[sarthakmehrotra]

Originally Posted by hserus

Repairing your Civic will take a lakh and that is the cheapest of all the options. Maybe force your driver to stop leaning on the clutch as well once the clutch is replaced. Try to figure out a competent neighbourhood garage to further reduce your repair costs especially the body and paint related work.

For three years you're spending a lakh rather than selling any of those cars at a loss right now and then plunking down more money for a new ride.

That way you have recovered your initial investment on the cars, and can sell with a clear conscience.

Thanks a lot for your prompt reply Hserus.

A few points that I left out inadvertently.

The Civic has been driven by me predominantly for the 1.1L KMs it has run till date. The only car that I would contemplate on selling on date is the Civic only. The other 2 are staying, Polo till whenever it becomes burdensome and the City not for the next 3 years or till it covers 1L Kms.

Will figure out a competent FNG. Though, out of the 1L, half of it would be for a repaint.

Also, I think the leaning on clutch is done by me. Lastly, after 3 years, We'll be at a burden of replacing 2 cars, so 1 would get pushed for another year at least.

Would you reconsider your opinion in light of these points.

[hserus]

If it were not for the fact that you have a gem of an engine and a car that though old still holds its own regarding build quality and amenities, I would definitely have suggested selling.

As it is a Civic, repairing it should let it keep smoothly cruising along without any issues.

Using a fng will certainly save you a substantial amount on denting and painting compared to using a Honda Authorized Service Center.

Why is replacing two cars a burden? You don’t have to sell them simultaneously. Sell them some months or maybe a year apart.

[sajo]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

I would like to go in for an automatic, preferably diesel. .

Originally Posted by selfdrive

While I am known to be attracted to discontinued cars, I am a bit spooked about Skoda anyway.
If I summarise my requirements, I want to buy a German car with Japanese reliability

I would be going against the flow of recommending the used Laura/Jetta AT. How about a nice, and nearly new, Chevrolet Cruze AT, preferably in the LTZ trim ? If any dealer has one lying around, you are sure to get it at a yummy price , and if used, again at a good price compared to the VAG cars.
Its fast, diesel, AT, spacious with good highway cruising capabilities and reliability should be similar to Skoda cars.

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

3. keep both and shut up for some more time. Non bhpian recommended option

I vote for this. Spend maybe a lakh for a knee replacement and you are good to go for a few more years

Cheers,
Vikram

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

I would like to go in for an automatic

From your first option, I see you are open to pre-owned options. I was recently exploring the used market in my city and I saw several 20-50K km Honda City AT, even saw some rare Corolla and Civic AT. All these were in 4-7L budget.

If its diesel, have a look at the Jetta. Jettas were either high mileage or older than 2010, few were 1.9 TDI in the above budget which I was not interested in. Low mile/Recent examples like 2015 with 30K on clock were like 12L.

Honestly, I'd look at the petrol AT options where you'll have more choices and will be available in much smaller budget for a lateral upgrade.

[sairamboko]

Originally Posted by sairamboko

Thank you Axe77 and Hserus! I understand the implications of it. Also I need to verify the tax benefits post GST era. I know that they are giving out new leases post GST. Regarding the point of quitting the company , I can be sure of it. I have been with my current organisation for more than 5 years! Of course, not sure what the future will hold. As sadi by Axe77, I will maintain status quo and see how things pan out. Thank you both!

Again Axe77 and Hserus , I have a dilemma here. My 7 months old or rather new Alto K10 AMT has completed a staggering 9500kms so far!! When I bought the car, I was in Bangalore, later I had to shift to Hosur and after that my monthly running has increased and most are out station trips! My thoughts here are :

1. At this rate I will be soon be completing 50,000 kms in next 3 to 4 years. Does it make sense to continue with petrol because of the increasing petrol prices? Should I sell Alto and get a diesel hatchback?

2. I inquired my dealer for any LPG cars and it seems Maruti is not producing LPG models anymore. CNG is not available in Karnataka and Tamilnadu. If i do convert to LPG, i will lose out my warranty. Not sure to go with this one.

Need your inputs on this.

[hserus]

Don’t convert or anything. Alto has decent fuel efficiency and for most of your trip you’re on congested city roads till past Attibele toll so it won’t matter much whether petrol or diesel.

A diesel car is usually a full lakh costlier than its equivalent model in petrol so take that into account when you calculate projected fuel savings.

[jetsetgo08]

Fellow bhpians, need some help. I am in a quandary. Please bear the long post.

I have a 2017 Wagon R Vxi(O), 15k km's done. But, somehow the car isn't comfortable (body-roll + floor vibration/poorly tuned suspension), fatigue creeps in after 1.5hours/40kms one-way commute. My daily commute consists of a mix of city and highway traffic with varying road conditions(from inexistent to good roads).

Although I am comparing apples to oranges I would have to mention that the same commute in our Fiesta is not that tiresome. But, the poor FE of the fiesta(petrol) doesn't let me use it on a daily basis as it would be too heavy on my wallet. Hence, I am contemplating the below 2 options-

Option 1

Switching the Wagon-R with a used car having the below qualities with priorities in descending order-

1) Comfort and very good ride quality.
2) Fuel efficiency (>18kmpl in mix of city, highway conditions)
3) Reliable and easy on wallet maintenance

Budget is strictly under 5 Lakhs. And I can't afford to spend anymore as I would have lost 1-1.5L of hard earned money within 1-year of ownership of the Wagon R.

Option 2

The below are strictly hit or miss modifications, that might or might not lead to more comfortable ride.

1) Change to comfortable tires. (~ Rs.16k ).
2) Rogerab the car, for a more supple ride. (~Rs. 8k)
3) Modify the seats to offer more neck, back and thigh support. (~7k)

If the above mods don't help the cause, then it would have caused further unnecessary expenses on the vehicle.

Request you to pitch in with your expert opinions/suggestions. Also, if option 1 seems viable please suggest the cars that could suit my needs.

Thanks in advance.

[asit.kulkarni93]

Originally Posted by jetsetgo08

Fellow bhpians, need some help. I am in a quandary. Please bear the long post.

..

You should sell your Wagon-R and consider something like a used Ritz ZDi/new gen used Figo diesel/SX4 ZDi. It will take care of your fuel efficiency and comfort requirements. Don't waste your time and money with the second option. Simply not worth it!

[greendream]

Option 1 is ideal.
Consider a used Toyota Etios petrol or diesel depending on your mileage.
The interiors are not to everyone’s liking but the car is real VFM.
Good luck.

[AutoSphere]

+1 to Option-1
However, I always feel that when considering a used car, it is preferable to stick to petrol, unless you are buying from a known, reliable source.

Why not consider a brand new Tiago Diesel, although the price would be outside your budget.

[jetsetgo08]

Originally Posted by asit.kulkarni93

You should sell your Wagon-R and consider something like a used Ritz ZDi/new gen used Figo diesel/SX4 ZDi.

Originally Posted by greendream

Consider a used Toyota Etios petrol or diesel depending on your mileage.

Originally Posted by AutoSphere

+1 to Option-1
Why not consider a brand new Tiago Diesel, although the price would be outside your budget.

Thanks for the quick response. I would have to keep the Wagon R till I find a suitable replacement. Based on the suggestions, the (used)cars that I would have to scout for are -

1) Ritz Zdi (Tallboy advantage)
2) Sx4 Zdi (Reasonably taller aiding to slightly comfortable driving position)
3) Etios/Liva D
4) Punto/Linea D Emotion Pack
5) Tiago XZ Petrol/Diesel (advantage, would still be under warranty)

Unfortunately most diesel cars under 5L would have been battered, so it might be a while till I find the right one. And this is where I had the 3rd requirement of reliability, as the vehicle needs to be fuss-free, easily repairable(at lesser expense) even if I were to buy a high mileage 80k-1Lakh kms used car. I do not know how the Sx4 or Fiat diesels score in this aspect.

Not considering the old Figo/Fiesta, as they are plagued with lesser ground clearance. Is it worth considering the Vento/Polo/Rapid diesels?

But, credit where credit is due, the Wagon R has been quite fuel efficient, it always returned >17kmpl given my driving conditions. Hope, the others in the list are equal or better in terms of FE.

Please pitch in with other options, if I have missed out on any.

[ashis89]

No amount of changes to the WagonR will make a good difference to its dynamics.

Originally Posted by jetsetgo08

5) Tiago XZ Petrol/Diesel (advantage, would still be under warranty)

The Tiago D might be one of the best bet for you. We haven't come across any major complaints from the owners on this forum. It is small, fuel efficient and you can even get a new one within your budget or get a used top-end model.

I do not know how the Sx4 or Fiat diesels score in this aspect.

Look for Ritz diesel. It has lesser resale value but is a wonderful car. SX4 has the MJD 90 engine has had issues with timing chain.

Is it worth considering the Vento/Polo/Rapid diesels?

These should have much higher upkeep costs.

But, credit where credit is due, the Wagon R has been quite fuel efficient, it always returned >17kmpl given my driving conditions. Hope, the others in the list are equal or better in terms of FE.

Please pitch in with other options, if I have missed out on any.

The K12 engine from Maruti is even more fuel efficient and a wonderful engine. Having more power, the engine runs under less stress in similar conditions. The aerodynamics of WagonR doesn't help either.

You can also look at Swift/Ritz(P) which had the newer K12 engine.

PS: Your posts make me more conscious of my car's ride and handling.

[jetsetgo08]

Originally Posted by ashis89

The Tiago D might be one of the best bet for you. We haven't come across any major complaints from the owners on this forum. It is small, fuel efficient and you can even get a new one within your budget or get a used top-end model.

The XE variant will fall within my budget, but I would not risk not having ABS in the car.

Originally Posted by ashis89

PS: Your posts make me more conscious of my car's ride and handling.

Well sorry if I sounded that way. The Wagon R is still a fuel efficient and a good city car, delivers better FE in traffic when compared to K12. But, my gripe isn't really about the dynamics. It can easily handle the ORR curves at Nanakramguda even at speeds of 70-80kmph. But, the rest of the ORR stretch and other roads that I travel is wavy, laid in patches. This is where the car tends to feel floaty esp. when I am driving alone, in fact most light weight cars feel the same(and I don't do speeds above 90kmph). This is one reason I had replaced my erstwhile Alto, albeit I landed in soup again. And the last thing that one wants after a tiring day of work is more fatigue.

Also, since my car is equipped with ABS I don't have the liberty to play around with the tyre size. Otherwise, I wouldn't really have thought twice for replacing the stock tyres with higher profile ones.

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by jetsetgo08

Well sorry if I sounded that way. The Wagon R is still a fuel efficient and a good city car, delivers better FE in traffic when compared to K12.

I have taken a Baleno P on long drives. It has always been 1-2 kmpl more fuel efficient than my WagonR even while we maintained higher speeds. It is the same case in city as well. Thus, my statement.

But, my gripe isn't really about the dynamics. It can easily handle the ORR curves at Nanakramguda even at speeds of 70-80kmph. But, the rest of the ORR stretch and other roads that I travel is wavy, laid in patches. This is where the car tends to feel floaty esp. when I am driving alone, in fact most light weight cars feel the same(and I don't do speeds above 90kmph). This is one reason I had replaced my erstwhile Alto, albeit I landed in soup again. And the last thing that one wants after a tiring day of work is more fatigue.

Also, since my car is equipped with ABS I don't have the liberty to play around with the tyre size. Otherwise, I wouldn't really have thought twice for replacing the stock tyres with higher profile ones.

I know what you are saying. I upsized my tyre to 165/65 and that has definitely increased the grip levels. The floaty feeling is reduced significantly. I say this since I drove a new WagonR VXI with OE tyres. Even with 4 people on board, I couldn't drive the car as confidently as I drive mine.

Tyre change will be the cheapest solution for you. Maybe its time you should drive my car now, especially on the ORR and then decide.

PS: I don't think upsize will impact the ABS calibration. Several members here have changed their tyre sizes. Most of their cars have ABS.