which low maintenance, fuel-effecient small car to buy?

dear friend(s),

i am completely new, and lost at this...

my requirement - as far as i have been able to find and freeze - are:

budget: 4 to 5 lacs

service n spares - cheap, readily available

use: hv one car - maruti800. this will be a family car, mostly used for long drives and road trips (hopefully!)

fuel and mileage - any fuel, easy on pocket considering long trips.

resale - may use for about 4-5 years before selling.

features - AC, power steering...

Hi Biren,

           Do you have any models in mind? I believe in your budget you would get a decent petrol hatchback. I assume that as you are planning for long drives and road trips you must be also looking at enough boot space. Do also let us know your estimated monthly run.

           My suggestions Ford Figo, Chevrolet Beat, Honda Brio, Swift Vxi, Fiat Punto Dynamic. By the way budget you stated is on-road budget or are you looking at 4-5L showroom price..

           Figo, Swift and Beat would be low on maintainence... Not so sure about Fiat's spares. Moreover if you choose Beat, you can opt for Chevrolet promise and have peace of mind for next 3 years..

Welcome to carwale Biren.

For your requirement I would suggest you can either opt for a Maruti suzuki or a Chevy. However I neither the swift nor the beat have good boot space. Same is the case with Brio. Punto makes sense but only if you are not a performance guy. If you like to zoom off as soon as you press the pedal then the punto (1.2) is not for you IMO. Figo is a good car in all respects apart from FE. Even the A.S.S.C. coverage is a question. I would have suggested the i10 but then the FE figures for i10 reported by owners are not consistent. Liva can be a consideration but then maintenance cost I am not sure of. I would suggest you check the swift and if are okay with the boot space better to opt for it.

Let us first freeze on which fuel to go for. What is the expected average running per month?

Tomy

you can also go for i10 as it is really good in terms of all your parameters along with good fuel efficiency and good resale value

I10 has not had a consistent FE quote from the owners. Even my friends mention the same of their i10s. So dont just post anything that comes to your mind

thanks friends... keep it coming.

as i am still in a thick fog about this...

and i know i have yet to give info about the following:

1. estimated monthly run (as pointed out by rahul and tomy)

2. which fuel to go for (tomy)

but... here is at least a few things i AM sure of:

1. i am not a performance guy - that is, hung on power, if that's what was meant...

2. i am not looking at enough boot space as a necessity... in fact it never crossed my mind - maybe because we travel light... and are mostly back-packers.

thanks a bunch, buddies...

appreciate this way more than maybe evident in my words.

warmth

biren

The reason I asked about monthly running is to decide on which fuel to go for, since you mentioned long trips. For example, if your running is something like 1500Km per month, and you are looking for only basic features like a/c and power steering, then some diesel base model could be the best fit, though it might go slightly above 5L.

Probably you can just do a rough calcululation based on the likely number of trips and the distances to find the monthly running.

Tomy

dear tomy,

you did right. and it was a question i needed.

did i sound as if your question unsettled me?

if so, my bad...

it is just that i needed to take time to really tink over something i had not clearly thought about - how much am i going to use the car... WHY am i really going in for this new car... etc.

i am still at it.

and without your, and rahul's question, i would be taking decisions based on false assumptions... landing up with something i don't want or need.

you became a coach, whether you wanted to or not.

warm regards

b.

Hi friends, really appriciate your efforts and time u put in replying posts,

I need your help in deciding between following two cars

1) Zen Estilo VXI with ABS

2) Hyundai i10 Magna 1.2

Following are my driving details

Highway 250 KM Per month

City 250 KM per Month

Total 500 KM P/M

Zen Estilo VXI ABS

positives -> ABS and no hump at floor of rear seats making it little more comfortable, more service centers

Negatives -> 998 cc engine and kerb wt 865 kg

Hyundai i10 Magna 1.2

Positives -> 1198 cc Kappa engine, better build quality, kerb weight 860 KG

Negatives -> No ABS, and hump at floor rear seat, not sure about service center

Both are costing almost same i10 is only 20k more,

hence i am not able to decide which one to go for, could you please advice me on the same

How much ABS in estilio will benefit?, which one has better mileage?