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Old 11th October 2007, 17:53   #1
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Hi Folks!! Need some help...already

Hi All! New to the forum. Am a returning NRI (from Dubya-land also know as US) and am looking for a car. Used to drive a kick-*** Volvo 850 Turbo and the other vehicle was the standard desi-family-transporter Honda Odyssey. Great vehicles both!! I am now looking to buy a new car here. The choices of cars are great here these days. My car-mood swings have gone from the "let me buy the small cute Swift" to the "I owned a Honda Odyssey, so let me try the Innova". Over the past week I decided that I wanted a diesel car and so test drove the Skoda Octavia Rider 1.9TDi, Optra Magnum LT TCDi and the Innova V-Diesel. Right now I am totally confused.

I noticed that on some Skoda vs Optra vote people voted for Optra almost 3-to-1. Sorry folks, I beg to differ. The Optra has it all, yet somehow
feels lacking in some subtle things. At speed I found the suspensions too soft and when sitting in the rear seat I was feeling a little bit thrown around. Doing the same stretch in the Octavia was a different experience - as countless Skoda reviewers have said, the car is solid and precise with very little roll.

The doors of the Optra clang shut and don't feel as solid. The Octavia's close with a sumptuos thud - much like those of the Passat VR6 I used to drive in the US. The whole car feels heavy and solid, which also causes me some worry because of the lack of ABS...any ideas on the braking performance on the TDi ?

Finally, the Octavia looks a lot more handsome!! It certainly has some snob appeal.

For me it is the Octavia. However I feel that the Optra is going to give the Octavia a good run for its money and think that one of the two could happen if the Optra starts eating into Skoda sales -

1. Skoda offers more things on its car to get some parity on the features
list.
2. Lowers its price - right now the price difference between the fully
loaded Optra is almost 1.5lakhs cheaper than the baseline Octavia
Rider 1.9TDi. No wonder so many voted for the Optra.

Also, the Skoda commanded/commands good resale value because when it came to a good diesel car in that price range it was pretty much in a class of one. With competition finally there will be more fish in the pond so to speak.

Finally, there is the dreaded "expensive to maintain" factor attached to the Skoda.

So, as you can see, I like the Skoda a lot, but the factors listed above make me pause before I jump for one.

As for the Innova - it is a van and excitement is not high on the list. It is very nice vehicle and the V has pretty much everything you need.

So which one should I go for - the exciting Octavia, or the functional Innova ? And am I really missing the point with the Optra ?

Any feedback is appreciated. Looking forward to some nice exchanges on this forum.

- Keebs
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Old 11th October 2007, 18:14   #2
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- Do you love to drive?
- Will the car be self-driven?
- How many passengers would you normally have?
- Will it be primarily used within the city?
- How many years will you keep the car?
- Can it be presumed that your budget is approx 13L tops?

And finally
- Do you tend to listen more to your heart than your head?
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Old 11th October 2007, 19:20   #3
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I like driving, but don't LOVE to drive.
Car will be driven by me 10% of time, by driver rest, especially if it is an Innova!
Mostly 2 passengers at any given time.
Have not thought about how long to keep the car. Maybe 4 years.

And I go with my heart :-)

Skoda, it is eh ?
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Old 11th October 2007, 19:51   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Keebs View Post
I like driving, but don't LOVE to drive.
Car will be driven by me 10% of time, by driver rest, especially if it is an Innova!

So, backseat comfort is a priority. The octy does not have good legroom at the rear, so you might want to consider that. Depends on how tall you are anyway. If you are comfortable in the backseat, then there is no reason why shouldn't buy it. As for maintenance, it shouldn't burn a big hole in your pocket as long as you take care of it.

For outright performance, look no further, choose the Optra!!
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Old 11th October 2007, 20:15   #5
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the skoda is due for a replacement. but it all depends on what you like more. have you taken a td of the innova?
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Old 11th October 2007, 20:53   #6
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If you want a tank like build with great efficiency and the overall satisfaction of car ownership...then just get a Skoda.
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Old 11th October 2007, 21:11   #7
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Go with your heart man..U won't regret it..Skoda is really all you want..For 2 passengers the Innova is not a good option.as you said it Skoda have a bette Snob value than Optra for some reason !.
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Old 11th October 2007, 21:24   #8
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RS anyone??, a tad expensive but...its got the all important vroooom factor !
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Old 11th October 2007, 21:44   #9
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The Optra Diesel is a better package overall compared to the Octavia but the latter isn't without its advantages - and it looks like it is precisely these that endear themselves to you!
The Innova is a completely different vehicle, it makes sense if you go on occasional long trips with family/friends. Or if you ferry a lot of stuff around town. As a city vehicle (office commute, drop kid at school - the works), it cannot hold candle to the Octavia.

My reco: The Octavia, simply because you like it so much.
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Old 11th October 2007, 22:01   #10
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Quote:
Finally, the Octavia looks a lot more handsome!! It certainly has some snob appeal
.

For me, the Octavia lost its snob value a decade ago. . But looks are a very personal thing and Octavia is a looker for a lot of people.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Keebs View Post
I like driving, but don't LOVE to drive.
Car will be driven by me 10% of time, by driver rest, especially if it is an Innova!
Mostly 2 passengers at any given time.
Have not thought about how long to keep the car.
Do check the rear leg room on the Skoda. The Optra is more spacious, but if the Octavia leg-room is enough for you and you have no probem with the high maintainance costs (Do check the thread on Octavia maintainance costs) then go ahead and join the skoda club.
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Old 11th October 2007, 23:05   #11
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How many kilometers do you drive each day on an average? If its not more than 40 o 50kms a day, then diesel would not make sense.

Buy the RS if you don't drive a lot!
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Old 12th October 2007, 13:58   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Keebs View Post
I like driving, but don't LOVE to drive.
Car will be driven by me 10% of time, by driver rest, especially if it is an Innova!
Mostly 2 passengers at any given time.
Have not thought about how long to keep the car. Maybe 4 years.

And I go with my heart :-)

Skoda, it is eh ?
Yep. If you are a 'heart' person, don't argue with it, else for the next 4 yrs everytime you step into your Optra/Innova, you'll sigh ....

Octy it is. Go for it. Try and up the budget and get the Elegance.
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Old 12th October 2007, 14:10   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Keebs View Post
The whole car feels heavy and solid, which also causes me some worry because of the lack of ABS...any ideas on the braking performance on the TDi ?
Hey, You could also consider the "Rider -Classic" version of the Octavia. It comes with ABS, Alloys and the rear spoiler. It is about 70 K more than the Rider. It is however available only in Black colour.
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Old 12th October 2007, 14:13   #14
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Go for the Octy. Am using both the Octy (petrol, though I had the TDi earlier) and the Optra. The Octy is a difference experience altogether. And if you want more performance, there is a nice gent in Cochin who can work wonders.

Quote:
Originally Posted by shuvc View Post
Yep. If you are a 'heart' person, don't argue with it, else for the next 4 yrs everytime you step into your Optra/Innova, you'll sigh ....

Octy it is. Go for it.
Where was this piece of advice when I got the Magnum?
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Old 12th October 2007, 14:31   #15
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OK Guys! Thanks for the advice. I think it is the Octy!! Hopefully I can get the Diamond Silver with the Capp. Beige interiors. BTW I prefer upgrading the Rider than buying the Elegance as I did not see much value in the latter!! I am based in Pune and was wondering if the Pune-ites on this board have any opinions about the Skoda dealers here...

Thanks once again.
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