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Old 17th August 2007, 16:14   #31
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Removing tags & making it readable.
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Originally Posted by channelv View Post
I also had similar confusion when considering an upgrade for a Lancer D. I did lil bit of comparison study….am no expert n this is how I came to a conclusion. Optra Magnum…. Performance…….good, sporty, spirited. The engine is this car’s USP. Better than the Octy but the solid tank like feeling of Skoda is missing Ride Comfort……especially the back seat is far better than Laura, it also seems like it has got more space inside. Features…..almost all those needed 2 get into the D Segment. Nothing great, not at all comparable to Laura. Service n Spares…….one of the cheapest……3 yr/45K for 18K…..gotta b the least! Looks……..not the best, looks more like a C segment car. The rear could have been made a lot better….. Brand value……missing, Chevy brand…is not something I would b very proud of. After all it’s a “Daewoo Lacetti” FE……not as good as Skoda but good enough for a performance car. Skoda Laura.... Snob n wow factor.....not anymore....old n familiar car, Octavia is a 10 yr old model, n the new Octavia which they sell here as Laura is still a 3 yr old model! Sadly, the car is mostly chauffer driven. Looks.......depends on person's taste....I would buy a Laura for my dad but I rather use a car looking more sleek n sporty Features.....better than Optra but for the price it’s never justified! And most of the features not really important for me. Price........The car is sold outside at 2/3rd the price they sell here! Spares n *** n reliability.....the worst in D segment! check out this link......The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Ludhiana Stories spares are too costly and the service is pathetic.....even worse is their attitude! Ride........bumpy n stiff.....back seat comfort is sad! In some European countries even dignitaries prefer the co-drivers seat than back seats. I guess its cos they use Skoda! FE……….amazing for a powerful non CRDI car…..reason why most ppl go 4 Skoda but what most ppl overlook is the fact that the service maintenance cost n the cost of parts which nullifies any gain in running cost. The car is underpowered especially for the price. I thought the car was sold at that price cos of the image factor but after Magnum, it just don’t make sense to spend so much for Laura. My confusion was settled by deciding to go for Magnum n use the savings on customizing looks n ride! But honestly……I would say its not fair to compare Laura with Magnum, even Chevy’s website compares Magnum with Octy. Funny note…..the word ‘Skoda’ in Czech (home country) means “damage, detriment, disadvantage”. "To je škoda", roughly means, "It's a pity"!! hihi, I wonder if the manufacture is trying to be very honest…… :P

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Old 18th August 2007, 19:17   #32
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Thanks for the suggestions .Highly appreciate each one of those .

Quote:
Originally Posted by channelv
Skoda Laura.... Snob n wow factor.....not anymore....old n familiar car, Octavia is a 10 yr old model, n the new Octavia which they sell here as Laura is still a 3 yr old model!


You mean a car thats been there in the market for long tends to loose out its snob value then how about Honda Accord ,Honda Civic ??

Quote:
Originally Posted by channel v
Spares n *** n reliability.....the worst in D segment!

I can understand about the spares and A.S.S but reliability ??? I would be thankful if you could give me some more (recent) news about the Skoda reliability ?? if its not reliable then no way i would be buying it cos reliability is one of my key concerns ... Please share the Horror stories (if any) regarding Laura ...

Quote:
Originally Posted by channel v
I would say its not fair to compare Laura with Magnum, even Chevy’s website compares Magnum with Octy.


Pal dont get me wrong here but on one hand you say the magnum outscores Laura in most departments(i totally agree) ,on the other you say its not fair to compare ?? Do you say this only becos its priced higher and has many additional features ??

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Old 19th August 2007, 13:20   #33
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Originally Posted by shuvd View Post
Take the Magnum for now and wait for the Laura vRS 2.0 PD rated at 170bhp! At least, thats what I'm doing.
I gave a thought to your suggestion but the poor resale value of the magnum wont allow me to sell it at a reasonable rate ...

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Originally Posted by shuvd View Post
I would go for the Octavia L&K which is still nearly 1.5 lakhs cheaper.
The Octavia L&K is just 70k cheaper than the Laura elegance and it has many features Octavia dont ...

Quote:
Originally Posted by reignofchaos
Eh... how many diesel magnums have you seen for sale to proclaim that resale will be bad. Don't just assume things.
AFAIK all the chevys 've poor resale becos of one major reason GM starts offering huuuge discounts after say 3-4 months of a car launch , prime eg. is Chevy spark ,they are offering more than 35k and the car is not even a year old in the market ..
Chevys are known for poor resale value .

Guys, today i'll be driving both the cars once again and will finalise it today , will keep you updated .
Thanks .
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Old 19th August 2007, 14:42   #34
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the laura elegance is missing many features. i dont think itll have much more than the octavia l&k. i think you should get the top end laura.
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Old 19th August 2007, 20:40   #35
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Go for Laura...........
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Old 19th August 2007, 21:57   #36
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Hi rodeo ,thanks for the suggestion . I 've gone through some of your posts in the threrad 'TD Chevy magnum' and if i am not wrong you own a magnum ,right ?

So how come you suggest a Laura when most of the bhpians are against it ? Any particular reason ? not happy with yours ??

thanks .
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Old 19th August 2007, 22:20   #37
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The thing thats keeping me away from buying a Chevy is the Snob value, the resale factor and the Image ...
Snob Value is not such big of a issue, and resale of diesel cars are always good. The 2.0 engine of the Magum is one horrendous beast. It is so damn amazingly quick. The car is comfortable. Butttttt since you are looking for snob value and have the budget i would suggest to get a Laura and then call Mr. Peter up. Then he will remap the car from 105bhp tp 140bhp and boy now we are talking.
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Old 19th August 2007, 22:36   #38
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Originally Posted by BUSA View Post
Snob Value is not such big of a issue, and resale of diesel cars are always good. The 2.0 engine of the Magum is one horrendous beast. It is so damn amazingly quick. The car is comfortable. Butttttt since you are looking for snob value and have the budget i would suggest to get a Laura and then call Mr. Peter up. Then he will remap the car from 105bhp tp 140bhp and boy now we are talking.
Thanks for the suggestion, busa . Yup i agree the resale of the diesel cars are better than the petrol but the main problem with the 'Chevy' in india is that they start offering huge discounts way too soon(40-50k is where they begin from and goes upto 1lac n so on) I dont know of a single car model from the GM stable thats not available with huge discounts .... So even if the car does become a success ,the resale value will be a cause of concern ... having said that, i completly agree agree with you ,the car is fantastic ...
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Old 19th August 2007, 23:03   #39
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small suggestion.. since u wanna upgrade from octy.. dont think u'll feel much of a diff or an proper upgrade with the laura or the magnum..

my suggestion would be if ur budget permits to check out the superb diesel.. that would be an perfect upgrade from the octy rahter than a laura..
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Old 20th August 2007, 01:00   #40
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Laura aint a bad car, its better then the Chevy as far as Gear Shifts, and build quality are concerned, infact Laura is one heck of a car. Though the elegance have quite a few features missing it still has quite alot of features more then the Chevy. Though more features can cause more problems? Eh...!!
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Old 20th August 2007, 01:28   #41
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Originally Posted by anant.arora View Post
So even if the car does become a success ,the resale value will be a cause of concern
Lets try to quantify this apprehension.

Magnum 11L OTR. After 3yrs, what would be the resale value ? Say 6L ? Almost 45% depreciation. So you lose 5L.

The Laura is 15.5 OTR. Consider the 5L loss on the Optra. You think you'll get more than 10.5L (15.5-5) for a 3 yr old Laura ? I doubt it. In another thread I recall a <1 yr old Laura DSG being bought for 16L in Bangalore. That I guess is 2-3 L lesser than the OTR price there.

Add to this the additional interest for the 4.5L you'll be paying more for the Laura, if you are considering a loan.
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Old 20th August 2007, 08:06   #42
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The Laura is 15.5 OTR. Consider the 5L loss on the Optra. You think you'll get more than 10.5L (15.5-5) for a 3 yr old Laura ? I doubt it. In another thread I recall a <1 yr old Laura DSG being bought for 16L in Bangalore. That I guess is 2-3 L lesser than the OTR price there.
That was me-paid 16.1 for a AT which has an OTR price of 19.9 locally and the car is in mint condition with only 10K done on the odo.
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Old 20th August 2007, 09:03   #43
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Originally Posted by anant.arora View Post
Hey guys, i am a newbie to this forum and need your help in choosing the right car ...

I am currently having two cars in my family , the Hyundai elantra diesel and the Octavia rider 1.9 tdi.
I am driving a Skoda Octavia rider and will be replacing it shortly ...

My budget is upto Rs. 16 lacs and i 'll keeping the car for the next 2-3 years and i 've shortlisted the Magnum diesel LT(Rs. 11 lacs OTR) and the Laura elegance(Rs. 15.45 lacs OTR after dealer discounts) .

I test drove the Laura on saturday and felt quite nice and had my mind set on the laura (i thought it would be a brilliant upgrade) but yesterday my friend called me up to join him for the test drive of the magnum diesel(he is planning to buy the magnum) ohhh!what a drive it was .....

I was surprised by the adrenaline rush of the 2.0 litre engine, the comfort , the ride ,the interior space and almost everything impressed me about this car except the Brand 'Chevy' and the rear end looks .

Now i am totally confused as to what car i should go for ... here are some pros and cons that i felt ...

Optra :

1) Brilliant performer
2) Excellent ride comfort
3) Fantastic rear seats(better than the Laura)
4) More Spacious
5) cheaper by Rs. 4.5 lacs (OTR)
6) cheap A.S.S/spares
7) poor brand image
8) A daewoo underneath
9) poor resale(i guess)
10)not a very good looker

The Laura :

1) More snob value/wow factor
2) Looks better
3) Better built
4) Better equipped
5) Excellent features
6) expensive by Rs. 4.5 lacs
7) expensive spares/A.S.S
8) stiff ride
9) excellent FE(i was told its 14 in city conditions)

The thing thats keeping me away from buying a Chevy is the Snob value, the resale factor and the Image ...

Should i spend those extra 4.5 lacs and buy a Laura or save the moolah and buy Chevy and forget about the Brand Image, resale value etc . ??

My heart says Laura, my mind says Magnum ....

I really dont remember the Last time i was so confused in my entire life Please help me choose the right car ? need your suggestions very badly ...

Thanks .
  • The two cars that you have zeroed in your quest for the next car belongs to two different catogories , so its no fair to compare it side by side .
  • Just a look at both the cars from outside will reveal the outstanding built quality of the Czech over the American. Everything feels in place in the design of laura. The shape of lights , the design of grille seemingly flowing with the lines of bonnet. Every bit of it exude elegance .
  • Where as the Optra might look good from some angles but it definetely cannot be termed a 34-26-34. While the tail light design is good , it cannot match up to the quality of Laura .
  • So if its quality and elegance you are after,then there is no contest between the two , Laura wins hands down .Of course many might shout that the price different one gotta pay for the quality is absurd and meaningless but for many quality is one thing they cannot compromise on .
  • Now when it comes to the engine its a mixed bag , one is a rocket and the other is slower rocket ( ! I couldnt think of another term for it , am running to sam's english class after this) . But the question you gotta ask yourself is , are you going to need that extra 1.5 second advantage on a dash to 100 ? If its yes then you have a definite answer to your problem.
  • When it comes to Mileage Chevy may run an extra km or two for a litre of diesel. Again both aren't really strong in this area.
  • Finally interiors , Again here CZECH rules !,the Chevy may have a more lively interiors but the quality of the former is simply breathtaking. The air conditioner vents , the gear knob , the dash , the seats the roof ....its no comparison and on the space front Magnum looses in the area of rear shoulder room though the seating comfort can be another debatable topic as some find Laura better and others find it the other way round.
  • So here you go , And one more thing when it comes to A.S.S there is no contest for Skoda's ! they rock on bills (in a sarcastic tone). It reminds me of a friend who kept bragging about his Octy's high mileage who had to finally spend more than 1.6 lacs till 72 K kilometer , so what he gained in mileage was lost in servicing. So finally when it comes to Cost /Km Skoda is not really cheap. Coming back to LAURA , its not great on the mileage front either !
  • But if I had to choose a car for 16 lacs , I'll walk with my eyes closed to the nearest Skoda dealer coz Laura simply rocks !!!!!
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Old 20th August 2007, 09:09   #44
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I agree with SHUVC.You will get a better resale as far as laura is concerned.

But laura feels underpowered when compared with the magnum.So, in the VFM department the magnum scores over the laura.But, if you want a robust looking and solidly looking car then simply opt for the laura.

Also it looks a class above the magnum and the DSG gearbox is a delight to play with.
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Old 20th August 2007, 09:58   #45
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Quote:
Originally Posted by anant.arora View Post
Thanks for the suggestion, busa . Yup i agree the resale of the diesel cars are better than the petrol but the main problem with the 'Chevy' in india is that they start offering huge discounts way too soon(40-50k is where they begin from and goes upto 1lac n so on) I dont know of a single car model from the GM stable thats not available with huge discounts .... So even if the car does become a success ,the resale value will be a cause of concern ... having said that, i completly agree agree with you ,the car is fantastic ...
I guess the Optra Magnum Diesel has no discounts. Thats the only one without discounts, as far as I am aware.
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