[condor]

@mnemonic, a well presented predicament ! Loved the way you put it.

Originally Posted by AirWind

.. going for a company car lease means you will sell the car in 5 yrs but only get 1/3rd of the purchase price!

@Airwind, why do you say only 1/3rd ?

Originally Posted by GTO

- Neither is an angel to own. But I'd rather spend 8.5 lakhs on the devil, than 13.5

P.S. To add a twist to your tale, check this car out.

And some convincing points by GTO.

What do you think about the car GTO pointed out ? Leasing options often include own cars / used cars that are less than 2 years old. And the car in question here can help you have both - the higher end car at a lower price.

[mnemonic]

Condor- I really liked the car that GTO pointed to, unfortunately my company's lease policy does not allow used car purchases and more importantly the lady of the house has something against all things "used".

But for this constraint, I would have bought myself a used Octavia vRS. Well, there are certain things that you cant change in life.....

Anand- real glad to know that someone has tread this path before, will take a lot of heart from your experience.

Here are the list of accessories that I will have to spend on to make the TSI complete:

OE Skoda 16" alloys: 14k per pc, Rs. 56 K in all
Tyres: 7k per pc, Rs.28k in all
RS Spoiler: Rs.11k
Leather Upholstery: 55k

Of the above, the first three will be in the next three months and the last one will be as and when there is vitamin M flowing in.

The Active has the Skoda blues single DIN player with two sets of components (8 is a misnomer) and it sounds pretty decent. I will try and source a Skoda Bolero or Swing Player if possible.

Will keep the group updated on my journey! Appreciate the inputs....

[mayankjha1806]

Originally Posted by antz.bin

Yeah I read the missing foglamps saga... some dealer quoted a charge of around 6 lac for retrofitting fog lamps citing reason that the entire electricals would need changing since everything is wired to the ECU.

Yes, it was some amount like that, not 50K it was 5L or something for just fog lamps. Aint that robbery in broad day light. This is exactly that makes Skoda scary for me at least.

Changing things or equipment should be easy. It should cost me few thousands to change to the Music System of the Ambiant (Which has at least AUX) better still i should be able to change to a entirely different music system which has Aux/USB for few thousands like it happens in all other cars.

Originally Posted by mnemonic

The Linea has looks to die for while the Laura is understated elegance. The Italian beauty comes loaded to the hilt while the Czech princess is just adequately equipped. While the T-Jet is a first in class, the TSI is in a different league altogether.

So bottom line, if you buy a Skoda buy the Ambiant and not the Active (unless you are happy with the Active Music System), this in turn means an offset of a few more L.

[AirWind]

Originally Posted by condor

Originally Posted by AirWind
.. going for a company car lease means you will sell the car in 5 yrs but only get 1/3rd of the purchase price!
@Airwind, why do you say only 1/3rd ?

@Condor - B'cos a petrol car will fetch 1/3 rd of its purchase price as resale after 5 yrs! However a diesel, will atleast fetch 50% of original purchase price!

[sdp1975]

Frankly speaking , it's impossible to predict what the resale price will be after 5 yrs.

The diesel subsidy may go , there may be a dual pricing mechanism , there may be additional excise on diesel cars , and so on - bringing down the resale of diesel cars as compared to petrol. The government has been considering on these lines.

So it's probably better to leave the resale factor out - especially over a timeline spanning several years.

[AirWind]

Originally Posted by sdp1975

Frankly speaking , it's impossible to predict what the resale price will be after 5 yrs.

The diesel subsidy may go , there may be a dual pricing mechanism , there may be additional excise on diesel cars , and so on - bringing down the resale of diesel cars as compared to petrol. The government has been considering on these lines.

So it's probably better to leave the resale factor out - especially over a timeline spanning several years.

For the same reasons you mentioned, the diesel car will fetch a lot more in resale,
1. A diesel car delivers better KMPL than a petrol (8 KMPL on my 1.8 TPi vRS to a 16 KMPL on Octavia 1.9 TDi), so even if diesel is un-subsidized (even if add Rs.10 per liter), the running costs will be significantly lower
2. If new diesel cars become expensive with additional excise duty burden, logically, the 2nd hand market for diesel will become even stronger

[teknophobia]

I'd say follow your heart, even if it means having to put up with Skoda A*S*S and do let us know how it works out.
I followed mine, booked a Sep mfd Minimal Grey Linea MJD E Pk yesterday, 2 weeks or so to get the car

[mnemonic]

Tekonophobia- many a congrats on the Linea MJD. The car is an absolute gem and will keep you smiling while not denting your wallet.

I am giving myself this week to think through this and take the plunge in the week ahead.

Will keep the group posted.

[mnemonic]

Just a quick update to the team on my TSI hunt. After much thought and deliberation we have decided to get the Ambition variant and not the Active in the event we pick up the Laura.

The discount that was given on the Ambient variant was 1 lac in November. It's time I push the dealership to get the 1.75 L discount which was offered on the Active variant end November.

Hope that the year end factor swings in my favor. Will keep the group posted.

[anandpadhye]

Originally Posted by mnemonic

Just a quick update to the team on my TSI hunt. After much thought and deliberation we have decided to get the Ambition variant and not the Active in the event we pick up the Laura.

The discount that was given on the Ambient variant was 1 lac in November. It's time I push the dealership to get the 1.75 L discount which was offered on the Active variant end November.

Hope that the year end factor swings in my favor. Will keep the group posted.

Good.
May be you can wait till first/second week of Jan and then pick up a 2011 vRS for a good discount.

[mnemonic]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

Good.
May be you can wait till first/second week of Jan and then pick up a 2011 vRS for a good discount.

Thanks Anand. This is one of the reason why I Oh so love this forum. Now this is a train of thought I would love to explore!

[mnemonic]

Got a call from the Autobahn guys today on the discount scheme for the TSI this December and I am at my wits end.

Looks like the 95 cash discount offered in November has been withdrawn and now they are providing the Skoda Shield free ( worth 69k incl 1st year zero dep insurance+4 year warranty) and a 17k corporate discount. This new structure goes against the December logic and am really wondering what Skoda and its dealers are thinking

Had a word with the JMD guy who was on leave but promised me that he will come back and work out a good deal based on the new structure. The last quote I had from them was 11.2 ex-showroom Mumbai on the Active variant. Let us see how this one goes.

Also tried pushing my luck on the Yeti but appears that there are no significant discounts.

The Active 4x2 is at 13.2L ex showroom Mumbai and the Ambition at 14.4 ex-showroom Mumbai. Both of them have the Skoda shield offer as well. Neither of the dealers seem to have any 4x4s lying around to be sold at discounts which I can try for pushing my boundaries. So the Yeti will remain a mythical figure to me.

[mnemonic]

Another quick update:

Looks like there is some activity in December at Skoda. Both JMD and Autobahn Skoda got back to me today with an unconditional offer for corporates which is as below:

Skoda Laura Active: 1.75 Lac discount. On Road Price: 14 Lacs Mumbai regn

Skoda Laura Ambiente: 1.35 Lac discount. On Road Price: 15.7 Lacs Mumbai regn

Though I am trying to eke out more discounts from them, am on the fence here on which one to go for.

Would appreciate some inputs here.

[anandpadhye]

Originally Posted by mnemonic

Also tried pushing my luck on the Yeti but appears that there are no significant discounts....So the Yeti will remain a mythical figure to me.

What?
Do you remember the title you chose for this thread???

Originally Posted by mnemonic

Skoda Laura Active: 1.75 Lac discount. On Road Price: 14 Lacs Mumbai regn

Skoda Laura Ambiente: 1.35 Lac discount. On Road Price: 15.7 Lacs Mumbai regn

Wow, it's expensive even after all the discounts.
How about the vRS? No harm in asking them, who knows...

I would say wait till last week of December to actually sign the cheque. You will have better discounts by then.

[Swanand Inamdar]

I second Anand's suggestion. The RS isnt selling like Skoda would want it to.
No harm in asking right? You might just get a better deal.