[iliketurtles]

Originally Posted by aseem

I saw a lot of Superb TSi's for 10 lakhs, so thought maybe Octavia would go for 6 lakhs or thereabouts. Your post makes my heart settle a little bit.

Resale is better on the diesel than the petrol, which is why you saw the Superb's going for so cheap. There's also the issue with the older DSG's that came with the Superb packing up, which only added to the poor resale value. If you're looking at a car purely from that perspective though, most petrol cars would have poor resale in our market.

Originally Posted by aseem

Now a million dollar question, should I go for Octavia Top Model Tsi 1.8 or should I go for Diesel middle model DSG. The cost different is 90k on road, with TSi being more expensive.

I am primarily looking for fun to drive, but resale is important, as I would be breaking the bank :(

Without a shadow of a doubt the TSI is the better car to drive (better suspension, a stonker of an engine), but seeing your worries about resale value and sensing you'd be better off with a diesel car, might I suggest the diesel top-end if it's not too much of a stretch? If not, go for the Ambition Diesel DSG.

Mind you, the TSI is so much more fun than the TDI, but it loses out on mileage and resale so if you're going to count those pennies, go for the TDI. It's no slouch when it comes to driving it hard, but a free-revving petrol is a joy in itself.

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by aseem

I saw a lot of Superb TSi's for 10 lakhs, so thought maybe Octavia would go for 6 lakhs or thereabouts. Your post makes my heart settle a little bit.

Now a million dollar question, should I go for Octavia Top Model Tsi 1.8 or should I go for Diesel middle model DSG. The cost different is 90k on road, with TSi being more expensive.

I am primarily looking for fun to drive, but resale is important, as I would be breaking the bank :(

Mate what I said applies only to the 2.0 CR DSG,the 2011 TSI Laura is available for 8-9 lakhs . If you will sell it in 3 years then diesel may give you better resale considering the under-recover is Rs 3 or so and even if diesel is deregulated there will still be a 13-14 difference between the two.

My suggestion is go with Jetta DSG if you're going the diesel way. The Octavia somehow doesn't impress me much except the TSI.

[Axe77]

In terms of anticipated options with D/AT combo, some of the options that might come through in the coming months are:
VW Polo AT (D)
VW Vento AT (D)
Tata Bolt / Zest - if they launch the diesels with AMT.

You might consider waiting for these if they are indeed being launched.

From existing options of course check whether Scorpio D AT is still sold in addition to the Verna option.

[Trojan]

Originally Posted by aseem

I am primarily looking for fun to drive, but resale is important, as I would be breaking the bank :(

Looking at your requirement of having one vehicle with a boot in the house and the fact that you loved the Polo TSI to bits, why don't you

> Sell the Polo TDI that you have
> Retain the fiesta, since you would anyways lose a bit of money in the sale.

Diesel Fiesta is always better compared to the Polo TDI and driving dynamics are great as well.

Plus you can then go for the Polo 1.2 TSI which is surely a hoot to drive!

I think this would be a win-win situation for you.


Cheers!
Trojan

[Rollingwheels26]

If you are not insistent on a sedan and diesel you can look at i20 AT. AMAZING engine. Futuristic interiors. Double Discs . And it has ABS. Plus you can save 1L and plonk it in the bank Do consider it.

Second choice would be Ecosport. but it has too much of a waiting time. But then you did mention you can wait right ? If not then close your eyes and go for i20.

[aseem]

I think my dilemma is following:

1. I have been selling cars in 1-2 years for last 3-4 years as I grow bored of them. The reason maybe that I don't stretch too much and buy something in 10 lakh range.

2. I can do the same and buy a Polo/Vento Tsi or Tdi DSG for 10-13 lakh OTR Bangalore and sell this in a 2-3 years. With Polo I can finish the loan on car lease in 3 years and effective outflow would be 18k per month for 3 years. I can then look for a bigger car after 2-3 years. I would be installing acceseries in Polo/Vento for at least 1 lakh.

3. I stretch this time, hoping the car keeps me happy for 4-5 years. Buy something like a Octavia for 22 lakhs (my friends think I am crazy and never thought Octavia is that expensive... gosh they don't know about Bangi prices). The net outflow for a 4 year lease would be 30k, but I won't spend a penny on the car.

I am actually comfortable with shelling out this money, but its like a mental leap I need to take one way or the other. Go for it, or just do a stop gap once again.

Between me and my wife we do pay 19.5k for our cars, so 30k is not a giant leap at all provided we will be closing our older loans.

But mentally for me 30k for a car is like a home loan EMI. I am caught between a rock and a hard place and I don't know what to do... Either do the best, or settle with mummy and everest!

[iliketurtles]

As an exceedingly rare i20 AT owner, I'd tell you to stay away from the car unless you want a no-nonsense commuter. It gets you from point A to point B in comfort. Nothing more, nothing less. It's reliable enough, and on paper that engine sounds great, but the 4 speed AT saps it of any fun it might have had.

My advice for you in a word: stretch. Buy a car and be happy with it.

[aseem]

Can some Team BHPian in Bangalore help me find a good 2-3 year old Skoda Laura 1.8 Tsi and make sure its reliable? Plus how much money do I need to part to replace the DSG on Laura?

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by aseem

Can some Team BHPian in Bangalore help me find a good 2-3 year old Skoda Laura 1.8 Tsi and make sure its reliable? Plus how much money do I need to part to replace the DSG on Laura?

Are you asking for 2 different cars? The Laura 1.8TSI was sold only with a manual gearbox.

For a very very limited period they introduced the DSG in the 1.8TSI. I believe there were less than 50 cars across India with this combination.

If you are looking for a Laura 1.8TSI DSG then all the very best cause finding one is next to impossible.

[aseem]

Pardon my ignorance. I am ok with 1.8 Tsi manual or CR AT. What I need to ensure is car is reliable and how much money I should park for repairs. I have a budget of around 10-12 lakhs.

[aseem]

No car buyer in India can ever be happy. The cars that are fun to drive are expensive to maintain, fragile and have a lower resale. The uncles car the Corollas, and the City's are a dud but loaded to the T. The mango people go for them, and think those who buy the Skoda's or the VW's are crazy...

Is there any single AT car in the market thats both fun to drive, and has good resale, and low maintenance? Can I have my cake and eat it too?

[Simple_car]

Originally Posted by aseem

No car buyer in India can ever be happy...

Is there any single AT car in the market thats both fun to drive, and has good resale, and low maintenance? Can I have my cake and eat it too?

That's the case around the world.

Btw.. if you are ok with it, you could hunt for 3 options:
1. 2nd hand Fiesta DCT. Has a pathetic resale value. However, you won't be losing a lot either when you sell it.
2. 2nd hand Cruze A/T. Should be able to serve you well for a few years.
3. Kizashi CVT (of course.. 2nd hand). Same like the fiesta.

To find a good german A/T, you will have to invest some time, but you should be able to source it.

Thanks,
Simple_car

[aseem]

1. No Fiesta's...

2. Cruze is a straight line rocket with a horrible turbo lag and pathetic handling and super pathetic rear leg room.

3. Kizashi is again a sales dud.

Really my options are as follows:

1. Buy the new Corolla, keep the wife and peers happy. At least they will know where I spent the 15 lakhs. Buy a manual :(

2. Buy Octavia DSG CR Ambiente for 22 lakhs. Folks/friends would think I am crazy. Terrible resale, but a smile on my face till as long as car runs and no maintenance issues.

3. Buy a Polo DSG. Folks and wife think I am crazy buying a Polo for 10 lakhs. But a smile on my face, and no reliability issues I can't afford to fix.

God only knows what I will do.

[IshaanIan]

Isn't there a Vento 1.5+DSG coming up soon?

If you're in the used car market and are also trying to keep everyone happy, check out the Renault Fluence which sold with a 2 liter petrol unit and a CVT tranny. The car revved like it was Japanese, and while it was a CVT, the transmission still managed minimal rubber-band effect, the car has decent dynamics (not like an Octavia but definitely better than the Corollas, Cruze and Elantras of this world), well calliberated eps unit and at the same time, the features, safety, space, ride quality, robust build etc., will keep the rest of your family and friends happy

PS: You might still manage to find one from existing stock with dealers and get massive chunks off of the asking price

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by aseem

Pardon my ignorance. I am ok with 1.8 Tsi manual or CR AT. What I need to ensure is car is reliable and how much money I should park for repairs. I have a budget of around 10-12 lakhs.

I've been searching the market with a similar budget looking for a used Laura/Superb/Jetta. You can find a few 2011 Laura Elegance DSG models in the 10-12 lakh range. Its the best variant in terms of VFM,though the L&K is much more loaded.If you can stretch to 14-15 lakhs I think 2011 L&K would be available. Its got everything in the Superb except for a few features,though Elegance fits the bill perfectly for me.

I've read that the diesel DSG costs 6.5 lakhs to replace.This is the whole gearbox,not just mechatronics unit.

The DQ250 is more reliable than the one in petrol cars,also the post-facelift Laura is quite a reliable car and I don't think you'll have any issues if you buy a well-maintained car. However take into account clutch replacement,new set of tyres,minor suspension work,some other random part that may need replacement if you plan to keep the car for next 3 years. Just have a thorough check done by Skoda dealer here (Tafe or Vinayak) prior to putting down any deposit.