[ImmortalZ]

You shouldn't be too worried about getting a lemon with Honda. It has always been a dealership issue with Hondas. The cars are solid. Of the two lemons I know of on this forum, one was the dealership trying to pawn off an accident car as new and the other was the dealership not fixing stuff according to Honda's service bulletins and ending up causing serious engine issues.

The odometer cannot be tampered with. The ECU has a precise log inside which it cross checks with the meter. If they don't match, engine check light comes. As far as I know, normal dealerships do not have any ECU flashing equipment. They send everything to Gurgaon.

The Civic has light green tinted glasses standard. I went with VKool VK-70 all around for a cost of around INR 30K. There is a sunfilm thread in the modifications forum with a lot of price details.

Where are you buying the car from? If it's not too late already, make sure you opt for Michelin tyres. You have an option there. The Michelins are way more comfortable and less noisy than the NCT5s that you may end up with. The latter may last forever, but the ride quality is abysmal.

[Jay5150]

Originally Posted by ImmortalZ

Where are you buying the car from? If it's not too late already, make sure you opt for Michelin tyres. You have an option there.

Actually its quite a case of bad timing. When the 'proposal' for a new car was cleared, I decided on the Civic and since the bulk of the funds were to be from HQ a.k.a. Dad I decided on the S variant. I decided to buy from Trivandrum as it was about 30k cheaper than in Coimbatore (the car is 5k more in tvm but thanks to taxes the overall price is cheaper)

Due to upcoming new model though there were no S variants available an the V was only available in white and silver. Auto was out of the question ("..Eda ninnake ithara cherapputhil ithara valiya vandi veno?") Anyway I had wanted white anyway so white V it was. In the one month I sent back the Octavia and approached Honda,it seems if i wanted a V M/T there was only ONE car available, in Alabaster Silver (I thought alabaster meant white), and that too a model invoiced to and waiting in Cochin.
So you can understand my apprehension, since I am doing all the inquiries over phone, I have no guarantee till the car actually comes to the yard in Trivandrum, which according to the guy maybe sometime tonight. After going thru the threads here, i asked the guy about the tires and he said that they could not guarantee the type of tires and you had to see what you get. Can we change the tires if we want another company? Any other things I should look out for while dealing with Peninsular?

[ImmortalZ]

If you can't get the tyres you want from Honda, you can get them changed straight away at a tyre shop. You will lose some money in the deal cuz you won't get much value out of them.

All I had to do to convince dad was take a friend's Octy and went on a long drive to Palakkad. The bench seats broke his back and he was sold on the Civic. The auto makes the car very manageable in peak traffic.

What do they mean by "invoiced to"? Is it registered to someone already or something? I'll make some inquiries from my end and see what I come up with.

[Jay5150]

Its here! The last (according to the dealer!) V M/T in Kerala is now mine! Unfortunately I have to wait a week before I can feast my eyes on my new auto-mobile!
According to my driver, its is brand new condition, run only 22km and shod with Michelins!

Pics etc next week when I bring my baby home! ( dreading the pathetic road conditions!)

[Axe77]

I'm really confused between a Laura TSI and the Honda Civic A/T. Quite sold on the convenience of an Auto but every time I TD the tsi, I can't imagine owning anything else. The unexpected bills on the Laura are the major fear factor while low GC on the civic are the irritants at the other hand.

The Laura feels rock solid at high speeds although the Civic doesn't feel bad either but I actually experienced bottoming out twice near my house and that's really annoying. I'm also mindful that Civic warranty is 4 yrs - 80,000 kms while the Laura is 2 yrs unlimited. I would really have been happier if Skoda had been confident enough to offer a longer 'term' warranty.

Please help me from my predicament!! Any suggestions anyone??? I really want to finalise the decision by Sunday and make the downpayment.

[ImmortalZ]

Originally Posted by Jay5150

Its here! The last (according to the dealer!) V M/T in Kerala is now mine! Unfortunately I have to wait a week before I can feast my eyes on my new auto-mobile!
According to my driver, its is brand new condition, run only 22km and shod with Michelins!

Pics etc next week when I bring my baby home! ( dreading the pathetic road conditions!)

Don't forget to call me when you are at the dealership. We'll try to meet up.

[Jay5150]

Originally Posted by Axe77

I'm really confused between a Laura TSI and the Honda Civic A/T. ...I really want to finalise the decision by Sunday and make the downpayment.

I really am going to miss my Skoda bcos in spite of all *** problems, she was a beauty to drive. period. The *** and cost of spares should a big factor is your decision because after the 'honeymoon' period when problems do crop up (and believe me they will!) You will have a large hole in your pocket. But also the aggravation and the attitude of the service staff are definitely not worth the trouble!
I personally think the Civic GC issue is a little overrated. I think you need worry only if u have mutant bumps or a fully loaded car. Of course my experience with the Civic is only the TD, maybe later I may have to revise my opinion!

Originally Posted by ImmortalZ

Don't forget to call me when you are at the dealership. We'll try to meet up.

Will do!
Thanks a lot for all your help, you were very kind and patient with all my inane questions! Thanks!

[laluks]

Originally Posted by Jay5150

I personally think the Civic GC issue is a little overrated. I think you need worry only if u have mutant bumps or a fully loaded car. Of course my experience with the Civic is only the TD, maybe later I may have to revise my opinion!

Only on rare occassions only you'll have to revise, most often it goes as overrated hype. My experience in the last 35k with civvy..

Congrats on your buy. enjoy

[Axe77]

thanks Jay5150. finally picked the civic A/T (white) for all the above reasons and more. peace of mind is paramount and cant risk a skoda. also encouraged by reports from ppl like you and laluks that GC is not such a big issue after all. Most of the time my car has only 1 or 2 persons in it. So I guess it should not be a deal breaker issue.

[mkc15]

Folks, how does the Civic (considering the known features of the facelift as well) compare against Laura TSI ? Is the Laura good enough to risk a Skoda ?

[ImmortalZ]

The features on the new Civic are quite unknown still. sid might be a good source for scoops, but Honda has always been quite secretive and you never know what they leave in the new Civic until it is released.

The Laura TSI is quite a nice car. But contrary to the normal Skoda way, the new Laura is quite barren in terms of kit. They've taken away the sunroof in the facelift and as they did with the TPi in the Octy, the petrol version is also the lowest end version. It is rumored that the Laura vRS is coming, both in petrol and diesel guises.

So, in the end, it is better to wait until all these uknowns are sorted.

[Axe77]

I assume you are only looking at manual and not automatic transmission since the TSI is only available in manual.

In terms of performance, the Laura is certainly phenomenal and in a different league than the Civic. Superbly refined engine; brilliant gear ratios and you can throw it on rough roads and corners better than the Civic. The gear box on the Civic is better and smoother to operate but the Skoda isn't too bad either.

The interiors of the Civic feel a lot better. The Skoda has plush interiors but are a little understated and therefore fall a little short of the Civic's overall look and feel.

Although I don't have a direct ownership experience over any meaningful period of either brand, my impression is that Honda will provide more hasslefree and predictable ownership while Skoda on the A.S.S. is clearly a question mark. Combine the fact that with Skoda certain parts are very expensive, key parts being reported to fail; and sub-standard dealer experience, all make me wary of taking a call on this brand. But at the end of the day, you will need to take a call on the car taking into account this aspect. You'll also have to take a call on whether you prefer the facelifted Civic (although changes are largely cosmetic). There have been talks about the launch of the RS Lauras but I don't know when that is expected to happen.

I've also set out below for your ready reference some of the good / bad bits of each car from a purely feature standpoint over and above the performance / interior / A.S.S. aspects.

Laura 1.8 TSI - good bits

Rear AC vent
Can access boot from rear seat
Very large boot
Comes with parking sensors
Sturdier build and better ground clearance
2 Cooling areas (one in glove box and one in the centre arm rest). Good to store your perishable candy :-)
Higher seating position providing easier ingress and egress (although somehow I find the Civic back seat more comfortable once you're in it)

Laura 1.8 TSI - bad bits

No climate control
No leather seats
No remote for the music system (neither on the steering nor can you buy one separately). Annoying if you are going to be chaffeur driven as well.
Single CD system
Aux port not as well placed as in the Civic. Its kept inside the central arm rest.

Civic - good bits

Great interiors - extremely ergonomic
Leather seats - great quality leather at that
6 CD changer
Flat rear floor - more comfortable for seating 3 at the back although that may make it more prone to bottoming out.


Civic - bad bits

Ground clearance - although you just need to be careful.
Annoyingly small boot for its class.
Cant access boot from car
Rear seats don't fold down
Turning radius I think is larger owing to the long wheelbase

Hope this helps you a little in making your decision.

Originally Posted by mkc15

Folks, how does the Civic (considering the known features of the facelift as well) compare against Laura TSI ? Is the Laura good enough to risk a Skoda ?

[mkc15]

@axe: Thanx for your inputs. I'm basically looking at A/T, but M/T is also fine if A/T turns out to be too expensive.

[Axe77]

@mkc15

Automatic:

If you're looking for an A/T look no further than the Civic. I just picked up the Civic A/T and am really happy with it (got my car just 2 days ago). Before the purchase I TD the Altis automatic as well and as far as the auto trannies go, I think the Civic was much better considering both are virtually the same price. If you're in the market right now, take a very close look at the upgrades that are coming in the Civic facelift. If you believe they are not important enough to you and you are getting a good discount on the current stock of Civics, give the latter a very serious consideration. I was waiting for the facelift as well and once I had enough info on the changes, I took the call that I'd rather buy the existing version at the current disounted price point than pay a lakh more for what the facelift was offering.

Manual:

I guess this really opens up your options. If the S M/T is not available in the current stock then you may want to wait for the facelifted Civic. The Altis G version also presents a great proposition at its price point - brilliantly kitted and I think cheaper than even the Civic S M/T.

But like I said earlier, if its the boy racer inside you that you want to indulge, the Skoda Laura is a no brainer - supremely refined and in a different league performance wise. This of course bearing in mind all the A.S.S posts that you've seen re Skoda - that's a call you need to take. Personally, I would hate providing business to a company that is treating its customers so shabbily.

[Jay5150]

Originally Posted by mkc15

Folks, how does the Civic (considering the known features of the facelift as well) compare against Laura TSI ? Is the Laura good enough to risk a Skoda ?

As mentioned, the Laura is a great car but remember that it is after all an Octavia jacked up for us Indians.
The base TSi version's interior trim is quite basic and actually doesn't quite give you that 'feel'. Lookwise, I was quite surprised to see how short the car looks now.
Enginewise the Laura is much better, much sportier engine. Also some bits and gadgets are probably better on the Laura. My experience is with the 2007 Laura and its a great car, but there are some niggling issues which can crop up from time to time and the response you'd get varies depending upon who is you friendly Skoda dealer.

You'd actually have to buy the L&K variant of the Skoda to match the interiors of the Civic but by then the cost differential will be too much!