corolla at 8.14 lacs ex showroom,buy or not? EDIT: Now Bought

[suman]

Ram, he's getting a car which is one segment higher - apart from Airbags, Climate Control & Audio controls in the steering (ZXI only), what does the SX4 have that the Toyota doesn't? Alloys & Stereo can be added on. The Toyota is a quicker car too

[Xehaust]

The SX4 is worth a look. The only trouble id say is i don't like Maruti's Build quality. Otherwise, buy the top end zxi and you get all the bells and whistles you would want.
16 inch wheels, high ground clearance, stereo mounted controls, airbags, abs, lower maintenance costs and of course, Maruti service stations everywhere.

Another worthy contender is the Optra Magnum. Don't know the exact price, but i guess its in your budget. Maintenance is taken care by Chevy's 3 yr service promise. Only problem is to look out for the amount of service centres in your city and if they are close by to where you live.

[inder]

yes this is the HE model,and i am pretty satisfied with the basic features provided,ABS with EBD is a bonus for me,since i was not expecting it in the base model.
I am already extending my budget from city/sx4 range,so cant stretch till H2 or other models.I am the kinda buyer,who looks maximum bang for his bucks.
but a bit worried about the high speed performance of corolla,as mentioned.coz i drive pretty fast on highways(30-40% of my usage).I drive my santro at 90-100 constant on state highways.sometimes 120-140 on deserted patches.
i am planning to buy by march end,but corolla guy insists that i book this month,as the scheme might be discontinued,i know he's bluffing.
can i ask the dealer for free insurance(57k).
also i heard about finance payout.is it the dealer or the banker who gives this,also to what extent,heard around 5%.is it 5% of the loan i take,or something else.

[inder]

Originally Posted by BUSA

You can go ahead with the Corolla, it wont be discontinued, since Toyota plans to sell it as the Corolla Altis after the launch of the New Corolla.

Will it then go through another price cut, like what hyundai did to accent after verna launch.
when will the new corolla be launched?

[androdev]

among the list u mentioned (city, sx4, corolla), corolla would be my choice. eyes closed. i was trying to get a similar discount on corolla few months back. did not get it. or i would have been owning one.

my suggestion would be to upgrade to alloys at least. otherwise everyone will know it's HE :-) try to get a deal which includes alloy upgrade as well.

of course, if you are flexible with your shortlist, you might want to consider cedia which is said to be a better car (except for resale/a.s.s)

[suman]

Originally Posted by inder

but a bit worried about the high speed performance of corolla,as mentioned.coz i drive pretty fast on highways(30-40% of my usage).I drive my santro at 90-100 constant on state highways.sometimes 120-140 on deserted patches.

Inder, the Corolla, to the best of my knowledge is not a bad handler, in fact, I would peg it way above the others on your list - the City & SX4. And, definitely not worse than a Santro. Lol

If you are touching 120-140 on the Santro, I don't see any issues with the Corolla at those speeds for short bursts.

[vasudeva]

Originally Posted by androdev

among the list u mentioned (city, sx4, corolla), corolla would be my choice. eyes closed. i was trying to get a similar discount on corolla few months back. did not get it. or i would have been owning one.

my suggestion would be to upgrade to alloys at least. otherwise everyone will know it's HE :-) try to get a deal which includes alloy upgrade as well.

of course, if you are flexible with your shortlist, you might want to consider cedia which is said to be a better car (except for resale/a.s.s)

How will that matter if everyone knows its HE. Everyone can see that a car is a Santro or a Getz or a Merc (or at least most do). But I do suggest if not H2, at least a H1 rather than HE.

H1 has airbags, ABS, alloy wheel, and a single CD player. Price difference in Nagpur over HE is H1: 1 lakh, H2: 2 lakhs, H5: 2.5 lakhs. If you really plan to buy a Corolla now, bite the bullet now, and go for H2 or at least a H1.

[vasudeva]

Corolla can go to 120 easier than Santro. But for me 120 is scary, and I get uncomfortable in any car if it exceeds 100 or 110 max. That being said, I drive fast but between 50-90 most of the time (if traffic allows). Gurgaon expressway: can touch 100.

Corolla will definitely be rough and unpredictable, if you plan to drive up Mount Everest at 100-120.

[sj_koova]

Originally Posted by vasudeva

Are you sure about this. I drive it at 100 kmph on Gurgaon expressway, and have so far not broken any bones or died. 50-70 kmph is achieved before the Indica has even time to change into 3rd gear. 100 is achieved before the auto driver has even started from the red light.

Where were you driving.

I drove the corolla in the US. I did not mean acceleration,but about the poor handling as speed increases. This is not the case with Chey or Ford with similar spec. For 9L on road, it is worth considering.

[BMW77]

Corolla any day. I used it extensively in US. about high spped stability, I am sure I drove it for 140 +kmph and no sign of flying.
BUT, try your hands on Cedia. It is too sweet. It is the car to which Sr. T-bhpins have voted.

[sj_koova]

I judged corolla after driving at least 5 cars of similar or slightly better spec. My expectation from corolla was much higher as it holds very high reputation worldwide. When I drove the car first day I was driving mostly in 60-80KM range I was very much impressed with the smoothness at low speeds. Second day I took the car to an interstate highway and realized that corolla is not a true Highway car. But if you felt comfortable on Santo at high speeds, you will certainly appreciate corolla at that speed. At 9L Onroad you are getting more than what you pay for from Corolla as it has better build quality than SX4/NHC or any car below 9L.
Since you have flexibility with budget, try thinking out of the box. At least test drive all cars with similar spec.

[androdev]

Originally Posted by vasudeva

How will that matter if everyone knows its HE. Everyone can see that a car is a Santro or a Getz or a Merc (or at least most do). But I do suggest if not H2, at least a H1 rather than HE.

H1 has airbags, ABS, alloy wheel, and a single CD player. Price difference in Nagpur over HE is H1: 1 lakh, H2: 2 lakhs, H5: 2.5 lakhs. If you really plan to buy a Corolla now, bite the bullet now, and go for H2 or at least a H1.

my alloy upgrade suggestion was assuming that his budget is limited to HE option. considering that airbags can't be added as an option on HE, don't you think alloys make a good add-on option on HE?

some of us are still immature enough to get cheap thrills by showing off our lxi/vxi/gxi/zxi chrome letters :-) the mature ones are not stoic, but subtle.

[vasudeva]

Originally Posted by androdev

my alloy upgrade suggestion was assuming that his budget is limited to HE option. considering that airbags can't be added as an option on HE, don't you think alloys make a good add-on option on HE?

some of us are still immature enough to get cheap thrills by showing off our lxi/vxi/gxi/zxi chrome letters :-) the mature ones are not stoic, but subtle.

I do not know what car he plans to buy. But aftermarket or even Toyota alloys on a HE will be quite expensive. Might as well spend some more and get the H1. That is if one likes the Corolla's alloys in the first place. I think he should not skimp on ABS (not available on HE). my experience with a fast car like Corolla (I am sure other +100 bhp,+15 torque owners will feel the same) moving in a sea of 800/Santro/Zens/Indica and 2/3 wheelers is that ABS gives a lot of comfort.

[androdev]

'HE' has ABS. I was also considering H1 because of the airbags (I didn't get the discount I was hoping to get.) But really depends on his budget and preferences.

[suman]

Originally Posted by vasudeva

I think he should not skimp on ABS (not available on HE). my experience with a fast car like Corolla (I am sure other +100 bhp,+15 torque owners will feel the same) moving in a sea of 800/Santro/Zens/Indica and 2/3 wheelers is that ABS gives a lot of comfort.

Vasu, you are going on about the ABS not being there but please read his posts - ABS & EBD ARE available on the model that he is getting for 8.14