The Hindu Business Line : Question & Auto

I want to buy a used car and my budget is Rs 2.5-3 lakh . I have narrowed my choice to Maruti Zen VXi (2005), Fiat Palio (2005) and Opel Corsa (2003) models. I am looking for a car that is suitable for both city driving and long distance travel. It should offer class leading fuel efficiency, have a large boot and good resale value. Its running costs should be low and must also have good service support. Can you suggest which one would be the best choice, and highlight its plus points?

Seetharam C. R.

There are two parameters that all three cars you have listed will not satisfy, that is, good resale value and a large boot. The Opel Corsa has a bigger boot than the other two and the Maruti Suzuki Zen will give you slightly better fuel efficiency than the Corsa and the Palio.

All the three cars listed have either been withdrawn, have had a model change or been given a face lift. Therefore, the resale values of these cars are already low and that is why they are such good buys in the used-car market.

But the Fiat Palio would be the most ideal car to buy of the three in the used-car mart. The prices are extremely low, the value that you get is high and the engineering quality and highway manners of this car will be difficult to match by the other two. The only points to consider will be the relatively lower fuel efficiency and marginally higher maintenance costs compared to the other two cars.

I am looking to purchase a car in the Rs 2.5-3.5 lakh price range. I am inclined towards the Hyundai Santro XO. However, I have read some news reports which claim that Hyundai is coming out with a new compact car code-named PA and once this car is rolled out, the company may slash the prices of the Santro. Another news which caught my eye was regarding a new law that could mandate the use of anti-theft device as part of standard fitment by October this year. If these reports are true, I would like to wait a few more months before buying the car. You comments?

Mayank Vyas

There is currently no official word from Hyundai about which small car the company is planning to introduce next in India. But according to market grapevine it could be the Amica or a whole new small car that will be positioned right next to the Santro. Even if these rumours are true and the new small car is priced close to the Santro, there is a strong likelihood of Hyundai continuing to keep the Santro Xing alive.

The new small hatch may dent the Santro Xing’s strong sales numbers, but there could still be enough demand for the former after the new launch. The dateline for the launch of the all-new small car is still not known, but it is likely to be by early next year. In the meanwhile, the Santro Xing could undergo a model change, again if market rumours are to be believed.

With the new small car in, there could be a repositioning of the Santro Xing. But like we said if there is a model change to the Santro too, that will take care of repositioning the price-value proposition for this small car too.

Yes, there is a move towards making an in-car anti-theft device as part of standard fitment. Maruti has already made such a device with an engine immobiliser as part of standard fitment in all its cars. If you are expecting to see all these changes in the car that you may want to buy, it may be prudent to wait for a few more months.

I am planning to buy a B segment car and I want to know which should be my choice considering parameters such as fuel economy and my budget of Rs 4.5 lakh. My daily commute will be about 40 km. I seldom take long drives in the car, and even if I do, it does not usually exceed 80 km. My options are Hyundai Santro with LPG fuel conversion, Tata Indica (Diesel) and the Suzuki Wagon-R Duo LXi.

Prabhakara Raju

With your outline of projected usage for the car, it does not seem appropriate to focus too much on fuel economy before making the choice, especially since the options being considered are either dual fuel or diesel.

Of the cars being considered, the Wagon-R Duo LXi may be the best choice. The Hyundai Santro is not being offered with a factory-fitted LPG kit option currently. It is only available with a CNG kit, which will not be sold in Hyderabad. The Wagon-R Duo comes with a factory-fitted LPG kit and has undergone considerable testing in real world conditions. It is also unlikely to lead to any significant increase in maintenance costs over the first three years of ownership compared to the regular petrol-engined counterpart.

With a 30 per cent reduction in per kilometre running cost in the Wagon-R Duo, and with your projected usage, the Rs 35,000 price differential that this dual-fuel car has vis-À-vis its regular engined counterpart could payback in a little over two years.