[amit]

can a person buying a car costing about 20 lakhs afford cost of petrol for 80km/day? Yes
Is FE his prime concern? No & if it is I am sorry to say that person doesn't deserve to buy such car.

Mercedes, BMW and Audi shouldn't bother making diesels then. Forget the C, 3 and A4, even the S class, 7 and A8 come in diesels. Even one of the mods here drives around in a Merc C Class CDi.
But yea, can a person buying a car costing about 20 lakhs afford a service bill of 10-15 grand twice a year? I think he should

try telling someone in the UK/ US you drive a Skoda... Don't be surprised if they ask you what a Skoda is LOL.

Skoda doesn't sell in America and most people aren't interested in cars but do that in UK and YOU will be surprised with the responses. Skoda is no longer the target of jokes in UK. The Octavia has consistantly turned out more reliable then even the "incarnation of God" Honda Accord. If we are going to buy cars based on the makers image worldwide then even Honda and Toyota are people cars makers all over the world.

The problem of expensive spares and service has plagued all European carmakers round the world. Probably one of the reasons why the cheaper brands like VW, Skoda, Opel don't do well outside of Europe.

[Rtech]

I understand your point Adya, but what I tried to explain in my last post was that at the end of it, every dealer is different. The cost of parts is one thing, on which Skoda is way overpriced.

However, when it comes to service and dealer attitude, it doesn't matter which company it represents, its all about individual relationships between customers and the dealer.

So yes, if a city has more than one dealership, its worth trying them all out and chosing the best one. Same applies for independent workshops.

[MrBoombastic]

Originally Posted by amit

Skoda doesn't sell in America and most people aren't interested in cars but do that in UK and YOU will be surprised with the responses. Skoda is no longer the target of jokes in UK. The Octavia has consistantly turned out more reliable then even the "incarnation of God" Honda Accord. If we are going to buy cars based on the makers image worldwide then even Honda and Toyota are people cars makers all over the world.

The problem of expensive spares and service has plagued all European carmakers round the world. Probably one of the reasons why the cheaper brands like VW, Skoda, Opel don't do well outside of Europe.

At times, the way you get overly defensive about the company you work for makes me laugh

1. Did I ever say Skoda was a joke anywhere in my post? NO! ... I hope deep down in your heart you don't think of the Skoda as a joke.
2. Yes, I've asked many people in the UK (very high class people and common people) about the Skoda and what I typed in my post is the response I got. Everybody doesn't work for the VW group, you see?
3. Are you saying that all of us are wrong when we say Hondas and Toyotas are more reliable than Skodas? Read GTOs first post... Actual owners and their experiences say something very different from what you do and what a few motoring magazines do.
4. I don't think anyone here has said that Toyota and/ or Honda make super luxury or super performance cars... If you read carefully, we even mentioned that Corolla is the worlds largest selling car... Only a peoples car can do that, not cars like Maybachs.
5. The problem of expensive spares and service has plagued all European carmakers round the world. Probably one of the reasons why the cheaper brands like VW, Skoda, Opel don't do well outside of Europe is exactly what we are saying too and all we have added to your statement is that A.S.S Skoda India offers makes it even worse.

Amit, I hope you realise I get laughed at by everyone on here because I say the Laura makes some (even if it's just a little) sense to me and that I support Skoda despite being told (by Skoda people) that the Laura doesn't get power retractable mirrors just because Skoda has to show some logic on why people should be buying a Superb over a Laura... Don't forget the common man (read: not a petrolhead) looks for features and not just at the V6 engine. When I told them this was an absurd reason to punish Laura buyers who mainly buy a Laura for the goodies, they said, "Sir, all cars look the same, and we are forced to this as customers say why should I buy a 25L rupee car when your 12L rupee car looks almost the same?". The Skoda dealers were given the same answer when they brought this up with the Skoda management here. Their style of doing business (read my post where I've mentioned DSG variant being abruptly stopped for a few months after having received payments for the same), their lame@$$ service centres, the high cost of maintenence even their INR 12L car asks for (sensitive clutch etc.) and the high cost of spares are what drag them down, buddy.

NOTE TO TEAM: Rest assured, Amit will "react"... Keep your eyes on this thread LOL!

[Beemer]

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]

Originally Posted by adya33

can a person buying a car costing about 20 lakhs afford cost of petrol for 80km/day?Yes

Well if he can afford Rs. 20k petrol per month ,theres no reason he cant afford the service of 20-30k once in every six months .hence ,the end of discussion .

[quote=adya33]I am sorry to say that person doesn't deserve to buy such car.[/qoute]

Dude ,wake up ! go and ask all those Laura/superb/tucson owners the main reason they bought these cars for .. The first and foremost thing you would hear is that "its a Diesel" .. You cant deny the fact ,that India is a diesel crazy country and very rightly so .. cos nowadays Diesels saves you a fortune and are as good(or may be better) than petrols and you 've nothing to loose ..

Originally Posted by adya33

and for being chauffered around in Octivia for 80km/day, it would be more comfortable to travel in Auto

Haha ,nice comparison. As for me ,I could never ever think of taking a back seat .

Originally Posted by adya33

you have said it yourself why people should not buy Skoda

Ofcourse ,the laura is way over priced and infact .is the only Skoda i think is not VFM(i mentioned the reason, cos it just looks like any other Octavai) but the Octavias and superbs are the best in their respective segments and are pure VFM .
[/SIZE][/FONT]

Originally Posted by amit

Mercedes, BMW and Audi shouldn't bother making diesels then. Forget the C, 3 and A4, even the S class, 7 and A8 come in diesels. Even one of the mods here drives around in a Merc C Class CDi.
But yea, can a person buying a car costing about 20 lakhs afford a service bill of 10-15 grand twice a year? I think he should

Well said amit .

[adya33]

Originally Posted by Beemer

[FONT=Arial][SIZE=2]

Well if he can afford Rs. 20k petrol per month ,theres no reason he cant afford the service of 20-30k once in every six months .hence ,the end of discussion .

but why would anyone buy a diesel car that too C+ segment than buying petrol car of D segment?

Dude ,wake up ! go and ask all those Laura/superb/tucson owners the main reason they bought these cars for .. The first and foremost thing you would hear is that "its a Diesel" .. You cant deny the fact ,that India is a diesel crazy country and very rightly so .. cos nowadays Diesels saves you a fortune and are as good(or may be better) than petrols and you 've nothing to loose ..

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/collec...t=Why+the+heck

[MrBoombastic]

OFF TOPIC, KINDLY EXCUSE! Beemer, relax, buddy... Such messy posts? hehe... Yaar, you like the Octavia and feel it's the best for you, so, go for it and don't care what anyone says. You keep cutting down the Laura when I may buy it, but I don't feel the need to get all shaken up... Just like me, become a little thick skinned when dealing with the world.

I do not say this to take a dig at you, I say this because I think of you as a friend and don't like seeing my friends getting worked up over what the world says to their choices (however wise or silly their choice is as long as it makes them happy and doesn't harm anyone ).

[v1p3r]

Skodas have beautiful quality, but give me 12 lakhs, and I'd buy an Elantra and Pete's PSI box, or a Civic! How can you trust someone who appoints such crappy dealers?

[amit]

Did I ever say Skoda was a joke anywhere in my post?

Did I say that you said that Skoda is a joke?

the way you get overly defensive about the company you work for makes me laugh

I am not defending the company I work for. I don't care for VW so much that I am going to defend them tooth and nail. Remember, I work for VW, I don't own it. I have owned a Golf and Jetta and these German cars have not evoked 1/10th the passion I felt for the Fiat Palio S10 which has been a HUGE surprise to me too.

Are you saying that all of us are wrong when we say Hondas and Toyotas are more reliable than Skodas?

Did i say that? I haven't heard of too many complaints about Skoda's. There was one fuel pump issue with the Skoda and a few fuel pump issues with Innova. If one fuel pump issue makes Skoda unreliable then the same criteria needs to be used for all car makers. Ironically, one issue makes Skoda or any other company unreliable a couple of issues and Toyota gets away scot free.

Actual owners and their experiences say something very different from what you do and what a few motoring magazines do.

The same high class people in UK have rated Octavia as among the most reliable cars. J.D.Power survey results are from opinions from real customers not magazines. Octavia for a couple of years has been most reliable after Lexus. I accept Honda and Toyota makes reliable cars. The problem is not with me but with people who refuse to acknowledge that other companies are making as reliable cars as the Japs. Why look to UK, bombastic? This year Octavia turned out more reliable then Corolla in the Indian J.D.Power survey. Once again, I accept that Honda and Toyota make reliable cars. It's high time members here and customers in general accepted the same for non-Japanese car makers.

I don't think anyone here has said that Toyota and/ or Honda make super luxury or super performance cars... If you read carefully, we even mentioned that Corolla is the worlds largest selling car... Only a peoples car can do that, not cars like Maybachs.

Thats exactly what I am saying but the FACT is that Honda and Toyota are premium car makers in India. So is Skoda, unfortunately.

A.S.S Skoda India offers makes it even worse.

I am not surprised. Expensive spares and service costs and pathetic after sales support have been European traits round the world EVEN in their home continent Europe! Take any example : Skoda, Fiat, Opel, VW. Europeans are notorious for poor A.S.S. Prospective buyers need to know this and expect this. When I bought Fiat I knew I am gonna get frustrated with them. Fortunately, I didn't but thats a different topic.

the Laura doesn't get power retractable mirrors

Many Indians think people living in western countries get loaded cars. What I am going to say now will shock everyone. The 3.6L V6 VW Passat DOES NOT come with power retractable mirrors either. Whats the cost price? A cool CAD $44,000 odd.

By the way, this thread reminds me of the Amitabh Bachchan movie Main Azaad Hoon.

Thats all for my reaction . All I ask for is for people to have a open mind towards all car makers.

[sahilm]

hi guys , well yup the skoda is a great car but as said before the spares are exxxxxxtremly expensive - my brother crashed one last month ( he got away with a few bruises!! lucky ) the air bags opened costing him 90.000 rupees , and insurance didnt pay for the a-bags . a few months ago the ac got spoilt and the cooling coil had to be changed 50.000 ropees!!!!!!!! . great car but very expensive to maintain , and god forbid if u crash it or something gets spoiled - the company has a policy - replace - dont repair - so if you can afford it go for it -or else - MARUTI - BALENO/ ESTEEM - they rule and maintainance is cheap !!

[adya33]

Originally Posted by amit

Many Indians think people living in western countries get loaded cars. What I am going to say now will shock everyone. The 3.6L V6 VW Passat DOES NOT come with power retractable mirrors either. Whats the cost price? A cool CAD $44,000 odd.

By the way, this thread reminds me of the Amitabh Bachchan movie Main Azaad Hoon.

Thats all for my reaction . All I ask for is for people to have a open mind towards all car makers.

compare segment to segment.
Does a D segment high end car comes with power mirrors? yeah it does!

besides as for the reason given behind it

Originally Posted by Boom

I told them (Skoda guys) this was an absurd reason to punish Laura buyers who mainly buy a Laura for the goodies, they said, "Sir, all cars look the same, and we are forced to this as customers say why should I buy a 25L rupee car when your 12L rupee car looks almost the same?". The Skoda dealers were given the same answer when they brought this up with the Skoda management here.

Originally Posted by sahilm

the air bags opened costing him 90.000 rupees ,

airbags are very expensive across all cars don't worry about it

[jat]

[SIZE=2]Skoda, if it wants to, can really bring down the cost of spares as most of the others have done it. (Is it the old Czech mentality -communist type) But for some reason they are simply not interested. And the dealers have no special checks or training program from Skoda as done by other makers. Thats why skoda is going to lose.[/SIZE]

[MrBoombastic]

Originally Posted by amit

Did I say that you said that Skoda is a joke?

Did i say that? I haven't heard of too many complaints about Skoda's. There was one fuel pump issue with the Skoda and a few fuel pump issues with Innova. If one fuel pump issue makes Skoda unreliable then the same criteria needs to be used for all car makers. Ironically, one issue makes Skoda or any other company unreliable a couple of issues and Toyota gets away scot free.

The same high class people in UK have rated Octavia as among the most reliable cars. J.D.Power survey results are from opinions from real customers not magazines. Octavia for a couple of years has been most reliable after Lexus. I accept Honda and Toyota makes reliable cars. The problem is not with me but with people who refuse to acknowledge that other companies are making as reliable cars as the Japs. Why look to UK, bombastic? This year Octavia turned out more reliable then Corolla in the Indian J.D.Power survey. Once again, I accept that Honda and Toyota make reliable cars. It's high time members here and customers in general accepted the same for non-Japanese car makers.

Thats exactly what I am saying but the FACT is that Honda and Toyota are premium car makers in India. So is Skoda, unfortunately.

I am not surprised. Expensive spares and service costs and pathetic after sales support have been European traits round the world EVEN in their home continent Europe! Take any example : Skoda, Fiat, Opel, VW. Europeans are notorious for poor A.S.S. Prospective buyers need to know this and expect this. When I bought Fiat I knew I am gonna get frustrated with them. Fortunately, I didn't but thats a different topic.

Many Indians think people living in western countries get loaded cars. What I am going to say now will shock everyone. The 3.6L V6 VW Passat DOES NOT come with power retractable mirrors either. Whats the cost price? A cool CAD $44,000 odd.

Yipee-da-doo! What I said has come true!! Amit has reacted.

Yes, you were the one who mentioned the word joke... do that in UK and YOU will be surprised with the responses. Skoda is no longer the target of jokes in UK... was your line, yes? hehehe! We weren't even thinking of Skoda jokes.

Power surveys, Tower surveys and awards LMAO... Even Scorpio won one of those.

Is UK traffic or population and the lack of space anything like it's in India?? NO! Here the power retractable mirrors feature is a must. This is like saying US Army should've taken snow mobiles to fight the war in Iraq LOL.

If I didn't have an open mind, I wouldn't fight family and friends for the Laura!

Ewww! I hate Amitabh movies/ adverts and dont have a clue as to what you mean when using that weirdo named movie to convey whatever you wanted to... I'm more the Vaastav, Musafir, Munna Bhai movies kind of a guy.

[amit]

compare segment to segment.
Does a D segment high end car comes with power mirrors? yeah it does!

The thing about Passat was not about comparing segment to segement. It was about the policy of the company as regards the features it feels it must absolutely give to customers. Whether you agree or not power retractable mirrors make more sense in Canada then India. In India it's a status thing, in the hostile weather here , it's utility. $44,000 is expensive even by Canadian standards.

And yea, I am critising VW here!

Yes, you were the one who mentioned the word joke

If you remember, Skoda has been the butt of jokes for many years. Nothing wrong if I thought you were referring to that.

Is UK traffic or population and the lack of space anything like it's in India?? NO! Here the power retractable mirrors feature is a must. This is like saying US Army should've taken snow mobiles to fight the war in Iraq LOL.

Whether you agree or not power retractable mirrors make more sense in Canada then India. In India it's a status thing, in the hostile weather here it's utility.

This thread is getting ridiculous. We are arguing over words and sentences like lawyers.

I am getting tired of spelling out everything!

[mclaren1885]

This is turning out to be one hell of an argument here .. And i was of the opinion that it happened with only the honda vs suzis ..

Accepted that skoda does make great cars , but havent heard of bad ASS from any of my friends circle and there are like 15 skodas among them .. I think one or two instances such as karthiks shouldnt be taken as a benchmark to put down a reputed company such as SKODA .. However i agree that they need to get the spares priced right to maintain competition from the others ..

[MrBoombastic]

Originally Posted by amit

Whether you agree or not power retractable mirrors make more sense in Canada then India. In India it's a status thing, in the hostile weather here , it's utility. $44,000 is expensive even by Canadian standards.

Are you okay? Status thing??? Wake up and smell the coffee... Almost everyone who has this feature on their car in India uses it at almost all the traffic signals and in traffic jams in metros and cities like Bengaluru. Buddy, come to Chennai and we'll park our car at the small Elliots beach... Even there, people just walking break mirrors of cars that are even parked thanks to their mind being in dreamland. I think it's a very important feature to have in India as it saves you the cost of replacing mirrors every week.