Which SUV to go for? EDIT: Bought Holden Barina / Chevy Aveo instead!!

sgmuser · 15th June 2007, 07:53

I heard there are some issues in Xtrail. This is a first hand info from Nissan workshop mechanic who said Xtrail some leaking problem. Please confirm this with few others and decide. Second gen CRV is always a better choice than GV. CRV is more refined, reliable and lastly Honda has better resale value than even Toyota.

Mendi · 16th June 2007, 15:22

Hi guys...

One sad news from me...

I had been looking and planning for a long time for my first SUV but I overanticipated some thing. I had my Final Driving test here in Melbourne yesterday morning and I FAILED IT...

I myself could not believe that...

I failed for negative points for following reasons as per my driving instructor who also was sitting in the test besides me apart from the VIC Roads [this is the governing council which takes care of the issuance of the Licenses for all] Driving test invigilator here which are:

1. slowing down to give way to somebody when I shudnt have..

2. Waiting for a seperate Green arrow to come up at a big red light where there was no seperate green for people to turn right. i should have moved when the green for straight going vehicles had come up..

3. Driving at 45-50 kmph on a road where the speed limit maximum was 70 kmph..

Apart from these mistakes, I had successfully cleared the 3-Point turn, angle parking, Reverse park and the Point to point reverse... and also was regular on my headchecks for blind spots, using mirrors and the indicators which play a very vital role in the driving test.

But my hardluck that I could not clear it in my first attempt..

The hardest part is the cost involved in the second attempt, cost for driving car hire, fees for the instructor and the time which I am suppossed to wait as there are no test bookings available before another 7 weeks..

Then another worse thing is that my Indian license is valid for initial 3 months which have already been over a long time back and so I cant buy any SUV/car till the time I dont have a license here. I cant buy/drive on a learners license here as well for restrictions on that.

So I believe I have got another 7 weeks before to buy my dream SUV here.. may be I can invest some more time to do more research and find out the best and the finest deal for me....
Cheers

HSV · 16th June 2007, 16:36

Mendi,

If you went as a permanent resident (PR), then yes your Indian DL is valid for the first 3 mths only. However if you went as an international student or on a work permit etc then your Indian DL is valid for the entire duration of your visa (even if it is for over 2-3 years) and, you dont need an International DL in that case.

Have a heart. Practice hard and give a retest in the due course of time and you'll come thru fine. Remember what your driving instructor teaches you when you go for your test - those fine points will help.

regards

P.S. - Just to make you feel better - but its harder to drive in Melbourne as compared to other cities like Sydney (where I was) - because of the damn trams!!

Mendi · 18th September 2007, 12:49

Hello Guys

Just as it came as a surprise to me too, [for fellow TBHPians and also for my family], I got the delivery of my Holden Barina [read it as Chevy Aveo 1.6cc Automatic Sedan Fully Loaded] yesterday.

For the last 3 months I was in the hunt of a SUV/4WD here in Melbourne [Please refer to http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/what-c...57-suv-go.html.]

Ofcourse, earlier I was looking for a used car with a lot of my personal preferences on new design, low cost, lesser clocked kms, fantastic condition. I almost bought a used CRV, then realized some problems with the vehicle, then got myself attracted towards sedans. I realized that It was really hard for me to buy a new SUV in my price range here and my unability to find a good healthy promising used SUV made me look for a brand new sedan . Then I shortlisted new Toyota Corolla/Nissan Tiida/Holden Astra/Hyundai Elantra/ Hyundai Accent/Ford Fiesta/Toyota yarris and finally paid the deposit for the elegant BLACK Holden Barina last weekend and got the delivery yesterday after a desperate wait of 3 days.
We got late to finish the paperwork for the finance and the insurance and so could only drive a few kms in the evening and couldnt click much of the photographs.

It was really a pleasure to drive such a great small sedan with the stability of almost a camry. Though the space is a bit small in comparison to the normal other sedans but at the cost it hass been priced [its a bit higher here in Australia as compared to the cost of Aveo in India], this is the best car I could find which could provide me with a YES to all my preferences. The FE as per the books is suppossed to be around 7.7 litres/100kms [which is around 12.98 kms per litre] For an automatic car, it is actually good if it delivers near this number!

And the turning point for me to go for the Barina/Aveo was its interiors / ergonomics / dashboard design... its something really worth spending which was missing so far in the most of the cars. You have to see it to appreciate it.

The only thing which is not there in my car is the alloys and ABS.. The photos I have posted, some of these are from the Holden's official website of a Barina, but rest are of my car [hope there wudn't be any copywright issues]. Would soon add up a few more as today get some time to spend with it.

Well the other reason as to why we had a delay in buying a car was that I was blessed with a baby girl 4 weeks back, so as soon as I got a bit free from changing nappies and taking quick naps in the day time [as havent been able to sleep at all in the night], the first thing we did was to buy a Barina...

Regards

Mendi · 20th September 2007, 06:22

Hello Mods
I want to change the title of my thread and then also if applicable, to put this thread in the appropriate forum [as I finally bought a new car].

Please advise if we can do something about modifying these things on this thread. Thanks..!

15th June 2007, 07:53	#16
sgmuser BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Chennai Posts: 755 Thanked: 1,123 Times View My Garage	I heard there are some issues in Xtrail. This is a first hand info from Nissan workshop mechanic who said Xtrail some leaking problem. Please confirm this with few others and decide. Second gen CRV is always a better choice than GV. CRV is more refined, reliable and lastly Honda has better resale value than even Toyota.
	() Thanks

16th June 2007, 15:22	#17
Mendi BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Melbourne, AU Posts: 69 Thanked: 0 Times View My Garage	An Update Hi guys... One sad news from me... I had been looking and planning for a long time for my first SUV but I overanticipated some thing. I had my Final Driving test here in Melbourne yesterday morning and I FAILED IT... I myself could not believe that... I failed for negative points for following reasons as per my driving instructor who also was sitting in the test besides me apart from the VIC Roads [this is the governing council which takes care of the issuance of the Licenses for all] Driving test invigilator here which are: 1. slowing down to give way to somebody when I shudnt have.. 2. Waiting for a seperate Green arrow to come up at a big red light where there was no seperate green for people to turn right. i should have moved when the green for straight going vehicles had come up.. 3. Driving at 45-50 kmph on a road where the speed limit maximum was 70 kmph.. Apart from these mistakes, I had successfully cleared the 3-Point turn, angle parking, Reverse park and the Point to point reverse... and also was regular on my headchecks for blind spots, using mirrors and the indicators which play a very vital role in the driving test. But my hardluck that I could not clear it in my first attempt.. The hardest part is the cost involved in the second attempt, cost for driving car hire, fees for the instructor and the time which I am suppossed to wait as there are no test bookings available before another 7 weeks.. Then another worse thing is that my Indian license is valid for initial 3 months which have already been over a long time back and so I cant buy any SUV/car till the time I dont have a license here. I cant buy/drive on a learners license here as well for restrictions on that. So I believe I have got another 7 weeks before to buy my dream SUV here.. may be I can invest some more time to do more research and find out the best and the finest deal for me.... Cheers
	() Thanks

16th June 2007, 16:36	#18
HSV BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: New Delhi Posts: 327 Thanked: Once	Mendi, If you went as a permanent resident (PR), then yes your Indian DL is valid for the first 3 mths only. However if you went as an international student or on a work permit etc then your Indian DL is valid for the entire duration of your visa (even if it is for over 2-3 years) and, you dont need an International DL in that case. Have a heart. Practice hard and give a retest in the due course of time and you'll come thru fine. Remember what your driving instructor teaches you when you go for your test - those fine points will help. regards P.S. - Just to make you feel better - but its harder to drive in Melbourne as compared to other cities like Sydney (where I was) - because of the damn trams!! Last edited by HSV : 16th June 2007 at 16:37.
	() Thanks

18th September 2007, 12:49	#19
Mendi BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Melbourne, AU Posts: 69 Thanked: 0 Times View My Garage	Got the Delivery of new Holden Barina/Chevy Aveo ALL-BLACK Hello Guys Just as it came as a surprise to me too, [for fellow TBHPians and also for my family], I got the delivery of my Holden Barina [read it as Chevy Aveo 1.6cc Automatic Sedan Fully Loaded] yesterday. For the last 3 months I was in the hunt of a SUV/4WD here in Melbourne [Please refer to http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/what-c...57-suv-go.html.] Ofcourse, earlier I was looking for a used car with a lot of my personal preferences on new design, low cost, lesser clocked kms, fantastic condition. I almost bought a used CRV, then realized some problems with the vehicle, then got myself attracted towards sedans. I realized that It was really hard for me to buy a new SUV in my price range here and my unability to find a good healthy promising used SUV made me look for a brand new sedan . Then I shortlisted new Toyota Corolla/Nissan Tiida/Holden Astra/Hyundai Elantra/ Hyundai Accent/Ford Fiesta/Toyota yarris and finally paid the deposit for the elegant BLACK Holden Barina last weekend and got the delivery yesterday after a desperate wait of 3 days. We got late to finish the paperwork for the finance and the insurance and so could only drive a few kms in the evening and couldnt click much of the photographs. It was really a pleasure to drive such a great small sedan with the stability of almost a camry. Though the space is a bit small in comparison to the normal other sedans but at the cost it hass been priced [its a bit higher here in Australia as compared to the cost of Aveo in India], this is the best car I could find which could provide me with a YES to all my preferences. The FE as per the books is suppossed to be around 7.7 litres/100kms [which is around 12.98 kms per litre] For an automatic car, it is actually good if it delivers near this number! And the turning point for me to go for the Barina/Aveo was its interiors / ergonomics / dashboard design... its something really worth spending which was missing so far in the most of the cars. You have to see it to appreciate it. The only thing which is not there in my car is the alloys and ABS.. The photos I have posted, some of these are from the Holden's official website of a Barina, but rest are of my car [hope there wudn't be any copywright issues]. Would soon add up a few more as today get some time to spend with it. Well the other reason as to why we had a delay in buying a car was that I was blessed with a baby girl 4 weeks back, so as soon as I got a bit free from changing nappies and taking quick naps in the day time [as havent been able to sleep at all in the night], the first thing we did was to buy a Barina... Regards
	() Thanks

20th September 2007, 06:22	#20
Mendi BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Melbourne, AU Posts: 69 Thanked: 0 Times View My Garage	Hello Mods I want to change the title of my thread and then also if applicable, to put this thread in the appropriate forum [as I finally bought a new car]. Please advise if we can do something about modifying these things on this thread. Thanks..!
	() Thanks