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View Poll Results: No Automatic for me because:
Fuel-efficiency concerns 246 18.51%
I love Manual transmissions! 531 39.95%
AT option is unavailable on my choice of car (including diesels) 395 29.72%
I don't think the cost premium (75 - 100K) is worth it 221 16.63%
Maintenance concerns 159 11.96%
Other reason (please specify in your post) 39 2.93%
Not applicable. My next car WILL be an Automatic 310 23.33%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 1329. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 12th December 2011, 19:42   #256
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Re: So, why don't you buy an Automatic?

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Originally Posted by jesal View Post
after the civic, im stuck with what car to buy in automatic, hopeless options in automatics. cruze in bombay costs 1725. i told them to buzz off. all these normal cars cost over double in india for nothing, only because people here have money and no brains.
Check out the Laura. Over 1l off now on all diesels.
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Old 12th December 2011, 23:36   #257
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I have a C250 CDI and a i10 auto for my wife. Looking at my high usage I am looking for a replacement car for my wife which can also be used with a driver which is automatic as well as diesel, can't find on in a basic price range. The cheapest being Scorpio. WHY! why so little choice when it comes to auto tranny?
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Old 13th December 2011, 02:30   #258
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Re: So, why don't you buy an Automatic?

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Originally Posted by akshay1234 View Post
Check out the Laura. Over 1l off now on all diesels.
laura sells for 18 laks or so and no features. a skoda is not worth 18 laks i dont care what indian think of this brand, most call it luxury i call it crap. too small a brand to ask so much money.
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Old 13th December 2011, 08:03   #259
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Re: So, why don't you buy an Automatic?

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Originally Posted by jesal View Post
after the civic, im stuck with what car to buy in automatic, hopeless options in automatics. cruze in bombay costs 1725. i told them to buzz off. all these normal cars cost over double in india for nothing, only because people here have money and no brains.
Not many options in automatics – yes, but otherwise not so pleasant way of putting your thoughts. People normally don’t buy a car by looking at the price of that car in the overseas market. You compare what is available in your market and make a decision. There are markets where cars are more expensive than in India.

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Originally Posted by jesal View Post
laura sells for 18 laks or so and no features. a skoda is not worth 18 laks i dont care what indian think of this brand, most call it luxury i call it crap. too small a brand to ask so much money.
Again, luxury is a very relative term. Luxury for one man could be a daily affair for other.
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Old 13th December 2011, 10:59   #260
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Re: So, why don't you buy an Automatic?

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Originally Posted by vb-san View Post
Not many options in automatics – yes, but otherwise not so pleasant way of putting your thoughts. People normally don’t buy a car by looking at the price of that car in the overseas market. You compare what is available in your market and make a decision. There are markets where cars are more expensive than in India.


Again, luxury is a very relative term. Luxury for one man could be a daily affair for other.
its my thought, i dont mind what i said. i dont tell anyone not to buy what they want. infact i help most of the time. skoda overall is a very small brand marketed so well only because it was a diesel from begining, if a person has to buy what they want im pissed at companies not people buying them. other countries where cars are more expensive people arent really buying them over here its other way around. see how much money they lose in under a year when one sells the car its proof that they were over priced in the first place.
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Old 13th December 2011, 13:56   #261
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Re: So, why don't you buy an Automatic?

Well I chose, options 3,5, and 7. I been tired of driving over 100 kms a day, and now am in the serious lookout for an automatic under 10 lakhs, unfortunately there are none. I even tried looking at the petrol segment - given that if the next best automatic i.e. the cruze or the laura is available for 16+ lakhs, OTR Mumbai, I might as well as buy the Honda City Automatic, but the lakh of ACC puts me off.

Vento - I somehow feel is highly priced, the only other option is the Verna automatic in Diesel, which is a 4 speed transmission. I am now trying to convince my wife that we let go the Innova, and replace it with the Captiva AT or the Fortuner, but she loves the innova and does not want to let it go.. So I guess I will wait till a decent diesel automatic either in the hatchback or the sedan under the 10 L range hits the market
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Old 13th December 2011, 14:09   #262
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Re: So, why don't you buy an Automatic?

@an_and: Have you considered the Skoda Rapid? It is the only car on the market that offers an AT on the mid-variant.

i20 also offers an AT option under 10 lac.

Surprised that you think the Vento AT is overpriced. It is almost exactly the same price as the TDI Highline which is the best selling variant, so don't know what you are comparing it with. In fact, till Honda's recent price cut, the Vento was actually cheaper than the City AT.

Verna AT may be a 4-speed but do you really need more than that for the city? Woudn't hurt to do a comparo TD.
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Old 13th December 2011, 14:48   #263
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Re: So, why don't you buy an Automatic?

Thanks Noopster, i think i did not communicate well in the post, i travel 110 kms a day, so manual gear shifts are really getting to me. I have a palio and an Innova, and I am driving the innova to work. I need an auto, but the petrol costs are putting me off, i am seriously considering the vento AT, as I am not so comfortable with the Verna - but had the Honda had automatic climate control, i would have gone for it because with the Honda, there is peace of mind in terms of ***.

On the other hand, there is this tempting allure of ditching the innova and going in for a captiva or an endeavour (I have put down the need for ACC a must in any new vehicle that I Buy - hence scorpio / Honda City get ruled out) - I am preparing a detailed statement to weigh each one of them, will put it up once done
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Old 13th December 2011, 16:03   #264
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Re: So, why don't you buy an Automatic?

an_and, that running is a lot and the petrol bills will be massive. The i20 is a decent choice, but I'd personally plump for the City, lack of ACC notwithstanding even if it is a bit of a miss.

Why not look at a used diesel automatic? Options like the Laura, Endeavor, etc. would be a terrific choice

Last edited by iliketurtles : 13th December 2011 at 16:04. Reason: Prematurely hit reply
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Old 13th December 2011, 16:37   #265
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Re: So, why don't you buy an Automatic?

Quote:
Originally Posted by jesal View Post
laura sells for 18 laks or so and no features. a skoda is not worth 18 laks i dont care what indian think of this brand, most call it luxury i call it crap. too small a brand to ask so much money.
When you say no features what are you comparing it to?
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Old 13th December 2011, 18:00   #266
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Re: So, why don't you buy an Automatic?

Voted for option 2.

I guess the decision whether to buy an AT or not would among other things, depend upon the needs of the buyer.

An AT definitely helps reduce the fatigue factor esp in our overcrowded cities. If I had to had to spend more than 1 hr everyday on the road then I would definitely be driving an AT. No doubt about that. But my daily usage is such that, in the city I have to travel about 5 kms each way to my office and back, with no more intra city commutes in between. That apart the car serves me for some inter city travel for work and leisure. The Car for me is more than just a machine that does its job of transporting me and my family. I enjoy the drive experience. So I will look to buy a car that not only serves its primary purpose, but should also be enjoyable. SO once I have fixed my budget I will look to buy the car which is the most enjoyable to drive. This is where I felt an MT scored higher than an AT. Same reason why I bought a Turbocharged petrol car rather than a Diesel. My budget was stretchable. In fact when I TD'd the Laura TSI, I also did a 20 km TD of the Laura DSG cutting thru Bangalore traffic during rush hour. The convenience was brilliant but it somehow did not strike a chord. Call me an AT novice not knowing how to derive fun out of a DSG box. But it just somehow did not click.
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Old 13th December 2011, 18:42   #267
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Re: So, why don't you buy an Automatic?

Voted for not applicable since we just bought an A-Star Automatic. That is one car that took care of most of the concerns
- Good fuel efficiency
- Not "too" expensive (got it for 4.73 lacs on road Pune)
- With Maruti's network the maintenance should not be too much of an issue

Traded the Ritz Zxi for the A-Star Auto btw.
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Old 13th December 2011, 19:48   #268
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Re: So, why don't you buy an Automatic?

Note from Mod: There are several spelling, grammatical & punctuation errors in your posts. This negatively affects the board experience for other readers.

Kindly ensure that you proof-read your posts prior to submission. Also, it would be a good idea to use spell-checkers.

Last edited by GTO : 14th December 2011 at 12:24.
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Old 13th December 2011, 20:48   #269
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Re: So, why don't you buy an Automatic?

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Originally Posted by amoghchaphalkar View Post
Voted for not applicable since we just bought an A-Star Automatic. That is one car that took care of most of the concerns
- Good fuel efficiency
- Not "too" expensive (got it for 4.73 lacs on road Pune)
- With Maruti's network the maintenance should not be too much of an issue

Traded the Ritz Zxi for the A-Star Auto btw.
My A* Automatic is giving very good FE without AC and I am still calculating, it may return around 14 Kmpl and that is amazing.
I will post again once I consume all the fuel last time I have filled and
it consumed and see what is the actual FE is ?
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Old 13th December 2011, 21:08   #270
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Re: So, why don't you buy an Automatic?

AT not available on my choice of car.

If you spend your life driving in a city, nothing beats the ease, comfort and simplicity of an auto. This is a luxury I had in my last couple of years of driving in London. The price you pay (depending on car/gear-box) is the first-gear surge. Of course, you also pay a higher price for the car.
Quote:
I thought how much more awesome it would have been if it was manual!
That's just what I used to think about my Rover 620 (Brit-built Accord) as the transmission soaked up the revs, but that dreadful London traffic didn't give me too many revving opportunities anyway.

Mastery of a manual gearbox is a vital part of driving skill. I have absolutely no wish to be tied to one, though .
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