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SWMBO mirca is coming to the end of its working life. Have been looking at the Alto's SZ3 and 4. Anybody got one and what are your views on them.
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I would look at the Panda or Hyundai i10 instead. The Alto may as well just have a Maruti badge on it. The one I saw looked very cheap inside with materials look like they are made by Lada.
Or try and get a Nissan Micra, as the current model is about to be replaced you can get massive discounts on it at the moment. You should easily able to buy a brand new one for £7k if there are any stocks left.
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Both the i10 and the Alto are built in India. The i10 appears better finished, and from tests I've seen is the better car - but I understand that there is still a long waiting list.
Also have a look at the Nissan Pixo - the Alto and Pixo are basically the same car (as per the Toyota Aigo/Citroen C1/Peugeot 107).
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Im sure its a fine car for the purpose its designed for. Easiest way to make a decision is drive all the rivals and see what suits you the best.
From what ive read, it seems to be nice to drive and very cheap to run.
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I have owned both Suzuki and Hyundai in the past [pre-2000 models].
My experience was that Suzuki tends to be more reliable than Hyundai. May be because Suzuki is so basic there are very little things to go wrong :-)
Both Alto and i10 are good cars. You will be happy with either of these cars.
Off topic, I personally think the earlier Alto and Hyundai Amica (prior to i10) were better looking compared to their current facelifts.
>> Both the i10 and the Alto are built in India.
.. and they are two most popular cars there.
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We bought a Matiz: amazing turning circle, very reliable and dirt cheap...SWBO likes it - when I don't borrow it..
Like a Mini was - 850cc one - but with aircon and PAS/ABS etc..
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it would have to be a panda for me as most of the components are tried and tested for the longer term
build quality looks good and even the dealers are getting slightly better
cant do with some of these other razor bladed cars
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Citroen C1 (pug 107) are on deals and can be had from under £6000
Toyota quality for £6000 - can't be bad
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Do suzuki not run "positive ground", i.e. the body shell is connected to the positive terminal on the battery rather than the negative?
Quick google says probably not, but i had it in my mind at least the Jimny was wired up the wrong way round? :-)
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And here lies the problem. There are plenty of good small cars, with fans for any of them.
My wife and I tried several, including the i10, but settled on the very tried and tested Sirion because firstly, we just couldnt get on with the i10 but also because the Sirion was the only one my wife got in and it felt 'right' from the first turn of the wheel. Thats not something you can quantify, you have to judge it personally.
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I thought the Mk.1 Sirion one of the ugliest cars ever made, but then you don't see it when you're driving and I had to review my prejudice when Tony Dron wrote approvingly of it. I assume yours (or rather Mrs Stu's) is the later version?
www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/carreviews/2740911/A-tale-of-two-Sirions.html
Last edited by: J Bonington Jagworth on Mon 1 Nov 10 at 15:35
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The MK1 Sirion was the jap idea of being different, perhaps misguided but still. The later versions of the MK1 such as the Turbo and 4 wheel drive versions, esp the version that combined those two things, were totally bonkers but immense fun. I hanker after one still, one day maybe.
Yes Mrs Stu has the MK2, the facelifted MK2 at that, so essentially the current version on sale, which had some changes to the oily bits and detail changes inside aswell.
Its essentially a MK1 Yaris 1.3 underneath and drives like one, which is no bad thing.
Its certainly been a great buy for us, I can see why older folk choose them as a no-hassle safe-bet.
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A Mk.1 Sirion turbo 4x4 could well be the ultimate Q-car! Who would suspect...?
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If you can get the 1.1 Panda it is a bargain at the moment because they stopped making it October. There is still some RHD stocks of the 1.1 and they are selling them for £5995. That is a big discount from list, the downside is with 54bhp you do need to change gear a lot but it cruises like a much bigger car at 70mph.
Build quality for the money is very good too, I am always putting heavy computers in the back and it takes a bit of abuse but so far all the trim is still there and no rattles or sqeeks.
The main reason I bought the Panda though is it is a long term car as I hae no plans to change it ever and unless it gets written off I plan to be in my 40's by the time I get rid of it. As the engine has been around since 1985 getting parts will be very easy.
The downside is that 119g really isn't that special now, even though its still only £35 a year to tax.
The i10 has a better engine than the Panda and its chain driven .
The 107/C1/Aygo are too basic in the basic trim levels you don't get electric windows or central locking and reliability results are no better than any other city car. If you can get a good discount on a mid spec 107/C1 then they are certainly worth considering.
Also if insurance is going to be an issue I found the Panda and C1 was about 20% cheaper to insure than the i10.
For me though the Panda at £6100 (the price I paid) which has electric windows, central locking, CD player, power steering, airbags, ABS and five doors was too much of a bargain to resist.
I still think the Hyundai i10 is still well worth a look into though, you get so much equipment and a fairly powerful 1.2 chain cam engine. The five year warranty is a bonus too. The Kia Picanto is also worth considering but my mate said it was a lot slower and a lot worse to drive than the Panda.
With me the only cars I was considering were the Panda, i10 and C1/107.
As I needed a five door car it was really a battle between the i10/Panda and the Panda won marginally.
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Mon 1 Nov 10 at 16:39
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My i10 has now clocked up nearly 10,000 miles. I have only two niggles; the lack of an intermittent wipe, and the seats are a tad on the hard side for trips of over 200 miles. In fairness mine is the basic "Classic" model and I would, with hindsight, have been better shelling out the extra £500 for the Comfort.
Other than that we can't fault it. Cruises happily at 80, roomy inside, quiet, reliable. Like Rattle we use the full load space regularly and it stands up to it well.
Five year warranty, equipment level, good experience with Hyundai Coupe and overall impression on first drive sold it for us. First service (12 months or 10,000 miles) was IMO reasonable at £134. Tried the Panda but it seemed a bit gutless in comparison.
Well worth a look.
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BW
I am selling a nice black Panda 1.2 Dynamic with 18000 miles 08 reg - immaculate. We need something bigger otherwise I would be hanging on to it. Have even sprayed underneath with Waxoyl!
Mods will give you my e mail if you're interested.
Baz
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>> Have even sprayed underneath with Waxoyl!
Won't that invalidate the anti corrosion warranty?
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I've only sprayed the coil springs and exposed suspension components to stop a slight squeak, so doubt it.The underside is well protected in general, so no need. My can of Waxoyl hardly gets any use these days - fortunately!
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"sprayed the coil springs and exposed suspension components"
Good idea, Baz. I had a summer job in a garage 40-odd years ago, where it was standard practice to spray suspensions with paraffin before taking them off the lift. I doubt this had any long-term effect, but it ensured that any squeaks would have been eliminated for that important journey home after a service...
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As usual I must thank everybody for there suggestions and all will be taken on board and investigated further. Although I think the panda is not in the running at the moment as SWMBO does not like.
Over the next couple of weekends we will be out looking at cars and making a decision and then waiting till nearer Christmas into January to see if we can pick up a good bargain when the showrooms are quiet.
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Mid December worked for us, they were scrabbling around to get a sale. Our car was a pre-reg on showroom display with 30 miles on it. Already with an £1800 discount, we secured a further £300. I thought it was cheeky to ask, but apparently not.
Have you also considered the VW Fox? They seem to be quite cheap and theres a fair few around so some people must like them.
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Suzuki Alto - Looking at buying one. - RattleandSmoke
