First base

I am a first time buyer of a four wheeler. I don’t change my vehicles often and plan on using my next acquisition for the next 12 to 15 years. I have shortlisted the Chevrolet Spark LT, Hyundai Santro Xing GLS, and Maruti Suzuki Zen Estilo LXI. 

I travel around 25 kilometres a week. And may be 120 kilometres once in 3 months. Price is a constraint for me. My budget is around Rs 3.75 lakh. We are family of four — two adults and two kids. Occasionally my parents will join me. If I buy a car I would not be interested in spending money frequently on servicing. I was told Spark provides three years complete free service back up. The Spark LT is a completely loaded car and I am inclined towards it. 

Also please advise me on when I should buy the car. A friend advised me to buy in the month of December as dealers usually give an discount of Rs 20,000 to 30,000 then. But one of the dealer advised to buy it immediately, because he says the life tax will increase to 12 or 15 per cent. Please advise me on this.

Venkateswara Reddy Challa, via e-mail

From the looks of it, you are looking for a tried and tested car that should serve you well over a long period. We recommend the Zen Estilo LXi — it is relatively new, and will be easy to maintain in the long run. It is all the car you need. Dealers do offer some discounts in December — but it is entirely up to you whether to wait or not.

This or that?

Our Honda Civic auto feels very uncomfortable on long drives, especially on the Mumbai-Vapi route which we take about eight times a month. The Civic is a fun car to drive , but the suspension is just not suitable for the stretch described above, especially post monsoon due to bad road conditions. We are looking to replace it with another sedan that has awesome suspension and brakes. Pickup, looks and such thrills don’t matter. The car should preferably be cheaper than Rs 20 lakh. Please suggest a petrol as well as a diesel model, since I’m not looking at a diesel unless the car does more than 18,000 kilometres a year.

Ani Das, via e-mail

Since you want a car that still retains some spunky performance, we suggest the Toyota Corolla for you. It has good ground clearance, a nicely setup suspension that offers great balance between ride and handling and is easy to get in and out of. If your running is such that it demands a diesel engine, look at either the Chevrolet Cruze LTZ which has all the bells and whistles and a fabulous diesel engine and even delivers decent fuel efficiency.

Audi-licious

I am looking to buy the Audi A6 but I’ve heard that it is going through a platform change next year. Is this true? I also like the Volkswagen Jetta 1.9 auto , is there a engine change for the Jetta as well?

Siddharth, via e-mail

What you’ve read is partially true. The new A6 doesn’t get launched until early-2011 and won’t come here until mid-2011. In the meanwhile, we suggest, have a look at the new E-Class, which not only boasts of more features, but is better built and has a better combination of ride and handling. If a diesel is what your preference is, wait for a couple of months and Mercedes-Benz will offer that as well. The Jetta 1.9 TDI will continue in the current form, however any engine change will happen only post April 1, 2010, if the current engine can’t be made Euro-IV ready.