Moving up

I’m 40 and have been driving a Maruti 800 for the last 10 years. I now feel the need to change my car because of its rising maintenance costs. I use the car mostly within city limits (i.e. about 20 to 30 kilometres every day in Delhi with some very crowded stretches). Occasionally, say three to four times a year, we drive out to short destinations from Delhi to places like Jaipur, Chandigarh, etc. For me the decisive factors would be mileage, manoeuvrability, reliability, low on maintenance and a fairly well spread out service network. Therefore, could you please recommend as to which car I should opt for?

Neeta,New Delhi

You have not mentioned your budget for a new car! However, we think a Hyundai i10 will be a great car to upgrade from the good old Maruti 800. It is sophisticated, rides on Indian roads well and is supported by a decent after sales network. Since you do the occassional highway run, it will be better to opt for a model with ABS and airbags. The i10 can return 14 kpl if driven carefully and even better on highways.

All you desire

I was planning to buy a new car by the end of the year, or early 2009. My budget is for a petrol car in the range of Rs 6.5 to 7 lakh. The car will be primarily self-driven with mostly one or two persons on board. Most of the time the car will be used for city commutes, with the occasional drive out-of-town (about 400 kilometres, round trip). Kindly suggest the best car for me.

Tarit Ray,Gurgaon

Looks like you are on the look out for a car that will spend most of its time on city streets, right? Your budget allows you to buy a decently equipped version of the Suzuki Swift Dzire. It’s petrol engine is derived from the good old Maruti Esteem, yet it is a strong, economical performer. The boot space will come into play when you do your 400 km round trips.

Time to change?

I have a Honda City ZX Vtec that's about a year old. Is it worth exchanging for the new City since I am inclined towards performance-oriented cars?

Pradeep Nair,Bangalore

The new VTEC model is a better overall automobile, but your car is new and has lot of juice left in it. The VTEC engine in your car is barely broken-in and will serve you well over a long period of time. The last gen City was never a bad looker in any case — so keep the car and enjoy it to the fullest. Moreover, selling now means taking a big hit on the depreciation front.

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