My First Car on a Limited Budget

vishurocks · Apr 10, 2017

I want to purchase a new car. It will be my first. Its only for city commute. And 300 km(150km one side)in a month to my home from my workplace. I dont want to spend much. It will be on loan bt not convinced on hefty emi's. So only alto 800 and alto k10 is on my mind. Alto k10vxi(o) is for 3.7(4.15 onroad including rto expenses) ex showroom after discounts. Alto 800 vxi(o) is 3.18 ex showroom. So difference is about 52-53k. I am not able to judge which will be better for me and also not able to make my mind to spend extra for k10. Also which has better fuel efficiency in real world not arai figures. Pls suggest soon

Whats your Budget - Rs 4.00l

Kms driven monthly - 500-700kms

Bodyshell - Hatch

City/Highway split - 80:20

Max No.of Passangers - 1-2 most of the time

Boot space Importance - Medium

Usage by - ___________normal_______normal/Enthu/Lady/Old age

Ownership - City

Safety - ____________medium_________High/Medium/anything

Prime requirement - Ride/ Handling/FE/Braking/Looks/AfSS/Resale/Passenger Comfort
FE/AFSS/BRAKING

Softcorner'd Manufacturer -MARUTI SUZUKI

amitpshelke · Apr 10, 2017

Since your most drive place would be CITY, so why no opt for a AUTOMATIC.
I would suggest to take a TD of NANO Automatic or if you prefer a non-Automatic. It has a feather light steering which is easy to drive and park. Is has better space than ALTO 800 or K10.

Comparing body strength NANO has higher advantage in this. Alto K10 has 1000 cc is engine which is the only advantage of having it, else NANO scores high which compared to its features,

- Rear wheel drive [mostly available in SUV, Sports car, premium cars]
- independent suspension [mostly in SUV or premium cars]
- tall body [to occupy tall people]
- huge cabin space [can accommodate 5 average size people]
- small in size with feather-lite [easy to drive and park]
- better mileage
- high ground clearance [to avoid unnecessary speed breakers from scratching the base]
- if AUTOMATIC, then hassle free driving.

- It comes in your budget.

kkn13 · Apr 10, 2017

Id say go for a certified pre owned i10 Automatic
Youll get a nice peppy engine,manufacturer warranty etc
Costs around 1.5-2L and I know quite a few people who bought used i10s from Hyundai and are happy with it. Models are generally 2010-2014 and mechanically sound.

You get a much safer car than the likes of Alto,Nano etc

Other option is Tiago base variant, granted Tata after sales etc is not as good as Maruti but its a better vfm buy than the Alto, Nano etc

You can also check out Wagon R but I find it overpriced for what it offers, not a bad car either otherwise and you can get proper piece of mind with regards to after sales etc

Hyundai Eon also fits your budget, its fairly refined though no car is as fun to drive as Alto K10 in this segment.

My personal recommendation is Wagon R or Tiago, I know its pricier but youll be driving a much safer car with more comfort etc

Alto 800 and K10 are pretty unsafe especially on the highways
The engines lose punch easily on the highway and overtakes, hill climbs etc require extra effort and planning

modifii · Apr 10, 2017

If you want to buy from Alto 800 or K10, then go for K10. Brilliant motor.

Since your usage is more in city, I would recommend K10 VXI AMT. Slightly over your budget.

My choice? Tiago XM. A bigger and better car. It will cost you more though.

Nanofreak · Apr 10, 2017

Do a TD of Nano XTA with family, you will be surprised by the features it offers at mouthwatering prices.

On road it can be negotiated for ~2.7L.

I'm 57, and have covered 7k in 6 months, and 2/3 trips per month to Lucknow, enjoying it.

My story here :
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/ownership-reviews/28185-my-nimble-mountain-goat-dazzle-blue-tata-nano-xta.html

Regards
Vinod

Sahil3101 · Apr 10, 2017

Hi,

I have driven Maruti 800 for 11 years (my first ever car), so thought of changing the car. Went to the dealer with Alto 800 in the mind as I wanted to spend under 4 lacs, but then opting the 796cc engine again made no sense. Booked the Alto K10 Vxi Granite Grey 2 weeks back.

I love driving, and changing gears manually gives that sort of satisfaction, I may not be able to express :D The SA tried to convince me to go in for the AMT version, but that was 50k expensive and AMT is not what I wanted.

Exchanged M800 for 35k + 20k exchange bonus = 55k

Total on road price is 3.80 lacs

The car is currently in transit from the Gurgaon plant and is expected to land this week.

Razor · Apr 15, 2017

Stretch your budget by another 50k and buy any between Wagon R , Tiago or Kwid

samfordikon · Apr 16, 2017

vishurocks said:

Hi according to me you should strech your budget and go for alto k10 as it is more stylish and i am sure that when one is buying car he is intending it to keep with him for next 5-7 years so spending that much extra money for 5-7 years of period i think its a good deal
Here are some points of
1.)Alto 800
-Dashboard simple
-0.8 litre engine
-796cc displacement
-power:- 47 bhp(approx)
-torque:-69Nm@3500 rpm(approx)
-Kerb weight:-727 kg(approx)

2.)Alto k10
-Stylish Dashboard
-1.0 litre engine
-Power:- 67 bhp(approx)
-torque:-90Nm@3500 rpm(approx) so engine more responsive at low rpms,gear
shifts less so hassle free city drive and can comfortably cruize on highway
as compared to alto 800 more the torque according to me will enhance the
engine life
-kerb weight:-755 kg(approx) so more stability compared to alto 800

So i think you should invest a more 1 lakh for alto k10 as i had personally driven alto k10 of my relative and belive me there is no turbo lag even with 5 person on board with ac on and i can easily cruize at 120kmph after that this small 1.0 litre engine feels struggling(all thanks to its 90Nm of torque(approx) but you can't expect anything more from this 1.0 litre engine so my opinion is go for alto k10.
Thanks

Razor said:

Hi,i personally i don't think so that kwid will be able to compete to maruti cars popularity and tata tiago is good but tata cars maintenance is on higher side compared to maruti so wagon r is the most reliable option of three please correct me if i am wrong.
Thanks.

Sahil3101 said:

Hi,your decision is perfect alto k10 is great buy compared to alto 800 due to its 0.2 litre bigger engine and high torque compared to alto 800 waiting for your ownership review
Thanks.

amitpshelke said:

Hi,sir but we should think one point according to me that no company or a businessman is such a foolish that he will give the features and advantages of suv or premium cars in entry level hatchback and if he is doing so than its most possible cause is to hide the negatives of the car so in my opinion one should compare the car features of all cars throughout the segment and one should also be carefull while choosing a car which is providing some features which are not one but are two or more segment up and tata car can not be any day compared with maruti hassle free ownership expirience so this is my opinion and i will be more than happy if you will correct me.
Thanks

amitpshelke said:

Hi,sir i would like to add few more points in respect to my previous post of reply in respect of your post
As i said in my previous post in respect of reply to your post that no company or businessman is that follish that he provides the feature of not only one but more than one or two segment up car i.e providing features of suv or premium cars in the entry level hatchback segment so one should become more cautious when buying such a car
Here i would further like to add more points in support of my statement
Nano engine is 0.6 litre
alto 800 engine is 0.8 litre
alto k10 engine is 1.0 litre

Alto 800 or k10 both has more torque,5 speed gear box as compared to nano's 4speed gear box,3 cylinder engine of alto as compared to nano's 2cylinder engine (in both manual as well as automatic variant) so city driving hassle free and highway drive of alto 800 or alto k10 will be more joyfull

Alto 800 or k10 both has longer wheel base as compared to nano so more stable drive and more legroom
Alto 800or k10 has larger 13inch rims whereas nano chassis are seated on 12inch wheels

Alto 800 or Alto k10 comes with bigger fuel tank so you not need to worry on that uknown stretch for fuel pumps

In safety Alto k10 has airbag which nano has not so here nano losses the battle
nano also lacks of immobilizer
moreover alto comes with ventilated front disc brakes whereas nano has front drum brakes so there are more chances of nano rear ending the front vehicle in the case of sudden braking and also drum brakes are more prone to heat than that of ventillated disc brake of alto the braking is a quite big issue with nano

Alto 800 or k10 has larger cargo volume

So in terms of technology alto has clear edge
in practicality again alto wins the trophy
in terms of safety nano cannot be compared to alto k10 any day
refinment is also great in alto
Maruti's hassle free ownership expirience widespread dealership and service network is unmatched to that of tata motors

Verdict:-
In terms of performance,safety and practicality Alto is the clear winner here.

I will be more than happy if you will clear me with any of my mistakes.

Thanks

GautamJ · Apr 16, 2017

samfordikon said:

Man have you TD all three cars before coming to conclusion?
Airbag alone won't be helpful is structure can't support it.
RWD cars are always nore FTD than RWD cars
Even though Nano has smaller fingerprints, but still it is roomier, not to forget he is going to drive around city and smaller footprints are boon in city.
Nano AMT comes with 5 speed AMT.
I have seen Nano on all types of road and ghat section, so it seems to adequate power too. Anyways he is not going in for any races.

Also Nano owner himself have said its is cheaper to maintain.

BTW, my uncle owns WangoR CNG, his service bills are hardly 2k-3k cheaper than my Manza Diesel. He told me he pays around 10k once his car crossed 50,000 km on odo.

P.S. Please use muti-quote option.

DrRishabh · Apr 16, 2017

samfordikon said:

Hi,sir i would like to add few more points in respect to my previous post of reply in respect of your post
As i said in my previous post in respect of reply to your post that no company or businessman is that follish that he provides the feature of not only one but more than one or two segment up car i.e providing features of suv or premium cars in the entry level hatchback segment so one should become more cautious when buying such a car
Here i would further like to add more points in support of my statement
Nano engine is 0.6 litre
alto 800 engine is 0.8 litre
alto k10 engine is 1.0 litre

Alto 800 or k10 both has more torque,5 speed gear box as compared to nano's 4speed gear box,3 cylinder engine of alto as compared to nano's 2cylinder engine (in both manual as well as automatic variant) so city driving hassle free and highway drive of alto 800 or alto k10 will be more joyfull

Alto 800 or k10 both has longer wheel base as compared to nano so more stable drive and more legroom
Alto 800or k10 has larger 13inch rims whereas nano chassis are seated on 12inch wheels

Alto 800 or Alto k10 comes with bigger fuel tank so you not need to worry on that uknown stretch for fuel pumps

In safety Alto k10 has airbag which nano has not so here nano losses the battle
nano also lacks of immobilizer
moreover alto comes with ventilated front disc brakes whereas nano has front drum brakes so there are more chances of nano rear ending the front vehicle in the case of sudden braking and also drum brakes are more prone to heat than that of ventillated disc brake of alto the braking is a quite big issue with nano

Alto 800 or k10 has larger cargo volume

So in terms of technology alto has clear edge
in practicality again alto wins the trophy
in terms of safety nano cannot be compared to alto k10 any day
refinment is also great in alto
Maruti's hassle free ownership expirience widespread dealership and service network is unmatched to that of tata motors

Verdict:-
In terms of performance,safety and practicality Alto is the clear winner here.

I will be more than happy if you will clear me with any of my mistakes.

Thanks

Brother, I own both nano and alto so i think i am very much can give correct information about them. Alto scores above nano in ride quality, suspension, resale value, ASS, boot space, stable till 80kmph.,brakes.Nano scores above alto in commanding seat position,AC, price, fuel efficiency, easy to drive than alto in city, peppy engine. Safety - i hardly believe there is any difference between these two in my experience. Overall IMO nano is better CITY Car than alto(city car is the key).

samfordikon · Apr 16, 2017

GautamJ said:

Hi,sir its nice too see that you replied to my post now i want to puthforth my opinions on your points
Yes i had TD both cars and at refinement level alto is the best as i can hear very much clatter of engine in nano

1.)Airbag alone won't be helpful is structure can't support it.
ans ok i agree but as we can all se how can u conclude that nano structure will resist any of impacts though alto is not so durable but we can get hope of safety due to airbag.

2.)RWD cars are always nore FTD than FWD cars.
ans First of all what fun one can expect from such a underpowered car and with such a less amount of torque in which one have to pre plan overtakes.As you say RWD cars are always fun to drive car than FWD drive car but owners of this segment according to me are first considering practicality not fun and another point is RWD advantage is that the suspension damage is farmore less than FWD cars and more than you and me i think volkswagen proffesionals more understand how to add fun to their cars than why dont they give polo in RWD and why does the highly powered fiat punto abarth comes with FWD.Now i can provide you this answer because the cars with FWD gains power from front wheel as there is axle weight of front wheel in addition to this the weight of engine is also imposed on front wheels so under bad weather conditions or road conditions the stability of FWD vehicles is far more better than RWD cars

3.)Even though Nano has smaller fingerprints, but still it is roomier, not to forget he is going to drive around city and smaller footprints are boon in city.
ans Ok i know he is going to drive mostly in city but this not means he is never going to hit the highways and how can you say it is more roomier alto k10 boot space is 177 litres whereas nano's automatic variant boot space is 94 litres,I admit head room may be good in nano but alto's wheel base is 2360mm whereas that of nano's
2230mm so definitely legroom is more in alto

4.)I have seen Nano on all types of road and ghat section, so it seems to adequate power too. Anyways he is not going in for any races.
ans Than i can say i had seen autorickshaws also on all types of roads so in india there is no parameter than can decide compatibility of car for the roads

5.)Also Nano owner himself have said its is cheaper to maintain.
ans Yes i agree RWD cars are comparatively cheaper to maintain

6.)BTW, my uncle owns WangoR CNG, his service bills are hardly 2k-3k cheaper than my Manza Diesel. He told me he pays around 10k once his car crossed 50,000 km on odo.
ans Yes CNG cars are expensive in maintenance if not maintained properly and see the maintainance cost not only varies per car but it could be different from user to user due to driving style and depending upon what abuse a car takes on daily basis.How wagon r if properly maintained can cause 10k per service my ford ikon 1.3 rocam flair had never costed me above 4000 at the odometer showing 76000 kms inspite of ford ikon being notorious on maintainance side.

Thanks

samfordikon · Apr 17, 2017

DrRishabh said:

How can you say nano has peppy engine i cant belive engine with such low torque will be able to compete with alto high torque engine.Yes there is not much difference in safety except alto k10 comes with airbag in top end variant so for just a sake of mind alto also has immobilizer which i think nano lacks and alto is completely stable also at 120kmph as per my personal expirience and engine does not fells stressed at 120 kmph with 5 pepoles on board with ac on.Moreover i feel alto feels like cars while nano feels just like commercial vehicle and its evidence is the difference of both of its road presence
Thanks

Aneesh · Apr 17, 2017

vishurocks said:

I bought a used Alto Lxi 2009 Model on 2011 and is still doing good, This was my first car and the car i learned to drive. I also drive around 4000 to 5000kms a year and trust me 47Bhp is not enough, its too underpowered, When there is more than 3 people in your car with A/C on, the engine struggles to pull. I do trips of 200 or 300kms once in a while with 4 people on board and i have to change to 3rd gear always to overtake even a small car.Better Invest in K10 i would say, if you can afford, put 50k extra and get the automatic version and have peace of mind as you already told you will be using it 80% on city and aged people will find it easy to drive an automatic in city.

Another reason to consider Maruti will be the high resale value and for me, maintaining my alto was way more cheaper than maintaining my HH Karizma. [lol]

You can see my Ownership Thread HERE.

samfordikon · Apr 17, 2017

Aneesh said:

Yes,you are correct maruti car had not been any day heavier to the owners pocket i personally drove alto k10 and i can say the car had never let me down on NH8 i was comfortably able to cruize at 120kmph with 5 adults on board and ac on i seriously never had to pre plan the overtakes.Moreover one can easily arrange spare parts of even 10 years old model of maruti cars.
Thanks

DrRishabh · Apr 17, 2017

samfordikon said:

How can i say? Because i use them unlike you. I know that unfortunately nano is commercial failure but Did You Say alto is a car and nano is a CV. Really man???. Can't Argue

My First Car on a Limited Budget

vishurocks

V2

amitpshelke

V8

kkn13

Suspended

modifii

V6

Nanofreak

V10

Sahil3101

V4

Razor

V6

samfordikon

V4

GautamJ

V8

DrRishabh

V6

samfordikon

V4

samfordikon

V4

Aneesh

V8

samfordikon

V4

DrRishabh

V6