I was forced to buy a car after my daughter was born. I was driving a bike and am ok with it. But I reside in the worst part of Bangalore where my trousers turn red no matter what color they are by the time I reach office on a two wheeler. And I had my fair share of skids even though I am experienced (14Yrs) and careful driver always on the lookout to get the last drop of petrol to work for me. I could not imagine taking any risks with my daughter on a two wheeler.
From the reviews on this site I got the feeling that Indica diesel would be the most economical. My budget was 2.5 lakhs. So I went to a second hand show room and test-drove on Indica. I immediately changed my opinion and headed to Maruti true value. The reason being that Indica took lot of effort to drive. It cannot negotiate a 1 degree climb without struggling. And the weight of the car was obvious. Indica is a CAB car and not for personal use.
I choose the Wagon R which was costlier than Santro Second hand because of the Maruti network and cost of maintenance. Till now I clocked 3500 KMs and spent only on fuel. The benefits of true-value are:
1) Refurbished car. – They check all the parts and replace worn out parts.
2) Guaranteed accidents free car.
3) Free comprehensive insurance for upto 1 year.
4) 3 Free services – they did not charge even Rs 1 till date for the first two services.
5) Their price includes commissions, Sales tax, registration & Rs 500 worth fuel from IOC etc.
6) MP3 player, Steering cover was included.
The benefits of above come to at least Rs 20K. So I paid 30K over market but got a good car for only 10K more.
Coming to the experience. The car is very fast and easy to maneuver. As I told before I live in the worst part of Bangalore and if you think I am just exaggerating here are the facts. I drive 4kms a day on 2nd gear near my home and the rest 10 kms is city traffic. In Bangalore there are two types of traffic, there is peak traffic and extra-super-peak-traffic unless you are a night owl. In these conditions I am getting 14KMPL with partial A/C. Since I bought a 4 year old car there are light rattles on the rear and engine noise. Braking is very good for my driving style. Electronic Power Steering is the highlight of this car.
The negatives are longer clutch play, very hard stick shift and very high body roll.