best car under 14,00,000

[navin]

Hi guys, got a call from the Skoda delaer. The Blitz and Tdi Auto prices will be out Monday.

Now what would you choose. BTW I dont know what sort of Mercedes one would expect to find for under 14,00,000. Also I'd prefer a smaller C class.

Lastly my usage: mostly city driving between Colaba and Kandivilli. mostly in the back seat except Sundays. Most days only to work and back. On sundays, only if we go for a longer drives; for short local drives we will still use my wife's car.

Thanks.

[dipen]

if most of the time u will be in the backseat , i would recomend to go for a manual boz ,, as the auto would be expensive on fuel consumption..

as u will be mainly in the backseat , i think the sonata would be the best , as it has a legroom as equal to the accord and comes for the mere 11 laks on road S20 model thane reg.
its got loads of comfort levels.
but it is a petrol guzzler ...but is that really important to u

but also considering yr daily running , i suggest u can go for a diesel car ,, and here there are 2 options only Octavia and the elantra....

personnaly i like the elantra except for the looks,,,,overall the elantra is much better ..

the octavia lacks rear legroom ,,,especially u would mostly be in the back seat ,the octavia is a problem

As with regards to used mercedes ,.....man they are damm expensive to maintain...
u can read gto's post on : 32000 for a second service of of the c-class..
but the car has royal comfort, safety ,,and not to forget the 3 pointed star..

finally my choices would be

corolla
sonata S20 ( but do get after market aloys if u go for it)
elantra

in any order...no preference of one over other as all are different in their own aspect..

[Rtech]

Sounds like the Corolla fits the bill for your usage! Its got the best backseat, and going by what you said, thats most important to you.

Used C class for under 14L...haven't seen one yet, although there are loads of E's out there for this price. But remember, the initial purchase price is just one aspect of a car, and after reading GTO's service bills....well, maintaining a MB will surely suck you dry, so make sure you account for that as well.

Can't wait to hear the price of the "Blitz" though.

Rt

[lamborghini]

corolla and nothing else

[GTO - Touring]

If you are a connoiseur, just go for a second hand E Class (W124 series). Would cost you about 7 lacs for a petrol and another 50 grand for a diesel. Keeping your usage in mind, the E250 D would suit your usage the best. Its most comfortable and is a Mercedes after all. As everyone has mentioned, the servicing costs are a killer, and expect a minimum of 20000 everytime you send your car for a service. Butttttttttttt the W124's are a load more simple than the current overtly electronic mercedes. W124s will therefore be much simpler and cheaper to maintain. Not to mention, some (including yours truly) consider them to be the best Mercs ever made.

Cann the servicing cost of 20 grand a year. You are getting a Mercedes for the price of a New Honda City anyways. And yes, W124's regularly cover 300,000 km without any major issues.

If you do not want to take any chances, just shoot away to the nearest Corolla showroom. Very reliable, great backseat and totally apt for clocking high mileages.

GTO

[lamborghini]

oh yeah....
i forgot about the trustworthy w-124s......
if u can find a good used one nothing like it....
i rate it as the best e class ever and even though the service costs are high , it will be cheaper in the long run...
specially the e 250 d
for me theres nothing better in the 7 - 10 lak segment than the w124 with nice brabus kit .....
who cares about the corolla in that case

[Aditya]

If you can afford to look after it, a Merc C is great. Otherwise, go for a Toyota Corolla.

[speedsatya]

How abt the Accord.maybe u cud stretch ur budget .when already u ready to spend 14L,why think abt 2-3L .
otherwise i think its the corolla.but still a corolla doesnt look like an expensive car.
or maybe wait for the new Octavia which acc to Autocar will be launched in 2005 march.

[Revvmaster]

Hey navin

One very good option is the Honda Accord VTi or VTiL. Most of them in low mileage are available for between 7 and 10 lakhs. The Accord is a relatively inexpensive car to maintain with parts that are at bearable prices. Also the car is more powerful than the ones mentioned above, has decent acceleration, space and is quite reliable.

An average service for a Honda Accord is in the region of Rs. 1500 to Rs. 2500 at an authorised dealer.

Revv

[navin]

thanks so much for all your answers but i think i forgot to mention a few points in interest of brevity.

anyway....here goes.

most days my run is santa cruz to prabhadevi
once a week santa cruz to kandivilli
once a week santa cruz to breach candy and maybe colaba (usually i drive this on saturday/sunday).

also my parking space in Santa Cruz is 15 feet x 6 feet and that rules out the Sonata, W124 and Accord. I have an Accord (4 cyl) parked in Colaba for my Poona/Vapi runs (5-6 times a year) so far the only problem we had was a stuck CD in the changer.

now my reasons to favour the Skoda over the Corolla.
1. BUILD
2. You cannot modify the Corolla Stereo. Yes u can add and extra amp but that to only if the amp has speaker level inputs. This adds a level of distortion that is unacceptable to me.
3. I drove a Corolla E from Goregoan (dealer) to Kandivilli and was not impressed. My drive in the existing Octavia (Ambiente) was more comfortable albeit it was a drive from Prabhadevi to Worli and back (better roads).
4. I usually travel alone in the rear. So I spread out diagonally (in my Astra) and sleep (I need 10 hrs/day).

After this most of you might think my mind is made up. Maybe it is and I dont know it. Maybe it is and I was just wondering if I overlooked anything. BTW no one compared the 2 Octavias I mentioned.

Lastly I have sat in the E250D (not mine) a bit and it is simply lovely. That is the reason I put a Merc in the options. But maintainance is not my cuppa tea.

Thanks again and keep the ideas coming. Maybe I should get a Harley with a sidecar and sleep there! LOL

[Rtech]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]BTW no one compared the 2 Octavias I mentioned.

If your mind is made up on an Octi, and seeing that you only use the back seat, I don't see any reason for the blitz (150hp petrol). Why let the driver have all the fun???

Go for the Rider or the L&K (if you can afford it) with a manual. BTW, the Octi has IMO one of the best ride qualities you can find.

Rt

[aadix]

hey navin if you need ten hours 0f sleep, take the octi and put a bed in it like they show in the ads, they you can sleep quite comfortably i think,
go fot the octi boss, think you wont regret it

[dipen]

hey navin how abt the Elantra....i know many team-bhpians will be against it..
I have sat in an elantra belonging to a friend of mine
It was a crdi .....I felt that the ride was 98:100 ratio as compared to the skoda .
the rear is bigger than the octavia
the FE of the car is 10.5 in city with ac and my friend drives it hard( not rash though).
somehow the front looks dont appeal to people , but overall the elantra was a nice car.
the ac also was powerful enough which is good for yr 10 hour sleep

also , the crdi plant is highly techically advanced .
FYI , Mercedes benz has a 10 percent stake in hyundai motors

the crdi technology for hyundai is the same as that in merc diesel crdi's
as the technology comes from the same testing plant that does duty for the merc's

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (dipen @ Aug. 07 2004,15:24)]also , the crdi plant is highly techically advanced .
FYI , Mercedes benz has a 10 percent stake in hyundai motors

the crdi technology for hyundai is the same as that in merc diesel crdi's
as the technology comes from the same testing plant that does duty for the merc's

correction, had a stake - due to investment disagreements, Daimler sold out. The CRD engines are made by a DC owned company - Detroit Diesel

[dipen]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (ajmat @ Aug. 07 2004,18:46)]correction, had a stake - due to investment disagreements, Daimler sold out. The CRD engines are made by a DC owned company - Detroit Diesel

thanks for making the correction
Btw whe did they sell out their stake??