[madnish30]

Originally Posted by Arjun Reddy

With the premium car prices headed north and the big 3 Germans making space for their hatchback and entry level sedans, upgrading to a premium badge with good space has become an expensive affair. 30 lakhs OTR in Bangalore is only a wild dream.

The CLA costs 47 lakhs OTR in Bangalore and the new C class is 54 lakhs.

If you have to at this point the Audi A3 looks a sensible choice. I would say spend the extra 3 lakhs and go in for a fully loaded version. You won't be disappointed. Else you will have an Audi with Vento features.

Also try out the X1. Some great deals seem to be available. You might be able to get one within your budget. Don't forget it's a 3 series in an SUV ish form. It drives and handles like its sedan sibling.

Volvo is not known to give any serious discounts.

If you remove the Skoda mind block. The Octavia TSI DSG is also a superb car. You will also have spare cash to buy yourself another C segment diesel run around.

I am waiting for the new superb. It's one car which will trounce all the cars in the luxury segment at the price of an A class.

The X1 is due for a new generation very soon and I already have a Bimer, not very happy with the dealership as well as how they age. Not considering the BMW brand, it's presence and quality of after sales is on the decline, at least here in North India. Which is why even removed 320D from the consideration, even though it's very tempting at 32 Lacs OTR.

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

Since you mentioned "Fortuner" in your first post, i was curious to see if you may want to do a TD of the Pajero Sport, Auto, amongst all others. Though it does appear that you are inclined towards the Audi badge for now.

Yes psychologically more comfortable with the German brands, although, I would surely consider the Pajero/Pajero Sport if they were not being handled by HM in India - I have heard horror stories from friends who own Pajeros & Evos. With a daily run of 60 KMs, I think a TFSI A4 would be lighter on the pocket than a fuel guzzler TDI the size of Pajero/Fortuner and not to mention, here in Delhi - parking is a big big issue, Pajero and Fortuner would be a big pain to park.

Originally Posted by kartavya

Go for the CLA. I think you will be able to get one for around about 35 OTR. I would have taken the A4 but there are just so many on the road and it is due major design changes. I have seen a CLA around and trust me it looks a segment above the Audi cars. Right now I think CLA or Octavia would make most sense.

CLA is surely the best option on road, however, it's a good 6 lacs over the budget and am not very comfortable stretching so much. But, I shall go haggle and see how low does MB go. Though, the last they said was Rs. 36.5L OTR, despite being a MB customer for 10 years now.

Originally Posted by Abhi_Automobile

Three recommendations (in the order of priority):

1. BMW 3 Series: The ex showroom for the basic model is around 34 lacs. However, they run on MASSIVE discounts every now and then. I think with hard bargaining, you may be able to tug one in for around 32-33 lacs. I am talking about the 320d.

2. Volvo S60: Very nice elegant and understated car. It does lose out in badge value a lil bit but these days Volvos are well recognized as luxury cars, even though slightly non aspirational ones.I was offered one for 31 lacs OTR a while ago (8 odd months ago). Worth a try. Bargain hard. There guys tend to oblige. Also, the new one comes with lovely 181 bhp 2.0 lil mated to 8 speed ZF gearbox.

3. Audi Q3: In case you are open to smallish SUV (but a proper one unline GLA and more so, BMW X1). The base model ex showroom starts from arnd 28 lacs.


I would personally not recommend A3. It is a brilliant lil car but it will not feel like an upgrade in terms of size at all. I was contemplating all of the above in case I wanted to plonk more money. I eventually settled for Jetta TDI. If you can get one of the top two, consider it a major coup - after all you get a C Class competitor (that retails for some 47-50 lacs these days?), just because they are slightly older in the product lifecycle (in fact the bimmer is not even older)!


Regards,
Abhi

Thanks for the input Abhi.

Have ruled out the 3 Series, because it feels too dated and did not like the drive at all. I did get an offer for the 320D at 33L OTR. The dealership I went to had a 320D which had done some 20,000 KMs on the odo, the cabin had a very foul smell and the car felt very downmarket in the way it was maintained and presented.

Maybe, I will go TD it again and see how low they go in terms of pricing, however

I will be TD'ing the V60 and seeing how low do they go in pricing.

The Q3 is neither here nor there in terms of it's purpose, it's not an SUV and it's neither a cross-over/hatch. The interiors are dated and the drive is stiff, not much of a cruiser. Also, I believe a facelift is right round the corner. I was quoted 35L OTR, which is same territory as the CLA and out of my budget.

I would have considered the Jetta and probably gone for it, it's a great car, however - from a Vento to Jetta, the difference is not noticeable, styling, interiors, exteriors are all too similar, just bigger, better and more.

@ HeyDJ, I owned a Camry some 7-8 years ago but now that I have a completely German garage, I don't want to go back to the Japanese cars, especially those with Petrol engines.

Superb is a great option, though - thanks but no thanks, I will stay clear of Skoda (Have owned a Laura and Superb!).

Originally Posted by amartyasg

Have you considered looking at the facelifted Passat? A good car overall, and should be around the same ballpark as the A3. The CLA feels very overpriced, the A3 is probably more VFM. If you want the A3, and need the LEDs, well you can always try pushing for a discount. 1-1.5 lakh discounts are not uncommon.

As far as I remember, they have stopped retailing the Passat in India and a new one is due sometime next year, else, yes it would be a nice car to consider.

Yes, I will go next weekend and haggle for the A3 Premium Plus variant, if they can fit it within 30 lacs, that might be it! Still end up saving good 5 lacs vs a CLA/320D/A4/S60 and get all the bells and whistles one expects when you spend 30 lacs on a car.

[heydj]

I was reading some articles and it looks like Jeep might come to India and so would Ford Mustang. As you have already owned so many similar types good sedans, why not get into something different.

If there is any substance to the rumors floating on the net then you might wait.

Driving a Mustang would be woohooooo!

[madnish30]

Originally Posted by heydj

I was reading some articles and it looks like Jeep might come to India and so would Ford Mustang. As you have already owned so many similar types good sedans, why not get into something different.

If there is any substance to the rumors floating on the net then you might wait.

Driving a Mustang would be woohooooo!

Both of those seem like very very tempting options, however! I'm pretty sure both will be Rs. 40L+

[baludharmarajan]

Originally Posted by madnish30

Both of those seem like very very tempting options, however! I'm pretty sure both will be Rs. 40L+

Have you taken a look a Hyundai SantaFe. The two wheel drive At would fit in you budget and is a well refined SUV.
It would give you peace of mind to drive an suv on bad roads compared to increasing heart beat in a german car.
Considering your drive german would be expensieve to maintain as well.

[kartavya]

Originally Posted by baludharmarajan

Have you taken a look a Hyundai SantaFe. The two wheel drive At would fit in you budget and is a well refined SUV.
It would give you peace of mind to drive an suv on bad roads compared to increasing heart beat in a german car.
Considering your drive german would be expensieve to maintain as well.

Doesn't the 2WD Sante Fe come with hardly any safety options? Last I read it lacked some basic things that the other Germans would have.

[madnish30]

Originally Posted by baludharmarajan

Have you taken a look a Hyundai SantaFe. The two wheel drive At would fit in you budget and is a well refined SUV.
It would give you peace of mind to drive an suv on bad roads compared to increasing heart beat in a german car.
Considering your drive german would be expensieve to maintain as well.

No offense to any Hyundai Sata Fe owners, but to me, personally - Hyundai as a brand will feel like a massive downgrade and not VFM at 3 million rupees. For the entry level sub 1 million, Hyundai makes great cars, but beyond that, I wouldn't personally invest in a Hyundai. No matter how many features they stuff in a car.

[saraf_suman]

Hello Folks,

I am on the look out for a new sedan primarily to be used for city driving. We have a XUV which we use for lugging airport luggage and outstation trips. I had the following constraints:

1. petrol engine (with the NGT ban on > 10 year old diesels, I don't want more surprises ahead)
2. automatic transmission
3. refined interiors and kit
4. sunroof (my kids just lust for it, though it doesn't make any sense in Gurgaon)
5. peace of mind and hassle free ownership. Don't mind paying lump sum for extended warranty and service plans for peace of mind later
6. plan to keep the car for 6-7 years (~10K kms a year)

There isn't a hard budget constraint. The lesser the better, but I would ideally want to cap it below 30L.

I thought of trying a pre-owned german petrol. So I test drove an A4 1.8 TFSI at Audi Approved. It had done ~8K kms and was 31 months old. However, the asking price of 24.75L (after negotiation) didn't make sense. I also tried a few pre-owned C200's from mercedes certified. They felt luxurious but dated and just OK to drive. The auto transmission also felt laggy.

My wife had her reservations about experimenting with a pre-owned (despite e pointing her to various studies including GTO's) so we ended up checking out the A4's and the C class. Since BMW doesn't sell petrols anymore, we skipped them. I did evaluate a couple of used 320d's (in violation of our petrol constraint), but a lot of them were corporate editions so they didn't have all the bells and whistles. The C class after discounts (is 42 OTR) which is way beyond budget.

The A4 (after a massive 6.25L discount) only available in one trim (premium) with sunroof will come in at 31L OTR. I am aware that the new A4 has been announced and it will be in India around October 2016.

Given all this, I wanted to know the pitfalls in my thinking and decision making? Is it stupid to buy this car? Will it depreciate enormously after the new A4 finally arrives? Should I consider some other cars around the same budget? Please drive some sense into me if I am about to make the wrong decision :-)

If you have previous experience with service and misc. costs associated with owning an A4 petrol, I would greatly value your feedback.

Thank you!

Suman

[Mr.mitsuvolk]

I feel that you should consider the Skoda Octavia 1.8 tsi dsg.
Octavia fits the bill perfectly, it will cost you much less than A4 or C class and also the depreciation would be relatively low.
The only thing you lose is the snob value associated with Audi/Mercedes.

All the best for your purchase

[saraf_suman]

Originally Posted by Mr.mitsuvolk

I feel that you should consider the Skoda Octavia 1.8 tsi dsg.
Octavia fits the bill perfectly, it will cost you much less than A4 or C class and also the depreciation would be relatively low.
The only thing you lose is the snob value associated with Audi/Mercedes.

All the best for your purchase

Thanks. You are right, the 1.8 TSI Octavia checks all boxes. It was on my shortlist. However, having owned a Fabia, I have experienced the HORRID Skoda A.S.S first hand! Multiple times! Even though its the same VAG group, I am hoping with Audi, I will have a much better A.S.S. experience.

[kkkkkaran]

If space is not a huge concern, why not consider the A3 or the CLA class?
The A4 is just too old imo to be bought now. We are already considering selling of our 2013 A4, because of the upcoming launch, and also it just feels too long in the tooth now!
If you really want the A4, id look for a preowned one. Ive seen mint 2013 cars go for mid 20s, and that is in Pune, with much higher taxes.

[flipsyde]

Even I think the CLA should do nicely. It's well sized and the petrol is definitely the better one of the two options. It looks great, comes with a sun roof and should fit in your budget.

[saraf_suman]

Originally Posted by kkkkkaran

If space is not a huge concern, why not consider the A3 or the CLA class?

My wife and I are well built and we have two children aged 10 and 6. Also we have been spoilt by the space in the XUV :-)

We did try the A3 and the CLA but the cabin felt extremely congested!

[nitinmurali]

Go ahead, and buy the A4. Since you will be using it for 6-7 years depreciation won't affect much. And the new A4, I think will be significantly more expensive than the current one.

[khoj]

Have you considered the Camry?

Ticks all of the boxes & falls within your budget.

[saraf_suman]

Originally Posted by khoj

Have you considered the Camry?

Ticks all of the boxes & falls within your budget.

Hmm Camry doesn't come with a sunroof AFAIk :-)