Over the H

My Ford Fiesta 1.6 is over three years old and I want to move on to another car. Before buying the Fiesta, I had wanted to buy the Honda Civic, but that meant stretching my budget a little bit. Well, things are not that improved that I can go for the Civic now, what with the downturn and all. But I still want to sell off my Fiesta and get another car. And I love driving. Any recommendations?

A Jog, Mumbai

Well, the answer is right in front of you — the new Honda City. It is a brilliant car across most aspects. It looks as dynamic as the bigger Civic and comes with an exciting engine/gearbox combination too. The City features active and passive safety features now and is great fun to drive. You may not have bought the Civic, but by buying the City, it’s not much of a compromise either!

Carry on people

I am a senior executive in a private bank in Mumbai. I have a five-year old Maruti Suzuki Baleno and I want to upgrade to a car that can comfortably accommodate me and my wife, our two small kids, our maid and of course, the chauffeur who will do the driving most of the time. The only one that fits my requirements is the Toyota Innova. Should I go for it or try out the new Mahindra Xylo? My budget is around Rs 10 lakh.

K Kumar, Mumbai

The Innova is an excellent, well-engineered and spacious car for the entire family. Besides it comes with safety features too. As regards the Xylo, it is competent enough, but it does not come with ABS and airbags yet. However, you can test-drive the Xylo and see if it matches your expectations, and the top-end E8 version will fit in your budget. But we hear that the Innova is going to get an upgrade very soon, so we suggest you hold on till Toyota introduces the revised model.

Budget bet

I have just got my first job and now am looking to upgrade from my Bajaj Pulsar 150 to a car. I was thinking of getting myself a second-hand Maruti Suzuki Wagon R or a Hyundai Santro, which would be quite affordable for me at around Rs 1.5 lakh. I have another option, of getting another Rs 1.5 lakh more from my father, then I can afford a new car, perhaps the Maruti Suzuki Alto or the Chevrolet Spark, and my father wouldn’t mind. Of course, fuel consumption and service costs of the car should be minimal. What would you suggest I do?

Pratik, via email

Well, it depends whether you want to ask your father for more money. If there is no issue on that front, go ahead and get yourself a new car. Both the Spark and the Alto are pretty affordable across all aspects. However, if you are particular about spending your own money, then a good deal on a used Santro or Wagon R is not so bad. A quality used car will give you about two or three years of good ownership experience, and after that, you could perhaps afford a bigger hatchback. It’s your call.

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