Help me Please, Budget 15 Lakhs


350Z

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i am planning to buy a new car,
i am working abroad, usually i used to come to kerala 2 times a year.
now i want to buy a new car at home below 15lakh.
for an average of 8000-10000kms i used to run on these 2 months vacation.
my options are jetta, civic, laura.
i heard skoda's maintenance cost is very high,i dont want want to spend too much money for services and all. i need is a low maintenance car.
so guys please help me for this.
Hello driver,
Before answering your query, I've couple of questions to ask from you;
Will the car be kept parked for 10 Months or it will be used by some one else?

Now, Your top priority being low maintenance and availability of spare parts under the budget of Rs.15 Lakhs, I would suggest you to look in for the Chevrolet Cruze. As it's currently available in diesel version only, It will depend on your running whether the car is going to be used heavily all the time or only for the two months when you come back to the country.

On the practical side, If the car is going to be used only for the 2 Months in whole year, Look for a cheaper option like Maruti SX4, (instead of spending that much amount) which is available in petrol and you'll not have to worry about the spares and maintenance cost because it being a Maruti Suzuki Product, Dealership network and Service stations won't be an issue as well.

However, If you are keen to buy a car above Rs.10+ Lakhs, Toyota Altis makes another worth considerable option but don't forget to Test Drive all these cars before making a final decision. Also, Could you please answer few more questions asked here which will help us to suggest you a perfect car. :smile:


Drive Safe,
350Z
 
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BTW why not take a look at Corolla Altis also? Or even the Cruze if you plan to consider diesel??
i am considering altis also, but i like the appearance of civic, it looks more sport than altis, and about cruze personally i dont like american cars, and i think maintenance cost for diesel cars are much higher than petrol, especially tubro engines, but i am not sure

Lots of options available, but in your shortlist, the least maintenance will be for the Civic.
But I would suggest that you look around a bit more.
The Cedia is a good option.
i think mitsubishi also has higher in their maintenance cost
-----------Next Post-----------
If the car is stalled for 8 months, its gotta be petrol no matter what miles you clock in those two months of your drive. If I were you I would pick Corolla Altis over the Civic despite its bland looks.
the car will not be idle for the rest of the days, even my father will take it for short journeys
 
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Hello driver,
Before answering your query, I've couple of questions to ask from you;
Will the car be kept parked for 10 Months or it will be used by some one else?

Now, Your top priority being low maintenance and availability of spare parts under the budget of Rs.15 Lakhs, I would suggest you to look in for the Chevrolet Cruze. As it's currently available in diesel version only, It will depend on your running whether the car is going to be used heavily all the time or only for the two months when you come back to the country.

.........................

However, If you are keen to buy a car above Rs.10+ Lakhs, Toyota Altis makes another worth considerable option but don't forget to Test Drive all these cars before making a final decision. Also, Could you please answer few more questions asked here which will help us to suggest you a perfect car.
it is not going to run heavily for the rest of the months, my father will just do some short journeys
at present i am using a santro, i like the car, but now i am looking for riding comfort, safety thats why i get into this segment cars.

1) Your Budget
15lakhs

2) Where Do You Live?
kerala

3) Top 5 Priorities
1.riding comfort
2.safety
3.less maintenance cost
4.perfect vehicle for long drives
5.

4) Annual Running
8000-10000kms

5) For Which Purpose?
long drives with family

6) Max. People it should accommodate?
5pax

7) Priority of Fuel Type
petrol ( i think diesel cars are higher in maintenance, but i am not sure

8) Body Type?
sedan, SUVs also but i dont think i will get a good suv for this price
 
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it is not going to run heavily for the rest of the months, my father will just do some short journeys

5) For Which Purpose?
long drives with family

7) Priority of Fuel Type
petrol ( i think diesel cars are higher in maintenance, but i am not sure
Goner those days of higher maintenance of Diesel Cars! For an Annual Usage of 8K-10K kms, I would prefer you Diesel. But except Chevy, you dont have many options with diesel engines.

So try to get Civic / Corolla which is low on maintainence & high on comfort.

8) Body Type?
sedan, SUVs also but i dont think i will get a good suv for this price[/QUOTE]

Yes. For an Budget of 15Lakhs, there is no SUV which can make justice to your needs. If you can strech your Budget, then Foruner is the best of All.
 
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Zinam :
Would want to disagree with you on the viability of diesel over petrol (if savings is the only consideration) at around 8000 to 10000 km per year.

Even if you assume that the cost of maintenance is the same, and that the rate of depreciation is the same (it is usually higher for Diesel Cars!!) the numbers are around 1600 to 1700 km per month, or around 20000 km per year!!

To illustrate the same :

1) Assumptions :
Diesel variant is costlier than the equivalent petrol by 75 K
Loan, running and break even is considered for 3 years
Depreciation is considered at a conservative 20% per year.

Diesel : Rs 37 / lit, mileage 18 kmpl
Petrl : Rs 50 / lit, mileage 12 kmpl


Cost of servicing an additional loan for a 3 year period : Rs 88074
Depreciation loss of the additional 75k over a 3 year period : Rs 36600

Which would mean that you need to run sufficient kilometers over a 3 year period that the savings in fuel costs offset this additional nearly 1.25 lacs that the diesel is effectively costing you over the petrol, even though the original price tag was only 75K more.

With the fuel costs and mileages used, that comes to nearly 60 K km in 3 years, or a running of 20K a year. [surprise]

Am a fan of some of the superb diesel engines on road today, but unless you are doing so many km on the road, you should not be opting for the diesel option only for the purpose of saving money, is my submission!!
 
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if you want to go for petrol then decide between civic and altis if diesel then cruze but since you dont want cruze, then spend a bit more and get the Laura PD
 
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if you want to go for petrol then decide between civic and altis if diesel then cruze but since you dont want cruze, then spend a bit more and get the Laura PD
perfect.

As you have mentioned your dad will take it some times , but not on regular basis , petrol option is the best and civic fits your bill proprely
 
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If you are in the notion that diesel cars require higher maintenance then this is certainly not true. Nowadays diesel cars are engineered with such precision that they are far more reliable and easier to maintain. Believe me we are a diesel family and when compared to some of the older models the new gen diesel are much more refined and reliable. You need not worry on this factor.

But mathematically this is not true as Aditya explained. I just wanted to tell you that diesel cars are much more reliable nowadays.
If you have decided its going to be petrol for sure then go for the Civic or Altis.

If its diesel either Cruze or LauraPD. But costly spares of Skoda wont help you in maintenance. If its a SUV then you can try Endeavour or Fortuner if you stretch your budget by some margin. But Ford also same story as Skoda , costly spares so higher maintenance cost. Fortuner has a waiting period of 6 months currently , if this is not an issue for you then the Fortuner is surely worth buying as it has won the SUV of the year from several magazines and shows. Or maybe you can also wait for the TATA Indicruz a.k.a Aria!
 

350Z

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I'd agree with Aditya that as per your requirements, Petrol car should serve the purpose well.

Considering the mentioned Top-Priorities (i.e: Riding comfort, Safety, Less Maintenance Cost, Perfect vehicle for long drives), My final word will be to take a look at SX4 ZXi which ticks most of the boxes and comes loaded with the Safety Features like Dual Airbags, ABS and comfort features including Auto-Climate Control to name a few and needless to say that Maruti’s well-built customer service network should offer peace of mind. Since the car will be used by you only for couple of months in whole year, You can save much more $$$ as well. Also, You can even opt for Automatic Gearbox and It’s robust build quality added with high ground clearance than of a normal SUV will be perfect for your long highway trips with family of 5, Unlike the luxury cars such as Civic etc which are flower petals in comparison.

However, If you are keen to spend and buy a car segment above, Then Toyota Corolla Altis strikes the mind which too gets an automatic transmission but don’t opt for Civic if most of the visits are on highways with typical Indian Road Conditions as it’s soft suspension can easily wear-off and Honda’s spares are comparatively pricey as well.

Regarding the SUV, There is couple of them available under your budget of Rs.15 Lakhs and that is the Mahindra Scorpio & Tata Safari (top-end) which costs nearly Rs.11Lakhs but unfortunately comes only in Diesel Variant.

To sum it up, Thinking practically and saving your hard earned penny, Maruti SX4 currently makes a perfect decision considering the requirements which you’ve told.
You could consider the SUVs but as upgrading from a hatchback, Make sure that driving them won’t be an issue. All the best.

Below are few links which could be of some help to you -:


Drive Safe,
350Z
 

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