[balderash_12]

Originally Posted by graaja

Understood. Your issue is with DSG (for that matter, who doesn't have), but not with European petrols in general, right? Then why say stay away from European petrols? There are fantastic 1.8TSi manual Lauras which are a pleasure to drive.

Remember, in forums like this, your comments can greatly influence someone else's buying decision. IMHO, you need to be careful with your statements.

Absolutely! The 1.8 TSi is a hoot to drive! Yes I will edit the statement. I just wanted to highlight the fact that, for example, I was buying a Skoda Octavia, I would go for the diesel. Reason? A better long-term reliability. The Indians have not forgotten the gremlins of the 1.8 DSG and will not forget it very soon either. This has bought a general mindset onto the Indian buying public (pardon me) that the petrol is not very reliable, if not as much as the diesel. And the Skoda diesels have built up a good name from the days of the 1st generation Octavia TDi. I apologise if I have wrongly said something.

[stanjohn123]

Actually the 1.8 Tsi from VW group is highly unreliable. That is what I've read online too. The 2.0 liter is fine and most of the TDi engines and BMW Diesels too are very reliable.

People were saying there were too many issues with oil consumption, smoke from pistons, timing chain issues etc. with Petrol Engines.

[nerd1200]

Originally Posted by graaja

Remember, in forums like this, your comments can greatly influence someone else's buying decision. IMHO, you need to be careful with your statements.

+1

A lot of speculations on "unreliability" on a lot of automotive forums are actually spread through "word of mouth". I've come across posts countless times that starts with the phrase - "A friend/colleague/relative of mine said..."

Originally Posted by stanjohn123

Actually the 1.8 Tsi from VW group is highly unreliable. That is what I've read online too.

Point in case!

Now, I'm not saying that they're wrong, They might've had issues. However in these cases you'd never be privy to the complete story - Was the car serviced on time? Were the replacement parts always OEM/good quality? Was the turbo idled properly? and a lot more. What you'll hear is - "I paid a lot for this car and it is having issues."
Please bear in mind that most Euro cars if maintained properly, runs like clockwork for thousand of miles.

Originally Posted by balderash_12

for example, I was buying a Skoda Octavia, I would go for the diesel. Reason? A better long-term reliability.

You'd miss out on the rear independent suspension setup then.

Originally Posted by stanjohn123

People were saying there were too many issues with oil consumption, smoke from pistons, timing chain issues etc. with Petrol Engines.

Oil consumption - Yes, it's on the higher side. But VW doesn't classify it as an issue (as expected). Also this fact itself doesn't seem to be the root cause of any problems.
Timing chain issues - The issue was specific to the chain tensioner unit in the EA888 Gen2 series engines between 2009 and 2011. There were 3 part changes during the time, the final one being stable enough. You can go ahead and get it changed to be safe.
The other two "known" issues are - Water pump failure and A/C compressor failure.

PS - I've been driving a used Laura 1.8TSI for over a year/12K+ KMs now (MY2010) without major issues other than a water pump failure and charcoal canister choking. Hence I can verify the fact that you don't HAVE TO STAY AWAY from a "properly maintained euro car".

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by nerd1200

Now, I'm not saying that they're wrong, They might've had issues. However in these cases you'd never be privy to the complete story - Was the car serviced on time? Were the replacement parts always OEM/good quality? Was the turbo idled properly? and a lot more. What you'll hear is - "I paid a lot for this car and it is having issues."
Please bear in mind that most Euro cars if maintained properly, runs like clockwork for thousand of miles.

This is the most crucial part which people need to overlook. Over the years having bought many a European cars myself and seen my family buy Jap cars, I've come to the conclusion that European cars need to be maintained properly and maintenance is typically not cheap. You do your regular service and don't cut corners, the car will last you a life time (almost). A well maintained 100K Km run European vs Japanese ( keeping Toyota aside. They also run for lifetime) will tell you the difference.

A VW or a Skoda can't be maintained at Maruti prices even if you take apple to apple. You cut corners on maintainence, you get short changed on the product.

My 2 paisa!

P.S: I own a MY2012 Laura TSI and previously had Octavia VRS MK1too and both were pre-owned. I can vouch myself that well maintained Skodas last a life time!

[sarfraz1997]

Originally Posted by balderash_12

This was changed during the 2009 facelift. Laura got the 2.0 TDi in place of the 1.9 Pumpe Duesse. The 2.0 is definitely a better engine.

No, both the engines are TDI. The facelifted Laura also had TDI PD engine till sometime in 2010. TSI PD is a BS3 engine while the TDI CR is a BS4.

[Guna]

Friends, what is the price a of a used Laura Petrol, which has run 35K (I don't know the year or variant) Just came to know that my neighbor sold his car for 3 lakhs! I thought it was a steal and I would have picked it up myself (but I din't know that he was selling it) Are the prices so low for preowned petrol Lauras?

[boniver]

Originally Posted by Guna

Friends, what is the price a of a used Laura Petrol, which has run 35K (I don't know the year or variant) Just came to know that my neighbor sold his car for 3 lakhs! I thought it was a steal and I would have picked it up myself (but I din't know that he was selling it) Are the prices so low for preowned petrol Lauras?

If it's a pre-2009 Laura, then the price your neighbour got is pretty high (atleast compared to prices here in Kolkata). Those go for anything between 1.3-2 lakhs here. If it's a post-2009 Laura, the older ones (2009, 2010) go for 2-2.5 and the newer ones (2011-13) go for anything between 3-4.5 lakhs.

However, I'm aware that in Bangalore the prices of used cars are much higher compared to other cities, so members from there would be able to judge accurately.

[heatednemz]

I am planning to buy a Pre-Owned Automatic Diesel Sedan. Currently in my budget (around 5L stretchable to 6) I'm looking at
1. Chevrolet Cruze
2. Skoda Octavia/Laura

Obviously I have my reservations about both vehicles. Cruze, because Chevy's gone. However 2 of my friends who own the 2010 and 2011 model which they still drive, swear by it.

I'm not too keen on Skoda but if buying a Cruze is absolutely a terrible idea, then this is my backup.

My weekly running is about 350 kms - Mostly highway. What do you guys think? Does a 2013 Cruze with about 70k on the odo make sense?

[hserus]

Originally Posted by heatednemz

I am planning to buy a Pre-Owned Automatic Diesel Sedan. Currently in my budget (around 5L stretchable to 6) I'm looking at
1. Chevrolet Cruze
2. Skoda Octavia/Laura
My weekly running is about 350 kms - Mostly highway. What do you guys think? Does a 2013 Cruze with about 70k on the odo make sense?

You can source parts but finding a reliable service centre nearby makes a lot of sense for you. Ask your friends who have Cruzes if they are in the same area as you are. Octy / Laura - well, find a well maintained one and again, find a reliable service centre, Skoda authorized service centres tend not to be very reliable.

[heatednemz]

Originally Posted by hserus

You can source parts but finding a reliable service centre nearby makes a lot of sense for you. Ask your friends who have Cruzes if they are in the same area as you are. Octy / Laura - well, find a well maintained one and again, find a reliable service centre, Skoda authorized service centres tend not to be very reliable.

Thank you, That's reassuring.
I've been browsing the long term ownership reviews for both vehicles. Hopefully the lack of cruze ownership reviews would mean that people are generally happy with it
Both my friend's are pretty close, within 30 mins in Mumbai.
I start my hunt on this coming weekend. I'll be happy if I can find a 2014-15 model in my budget. Cruze is definitely the first pick. The Skoda would be a compromise.

[Who_are_you]

Originally Posted by heatednemz

I am planning to buy a Pre-Owned Automatic Diesel Sedan. Currently in my budget (around 5L stretchable to 6) I'm looking at
1. Chevrolet Cruze
2. Skoda Octavia/Laura

If this car is going to be your main mode of transport then I would suggest to stay away from Chevy. Sooner or later, getting parts will take time as company have exited India. Just talk to any Matiz owner and you will understand the plight of maintaining such vehicle.

Skoda is trying to change its Image in India as per current owners and forum members service is not that bad now a days.


If performance is main criteria then check out Used Ford Aspire sports.

[heatednemz]

Originally Posted by Who_are_you

If this car is going to be your main mode of transport then I would suggest to stay away from Chevy. Sooner or later, getting parts will take time as company have exited India. Just talk to any Matiz owner and you will understand the plight of maintaining such vehicle.

Skoda is trying to change its Image in India as per current owners and forum members service is not that bad now a days.


If performance is main criteria then check out Used Ford Aspire sports.

From my talks with peers, they say the cruze needs new brake pads every 2 years. Other than that other miscellaneous costs are upto 15-20k every year . My plan is to use the car for 3 years at the most and then either sell it or scrap it when I decide to upgrade.

The aspire looks like a worthy contender but it isn't diesel and the automatic is twice my budget .

Skoda probably makes more sense in theory with the way things are, but my best bet would be a 2011-12 Skoda Laura. A car I'm not really fond of.
The 2014 Octavia, which I do like, is still quite pricey in the used market.

Even so,I will speak to my mechanic this weekend and get his opinion on these cars, I trust him. I'll take your advice and be far more cautious before finalizing which car.

[bajica]

Originally Posted by heatednemz

I am planning to buy a Pre-Owned Automatic Diesel Sedan. Currently in my budget (around 5L stretchable to 6) I'm looking at
1. Chevrolet Cruze
2. Skoda Octavia/Laura

Obviously I have my reservations about both vehicles. Cruze, because Chevy's gone. However 2 of my friends who own the 2010 and 2011 model which they still drive, swear by it.

I'm not too keen on Skoda but if buying a Cruze is absolutely a terrible idea, then this is my backup.

My weekly running is about 350 kms - Mostly highway. What do you guys think? Does a 2013 Cruze with about 70k on the odo make sense?

Why don't you have a look at either Verna or Elantra??
I think you would get a good deal in Elantra if you search around.

[lamborghini]

Honestly, I wouldn't recommend a Cruze because as the car ages, there will be additional components that will have to be replaced such as the suspension etc. Finding parts may be a little difficult.

Since you don't like the Laura - what about the Jetta? Look for a 2012 -2014 model. It will have it's niggles, but they're fairly reliable cars overall.

[simplysaj]

Happened to check out a pretty well maintained Laura 2.0 TDI manual, around 70K run.
Any thoughts/inputs on considering this for buying? Thank you