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Old 21st February 2011, 07:31   #1
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Finalized to buy my first car, need a little help here

Greetings,
After a lot of thought i have decided to buy a new car

Need for a new Car:
I am an IT professional and ride to office on a daily basis on my bike (A biker at heart), but following points have made me consider buying a car
1. Poor road conditions - They give me a backache at time, i need a comfortable office commuter
2. Trips outside city on weekends - I still can't give up on my long drives, too much addicted to it
3. Increased driving distance from home to office - A job switch caused the to and fro distance to go up by 15 KMS
4. Driving in wet / cold conditions - Reaching office in heavy and unpredictable Pune rains becomes a trouble at times
(by now you must have understood since i mention the word office so many times, i am a workaholic)
5. Growing pollution - it might sound weird but the pollution levels in city are having a bad impact on my health,
ideally we should all be driving battery cars to preserve nature instead of buying gas guzzlers
but that is a different argument and a never ending one so not now
6. Hatchback car for city drive - We own a Tata estate and driving it around tight city roads is not an easy task (trust me on this)

Planned purchase Date: March 2011
Budget: 5 Lacs
Monthly Running: 1000 km
Criteria: With Growing petrol prices, petrol engines are out of question, CNG or Diesel is the way to go for now

The Hunt:
I Know i am hunting for a car in the most densely populated segment which offers maximum options,
But here is my opinion on them (this is IMHO, no personal attacks are being made here)
1. Honda Jazz - I could buy 2 cars in the price of this car, and i dont even understand why it costs so much
2. VW Polo - They claim it to be best in class, i claim it is heavily overpriced
3. Skoda Fabia - I Love the interiors but I have both read and heard horrendous stories about the service network and i dont wanna be a test subject for them
4. Maruti Stable
a. Zen estilo - i respect the "Zen", but it is too outdated and the new design resembles Nano so a big NoNo
b. Wagon R - Good leg and head room but too common on the road and the feaure list is very short
c. A Star - Cramped interiors
d. Swift - A brilliant design, but a waiting period of 6 months put me off
e. Ritz - Diesel Model exceeds my budget :-(
5. Hyundai Stable
a. Hyundai Santro - Proven engine but almost everyone in family has it, no point in adding one more to the list
b. Hyundai i10 nexgen - Less leg and shoulder room, but for city commute, this fits my bill and requirements, hence shortlisted the CNG version
c. Hyundai i20 - I personally love this car but out of budget
6. Nissan Micra - Good leg and shoulder room and a spacious cabin, but excessive use of plastics and brand recognition / presence in India is less, besides diesel model costs 6 lacs
7. Chevy Stable
a. Beat - This was the car i had zeroed in at the start, but the rear is claustrophobic and my parents simply rejected it
b. U-VA - i really love this car's interiors but the exterior is too dated (I dont understand what italdesign was thinking while designing this car)
c. Spark - Too small, not to my likings
8. Tata Stable
a. Indica - This car has been here for ages but still has some niggles, still shortlisted DLS version
b. Indica Vista - Very spacious and VFM but if i gotta choose between indica DLS and Vista Quadrajet, i will go for DLS as it has been here for years and a proven engine
9. Ford Figo - Diesel engine is very good but the front panel rubs my knees, i did not expect this from ford
10. Fiat Stable
a. Palio - Too dated, not to my likings
b. Punto - Brilliant design, but it will not fit in my budget it seems

So finally i was to choose between 2 cars,
i10 CNG, Indica DLS

The Decision
I have finalized Indica V2 DLS Turbomax as i beleive more firmly in Diesel (My existing car is Diesel too) and this car will allow me to spend some money on a nice ICE / Alloys + Wheels / Customizations
I know i will be called by my friends as "CAB WALA" "COOL CAB" etc, but hey we buy a car for ourselves, not for others, i have a mechanic here who has been helping me keep my TATA estate in running condition,
I Spoke to him as well and he said that this car may not be as fancy as its competition but it sure does the job and he said "If it is being used as a cab, it does mean it has done some good job on road and thats why people are still buying it"

Please advice on what add-ons i should be doing for this car..i have my list of accessories planned but i would be more than happy to hear it from the folks here
So come on and help me out here

I do have more questions but i will put them out in further posts before i book the car
Cheers,
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Old 21st February 2011, 07:52   #2
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Re: Finalized to buy my first car, need a little help here

If engine is the only reason for choosing the DLS over the Quadrajet, I would suggest you reconsider the decision.
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Old 21st February 2011, 08:02   #3
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Re: Finalized to buy my first car, need a little help here

Firstly, the monthly running of 1000 Kms doesn't require Diesel orCNG. Believe if you start computing the total cost per km for diesel and CNG for this kind of mileage, you'll find out petrol to be the lowest.

Secondly, PLEASE don't go for Indica DLS. Its a dated model with a dated engine. I'm quite sure the quadrajet powered Vista will be in your budget.

Cheers
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Old 21st February 2011, 08:21   #4
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Re: Finalized to buy my first car, need a little help here

Quote:
Originally Posted by bblost View Post
If engine is the only reason for choosing the DLS over the Quadrajet, I would suggest you reconsider the decision.
+ 1.

Indica Vista Quadrajet would be a much better choice compared to Indica V2.

True, the V2 diesel engine is proven. However, so is the FIAT Multijet engine that does duty by the name Quadrajet. Same engine powers cars like Swift, DZire, SX4, Punto, Linea, Vista, Manza etc and is called the national engine for the same reason. Complaints regarding this engine has been very less too.

Moreover, you get a better image (Vista has less of a cab image), more space (Vista is one of the best in the segment), better quality and better interior finish. Vista is the way to go!

Last edited by CrAzY dRiVeR : 21st February 2011 at 08:22.
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Old 21st February 2011, 08:30   #5
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Re: Finalized to buy my first car, need a little help here

Looking at your monthly running, you should go for a petrol one. Can I suggest that you look for an used car since you are moving from a bike to car, I am sure you must have enough 4 wheeler experience.

My choice from your list if you are going for new:
1) Ritz or Wagon R petrol
2) Hyundai i10
3) Tata Indica Vista Saffire.

Out of the list, how many cars have test driven BTW?
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Old 21st February 2011, 09:39   #6
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Re: Finalized to buy my first car, need a little help here

Not necessarily you have got the reviews right but since you have already shortlisted the cars - i10 CNG, Indica DLS, Suggest you consider the Quadrajet.

Cheers,
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Old 21st February 2011, 10:40   #7
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Re: Finalized to buy my first car, need a little help here

If its a petrol it should be an i10. If its a diesel then there are quite a few options including the Swift, Ritz and Vista Saffire.

1000km per month will translate to say 1300-1500 rs savings a month(18K a Year). So the extra money you are putting in the diesel of around a lakh will take around 5.5 years to equalize(By savings over petrol) and thats the point you start saving by buying the diesel.

Last edited by bblost : 21st February 2011 at 11:58. Reason: Typo. Thanks.
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Old 21st February 2011, 10:46   #8
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Re: Finalized to buy my first car, need a little help here

How did you plan to buy CNG i10 in Pune?

I would vote for vista quadra.

Since indica is 1 of your final choice, few questions for you:
You say that wangon R is too common, but feel that indica is not?
WagonR has less features, but feel that indica provides all those missing features?


I guess you should re think your options.
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Old 21st February 2011, 11:56   #9
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Re: Finalized to buy my first car, need a little help here

Quote:
Originally Posted by subscrive View Post

Since indica is 1 of your final choice, few questions for you:
You say that wangon R is too common, but feel that indica is not?
WagonR has less features, but feel that indica provides all those missing features?


I guess you should re think your options.
Exactly what i was thinking. PLEASE rethink your decision of going with Indica Turbo.

Do read all the reviews in the forum (i think Greenhorn has one). It is NOT a very reliable car and moreover your monthly running does noe even warrant a diesel. Please look for a modern petrol hatch like i10 or WagonR which fall in the same price bracket as Indica Turbo. And if you have made your mind for diesel only, please consider Indica Vista instead of Turbo.
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Old 21st February 2011, 12:03   #10
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Re: Finalized to buy my first car, need a little help here

Quote:
Originally Posted by shridhar.s.i View Post
the rear is claustrophobic and my parents simply rejected it
Mahindra Logan and Ford Figo (I know this is not a sedan) are highly recommended for rear seat claustrophics
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Old 21st February 2011, 13:07   #11
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Re: Finalized to buy my first car, need a little help here

I would go for the ford figo, and you could probably pick up a disel version in your budget. Its the best vfm hatch right now.
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Old 21st February 2011, 13:10   #12
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Re: Finalized to buy my first car, need a little help here

Quote:
Originally Posted by VW2010 View Post

1000km per month will translate to say 1300-1500 rs savings a month(18K a Year). So the extra money you are putting in the diesel of around a lakh will take around 5.5 years to equalize(By savings over petrol) and thats the point you start saving by buying the diesel.
Not exactly because the maintenance costs for a diesel are higher than comparative petrol cars.

Same goes for CNG as well as CNG being a dry fuel leads to a higher wear and tear of the engine compared to the petrol.
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Old 21st February 2011, 13:13   #13
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Re: Finalized to buy my first car, need a little help here

I would go for the ford figo, and you could probably pick up a disel version in your budget. Its the best vfm hatch right now.

Oops. Sorry this got posted twice. Mods please delete this post. Sorry

Last edited by mdsaab : 21st February 2011 at 13:27. Reason: realised double post
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Old 21st February 2011, 13:17   #14
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Re: Finalized to buy my first car, need a little help here

With a monthly running of 1000 kms., it would be prudent to go in for a petrol- maybe the Ritz. If you are keen on a diesel you best bet would be Ford Figo.
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Old 21st February 2011, 13:54   #15
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Re: Finalized to buy my first car, need a little help here

Hi,
You have made your choices but like everybody else i also feel that you can consider the indica vista instead of the indica. Deciding between petrol and diesel is personal opinion when it comes to driving less than 2000kms per month. But the current diesel engines are real treat to drive in the city and are easy on the pocket too when it comes to maintenance. My choice would be figo follwed by indicavista. Do reconsider the decision to go for indica. Cheers
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