Need Suggestions on Buying Maruti Eeco

[ss80]

Hi All,

I recently sold my Nano and incurred huge loss, even my previous experiences have been pretty bad. Although I love the DIY part of cars, now I am looking for a car that is more of a family mover. I am inclined towards a new Maruti EECO for mainly below reasons.

Requirement:

1. Usage will be about 500kms per month
2. 5 - 7 seating capacity needed
3. AC must (need not cool second/third row- a bit selfish here )
4. No need for power steering (already drove one for a short distance)
5. Space & silenct cabin being prime requirements, Omni is not even mt choice as the amount of engine noise in cabin and lack of safety scares the hell out of me.
6. The car/van would be used only 3 - 4 days in a month and mainly on highways.
7. And yearly once 1 x 2000kms long trip intended.

So the Idea is to buy a new EECO 5 seater AC model and add 2 baby seats. Not interested in the seven seater version as it has no AC.


Budget is limited to 4 - 5lakhs max
If used (in excellent condition & less than 2yrs old) then yeah about 3lakhs max
Tyre upgrade definately in the pipeline
Headrests to be added to rear bench
Seats to be pushed 3 inches backward (at floor mounting) by altering the rear bench legs.


My main concerns after having driven Omni on super long drives many times
1. Does the cabin noise increase over a period of time - like Omni?
2. Does Seat & floor get hot - again like Omni?
3. Has the sliding door mechanism been upgraded / improved? Omni & Winger suck big time in rattling and grrr noise from the sliding doors over a period of time.
4. Many people have complained on many forums about the uneven tyre wear on front wheels (due to wide range of toe adjustment) - is this a permanent flaw in the vehicle.
5. What is the real time mileage you can expect on highways with full seating? Is 14+kmpl acheivable
6. Is the engine the same as Swift engine? both are 1200cc 4cyl
7. Omni has this issue of a loud humming noise from the drive shaft which creeps after every service (in a few hundred kms) - Is this again a trait of rear wheel drive vans?

I am being too specific about my questions as this vehicle will be taken on loan and would be the only car for the next 5+ years.

 

[pravin1987]

Re: Need suggestions about buying EECO

my suggestion is no for eeco for the lack of safety and it's less impressivee as a people mover.

my suggestion is used to look at a used bolero, scorpio, sumo, safari. safari has poor resale so you can pick a 2008-10 for 3 to 4 lakhs. i got a used safari for 3.90 and no issues.

 

[parveen]

you can go for datsun GO+, EECO is fine but not comfortable at all.

 

[Nanofreak]

Hi All,

I recently sold my Nano and incurred huge loss, even my previous experiences have been pretty bad. Although I love the DIY part of cars, now I am looking for a car that is more of a family mover. I am inclined towards a new Maruti EECO for mainly below reasons.

Requirement:

1. Usage will be about 500kms per month
2. 5 - 7 seating capacity needed
3. AC must (need not cool second/third row- a bit selfish here )
4. No need for power steering (already drove one for a short distance)
5. Space & silenct cabin being prime requirements, Omni is not even mt choice as the amount of engine noise in cabin and lack of safety scares the hell out of me.
6. The car/van would be used only 3 - 4 days in a month and mainly on highways.
7. And yearly once 1 x 2000kms long trip intended.

So the Idea is to buy a new EECO 5 seater AC model and add 2 baby seats. Not interested in the seven seater version as it has no AC.


Budget is limited to 4 - 5lakhs max
If used (in excellent condition & less than 2yrs old) then yeah about 3lakhs max
Tyre upgrade definately in the pipeline
Headrests to be added to rear bench
Seats to be pushed 3 inches backward (at floor mounting) by altering the rear bench legs.


My main concerns after having driven Omni on super long drives many times
1. Does the cabin noise increase over a period of time - like Omni?
2. Does Seat & floor get hot - again like Omni?
3. Has the sliding door mechanism been upgraded / improved? Omni & Winger suck big time in rattling and grrr noise from the sliding doors over a period of time.
4. Many people have complained on many forums about the uneven tyre wear on front wheels (due to wide range of toe adjustment) - is this a permanent flaw in the vehicle.
5. What is the real time mileage you can expect on highways with full seating? Is 14+kmpl acheivable
6. Is the engine the same as Swift engine? both are 1200cc 4cyl
7. Omni has this issue of a loud humming noise from the drive shaft which creeps after every service (in a few hundred kms) - Is this again a trait of rear wheel drive vans?

I am being too specific about my questions as this vehicle will be taken on loan and would be the only car for the next 5+ years.

View attachment 199753

Hi Anand, nice to see you back after the Nano rant and not so good experience.

We do have @Jayesh ownership review, in case you have not read, attaching below.

http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...o-my-familys-car-buying-ownership-review.html

As others have suggested why don't you try a used people mover, which has PS, AC space, and of course to try your hand on DIY's.

All the best

Vinod

 

[bhvm]

Buddy, eeco is a delivery van used by Dtdc and fedex. eeco does not belong to family use. nor it has even little bit of safety. kindly skip it.

look for used xylo. a proper muv with decent comfort & space. you can also look at used ertiga or mobilio.

even a 5 year old used car will be safer than new eeco. please don't be stupid.

 

[ss80]

My Replies:

my suggestion is no for eeco for the lack of safety and it's less impressivee as a people mover.

my suggestion is used to look at a used bolero, scorpio, sumo, safari. safari has poor resale so you can pick a 2008-10 for 3 to 4 lakhs. i got a used safari for 3.90 and no issues.

I understand the safety point here, but I am just comparing it with Omni & my previous cars. This one is spacious and if driven sensibly, should be safe too.

you can go for datsun GO+, EECO is fine but not comfortable at all.

I find the mid seat to be too good, its only the rear baby seats which suck big time.

Hi Anand, nice to see you back after the Nano rant and not so good experience.

We do have @Jayesh ownership review, in case you have not read, attaching below.

http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...o-my-familys-car-buying-ownership-review.html

As others have suggested why don't you try a used people mover, which has PS, AC space, and of course to try your hand on DIY's.

All the best

Vinod

Thanks Vinod ji, I am in touch with Jayesh on his thread.

Buddy, eeco is a delivery van used by Dtdc and fedex. eeco does not belong to family use. nor it has even little bit of safety. kindly skip it.

look for used xylo. a proper muv with decent comfort & space. you can also look at used ertiga or mobilio.

even a 5 year old used car will be safer than new eeco. please don't be stupid.

After having burnt hands on multiple occasions, I am very clear not to buy any used diesel car. In fact I want to go for a new Petrol Eeco/some petrol car, but due to certain pre-planned commitments, I cannot invest that much money on a new car. Hence opting for a maximum seater petrol. In terms of usage & maintenance - xylo, bolero, max, sumo (no, not Tata again) - none of these are good choices if they are used.

Cost of spares in diesel cars is pretty high and would not justify the limited usage I have. Eeco being used as a delivery van would really not change my opinion, if you see some of the funerals, the dead body is carried in a Innova! that doesnt make the car dead, does it?

Shopping begins:
I have been to a few dealers and olx guys, loved a Eeco 2011 model, single owner, 30 - 33000kms driven, insurance lapse, accident free 5seater ac (+2 baby seats).

The asking price is 2.75Lakhs. Trying to negotiate hard - no response from dealer yet.
What will be a good price for the same?

Here are a few pics - sorry for the poor quality.

 

[bhvm]

Dear SS,
Customer is the King and of course if you like EECO, you may buy it. However I would never put my family in anything like that. Apart from lack of safety feaures like ABS, Airbags, ESP etc, The Body shell & Design is actually very weak. The thing that van has high center of Gravity, Tiny tyres, poor brakes etc does not help at all. You may be driving carefully SS, but what will you go if some trucker plows into you?

The image that Safari/Scorpio/Xylo are very high on maintenance is false. Even the maintenance of XUV is not too much. You can check on my Thunderbolt thread. The thing that these are diesels makes things even better. You get awesome torque, lower running costs & nice highway speeds. A safari doing 130 if passes near eeco will make the eeco shake on highway.

Modern diesels are'nt cranky & grumpy like old ones in 80's. They're actually better than petrols today.

 

[parveen]

Re: My Replies:

Shopping begins:
I have been to a few dealers and olx guys, loved a Eeco 2011 model, single owner, 30 - 33000kms driven, insurance lapse, accident free 5seater ac (+2 baby seats).

The asking price is 2.75Lakhs. Trying to negotiate hard - no response from dealer yet.
What will be a good price for the same?

Here are a few pics - sorry for the poor quality.

In pics car looks fine but i will suggest to go for new, at least you didn't need to spent a single rupee for next few years. ECCO is a maintenance free car, but most of ecco used as taxi so i will suggest you to stay away from used & go for new.

 

[ss80]

Thanks for all your inputs guys, I dropped the EECO plan completely and have bought a good condition Used Zen Estilo 1.1 from Mahindra First Choice.

Bhvm@: I am sorry if you felt offended by any of my post, I had considered EECO only after test driving my friends EECO for over 50kms on highway 80 - 90kmph speeds and I just compared it with Omni and felt its way better.

After a lot of thinking, I came to a conclusion that no matter what, I dont want a car where the engine is below the seat, under rear seat etc. I feel a normal car with engine in its FF layout is the best. Hence dropped EECO and now back on road with a gem of an engine.

 

[bhvm]

SS,
I am not offensed. Just being a concerned & Long time member on TAI, it's my duty to highlight Pitfalls & Safety issues,
So No offense taken.

And Congrats on the Zen!

 

[shrijit303]

Hello ss80,
Congratulations on another Maruti Suzuki!Hope to read your ownership review soon!
Wish you many happy,trouble free miles!