Buying a new car? Discuss here!

[joshm 818]

hey guyz how u all doin

right ok , umm since past 5 years i have been driving an alto LX, been generally happy with it , and it hasnt given me no trouble whatsoever.

I reside in delhi and i suppose now is the time to upgrade before the alto gives in so i decided to car hunt thinking of a zippy yet economical variant as far a monthly fuel expanses are concerned.

so after considering the available options and my utter preference for maruti i decided to buy new blue eyed wagon R CNG

BUT : as i love to zip thru ( yeah whenevr i get the chance in messed up delhi traffic ) i realised that having CNG ( that too on a 3 cylinder , 998 cc engine even if its all aluminium K series ) wont give that kick, and the features in LXi were not upto the mark in the LXI CNG variant, so i started thinking about petrol vxi WAGON R , but when i test drove it , it was not upto the mark there was no ZIP no adequate response when you push the accelerator there was fairly high noise in the cabin as well...

and the nail in the coffin came from 2 gentlemen who were actually driving the wagon r , and they said the car lacks a lot and lags a lot, so now i am back to square one .

acc to the review by experienced users and my own preference ( about the power of the engine and pickup ) wagon is is a total NO .

i started looking into other options , first was RITZ and boy i got like 99% positive response about this car ,( yeah yeah i know the straight back of it ;P ) 9 out of 10 guys on various forums were all praise for this car, then came the new swift , gosh its pure cream , test drove the new swift zxi and fell in love with it , but its out of my budget and i cant wait for 3 months .

O and sorry, my original budget was 4L and now i have stretched it to 4.5L , and my monthly drive would be somewhere between 1200 to 1500 kms a month in delhi traffic, i dont take my cars out of delhi

the real dilemma is which one from maruti to buy which fits the budget and is also economical to drive as well , Ritz gives an average of 12kmpl effectively it ll cost more than 6K per month

i donno i feel CNG fittment is ruins the vehicle and the maintainance keeps on increasing also the warranty voids too.

please help me decide which car is good for me , which gives good pickup and comfort , pocket friendly as far as monthly fuel expanses are concerned and looks like a genuine upgrade from my ALTO.

regards

Edited September 3, 2011 by joshm

[amitnsonu 72]

I feel Ritz is the perfect choice if u want maruti only, wagon definitely a very poor performer.

the other choice could be i10 if u want to go for hyundai. hyundai cars have very good balance of economy, power and features.

Dheeraj ji should have a better idea about cars.

[vikasmahajanz 33]

I have Ritz Diesel variant and its makhan Butter Soft Drive and very economical also Inside car is quite big as car from outside is really a Hatchbak Small... I love my Ritz Quite Happy with it...

[rajanmehta 4,056]

For your budget of 4.5 Lacs, Chevrolet Beat is a good option. Comes in Petrol, Diesel and there is also a factory fitted LPG variant which won't comppromise much on driving pleasure compared to CNG.

Looks, space, peppy engine, features, 3 year 1,00,000 km warranty. Great overall package and one of the top contender in this budget range currently.

[joshm 818]

Thanks AMIT and RAJAN dear !!!

@ Amit : Ritz is good no doubt but what about the actual user feedback about its mileage ??? and i10 well i use it as my friend has it and we always use each others cars , ( its good great pickup but i feel ritz is more roomy and runs way smoother and got better control )

@ Rajan : : yes beat is good , but my cousin got the petrol variant and he says it makes a lot of noise and personally i feel it looks more like casual boyish :P:P hatchback , am interested in something more subtle which suits my profession and is taller and somehow i dont prefer the looks ( man looks like i have become too picky and too inclined towards maruti )

would also like to ask how is the mileage of RITZ and what your known toz say about it .

EDIT : missed Vikas Ji

Thanks dear

i would love to get the diesel variant and i wont prefer anything less than VDI , but then i cant stretch my pocket till there , it costs 578695 ( no discount damn u maruti ).

got any words about the VXI variant, howz the mileage and what about fittment of CNG later ?? )

Edited September 3, 2011 by joshm

[dkaile 1,051]

Swift diesel is the car for you. Up your budget and wait for it. You have to live with it for 5 year+. You won't regret it.

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[joshm 818]

@dkaile : thanks mate, and i know a swift or ritz in diesel could suffice but then swift is way beyond, the vdi costs 612000, not practical really atm.

[SumitVerma 187]

Ford Figo Outsells all its competitors if I am not wrong! It got the same engine as Fiesta Classic and the engine is very well to do.

My suggestion!

[gauravjc 47]

I own a Ford Figo diesel ... Yes it does have a Ford Fiesta Engine ... It's a superb car ... You will love the pick up , mileage & intelligent features... Maruti is way behind ...

[nmk 11]

go for ford figo diesel. i own it. and it is no where less than swift. good mileage, less maintainance,good pick up. i am really happy with its performance.

Go for figo diesel.

[varunpatel 31]

Hi,

I also use the Ford Figo diesel and can say the same that It's a great car to drive and that 1.4 Fiesta engine is just superb.

But the budget would become a big concern if we compare the swift diesel's and Ford figo's.

I think amongst the 4-4.5 budget, I think the Ritz and the Beat only look as great options.

@joshm - I think u should go ahead with the ritz if u feel everything looks good and if u wanna stick to maruti only.I have a friend who uses a ritz and he gets a fuel efficiency abt 13.5-14 in ahmedabad so in Delhi's traffic,I think 12.5-13 is practical.If u r ready to wait for few months and can stretch a bit more on budget,Swift is the car for u.

Good Luck.

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[csmart 472]

i will suggest to go opt for Maruti brand unless you belong to a group who just simply hate word Maruti or think its down market. they are economical, easy to find service centre and real value for money. You have alto and so you know the benefits of owning Maruti. I've both, Ritz and Swift (both diesel) and satisfied with both of them. however i personally prefer Ritz as it has more power and driving is more comfortable. but then it costs more. both give avg of 12 kmpl in Mumbai and on highway its about 18 to 20. my home and office both are i one of the most congested areas in Mumbai.

Looking at the cost, Swift should be better. I had Santro earlier but then after 2 years, i gave me all the troubles. since then decided never to opt for Hyundai. thats my experience. there are many with pleasant experience.

[tanveer 59]

How much are you going to drive everyday?

Do you go fur outstation drives or only city driving?

Where are you located?

[admirer2000 100]

Diesel car is the best & economical though the initial investment in this segment is almost 1L more. You don't feel that it is a Diesel car when you drive because of the latest technology development.

I too own a white Ford Figo Titanic - top end - fully loaded model with Air Bag & ABS. Really doing very well. EMI is Little more but enjoying. Sure to beat other models / make with same features cost & performance.

If you feel 6L+ budget is more, you can go for a minimum basic Figo Diesel model & still it outbeats other Diesel cars in value & performance.

Edited September 4, 2011 by admirer2000

[SumitVerma 187]

^

He already highlighted your Qs.

I get around 14-15 in city with my fiesta which is really good actually. Figo is much more comfy both for driver and passenger.

Swift no doubt is a good hatchback though braking even with ABS worries me always.

New swift isnt powered by Fiat's engine but now VW technology comes in. I wish you could stretch your budget for the Polo!

[dkaile 1,051]

If you dont have the budget then go for the BEAT Diesel whose base version starts at 4.29L ex-delhi showroom; It is a good city car.

Otherwise if you dont mind a Petrol then the HONDA BRIO is launching shortly which will be a small peppy car around 4L. Checkout its first drive on autocar -

[tanveer 59]

But diesel only if your daily running is a lot or you really like to experience the power of turbo. The government may do away with the subsidy on diesel and the difference may not be as glaring as it is today.

Go for cng only if you plan to stay in delhi. If you plan to shift out in a couple of years that option is out.

Also if you plan to shift out of delhi, maruti, hyundai and tata are your only option. Because aftersales at smaller places of other companies s u c k

TD all the cars that you shortlist with all your family members and then decide. All the cars are good. Some better than the others. I would be a little wary of Chevrolet etc. Because their spares are relatively expensive. Same for volkswagon.

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Edited September 4, 2011 by tanveer

[mgdelhi 192]

^

Swift no doubt is a good hatchback though braking even with ABS worries me always.

New swift isnt powered by Fiat's engine but now VW technology comes in. I wish you could stretch your budget for the Polo!

Hi Sumit,

Just to clear some doubts about Swift and Polo.

I bought a new swift VDi in 2009. Owned it for 9 months and gave it to my cousin. I drove it 17000 kms in those 9 months. Most of it was on Delhi-Gurgaon expressway in high speed. BTW, I changed the tyres to 185/70/R14 (Michelin XM1+) the day I bought it and the braking was too good even without ABS. (My main car is Civic since 2006, 59k kms. so I know what good braking means. )

Even new Swift is coming with the same Fiat's Diesel engine (not changed to VW technology), they have just remapped the ECU to:

1. Make the power a little bit more linear but the turbo kick, pushing you back to the seat, at 2k RPM is still very much evident

2. Increase Full efficiency marginally.

About Polo, I was a great admirer of Polo by its external appearance/looks. Had a test drive to buy it and found it is not worth buying even if it was being sold at one lakh rupees less.

Just test drive it and you will know what I mean.

* It has a 3 pot engine which feels too lifeless and underpowered.

* NVH levels are way too high.

* Interiors are not impressive (personal choice).

* No free service (you pay even for 1st, 2nd and 3rd service)

* Even top model has no Climate Control.

* Indicators / Wipers controls are in opposite side (personal choice)

* VW people told me that you will void the warranty if you put any accessory like fog lamp, reverse sensors, HU, etc from outside

There might be other points but these are the points coming to my mind which stopped me from buying Polo. Buying a Swift ZDI as a second car, hoping to get it by this month-end.

Edited September 4, 2011 by mgdelhi

[tanveer 59]

Off topic. I too upgraded to Bridgestone 185/75/R14 after running 48000 on the old Goodyear tyres on my vista quadrajet in just over two years.

Wanted to go for 15 inchers but expenditure would have been much more.

Swift indeed is a great buy but I bought vista because it didn't have a waiting period, had the same fiat engine, and was 30k cheaper and came with a few extras (rear wiper, defogger and stereo. Happy with my purchase thus far. If the taxi tag dies not get to you vista quadrajet is a great value for money car.

[kshah 452]

Vista and manza are indeed good products

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[dkaile 1,051]

^

I'm sorry to contradict, but Tata products are not up to the mark and refinement of their counterparts. Tata Nano's sale has dropped to 1202 units in August from a high off 10012 in April. I would have like them to do better as they are a 100% Indian company but they have been given enough time to improve but sadly have not been able to get their fit and finish right.

Beat Diesel will change GM's future prospects. Brio will change Honda's small car status in India. Etios Liva Diesel, when launched in December, will change Toyota's portfolio. Swift Diesel will become India's favorite car shortly. Hyundai's HA may rival Alto but their cars will still not last as long as their good looks. In short the Japanese and American's will rule next year in India's Auto sector.

Also more a car is advertised in the media/tv, the less it is selling, please remember this.

Top 20 Car Sales August 2011-

[joshm 818]

Thanks a bunch friends for chipping in with inputs

really as and when i threw WAGON R out , i am in total confusion even now , with the fule prices rising , i think i got two things

A... get a Ritz LXI or VXI and get CNG kit retrofitted from some dealer for 45k

pros : we know , a better car than WAGON freakin R and around 2.5 to 3k expenses as compared to petrol which is 6k+

cons : 1.. engine life will come down drastically

2... the pleasure of driving a powerful 1200cc car will be ruined, u all will agree that cng means an effective 1050 or atmost 1100 cc engine response only

3.. the ques are endless for cng i mean minimum 35-40 to 60m anytime

4.. resale value decreases as compared to similar counterpart in petrol ( not that i am concerned but it is a factor )

B... get a ritz LDi or VDI (its outta budget , but lets take this as an option ) or may be Swift new ldi ( but i cant wait for that long and the budget is too too much )

pros :

reduced monthly KHARCHA , than Petrol ( i guess around 3.5k)

around same power ( i may be wrong ) as petrol

around same maintenance as petrol variant

driving pleasure as petrol

Cons :

expensive , expensive , expensive the base ritz ldiis 1L20k expensive than base lxi of ritz and 80k more than vxi of ritz

if i ll spend 540000 on a RITZ LDI then why not swift for 20k more ( new tech better looks , same comfort ) - but expensive expensive expensive

the resale value of diesel variants are actually lesser than petrol ones

what do u guyz think am i right about CNG ????

Have Diesel engines actually come of age and are similar to petrol ones apart from consuming a cheaper fuel.

Do u guyz also agree that if i should spend more than 5L on ritz then it will be better to get a swift instead ???

i was to get the car today , whichever it would have been , but my dilemma continues ,

one more thing please please post your opinions about the actualy delhi mileage of ritz petrol and ritz diesel with 100% ac use.

[vikasmahajanz 33]

I will suggest you to go to nearest Maruti Showroom and have a test drive of Both Ritz and Swift

Ritz from inside is more spacious as it looks from outside.... New Swift i have no info so its better to go and take a test drive

[joshm 818]

alright i am trying to make up my mind between

RITZ LXI and RITZ LDI

please post your views about it on every aspect

1.. overall financial implications if the car is driven 1300 km per month for 5 years

2.. driving pleasure

3.. maintenance

4.. noise and things , i mean suggest me if its actually worth to shell out 1L14K more for the LDI .

regards

[dkaile 1,051]

Simple formula to purchase diesel car -

If you drive more than 10-15K km's in a year then you will recover the extra cost paid for the diesel engine (approx 1-2L) in approx 5-7 years. Otherwise it is best to stick to petrol if you drive less than 10K kms in year.

Diesel engine technology today, is at par with petrol engines.