[nitin.rai]

Quote:
Originally Posted by drmohitg
Its going to be the Vento TDI HL. Somehow I just want to give in to my heart this time.

Doc, give in to your heart but for your girl.

[noopster]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Sunny Diesel Official Review

cya
R

Wow, official reviews on demand now! Take a bow Rehaan!

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Well the latest is that the City is ruled out.
The Sunny is ruled out.
Its going to be the Vento TDI HL. Somehow I just want to give in to my heart this time.

Thanks a lot everyone for your help.

You're welcome. But I'm holding my breath till you actually post an ownership review.

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Just when I made a decision after some tough negotiations with my Baniya genes, you come up with the review to confuse me all over again.

So I am off to reading the review and then probably pondering all over again.

Dude, you need help There must be a technical name for this: please check with your colleagues in the psych department (Bipolar Automotive Disorder?) Naaah- I think you'll go with the Vento this time. Reason: your Dad is bored with the Altis, do you really imagine he'll be thrilled with a mini-Altis (read Sunny). A robust German beauty is what your garage is crying out for, not another boring reliable Japanese workhorse!

Also, VW called....and they're not happy. First you say you'll buy the Jetta and end up buying the Altis. Now this!

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by noopster

Dude, you need help There must be a technical name for this: please check with your colleagues in the psych department (Bipolar Automotive Disorder?)

Naaah- I think you'll go with the Vento this time. Reason: your Dad is bored with the Altis, do you really imagine he'll be thrilled with a mini-Altis (read Sunny).

My dad is happy if Maruti adds a boot to the Ritz.
But yes even he agrees that the Vento has a lot of flair.

Also, VW called....and they're not happy. First you say you'll buy the Jetta and end up buying the Altis. Now this!

Well most certainly I am not going to ditch them this time. Hope they carry forward this concern to my ownership experience too

Edit:
Hey Just wanted to get one thing cleared. All this talk of taxing Diesel cars more post this budget applies only to new cars right? There is no extra tax ( on an annual basis or something) that they can come out with for existing diesel cars I Hope.

[souravc]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Edit:
Hey Just wanted to get one thing cleared. All this talk of taxing Diesel cars more post this budget applies only to new cars right? There is no extra tax ( on an annual basis or something) that they can come out with for existing diesel cars I Hope.

One cannot trust govts , especially ones that are running low on finances and is trying to extract every possible juice . I don't think an annual tax is possible , would not stand scrutiny in a court of law . One time levy is possible ( like they already do for higher displacement engines and longer cars !) though its highly unlikely that govt is going to toe the line of the CSE morons .

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by souravc

One cannot trust govts , especially ones that are running low on finances and is trying to extract every possible juice . I don't think an annual tax is possible , would not stand scrutiny in a court of law . One time levy is possible ( like they already do for higher displacement engines and longer cars !) though its highly unlikely that govt is going to toe the line of the CSE morons .

Hmm Lets hope thats the way it happens. Because my 1000 km / month run is right at the borderline. And Honda City CE costs me a cool 2L less then the Vento.

[KINI]

So it will be the Vento afterall. Will make the booking in the coming day or two. I have to go to bangalore for 2 weeks. So Dad would be doing the booking. Will take the delivery in mid-feb probably.

Congratulations,Vento is a very good choice.I am also looking at the Vento,only that I just picked up a Cruze last September.
Are you booking the 2011 or 2012 model?

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by KINI

Congratulations,Vento is a very good choice.I am also looking at the Vento,only that I just picked up a Cruze last September.
Are you booking the 2011 or 2012 model?

the 2011 model. With the new pricing there is no way I will pick up the Vento over the Sunny.

[jaysmokesleaves]

The Sunny is unbeatable VFM. Has superb rear seat space that the Vento cant match.
Nissan reliability cannot be matched by the VW. While being reliable, the Nissan is also built to last.
Apart from the european styling and flair, the Vento has nothing much to boast about.
If you plan on keeping the car for 7 years, the Sunny it should be.

[guptad42]

Note from Mod : Please use the EDIT or MULTI-QUOTE buttons instead of typing one post after another!

Originally Posted by drmohitg

My dad is happy if Maruti adds a boot to the Ritz.
But yes even he agrees that the Vento has a lot of flair.



Well most certainly I am not going to ditch them this time. Hope they carry forward this concern to my ownership experience too

Edit:
Hey Just wanted to get one thing cleared. All this talk of taxing Diesel cars more post this budget applies only to new cars right? There is no extra tax ( on an annual basis or something) that they can come out with for existing diesel cars I Hope.

Just a point to highlight - the Skoda Rapid is actually manufactured by Volkswagen India! Even says so on the factory final inspection sticker. It shares almost all major mechanical components, lot of interior parts and several body panels with the Vento. Only the nose has undergone major plastic surgery, and some minor lines on the back.

Spares pricing will not be any different that Vento's. Your friends's experience with the 2.9L skoda repair bill was due to damage caused by an accident - not any trouble the car developed.

Most auto experts have rated the Rapid higher than Vento in drive and ride quality, mainly due to tweaking the transmission and suspension. And the Rapid's front looks far more impressive (esp. in Chrome loving Delhi) than Vento's sedate styling. Plus, you save money.

So, even at this late stage, see if you can find any skoda dealers in Delhi with a service reputation that's not bad, and try a test drive. And, when the VW-wallas complain politely, tell them you liked the younger sister better! After all, you're still marrying into the same family.

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Hmm Lets hope thats the way it happens. Because my 1000 km / month run is right at the borderline. And Honda City CE costs me a cool 2L less then the Vento.

The proposal from the Kirit Parikh committee, currently under govt consideration, includes an annual tax on diesel cars. This is after strong opposition from carmakers to a one-time tax at the point of sale, as it will hurt diesel car sales.

The Parikh committee has also suggested a relatively foolproof way of collecting it - as a form of road tax to be collected along with annual insurance premium by the insurance company and deposited with the govt!

Some car makers that do not have major investment in diesel engines, have pushed for this to be implemented quickly. Maruti Suzuki is openly pushing for it - asking for it to be notified right away, without waiting for a survey on diesel usage in cars.

See this mid-Jan 2012 news story.
Relief likely for auto firms after Parikh flip-flop - Home - livemint.com

A govt starved of revenues while expenditure is going up, will love this. I expect it to go into the budget.

[guptad42]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

My dad is happy if Maruti adds a boot to the Ritz.
But yes even he agrees that the Vento has a lot of flair.

Maruti is indeed adding a boot to the Ritz. That's what the Ertiga basically amounts to!

Plus you get the choice to use the boot space to seat two small kids if you want to, on the small last row of seats. Though I expect to see if being used more for a 4-5 member family on the first two rows and the last row folded down for vacation luggage. Could be the ideal car for long-weekend getaways.

[RavenAvi]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Just when I made a decision after some tough negotiations with my Baniya genes, you come up with the review to confuse me all over again.

Oh man, Doc saab! That's the funniest line I have read in sometime.

So it's the Vento TDI HL in the end. Congratulations!

The 2011 Vento models have some sweet offers going for them right now, and can be further sweetened if you haggle hard. (I think there is definitely scope for further negotiations)

Also, remember to register your Vento TDI before 31st March. The new rules might come into force from April 1st.

I agree with souravc as well. I don't think the govt will start charging this on a yearly basis. It will be a one-time payment system at the time of purchase/registration, and an entry to the same might be marked off in your ownership papers.

Let us know how it all goes. Eagerly waiting in anticipation.

[drmohitg]

An Update on the buying process

Sorry for the delay guys. As usual buying a car never turns out to be easy. Now at the end of January I had decided upon buying the Vento TDI HL, a car that I loved from the day of its launch. But I had to go to bangalore for a couple of weeks and so told my dad to go and book the car. I even called the senior SA whom we were talking to and conveyed the same to him to coordinate things with my dad. Now as luck would have it my Dad went to the dealer and somehow things didn't go as planned. The guys at the dealership pushed him to go for a may 2011 Red Vento and he just got irritated/confused and left. So bottomline is the Vento is not coming since now the 2011 stocks for a white Vento are over and 2012 pricing is atrocious.

I then came across a used Honda City, S MT, 2010 make, done only 8000 kms, owner has gone abroad. I went and checked the car and its a genuine car. The seller is asking for 6.5L which I feel is a little more and I have offered him 5.8L currently and willing to pay 6L for the same (as suggested my some members in the Used car thread). What according to you guys should be a good price? The seller says he already has a offer for 6.34L and is looking for 6.5L.

So Assuming that he will give me the car for 6.5L does it make sense to pick up this City over a new Sunny Diesel?

Honda City, S MT, 2010, 8000 kms @ 6.5L
1. I save 2.5L but not sure how long it will take for the fuel bills to compensate for it.
2. Since the driver would be driving/abusing it, it will hurt less everytime he will get a new scratch.
3. Proven Honda brand.
4. It will enable me to still have a petrol car in the garage ( although I do have the lancer too).

Sunny diesel XL @ 9L OTR
1. Brand new car is always superior to any used car.
2. King size rear bench.
3. Features like ACC, Rear vents.
4. Diesel advantage.
5. Build quality should be as good as the Honda.
6. Relatively new car and a different brand.

So what do you guys suggest? Which of the two deals makes more economical sense? Honda sold off the last batch of previous generation City at some huge discounts, so is 6.5L justified for the 2010 car considering that its a older model now technically and misses out on some features like alloys ( which are present in the new S MT)?

Looking forward to your inputs.

[noopster]

I must say this is typical Mohit...ask Vento or Sunny and end up buying the Honda City!

Didn't you want a car to *replace* your previous generation Honda City? Will Dad be happy with another City (admittedly much nicer than that awful dolphin shape)? Does the thrill of a "new car" have no significance for you? A barely-used car at that price is an awesome value proposition and think of what you could do with 2.5 lacs (alloys, ICE, leather....my mouth is watering!) Go for it.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

So Assuming that he will give me the car for 6.5L does it make sense to pick up this City over a new Sunny Diesel?

Honda City, S MT, 2010, 8000 kms @ 6.5L
1. I save 2.5L but not sure how long it will take for the fuel bills to compensate for it.
2. Since the driver would be driving/abusing it, it will hurt less everytime he will get a new scratch.
3. Proven Honda brand.
4. It will enable me to still have a petrol car in the garage ( although I do have the lancer too).

Sunny diesel XL @ 9L OTR
1. Brand new car is always superior to any used car.
2. King size rear bench.
3. Features like ACC, Rear vents.
4. Diesel advantage.
5. Build quality should be as good as the Honda.
6. Relatively new car and a different brand.

So what do you guys suggest? Which of the two deals makes more economical sense? Honda sold off the last batch of previous generation City at some huge discounts, so is 6.5L justified for the 2010 car considering that its a older model now technically and misses out on some features like alloys ( which are present in the new S MT)?

Looking forward to your inputs.

Great price for the barely used Honda, but I will suggest you to go with the Sunny D. Reasons below:
1) As you mentioned, brand new car – relatively better peace of mind.
2) I have no knowledge/experience of the Sunny sold in India, but from what I have seen around, Nissan cars a generally structurally rigid, probably best among the Japanese.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by noopster

I must say this is typical Mohit...ask Vento or Sunny and end up buying the Honda City!

Well the joys of buying a car....

Didn't you want a car to *replace* your previous generation Honda City? Will Dad be happy with another City (admittedly much nicer than that awful dolphin shape)? Does the thrill of a "new car" have no significance for you? A barely-used car at that price is an awesome value proposition and think of what you could do with 2.5 lacs (alloys, ICE, leather....my mouth is watering!) Go for it.

The only thing playing on my mind is the fuel price differential. What if it keeps on increasing? The Sunny in that way can insulate me for a long time. On the other hand the new Honda engines supposedly return better FE figures and it allows me an option of changing the car again after 3 years probably since the depreciation hit will be a little lower.

Also if I am not wrong then Honda had still not started giving those massive discounts in 2010 on the city right?