| On the other hand, the City seems to offer everything, but I don't like the new 'egg-shaped' look. I surely do not want to stretch for a Chevrolet or a higher end model, considering the utility of the vehicle. What would you advise between the two ? T S Ramji, New Delhi You should consider the City over the Baleno only because it is a newer product. You may not like the looks initially, but it grows on you. It is a well designed car that is early for its time in India, but is as contemporary as it gets. |
| Also, the City will fetch you better value when you are ready to sell. If driven carefully, the City can stretch a litre to 13-14 kpl, and that too with the comfort of airconditioning. |
| USED TEMPTATION |
| I have been driving an Indica for the last five years and have covered around 75,000 km in it. Now since I have an office car, my average driving is barely over 500 km a month. I have been looking at buying a new car for some time. |
| Now, I have an offer from my company to buy a November 2001 Hyundai Accent Tornado GTX. It has done approximately 50,000 km and is a clean car. It is fully loaded and I can get it for around Rs 2.25 lakh. My query is whether is it worth buying it. If not, which vehicle would you suggest? I am willing to spend around Rs 6 lakh. Rahul Vatts, via email The fully loaded Accent Tornado at Rs 2.5 lakh is tempting all right, but remember, it has already done 50,000 km! While the engine and gearbox of most modern cars can go on for one lakh km or more without much trouble, there are other parts of the car that get tired. |
| Check the suspension carefully before you buy "" our roads really torture the suspension bits and we have driven older Accents with shot shock absorbers which offer almost zilch ride quality. We suggest you go in for a brand new Accent instead "" it will offer you decent ride and handling (it is also a safety issue) and will be extremely reliable over the next three to four years of ownership. |
| NEXT STEP |
| I currently own a Mitsubishi Lancer GLX, which was purchased in December 2001 and has done 95,000 km (mostly self-driven). I am planning to replace it with either a Hyundai Elantra, Toyota Corolla or Chevrolet Optra. I have almost narrowed my choice down to the Elantra. |
| Would you agree with this decision in terms of performance, fuel efficiency, maintenance costs, service network and overall value-for-money, including resale value? What is the resale value/exchange price I can get for my Lancer which is in top running condition, barring a few dents/scratches? K Gopal, via email From the cars you have listed, the Corolla will be our first choice as an upgrade from the Lancer. It is well-built, reliable and economical for its size too. As for the Elantra, we do recommend the diesel, as the CRDi engine is a robust powerpack that should serve you well over the years. Your Lancer with 95,000 km on board should fetch you close to Rs 3-3.5 lakh.Planning to buy a car or bike?Ask us at |
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