Brand New Alto 800 Vs Starlet Ep91

[Willy]

brand new alto 800 vs starlet ep91... ehich one is good?

[Schiffer]

EP91

[Willy]

Are you sure sir? I am really confused on what to buy.. cos I don't really want shit my hard earned money in a crappy car. I want the best car with good fuel economy

[The Don]

Alto 800 rides like a bullock cart, has the build quality of a pappadum and will stop feeling brand new pretty soon.

If you can find a good EP91, it will be a better car in every single way.

[fiat fan]

the alto would be economical and reliable since it is brand new...but the starlet would give u more driving pleasure. Personally I hate the looks of the alto. looks like a rat rather than a car. its upto you to decide.but keep some cash if u buy the starlet bcos u would need to do some repairs bcos most starlets are abused now

[g-unit]

Worth noting if this happned to the Maruti Swift. What crash rating the Alto 800 will be getting.

http://www.worldcarfans.com/114110583846/datsun-go-and-maruti-suzuki-swift-get-shameful-zero-star

[nadisha]

EP 91.

it is a very robust vehicle. and will give reasonable MPG as well.

[chathuranga.s]

Having used 2 ep91s for more than 2 years what I can say is you can never expect the ride quality and the driving pleasure of it from a maruti and if you find a well maintained car you'll just have to take care of the running repairs. Check the past maintenance records. On the other side you can never expect the fuel economy of a maruti 800 from a starlet as well. All depends on your requirement and what you want

[Ruslan]

EP 91 all the way. New alto looks like a shopping cart. No offence to the owners.

[iRage]

I too vote for the Starlet for the same reasons mentioned buy others.

However, since you did mention about not wanting to spend your money on $h!t and go through it as well here is another dimension (even a disclaimer perhaps...).

The M/Alto is a brand new car so you are probably going to have no/lesser issues/breakdowns or things to attend to for the next few years and hopefully some basic maintenance and faults will be handled by the agents under warranty.

The biggest problem with the Starlet is that on average they are about 15 years old and finding a good one is going to be a lot of work. As everyone said they are robust, economical and comfortable (relatively) cars to own and most of these cars have been used extensively because of that. (There is another thread on AL of another members frustrations in searching for a Starlet). In the off chance you get a unit poorly taken care of (that was just dressed up for selling); you are going to have to make a few trips to the garage and you are going to feel like going through $h!t. Even if you do find a unit taken care of you still need to be prepared to do some age related preemptive maintenance and things that need to be rectified (changing things like gaskets, suspension bushes, etc...irrespective of the mileage;something I have experienced personally); if not immediately perhaps over the next few years. This might be a hassle you would not want to go through or spend money on (this is dependent on the kind of motor head you are).

Having said that I personally would go for the Starlet; negotiate on the price a bit and then do a complete re-furb of the car (change things as needed, etc...) which might take a few weeks to a few months (but then even if I buy a brand new Alto I might have to wait sometime for the car to deliver). The last few weeks I have noticed some "original" Glanzas and GTs for sale, some that seem to be somewhat well known in the motoring communities. That is if you are interested in something a bit sporty....

So there you go...I too vote for the Starlet but there are a few caveats.

[luckey007]

Are you sure sir? I am really confused on what to buy.. cos I don't really want shit my hard earned money in a crappy car. I want the best car with good fuel economy

Dear Sir, Use those words when you really need them.Using them without a real need is not good for the forum and its members.

[Crosswind]

You are just comparing Alto and Starlet. In my opinion, Altos are papadums and Starlets are the most overpriced cars in this country. There are far better options that both of those according to my opinion and experience. For a budget less than 1.5 mill, my strong recommendation goes to Perodua Kelisa. It's 100% Japanese technology (although manufactured in Malaysia), hardy, if you get hold of a manual one, its a real pleasure to drive and does great on petrol. And no, spare parts are not as rare as people would tell u.

There are other options like Perodua Viva (not Viva elite). Mind you, Viva is not built as strong as the Kelisa. Daihatsu Mira (the forefather of both the Peroduas mentioned here), Japanese Alto (not good on petrol, owing to 660CC engine), Beetle March (not very good on petrol but a very hardy car) are soem options

So if you think outside the box, you will not shit your hard earned money on a crappy car.

[iRage]

There are other options like Perodua Viva (not Viva elite). Mind you, Viva is not built as strong as the Kelisa. Daihatsu Mira (the forefather of both the Peroduas mentioned here), Japanese Alto (not good on petrol, owing to 660CC engine), Beetle March (not very good on petrol but a very hardy car) are soem options

That is interesting...in japan the Alto and some other Suzukis are amongst the most popular kei cars due to its frugality and these kei cars are 90% driven within city limits at moderate to low speeds most of the time and stuck in traffic. I would have expected fuel consumption to be decent even in SL when they are stuck in traffic most of the time. Granted my sis-in-laws Alto (new one) and ex MRWagon sucked when driven on highways as the engine was over worked.

[Nissan cdj]

brand new alto 800 vs starlet ep91... ehich one is good?

See how simple minded you are ? lame u comparing jap vehicle with a crappy Indian one. Please do compare like like vehicles.

[Crosswind]

That is interesting...in japan the Alto and some other Suzukis are amongst the most popular kei cars due to its frugality and these kei cars are 90% driven within city limits at moderate to low speeds most of the time and stuck in traffic. I would have expected fuel consumption to be decent even in SL when they are stuck in traffic most of the time. Granted my sis-in-laws Alto (new one) and ex MRWagon sucked when driven on highways as the engine was over worked.

To my knowledge the Japanese Alto does about 8km/l, which is something I got from about 4 or 5 people who owned those. One would expect more than that from a small hatch in Sri Lanka. The reason could be the Sri Lankan driving style. Our folks tend to accelerate hard and brake almost immediately, which causes the small engine to wear faster. Did u know that recently I came across a 2004 Jap Alto that needed a complete engine overhaul?

[iRage]

Could be the driving style. Those things are simply not made for excessive highway use either. Anything close to 100kmph the engine is under stress. Nevertheless almost all kei cars I see on the highway here are doing well in excess of that(so are all Priuses), only to slow down on even yhe smallest incline. So swore to stay off keis no matter how cheap to own them and def not a used one. It is surprising that the Hybrid ones have not made it over (or maybe they don't qualify as Hybrids)

Edited November 6, 2014 by iRage

[Schiffer]

If you value your life stay away from most indian vehicles. If you dont wanna "sh!t your hard earned money on a crappy car" Get a well maintained EP91 or like crosswind suggested a Kelisa

Yes the Maruti will be a bit more econimcal and yes for sometime Less maintainance compared to the Starlet (although my mom had a old indian alto and after a while there were quite few rattling noises). But its for you to choose between life and fuel economy.

Might i also suggest a more sensible Daihatsu Mira, something like this, Best of both worlds

http://autolanka.com/ad.asp?ID=166601

You might be able to find a manual one of this for less than 1.4-1.5M

[aps]

Maruti , if thinking of EP91 put to scale, price and how old it is.

If only coming to ur mind is Marut and EP91

then

Maruti - If running daily

else

EP91 - Weekend / Family Long trips

[amilawuk]

Being an alto user here goes my two cents.

Driving pleasure: Not Applicable. Agree with Bullock Cart comment.

Safety: Better than a motor bike. Agree with papadam comment

Fuel: 13 km/l in traffic and 18-20kml Out station

Maintenance: No major repairs from 2004 up to now and for 90k+ milage. Even if there are issues any makabaas can fix it since its very basic. Parts are cheap.

Security: High tech security systems not needed. No body is going to steal. At least my one was not stolen for last 10 years.

Social Status: Pathetic. Even 3wheel buggers will shout at you. Sikkas at parking joints will show you that they are 'Security OFFICERS'.

It is only a reliable means of moving from point A to point B without waiting for public transport. But Starlet is a CAR even it is hatchback. So obviously you have to spend more.

So its your call to decide whether you want to spend something more to use a car or spend the bare minimum for a means of transport like me.

[amad]

Baught a starlet few years back.here are my comments on the car.

Economical - 9.5 - 10 kmpl city. highways 16-17 kmpl

For a car of its capacity , very stable at highspeeds/ highways

Decent space for passengers compared to other hatchbacks.

Very reliable , Repaired the ac when i baught it. No any other repairs yet.

Although it s an old car moves very well when you step on it.

[Crosswind]

Being an alto user here goes my two cents.

Driving pleasure: Not Applicable. Agree with Bullock Cart comment.

Safety: Better than a motor bike. Agree with papadam comment

Fuel: 13 km/l in traffic and 18-20kml Out station

Maintenance: No major repairs from 2004 up to now and for 90k+ milage. Even if there are issues any makabaas can fix it since its very basic. Parts are cheap.

Security: High tech security systems not needed. No body is going to steal. At least my one was not stolen for last 10 years.

Social Status: Pathetic. Even 3wheel buggers will shout at you. Sikkas at parking joints will show you that they are 'Security OFFICERS'.

It is only a reliable means of moving from point A to point B without waiting for public transport. But Starlet is a CAR even it is hatchback. So obviously you have to spend more.

So its your call to decide whether you want to spend something more to use a car or spend the bare minimum for a means of transport like me.

[Willy]

Actually speaking I have never driven a Japanese car. I personally love the exterior design of starlets. Thanks guys you have advised me the ins and outs of both cars I really wanted to compare since I do not know about cars. I live in Batticaloa. Here I have seen one or two starlets in deed. If anyone of you could help me to buy a good starlet I would be thankful.

[waka]

There are other options like Perodua Viva (not Viva elite). Mind you, Viva is not built as strong as the Kelisa. Daihatsu Mira (the forefather of both the Peroduas mentioned here), Japanese Alto (not good on petrol, owing to 660CC engine), Beetle March (not very good on petrol but a very hardy car) are soem options

Why do you say Perodua Viva is better than Viva Elite? Perodua Viva is old and is not a familiar car like Viva Elite

Edited November 8, 2014 by waka

[The Don]

Why do you say Perodua Viva is better than Viva Elite? Perodua Viva is old and is not a familiar car like Viva Elite

He's citing the Viva as the Viva Elite is beyond the guys budget. The Viva and the Viva Elite are practically the same car with trim level upgrades.

[Crosswind]

Exactly

The new Viva is around 16/50 but the Viva Elite is close to 2 mill. That means used Vivas should be sold for about 1.3-1.4 these days