What Is The Best Brand New Car (around 1.3 Million)?

[Yasith]

Can you please comment here on following cars based on,

• Price
• Specifications
• Features
• After Sale Service
• Brand Perception
• Value for Money
• Running Costs

Micro Trend (1.265 millions)

http://www.######/trend.htm

Chery QQ (manual) (1.295 millions)

812 cc twin cam mpefi engine, 5 – Speed Manual transmission, Factory fitted Air conditioning, Power Steering, 13 “ Alloy Wheels inclusive of (Spare), Power Mirrors, Power Shutters, Remote central Locking with Keyless Entry, Factory Fitted Radio, Cassette 4 speakers, Anti glare rearview mirror, Front sun visor with vanity mirror, Front disc & rear drum brakes, Front Head Restraints, Front & Rear fog lamps, Door mounted side impact protection beams, High mounted LED stop lamp, Remote operated rear hatch & petrol lid, Rear windshield demister with washer wiper, Cloth velour Fabric Upholstery, Dual Cup holders Cigarette lighter, Rear folding seats

Maruti Alto Lxi (1.325 millions) (not the special edition)

BRAND NEW MARUTI ALTO Lxi 800cc 5 door hatch back 12 valve 3 cylinder 4 stroke with MPFI (Electronic Multi Port Fuel Injection) engine, Environment Friendly CFC Free Factory Fitted Air-Conditioner with heater, advanced “TRUE RESPONSE” speed sensing Electronic Power Steering, Locally Fitted AM/FM (88-108 Full range) Radio Cassette with 2 Speakers, electronic multi trip meter, Halogen head lamps, collapsible steering column for additional safety, side impact beams on all doors, Rear door child safety locks, front seat belts, tinted glass, fabric seats, moulded door trim, remote fuel tank lid opener, 145/80R12 radial tyres.

Figures are based on MotorMag (oct 2007)

[Yasith]

I don’t know about the after sale service; but made inquire to the email address indicated on the website to all three companies……only A*W and DPMC replied, I have not respond what so ever from the Micro guys……

Due to this experience, although Micro trend looks the best car based on the specification sheet; I am very scared on their service. Does anyone have any experience with Micro sales/after sale service guys?

Edited October 30, 2007 by Yasith

[Arc Angel]

I don’t know about the after sale service; but made inquire to the email address indicated on the website to all three companies……only A*W and DPMC replied, I have not respond what so ever from the Micro guys……

Due to this experience, although Micro trend looks the best car based on the specification sheet; I am very scared on their service. Does anyone have any experience with Micro sales/after sale service guys?

dude are you going to buy one, or are you conducting some kind of research?

have you considered going for a second hand car for that budget of yours?

Edited October 30, 2007 by Arc Angel

[Yasith]

dude are you going to buy one, or are you conducting some kind of research?

have you considered going for a second hand car for that budget of yours?

Definitely! I am looking for buy a one in this budget range……but this is just a part of my research to understand my options…..I also have many questions about the 2nd hand cars, I’ll post them in the future.

[aswe]

dude are you going to buy one, or are you conducting some kind of research?

have you considered going for a second hand car for that budget of yours?

Dear Friend

I can tell you one thing. Dont go for a micro. I have lots of experience on micro vans (not with cars) I really dont know about cherry. But considering the past I would rate Alto as the best option. But for this price I think you can go for a unreg Kelisa (reconditioned)

[Thanushka]

Dear Friend

I can tell you one thing. Dont go for a micro. I have lots of experience on micro vans (not with cars) I really dont know about cherry. But considering the past I would rate Alto as the best option. But for this price I think you can go for a unreg Kelisa (reconditioned)

Hi,

Well I don't think Micro are that bad. I think they are in the same class which Indian and Malasian vwhicles belong.

Why did you say Micro's are bad?

There are so many Micro vans in the road and if you're going to buy one, you have to wait in a long qeue. If they are so bad they can't have such a demand

[The Don]

Can you please comment here on following cars based on,

• Price
• Specifications
• Features
• After Sale Service
• Brand Perception
• Value for Money
• Running Costs

Micro Trend (1.265 millions)

http://www.######/trend.htm

Chery QQ (manual) (1.295 millions)

812 cc twin cam mpefi engine, 5 – Speed Manual transmission, Factory fitted Air conditioning, Power Steering, 13 “ Alloy Wheels inclusive of (Spare), Power Mirrors, Power Shutters, Remote central Locking with Keyless Entry, Factory Fitted Radio, Cassette 4 speakers, Anti glare rearview mirror, Front sun visor with vanity mirror, Front disc & rear drum brakes, Front Head Restraints, Front & Rear fog lamps, Door mounted side impact protection beams, High mounted LED stop lamp, Remote operated rear hatch & petrol lid, Rear windshield demister with washer wiper, Cloth velour Fabric Upholstery, Dual Cup holders Cigarette lighter, Rear folding seats

Maruti Alto Lxi (1.325 millions) (not the special edition)

BRAND NEW MARUTI ALTO Lxi 800cc 5 door hatch back 12 valve 3 cylinder 4 stroke with MPFI (Electronic Multi Port Fuel Injection) engine, Environment Friendly CFC Free Factory Fitted Air-Conditioner with heater, advanced “TRUE RESPONSE” speed sensing Electronic Power Steering, Locally Fitted AM/FM (88-108 Full range) Radio Cassette with 2 Speakers, electronic multi trip meter, Halogen head lamps, collapsible steering column for additional safety, side impact beams on all doors, Rear door child safety locks, front seat belts, tinted glass, fabric seats, moulded door trim, remote fuel tank lid opener, 145/80R12 radial tyres.

Figures are based on MotorMag (oct 2007)

Hi,

Specification wise the QQ is the leader,

But I think out of the 3 options you have the Alto is the better one, and for the following reasons

The alto has been in the SL market for some time now, and I have met a few owners of the car and they all are perfectly satisfied with the fuel ecconomy and value for money, and thus probably you can consider the alto to be the established brand

As a result you would lose less on the depriciation and have a higher resale value after use

The car would be easier to sell

Is based on a japanese design though a bit old

Spare parts would be easier to find as there are lots of examples on the road

The agents are also quite good in my opinion

Being an indian car parts are quite cheap

Speaking relatively here of course, not to put the Cherry or the Trend down, but I think the Alto has a slight edge and thus also more expensive than the other two

just my 2 cents,

The Don

2

[Yasith]

There are so many Micro vans in the road and if you're going to buy one, you have to wait in a long qeue. If they are so bad they can't have such a demand

May be this explains why they don’t respond to emails……if you have enough orders at the moment, why bother about new ones

[The Don]

May be this explains why they don’t respond to emails……if you have enough orders at the moment, why bother about new ones

no Yasith thats just bad customer service,

but its possible the email didn't actually get there, as sometimes they are filtered off by spam filters etc

[Watchman]

Dear Friend

I can tell you one thing. Dont go for a micro. I have lots of experience on micro vans (not with cars) I really dont know about cherry. But considering the past I would rate Alto as the best option. But for this price I think you can go for a unreg Kelisa (reconditioned)

hey, I'm not putting you down or anything, but what you say will only have some basis if you sat WHY you dont recomend it or what your 'experience' is.

[Yasith]

no Yasith thats just bad customer service,

but its possible the email didn't actually get there, as sometimes they are filtered off by spam filters etc

Yes! There website is also not updated and well designed (lot of blank links). This is very surprising because TransMec has a IT company called eTrans (to tell you the truth! I worked there….just for One day ), and they do web designing as one of their primary services

May be there are not considering email users as genuine buyers (if you are really buying make a phone call...etc) but for me email is more convenient and informative at the research stage.

[Yasith]

Hi,

Specification wise the QQ is the leader,

But I think out of the 3 options you have the Alto is the better one, and for the following reasons

The alto has been in the SL market for some time now, and I have met a few owners of the car and they all are perfectly satisfied with the fuel ecconomy and value for money, and thus probably you can consider the alto to be the established brand

As a result you would lose less on the depriciation and have a higher resale value after use

The car would be easier to sell

Is based on a japanese design though a bit old

Spare parts would be easier to find as there are lots of examples on the road

The agents are also quite good in my opinion

Being an indian car parts are quite cheap

Speaking relatively here of course, not to put the Cherry or the Trend down, but I think the Alto has a slight edge and thus also more expensive than the other two

just my 2 cents,

The Don

2

Thanks a lot for detail analysis! It is very useful

Don’t you think same will happened (in another 3, 4 years) to Chery, as it is with DPMC….Don’t you think they will do what they did with Bajaj 3 Wheelers?

[DarkangeL]

Bro ..u can go for an unregisterd japanese alto ( auto gears,full option ) for 1.4 mto 1.45...

I've chkd some ..last week end..

[The Don]

Thanks a lot for detail analysis! It is very useful

Don’t you think same will happened (in another 3, 4 years) to Chery, as it is with DPMC….Don’t you think they will do what they did with Bajaj 3 Wheelers?

The Bajaj three wheeler never had much competition, as none of the other brands introduced ever had the financial power to overcome DPMC or their reach, its a well established brand,

For DPMC to establish Cherry in the same way would take quite a bit of effort and a bit of time, and mind you here they are up against A*W, which makes it even more difficult, but I hear there are lots of Cherrys on the roads already so what you say probably will be true

The Cherry is based on the Daewoo (now Chevrolet) Matiz which in my opinion is a much better car if you can get your hands on one

I just hope that some other manufacturers also establish manufacturing facilities in SL apart from the Chinese so as to enable us to get some quality motors at a relatively cheap price, such as some of the korean manufacturers. Shanghai automotive makes cars for some big brands like general motors, and they are making full use of the technical expertise gained through collaboration and their new MG ZT for example based on the original ZT should be a very good car, but at the moment all we get is the Cherry

Incidentally if you can stretch your budget a bit further, and if you also do not plan to put loads of miles on the car (the only time buying brand new gives you an edge since it comes with a warranty, and when I say lots of miles i mean about 20K KM a year) a used 1999 model Vitz might make an excellent alternative

Edited October 30, 2007 by The Don

[Thunder_SL]

Hi,

Specification wise the QQ is the leader,

But I think out of the 3 options you have the Alto is the better one, and for the following reasons

The alto has been in the SL market for some time now, and I have met a few owners of the car and they all are perfectly satisfied with the fuel ecconomy and value for money, and thus probably you can consider the alto to be the established brand

As a result you would lose less on the depriciation and have a higher resale value after use

The car would be easier to sell

Is based on a japanese design though a bit old

Spare parts would be easier to find as there are lots of examples on the road

The agents are also quite good in my opinion

Being an indian car parts are quite cheap

Speaking relatively here of course, not to put the Cherry or the Trend down, but I think the Alto has a slight edge and thus also more expensive than the other two

just my 2 cents,

The Don

2

mmmmmm I owns a maruti ALTO 2006 model...... brought on 2006 feb.. so far i have not been in a garage fr any thing mmmmmmm service vise also A*W good.. mmmmm if ya looking for the perfomance dnt even look at the alto but as a 800cc car its a really good accelaration. still i didnt came up with the spare parts thing cos i didnt want them lol any way i think its good value fr the money any way its good cs i bought my car 1075000 in 2006 and nw its

13 laks man sri lankan car market is superb.

[aswe]

Hi,

Well I don't think Micro are that bad. I think they are in the same class which Indian and Malasian vwhicles belong.

Why did you say Micro's are bad?

There are so many Micro vans in the road and if you're going to buy one, you have to wait in a long qeue. If they are so bad they can't have such a demand

Machan

My company has more than 40 micro vans out of those 10 are their new model. The old model is some what good on comfort level. Newer model is worse on comfort. But better look. You need to have a separate piece of wooden block(Adayak) to pump fuel. Normal way you can only fill half of the tank. The van is dual AC but you have only one control. 'Fuel consumption is very bad and it is around 6 to 8 km/l (Drivers may also try to show it like that) I do not recommend it any body to buy for personal use.

[Arc Angel]

Hi,

Specification wise the QQ is the leader,

But I think out of the 3 options you have the Alto is the better one, and for the following reasons

The alto has been in the SL market for some time now, and I have met a few owners of the car and they all are perfectly satisfied with the fuel ecconomy and value for money, and thus probably you can consider the alto to be the established brand

As a result you would lose less on the depriciation and have a higher resale value after use

The car would be easier to sell

Is based on a japanese design though a bit old

Spare parts would be easier to find as there are lots of examples on the road

The agents are also quite good in my opinion

Being an indian car parts are quite cheap

Speaking relatively here of course, not to put the Cherry or the Trend down, but I think the Alto has a slight edge and thus also more expensive than the other two

just my 2 cents,

The Don

2

does anybody know what that tiny little subaru is? at least, I think it's a subaru. isn't that in the same category as the stuff we're discussing here?

Edited October 30, 2007 by Arc Angel

[Thanushka]

Machan

My company has more than 40 micro vans out of those 10 are their new model. The old model is some what good on comfort level. Newer model is worse on comfort. But better look. You need to have a separate piece of wooden block(Adayak) to pump fuel. Normal way you can only fill half of the tank. The van is dual AC but you have only one control. 'Fuel consumption is very bad and it is around 6 to 8 km/l (Drivers may also try to show it like that) I do not recommend it any body to buy for personal use.

Hi Mate,

I don't know about the problem in the re-filling. But check the link it will give you a 360' internal look.

In there you can see some a switch in the rear AC. I think it is a on off switch or a controller.

http://www.hafeiauto.com.cn/Skin/hafei/cp/360-minyi-n.html

Fuel consumption may be abnormally increased by the drivers as you mentioned.

I don't know about the comfort level, it's up to someone else to comment about. But interior looks luxurious.

And I'm not working for Micro.

[Thanushka]

Machan

My company has more than 40 micro vans out of those 10 are their new model. The old model is some what good on comfort level. Newer model is worse on comfort. But better look. You need to have a separate piece of wooden block(Adayak) to pump fuel. Normal way you can only fill half of the tank. The van is dual AC but you have only one control. 'Fuel consumption is very bad and it is around 6 to 8 km/l (Drivers may also try to show it like that) I do not recommend it any body to buy for personal use.

Hi Mate,

About the re-filling problem may be U R correct. This shows that the fuel inlet was very low.

http://www.hafeiauto.com.cn/Skin/hafei/cp/360-minyi-w.html

Sorry Mate.

[madmax]

does anybody know what that tiny little subaru is? at least, I think it's a subaru. isn't that in the same category as the stuff we're discussing here?

The Subaru R2 has got a smaller 600CC engine, but a higher price tag of about 1.7 Million!

[Yasith]

http://www.hafeiauto.com.cn/Skin/hafei/cp/360-lubao-n.html Micro Trend

[dinosh]

The Subaru R2 has got a smaller 600CC engine, but a higher price tag of about 1.7 Million!

Its actually 660cc & some with Intercooler Turbo.

[Pericles]

Its actually 660cc & some with Intercooler Turbo.

Its also damn ugly a friend has one.

JC wasn't impressed either

[SeanD]

Its also damn ugly a friend has one.

JC wasn't impressed either

There was a video in the 8th series (I think) where they tried to find out the handling of these small cars on one of the corners of the Top Gear track (not exactly these, but ones that are built along the same lines, like the Kelisa). Some of you might have seen it. After that, I'd rather walk than drive one off those things. Most of them barely turned at all, and some almost toppled.

[Saturn]

All three of those cars are 'small cars'. not very safe. (Especially the QQ. Don't even consider it)

Id suggest considering a used car. Should be able to get a 300- or better japanese car for that price.