be a good idea. Otherwise like in my case if you want a different highway mover, Innova is a good option.

[raycers_honda]

Personally i think the Innova/M800 is the best choice.But then there are many more options that could be seen.
If i were in your place.i would wait for the new Renault Duster.But then again if your looking for a seven seater or a vehicle that can seat more than five the duster wouldnt be so apt.
Are you open to used cars.You could try getting a brand new innova teamed with a used small car.I presume if you dispose of the trusted old workhorse you could get around 50grand more or less.
or else keep the M800.buy the innova and get a brand new nano.Just a thought.

[prithvi53]

I feel the safari having done 1.2 lakh kms should be sold. It is very probable that several issues will start cropping up now. It may not be as reliable as you want on those highway runs. I suggest getting an innova to replace the safari. That is the most comfortable car in that segment according to me and reliability is very good. You can probably replace your maruti 800 with a used alto later. If your open to buying a used car that is.
Maybe you can even consider the ertiga or the new duster that is going to launched. As that way you can sell both the safari and the 800 and get an ertiga/duster and also another small hatch like an alto or an eon.

[Aroy]

One plus point with M800 is that you can fold the seats to get a really big loading area for odd sized cargo. That is sadly missing in most of the modern hatches. I could carry much bigger loads in my M800 (and now in my Alto K10), than in my Esteem, so think twice before replacing the M800.

Regarding Safari, if you are doing only Highways, Innova wins hands down in both reliability and comfort.

My suggestion would be

. Sell the Safari and get an Innova
. At later date sell the M800 and get a comparable hatch - Alto K10 or Santro. Sedans are good and comfortable, but sadly lack goods carrying capacity. Though if finances permit, I would get a diesel hatch.

[rrsteer]

Safari is proving tough to sell. The high odo reading is the major issue. 3.25 lakh is what am being offered.