[HSV]

Originally Posted by vasudeva

However, as I did, you may consider a car in Jan-Feb. This is because I was getting a 109,000 discount on 2006 production Corolla, but only a 45K discount on 2007.

That gets me thinking - if you got a cash discount of Rs 109000 on 2006 production corolla in 2007 when the actual discount on 2007 production model was 45k - then assuming in early 2008 say discount on production 2008 corolla remains 65k then it is quite possible that I may be offered 129k approx on 2007 prod corolla at that time. This assumption is based on the fact that if in one year the discount has increased by 20k from 45k to 65k, then it is quite possible that the 109k component may also increase by 20k! Further with the new facelift/platform just round the corner in the same year they may even offer a bigger discount. Wishful thinking!

Originally Posted by vasudeva

Perhaps you can haggle for more but do not expect say a further gain of even 5-7K.

You may be correct here, because the sales guy did mention that we are offering 65k now (i.e. in sep) however if you decide to wait until dec in anticipation of further discounts then be aware that the best you may get would be 72k max.

Originally Posted by vasudeva

(sorry, inspite of being the best looker for me, Skoda is not being recommended by me, though others may have a different opinion).

I completely agree with you. Skoda Octavia, other things being equal, would have been the clear choice for me. Diesel + auto... Perfect! However for various reason already outlined in various forums I'm not even considering it.

Originally Posted by vasudeva

(although if VTEC had an AT, I would have preferred it simply for the lower cost),

Again, this would have been my choice clearly - simply from the point of affordability only. IMHO I absolutely hate the City looks. Maybe I can use it for say 1 or 2 years and then pass it on to my wife, as she'll get an auto and then I can upgrade.

Originally Posted by vasudeva

Santro AT is a low cost reasonable choice for sedate city driving. But it did not excite me much

Yes, it certainly doesnt excite my tastebuds too. However this vehicle had been considered purely on two grounds. 1) My wife being a new learner would prefer a small car to manouver and although she doesnt agree, I have been insisting on her to try an automatic for convenience. 2) the other factor being that sadly there is NO automatic hatchback between the Santro and NHC CVT currenty! It would have been great had MUL offered a good 4 speed A/T in their Swift Zxi, or had Hyundai offered an A/T in their Getz. Unfortunately if one wants an auto hatchback they have to join the ranks of the physically challenged and make do with only the Santro A/T... which BTW doesnt offer ABS/SRS!

Originally Posted by vasudeva

I am happy with my car and as of now, although you may laugh, I think it the max. size that I aspire to given the traffic,

Quite frankly I share the same opinion as you, and am quite averse to the typical Indian bourgeoisie mentality where Size matters, and the best way to sell the Sonata the advertisers presume is to equate it to a business card (and that too 16 feet long) !

Originally Posted by vasudeva

but I found Corolla to be better resistant at dents because of its high tyre profile

Now that I find a tad difficult to believe, although I am sure you are in a better position to say as you already own a corolla, and ahve already got bumped a few times. However these days I see quite a few of bumped corollas, and funnily enough I only started noticing the bumped ones more often only after I started thinking towards owning one! I have read in many posts where people complain about the tinny build which the Corolla has. However I'd rather take your word for it, as you already own one.


So, I guess I can summarise it as follows:

Current NHC CVT:
1) cost saving as compared to other bigger cars like corolla, civic etc
2) lower performance - as compared to 1.8L and hence less driving pleasure
3) Pathetic looks - IMHO only (so the others reading this post, save me the brickbats)
4) new platform in the offing (in 2008) - so there would be an obvious adverse affect in resale after 3/4 years. Further no discounts being offered to offset this.
5) cheap to run and maintain.
6) Obviously lesser comforts as compared to Corolla, Civic etc
7) Lack of safety features like ABS & SRS.

Civic:
1) More expensive as compared to the Corolla - difference of approx 80k as no discounts.
2) Fabulous looks - inside out.
3) May not be as comfortable to drive for shorter individuals (considering your posts). Further it also lacks Lumbar support!
4) Better resale 3/4 years down the line, as no new model in the offing.
5) May not be as cheap to maintain as the Corolla.
6) Lesser lower end grunt than the corolla.

Corolla:
1) More discounts available - so lower initial cost
2) Cheaper to maintain - as company offering smiles package for 3 yrs/60k kms - labour and consumables. Also frequency of service is 10k kms as opposed to 5k in case of hondas.
3) more peppier than the honda
4) new platform in the offing (in 2008) - so there would be an obvious adverse affect in resale after 3/4 years. But that may be only somewhat offset by the initial discounts being offered.
5) dated design as compared to civic
6) better performance than the NHC CVT
7) safety features present which are lacking in the NHC CVT
8) I can own the H3 for as low as 11.45L OTR as of now.
9) better warranty

Octavia TDi A/T - not worth considering at this juncture.
1) dated design
2) higher initial cost
3) more expensive to maintain - although company has offered a maintenance package for 3 yrs - labour only I think. However I shudder at the thought of what would happen in case I decide to retain the car after 3 yrs.
4) there was some news about them discontinuing the octavia in 2008, but company is reconsidering
5) bad interiors
6) better handler / better ride i guess
7) lacks ABS
8) bad A.S.S
9) savings in terms of fuel type - diesel.

Santro A/T:
1) Least expensive to buy - woohoo!
2) Purely for my wife - i wouldnt drive it that often anyways. And I may upgrade my car next year then.
3) new platform (PA) in the offing (in October hopefully) - so there would be an obvious adverse affect in resale after 3/4 years. But that may be only somewhat offset by the initial discounts being offered. However no-one knows as yet but Hyundai may not even offer an A/T option on the PA. So in that case this is the next best option.

Phew! Thats it from me. Not sure if I missed something or whether I wandered OT (as this was supposed to be a Corolla discussion), but thought I'd just pour my thoughts out here.

regards,

[vasudeva]

I have read in many posts where people complain about the tinny build which the Corolla has. However I'd rather take your word for it, as you already own one.

Whether it is made of tin or hot air or gas or sponge whatever is of no concern. What matters is how it scores on reputed safety tests and in those tests, the present model (with the same SRS/ABS/body as what we get in India) gets 4 or 5 stars, while the upcoming one gets 5 stars!.

[vasudeva]

I should perhaps add that I am presently a spokesperson for Toyota! and the the CEO of Toyota Motor, Japan!

[vasudeva]

Also perhaps Mahindra Scorpio may be launched in AT.

[HSV]

Originally Posted by vasudeva

I have read in many posts where people complain about the tinny build which the Corolla has. However I'd rather take your word for it, as you already own one.

Whether it is made of tin or hot air or gas or sponge whatever is of no concern. What matters is how it scores on reputed safety tests and in those tests, the present model (with the same SRS/ABS/body as what we get in India) gets 4 or 5 stars, while the upcoming one gets 5 stars!.

Yes, I too agree. However I guess what I may have meant with the term "tinny" is "more succeptible to dents", and not questioning its safety, which I guess the Toyota brand stands for.

Funnily I have seen lesser dented Octavias as compared to more of dented Corollas. Wonder if its a figment of my imagination.

Although I completely undertand the fact that the Hindustan Ambassador is NOT at all "tinny", however we all know the star rating it may enjoy on the various safety tests .

[HSV]

Originally Posted by vasudeva

Also perhaps Mahindra Scorpio may be launched in AT.

Ooooooh, if that was to happen in the near future - I for one would gladly sacrifice my Toyota purchase for the Scorpio 2.2 with the 6 speed automatic they are talking about. However I am sure it wouldnt be as frugal to maintain.

However considering the suspense they have created and the delay in launch of the 2.2 Eagle, I am sure the A/T option in the Scorpio is definitely not happening in 2008 and maybe well past it, contrary to speculation. That may be a different ball game as there would be more models to choose from by then.

[vasudeva]

On the Delhi-Gurgaon messway and in Delhi, I have had the following major dents (apart from the scooter at petrol pump and Accent incident already mentioned):

Alto bumped into the bumper at 20 kmph (perhaps lost his foot on the clutch)-no scratches and rubbed off.
Mahindra Scorpio humped the back rear at Regal crossing: no paint peeling off, and rubbed.
Tata Indica bumped into the bumper again-rubbed off.
Toyota Qualis went too close at the Mehrauli-Gurgaon border, got some scratches and a minor line at the tyre line-scratches rubbed off.
Weekly scratches from scooters/mobikes at the Ambi Mall-Udyog Vihar 0.5 km nightmare.

Trust me, the high body does lead to higher dent avoidance!

[HSV]

Originally Posted by vasudeva

On the Delhi-Gurgaon messway and in Delhi, I have had the following major dents (apart from the scooter at petrol pump and Accent incident already mentioned):

Alto bumped into the bumper at 20 kmph (perhaps lost his foot on the clutch)-no scratches and rubbed off.
Mahindra Scorpio humped the back rear at Regal crossing: no paint peeling off, and rubbed.
Tata Indica bumped into the bumper again-rubbed off.
Toyota Qualis went too close at the Mehrauli-Gurgaon border, got some scratches and a minor line at the tyre line-scratches rubbed off.
Weekly scratches from scooters/mobikes at the Ambi Mall-Udyog Vihar 0.5 km nightmare.

Trust me, the high body does lead to higher dent avoidance!

From what you mention as above, in that case the corolla is very livable indeed. These kind of occurances one faces every day in Delhi traffic, and its the softer bodies where the dents and scratches become more prominent. However from the incidences outlined above, and still your corolla braved them with just a few scratch rub offs - then that is just great.

When you say "high body leading to dent avoidance" - do you mean the 185mm ground clearance alongwith 15" alloys leading to high body?

[vasudeva]

When you say "high body leading to dent avoidance" - do you mean the 185mm ground clearance alongwith 15" alloys leading to high body?[/quote]

I really do not know. I got Teflon coating on delivery and although many people may doubt its effectiveness, most of the scratches that I have got have been rubbed off (nearly 1/week on the Delhi-Gurgaon messway). Whatever be the reason, I got less scratches but more dents on my Corsa than on the Corolla. Less scratches could be because Corsa was primarily driven in Delhi. But less dents and more rubbable scratches on Corolla could be because of teflon, paint quality of Corolla, shock absorbance of body, or high clearance. You know, GM sells Optra in an option of triple paint coat which is priced at 10K more.

[HSV]

Wow, interesting indeed. I was talking with a buddy of mine a few days back and he mentioned that one of his friends owns a Corolla, and that he has to take it to the dealer workshop every 3 mths for getting the Pollution check /pollution certificate done, and that a Corolla's pollution check cant be done at the numerous filling station vendors offering that service.

Now I found that rather odd. Whats your take on the subject?

[VMG]

Smile package only for Innova not for Corolla.

11.64 on road in Chennai. H2 model

[vasudeva]

Originally Posted by HSV

Wow, interesting indeed. I was talking with a buddy of mine a few days back and he mentioned that one of his friends owns a Corolla, and that he has to take it to the dealer workshop every 3 mths for getting the Pollution check /pollution certificate done, and that a Corolla's pollution check cant be done at the numerous filling station vendors offering that service.

Now I found that rather odd. Whats your take on the subject?

Thanks for reminding me of PUC. I have not got it done since the day I bought the car.

[HSV]

Originally Posted by vasudeva

Thanks for reminding me of PUC. I have not got it done since the day I bought the car.

Tsk...tsk...tsk...

[trrk]

Hi,

This is a late reply and anyway you were not considering this.

> Octavia TDi A/T - not worth considering at this juncture.
> 7) lacks ABS

The AT version comes with ABS.

Cramped rear seat is also a deterrent.

Rajesh, Alleppey, Kerala
(Marina LS BSIII, Oct 05, 31604 kms, 13.94 kpl, KL 04 T7722, 46km/day)
(Honda City CVT, Sep 07, 589 kms, 13.93 kpl, KL 04 W9585, 65km/day)

[HSV]

Originally Posted by trrk

The AT version comes with ABS.

Oh Thanks, I had no idea that the A/T variant had ABS. Yes, you are right I wasnt considering the Octavia anyways.