Mind Over Heart - The Corolla Comes Home!

[prateekm]

Writer's Note : This review WON'T include most of the driving factors since I am still a teen and not legally allowed to drive. Once I turn 18, I will surely contribute about that too.


Plot :

We had a Nov '07 Toyota Innova in our stable when dad was in the previous company. So when he changed the company, we were on the lookout for a new car. Our Innova had a high mileage of 65k+ kilometers in just 18 months. So, we preferred a diesel car thanks to the high running. Our budget was about 8-9.5l on road. Dad wanted a MUV/SUV. I preferred a 2nd hand car because I think that they provide more VFM than going for a new car and loosing good amount of moolah in the first year due to depriciation. Since we just had a MUV, I wanted a sedan this time. After all, I would be the one who would do most of the driving after next year!


New Cars TD'ed :

We first thought of going for an Innova again but it was slightly out of our budget. We checked out the Xylo and to our surprise, the seating comfort was better than the Innova. Dad liked it and we planned to go for it. I then suggested for some 2nd hand cars and then the real hunt started.


2nd Hand Cars TD'ed :

The first car we saw was a '04 CR-V A/T with a running of 50k+. The car wasn't neatly maintained and looked like a accident vehicle. It was immediately striked off from the list. Other such cars that didn't make to our shortlist included a few Innova's, a Scorpio, some Xylo's, a Superb, a Octi, a few Tuscon's and many Lauras. Will come to that later.

Since we didn't need a car immediately, we had ample amount of time and didn't want to rush to make a purchase.

VeriCar help :

I heard about VeriCar from some website. These guys basically help us in purchasing a good 2nd hand car by checking it thoroughly. They were really helpful and I think it's completely VFM. I prefer shelling out some bucks if it can ensure peace of mind later. I got about 7-8 cars checked from them for about 5,000 rupees. Too bad they closed due to some problems now.

The Škoda Factor :

On a Sunday afternoon, we were checking out the cars at some dealer's place when I spotted a Laura. I know this might be purely subjective, but I loved the looks of the old Laura. I still prefer the old Laura looks than the new one. So dad and me took a TD and to tell you, we were really pleased with the performance of the car though we were sweating profusely, thanks to it's so called A/C. For 9l, we were getting a DSG gearbox (which is absolutely awesome), a sunroof/monroof, bi-xenons, a huge boot, electrically adjustable seats, and a plethora of other gadgets. I just wanted this car badly. This is when I TBHP came into picture. I got to know how difficult (on the pocket) it is to maintain one. But still, we checked many Laura's. After all, who wouldn't want a car with comfort and performance like a Merc? My heart wanted this, even though mind was eons away from agreeing. Even today when I see a Laura, it brings a smile to my face


Cars we almost finalised :

• Mahindra Xylo : This was the only new car we were about to finalize. The seating was better than a Innova, had some good features, etc. I was neutral about the styling of the car. To be frank, I didn't want another MUV so this one got dropped.
  
• Hyundai Tuscon : I loved this car. A 5 seater car was perfect for our family with the back area for our dog. We found a '06 Tuscon with about 40-50k on the odo for about 7.5l. Almost finalized but then got to know that the owner had a spat with his wife and the car was on his wifey's name.
  
• Ford Endeavour : This car was from the same dealer where we purchased our Corolla. It was a '06 or a '07 model with 40k on the odo. Price was 8.25l Dad even paid a token for this car. But I didn't want a SUV since we aren't much into offroading. So plan cancelled.
  
• Toyota Innova 2.0 Petrol : Dad wanted a Innova since it had loads of space. This car was a '06 with 42k on the odo. The car wasn't purchased because of it's puny mileage (5-7kmpl). This car was available at 6.25l.
  
• Skoda Laura 1.9PD L&K A/T : This car was nicely maintained, had no turbo failures, no gearbox failures, no a/c failures. It was in mint condition. It had 42k on the odo and was a '06 model. Bargained hard till 8.65l. When we contacted them a few days later, it was sold a few minutes later. Darn!
  
• Skoda Laura 1.9PD L&K : This was checked on the day we finalised our Corolla. 42k on the odo, nicely maintained but the owner wasn't ready to come below 8.5l. Didn't want to spend so much for this car.
  

The Climax :

Just after checking the Laura on the final day, I told dad that a dealer had a Laura for 8l and forced him to go there. Since we knew the dealer pretty well, he showed us this Corolla. It was a 2008 car, 26000 on the odo and well maintained. It isn't have all the complex gadgets like the European car but still guaranteed us of the well known Japanese reliability. The price was about 8.2l and we negotiated till about 7.5l. The owners had paid for a VIP number worth 50k. The dealer said that the owner (a lady in this case) didn't know about the market price of the car. Even I felt that this car was at a steal. Also, it would be better to pay more for fuel of a Corolla then for maintenance of a Laura. So, we took a TD and decided to take a plunge. I love it when we get pushed back due to accelerating.

Features that I missed :

• More Airbags
• USB/Aux In
• Sunroof (Though I know most of you guys will say it's not needed in India)
• Rear A/C

Sincere thanks to all TBHPians who helped me in the Laura topic I posted sometime back. Special thanks to ACM and Shatrughna for helping me out through PM's

Also thanks to you members for going through my report.

Here is a small teaser of the car, edited in PS. The car doesn't have xenons, just a small creation by me!

[prateekm]

Some Pics As Promised

Headlights :

Alloys :

Under The Hood :

Inside The Car :

[aparth]

Congrats for your new ride! Drive safe! And btw nice number!

[maglev]

Congratulations mate!! drive safe and happy motoring...

[bnzjon]

Congrats mate !
Nice car. Happy miles and enjoy driving. Drive safe.

[sammyboy]

Congratulations on a great decision Prateek. You made a very smart move of planning to go for a pre owned vehicle. The car looks in fantastic shape.

oh btw, a pat on your back from me for displaying maturity in taking this decision which is far above your age.

[procircuit_234]

Congratulations! very very good choice.you will get peace of mind and far better service as compared to skoda.

[iTwenty]

Can never go wrong with a Toyota.! We have an Innova in our family that has done 50k+ kms in less than 2 yrs and still feels as good as new.My uncle is on the lookout for a new sedan and my recommendation to him is none other than Altis.!

And BTW, nice to see you waiting to turn 18 before you drive rather than driving illegally/without permission of parents.!

[prateekm]

Originally Posted by iTwenty

Can never go wrong with a Toyota.! We have an Innova in our family that has done 50k+ kms in less than 2 yrs and still feels as good as new.My uncle is on the lookout for a new sedan and my recommendation to him is none other than Altis.!

And BTW, nice to see you waiting to turn 18 before you drive rather than driving illegally/without permission of parents.!

Thanks to everyone for those compliments

Planning to go for Xenons soon, mostly H4's.

[Vid6639]

Prateek, please get the AT gearbox checked. I remember fellow member Normally_crazy had seen this and checked it thoroughly and noticed a gearbox fluid leak.

Please get it checked at Toyota ASAP before anything goes wrong. The car is good but may not have been looked after for a while.

ps: Congrats on the buy.

[krish3]

Congrats on getting a Toyota. Peace of mind for years to come.

Just a weird point I noted about used cars - almost all the cars you checked had 40k odd on the odo. This seems a bit odd. Dealers are known to tamper with the odo and quote more.

[prateekm]

Originally Posted by krish3

Congrats on getting a Toyota. Peace of mind for years to come.

Just a weird point I noted about used cars - almost all the cars you checked had 40k odd on the odo. This seems a bit odd. Dealers are known to tamper with the odo and quote more.

Yes, actually the fact is that many people use the cars for 3 years and then sell to claim depreciation. So, it's generally in the 40-50k band. Well, the Tuscon, Innova and the Laura were owned by indviduals But yes, some dealers too cheat but you can generally feel the difference at the first glance.

@ Vid6339

Did he check the same car? Thanks for telling, will tell dad to go to Toyota ASAP

[gomzi]

Congrats on the Corolla Prateek.
it's a very reliable car and should give you peace of mind and last long.

Rule of thumb with used car deals: Make a full checkup as a pre-condition before buying one. Usually takes a couple of hrs at the service centre but well worth it.

Get this car checked up and serviced at Toyota asap. Nearest center is on LBS Marg beyond the passport office on the opp side of the road.

[prateekm]

Originally Posted by gomzi

Congrats on the Corolla Prateek.
it's a very reliable car and should give you peace of mind and last long.

Rule of thumb with used car deals: Make a full checkup as a pre-condition before buying one. Usually takes a couple of hrs at the service centre but well worth it.

Get this car checked up and serviced at Toyota asap. Nearest center is on LBS Marg beyond the passport office on the opp side of the road.

Thanks Gomzi. It was already checked before delivery by the Toyota guys and they didn't find anything amiss. Now since Vid has told about a particular problem, will get that sorted out. The location is known since we had an Innova earlier

[vasanthn21]

She looks to be in awesome condition.

Do post a detailed review once you drive it (I know you are not 18, but there could be some places empty ground or some place where you can drive )