[GTO]

Note from Mod : Picture deleted. Please do NOT post pictures of your car doing dangerous speeds. Team-BHP does NOT permit such content.

[keyur]

Originally Posted by GTO

Note from Mod : Picture deleted. Please do NOT post pictures of your car doing dangerous speeds. Team-BHP does NOT permit such content.

GTO, I am going for test drive with a couple of friends tomorrow. We have an area in Pune near the army base where there are long empty stretches. We are planning to see how far we can push the Optra on various road conditions, the braking time and distance etc.
It is not a normal civilian road and the speed limits do not apply.

The drive tomorrow is more of a performance check, so what's your take on posting those pictures here?

[NoRules]

Originally Posted by keyur

Btw, whats the OTR for the Fiesta.

Dunno Keyur but ex-shoroom Hyderabad for Titanium is around 10.35 lakhs. I expect OTR to be 12+ lakhs. (12% road tax, 25+ k insurance etc). Did not feel like checking up with the dealer.

I just checked the Chevy site and the Ex-showroom Hyd for LT magnum is 9.46 lakhs which is straight away a lakh less than Fiesta. if you add discounts and deals, even after CPCO of 27k, Magnum will be more than 1.25 lakhs cheaper.

[keyur]

Originally Posted by NoRules

Dunno Keyur but ex-shoroom Hyderabad for Titanium is around 10.35 lakhs. I expect OTR to be 12+ lakhs. (12% road tax, 25+ k insurance etc). Did not feel like checking up with the dealer.

I just checked the Chevy site and the Ex-showroom Hyd for LT magnum is 9.46 lakhs which is straight away a lakh less than Fiesta. if you add discounts and deals, even after CPCO of 27k, Magnum will be more than 1.25 lakhs cheaper.

Hey, I haven't taken the CPCO after some contemplation.
Just want your views on the CPCO. Afterall the GM does assure you that if you incur any expenses over 27K, you will be reimbursed for the same. So whats the advantage in paying 27K upfront, if any expense over 27K is going to be reimbursed anyways?

[Poitive]

Originally Posted by keyur

Hey, I haven't taken the CPCO after some contemplation.
Just want your views on the CPCO. Afterall the GM does assure you that if you incur any expenses over 27K, you will be reimbursed for the same. So whats the advantage in paying 27K upfront, if any expense over 27K is going to be reimbursed anyways?

AFAIK, upfront it 27.xx-28.xx
Figure above 32.xx is reimbursed, after the claims etc. process.
No idea if such claims are at discretion.

[NoRules]

CPCO as I understand is: You pay 27-28k (whatever is the going price) at the time of purchase and for 3 years / 40k kms, whichever is earlier, you will not pay anything for maintenance of the car which includes regular servicing, change of oils / filters etc, any minor / major manufacturing flaw / failures / defects. Basically it takes care of everything except accidents / tires / battery. For accidents there is insurance anyway.

For smaller models they are giving this as a freebie but for Magnum they are charging some 27 odd k.

[machinehead]

Great review on a great car. I like the way you put forward the comparisons. Unfortunately it didn't do too well for GM and with that entire episode of the company going belly up in the U.S, it was a little too late. I loved the car when i test drove it for its power. Handling was decent for a sedan and i can live in that back seat...! It aint a seat its a Throne..!

This is the engine they should have bolted into the SRV ( remember that..!) rather than that anemic and gruff 1.6 holden unit. I loved the looks/styling of it especially the rear. classy indeed. It would have been the 'hottest hot hatch' ever and with a remap you would have had a dragster...!

[man_and_machine]

Sometimes its the water below the bridge, one of my friends had booked the new Verna Fluidic, got multiple postponement from the dealer on the delivery and now as it seems he had to wait for a couple of months. He cancelled it, the vento was also our as that too has a long waiting period. Even though I begin and end my day on Team-Bhp, Oprta just went out of my mind....such a shame...finally he bought an i20 ( I know its not alternative, but he had a personal need for a diesel urgently) and was ready foo 9.4 L.

I feel so sad for myself for letting him take that decision.. the optra..would have been a good alternative...like i said its now water below the bridge....

GM please send our Ads for the oprta ..just to keep it alive in the minds of the people..!

Hey, good buy, I am not fan of American cars ..but still ....good luck and drive safe!

[Mark 5]

Yup the Optra Magnum is indeed a good car (a relative of mine owns one) but is somewhat overshadowed by the launch of new cars, loved its looks.

[keyur]

Originally Posted by machinehead

Great review on a great car. I like the way you put forward the comparisons. I loved the car when i test drove it for its power. Handling was decent for a sedan and i can live in that back seat...! It aint a seat its a Throne..!

Thanks

Originally Posted by man_and_machine

Sometimes its the water below the bridge, one of my friends had booked the new Verna Fluidic, got multiple postponement from the dealer on the delivery and now as it seems he had to wait for a couple of months. He cancelled it, the vento was also our as that too has a long waiting period. Even though I begin and end my day on Team-Bhp, Oprta just went out of my mind....such a shame...finally he bought an i20 ( I know its not alternative, but he had a personal need for a diesel urgently) and was ready foo 9.4 L.

I feel so sad for myself for letting him take that decision.. the optra..would have been a good alternative...like i said its now water below the bridge....

GM please send our Ads for the oprta ..just to keep it alive in the minds of the people..!

Hey, good buy, I am not fan of American cars ..but still ....good luck and drive safe!

Sad.. i20 vs Optra - no comparison!

Originally Posted by NoRules

CPCO as I understand is: You pay 27-28k (whatever is the going price) at the time of purchase and for 3 years / 40k kms, whichever is earlier, you will not pay anything for maintenance of the car which includes regular servicing, change of oils / filters etc, any minor / major manufacturing flaw / failures / defects. Basically it takes care of everything except accidents / tires / battery. For accidents there is insurance anyway.

For smaller models they are giving this as a freebie but for Magnum they are charging some 27 odd k.

My question is, the other offer (which is applicable by default) is that if you pay anything above 27 (or maybe 30) for the same things mentioned above, you get a refund!
So whats the point in paying 27k upfront. I would rather purchase the 3rd year warranty!
If I do end up spending above 27K, I am gonna get the refund, and hopefully, if everything goes well, I won't have to spend over 15K in that period!
So why pay 27 now?

[NoRules]

Originally Posted by keyur

My question is, the other offer (which is applicable by default) is that if you pay anything above 27 (or maybe 30) for the same things mentioned above, you get a refund!
So whats the point in paying 27k upfront. I would rather purchase the 3rd year warranty!
If I do end up spending above 27K, I am gonna get the refund, and hopefully, if everything goes well, I won't have to spend over 15K in that period!
So why pay 27 now?

I have no idea about the default offer and I visited 2 Chevy showrooms yesterday. Damn. Will re-check when I talk to them again.

[mobike008]

A friend of mine got really tempted by an ad from Chevy yesterday in Deccan Chronicle newspaper mentioning the Optra for 8.6L ex-showroom hyderabad.

He was not sure if it was LS or LT but, said the ad mentioned airbags and host of other features.

Could be worthwhile for Hydeez prospective buyers to check it out.

[NoRules]

Originally Posted by mobike008

A friend of mine got really tempted by an ad from Chevy yesterday in Deccan Chronicle newspaper mentioning the Optra for 8.6L ex-showroom hyderabad.

He was not sure if it was LS or LT but, said the ad mentioned airbags and host of other features.

Could be worthwhile for Hydeez prospective buyers to check it out.

That ad is for LS model. I checked with the showroom folks.

[Deep_Shri]

Dear Keyur:

Many congratulations on your purchase.

I have an Optra Magnum LT which has done ~30,000 km in ~2 years and share your sentiment that Optra Magnum may be 'slightly' underrated.

The first aspect that brought my incisors, canines (and maybe more) in full public view was JUST Rs.1800/- for a tank full of diesel (60 litres). Having moved from a particularly sporty Ikon 1.6 driven the way an Ikon 1.6 deserved to be driven resulting in an incredible 7 km/litre, this alone justified the purchase.

Enough has already been said about the car but there are two additional aspects I wanted to share.

1. The ratio of the second gear is strange. Even now I manage to stall the car at times. So it takes a bit getting used to. It could be a problem unique to my car or me. Is it? (Before all you ladies and gentlemen go for my jugular, let me clarify that I have been driving for 22 years now and am an 'acceptable' driver now - if you allow a slight exaggeration i.e.)

2. In 2010 I had done a round trip Delhi-Lucknow-Muzaffarpur (Bihar)-Patna-Delhi. The highway is under construction and side roads have hills doubling up as speed breakers. The only way to cross is angled-approach. Despite full load, some careful driving ensured that the car didn't scrape its belly on the speed-breakers. But its not the reasonable ground clearance that I wanted to highlight. At one place near Kochaikot, whilst negotiating a crest and trough made of loose sand, gravel and boulders I heard a menacing sound. I got down with a heavy heart, looked underneath only to find that there is nothing exposed at the bottom of the car which can take a serious hit in situations like these - it seems that the entire underbody has a skid plate. Gives a lot of comfort considering the state of Indian roads.

On the tire bit let me share my experience. I liked the Apollos. But then it is rightly said that good is the enemy of better. I recently changed to Yokohama C Drives partly guided by advise posted on Team-BHP. The steering feedback has significantly improved. While earlier the steering used to pull in one direction at times on full throttle, it is now a controlled straight-line acceleration - grippier? I guess so. The ride quality is much better now. The C drives are also quieter.

Again from experience, whenever you make the transition FROM the Swift TO the Optra, shake your head a few times, take a few deep breaths, remind yourself 17 times (you can pick a higher number) and then gradually let go of the clutch. It will help to ensure a huge empty stretch of tarmac in front when starting. I went for a front bumper repair once the arguments and explanations to the RWA finished (for the damaged park gate) when I drove the Optra after driving my Pajero for a month.

Enjoy your car, drive responsibly. I personally like what Spiderman's dadaji said...with great power comes great responsibility.


Cheers!

[man_and_machine]

I guess the optra has all independent suspensions? How is the drive at high speeds?