[R2D2]

Originally Posted by ashish22

For once take a decision which gives pleasure to YOU rather then your wallet.

Maybe you should have said "......which gives pleasure to you at the cost of YOUR wallet" Just kidding dude. To each his own.

Rgds.

[edassery]

If you think with your heart, you might want to go for a Skoda or Civic, if you use your brains for practicality Toyota makes greater sense in Indian conditions Remember, you are not going to drive on Mumbai - Pune highway everyday but typical Indian roads - No matter whether it is urban or rural. Toyota offers the best value for money and best of the lot after sales service!

[devarshi84]

If you are really considering the costs of maintainence (which will be high if you rip the car or even drive it at high speeds) How about looking at the Ford Fiesta 1.6S?

It will save you a lot of money on initial costs as well as maintainence compared to the the segment you are looking at right now. and you can use some the money saved to install a turbo and FFE.

A universal voice says that the 1.6S is the best driver's car this side of 10lacs. (stiffened suspension, 15" alloys, a sexy blue colour with a clean look and a gem of a steering and engine combo.) If price is factored in, the Ford Fiesta can actually give the TPi and Cedia a run for their money.

[aseem]

Originally Posted by devarshi84

If you are really considering the costs of maintainence (which will be high if you rip the car or even drive it at high speeds) How about looking at the Ford Fiesta 1.6S?

It will save you a lot of money on initial costs as well as maintainence compared to the the segment you are looking at right now. and you can use some the money saved to install a turbo and FFE.

A universal voice says that the 1.6S is the best driver's car this side of 10lacs. (stiffened suspension, 15" alloys, a sexy blue colour with a clean look and a gem of a steering and engine combo.) If price is factored in, the Ford Fiesta can actually give the TPi and Cedia a run for their money.

There is no comparison btw the thrill of a turbo charged TPI and a naturally aspirated Fiesta. Its not just handling he is looking for, he wants power as well. With the torque figures of TPI Fiesta would have troubles keeping up on the fun factor.

[ImmortalZ]

Gotta love this thread. Not an easy decision, is it anil?

Second hand Accord V6s can be had for real cheap. They depreciate like stink because of the low FE. You'll be stuck with an autobox though - never came in the manual version, that car. Such a shame. They are also very practical. Humongous space, massive presence, and they are cheap to own, though not exactly cheap to run because of the petrol bills.

One doesn't need massive torque to have fun. The Fiesta 1.6S is tremendous fun because it is a small car with a razor sharp steering and uprated suspension which lets you chuck it in at ridiculous speeds and still come out in one piece. A few mods like what fellow T-BHPian Uncle jerrish did and it'll be properly loud and sports car sharp.

[marlinspike]

Originally Posted by ImmortalZ

Gotta love this thread. Not an easy decision, is it anil?

One doesn't need massive torque to have fun. The Fiesta 1.6S is tremendous fun because it is a small car with a razor sharp steering and uprated suspension which lets you chuck it in at ridiculous speeds and still come out in one piece. A few mods like what fellow T-BHPian Uncle jerrish did and it'll be properly loud and sports car sharp.

I once did a sharp turn as the road was turning almost 90 degrees in a not so tight not so free shape on the blr, mangalore highway. 4 year old kid slid from right to left in the back seat thuding into his mom and when he got his bearings back he was saying 'Daddy bad boy when braking". Asked my wife what all that was about and after a few minutesshe said check the speed , 100+ hadn't noticed.

Taken it on the madikeri sulya at 70+ speeds mostly, slowing down occasionally to give way for trucks coming up hill again noticed only when looking at speedo and that was my first real ghat road drive having just did a couple of trips to nandi hills earlier in the month.

Point is in the car didn't complain, it was actually feeling pretty stable and did not show it unless on a patch of bad road.

I do slow down for any curve now as I dont want to hear "Daddy bad boy"

That should give an idea on Fiesta Sport.

[inferno]

Originally Posted by ImmortalZ

The Fiesta 1.6S is tremendous fun because it is a small car with a razor sharp steering and uprated suspension which lets you chuck it in at ridiculous speeds and still come out in one piece. A few mods like what fellow T-BHPian Uncle jerrish did and it'll be properly loud and sports car sharp.

You have defined the dynamics of Fiesta perfectly in this line.
Even I noticed this thing when I went to have TD of the car.

[Ferrari1976]

I know you/your family have clearly discarded Cedia, but request you to test drive the new Sports version!!

A TD will surely change your family view.

[gaurav_chopra04]

Originally Posted by Ferrari1976

I know you/your family have clearly discarded Cedia, but request you to test drive the new Sports version!!

A TD will surely change your family view.

It certainly will.. but no way a new Cedia.. the resale is pathetic. Plus when you get a relative bargain on the used one its any day better to get a used one for half the price and modify it.

A used accord also a great option.. a 2003 accord v6 here in delhi is about 5.5-6lacs.

Plus If the heart says Skoda.. it sud be skoda.. I was told by numerous people not to buy a cedia but I did and I am a happy man. Just do what your heart says!

[abhayshanu]

Dude, Just imagine this
A skoda octavia. It just stands there, looking you in the eye, its stirn, steady, ready.
It says, "You comming or not?, I'm going."
The civic is, im a honda, reliable, fun and easy on the pocket.
The altis is, im a turtle (or tortoise), im slow and im stady but i can go a long way.

I own a qualis for more than 5 years now and i have not really faced any problems, its run 1.3 L KMs but feels just like new, atleast the engine and other mechs.
I have seen my friend drive a honda City (OHC), 2 actually, both were in real good condition, drove it and it was awesome.
Currently i am looking for a vRS, so this tells what is the best of the lot(s), atleast in my opinion.
You live life once, not many times, buy a second hand skoda and keep the 3-4 lacs for 'The High Maintenance', or use it for mods.

There is another option you did not think about, but this will be only driving and racing, it wont be practical.
How about a evo?
Get a used lancer and put in the mivec and AWD, and a turbo, and a few more things, this should cost you around 11 lacs total. Just food for your thoughts.

[Axe77]

Here’s my two bits on your question – I’ve gone through exactly these issues as I’m currently in the market for exactly the same cars. I was personally considering the Laura 1.8 TSi, the Honda Civic (upcoming facelift or existing) and the Altis.

As an enthusiast, my heart yearned for the Laura – it is simply fantastic to drive and an incredibly refined engine. However, the A.S.S issues have completely put me off. Ultimately, peace of mind is paramount and I’m already stretching my budget to the hilt so can’t afford to throw stupid money for maintenance issues and face poor quality A.S.S support.

SKODA: Octavia or Laura. Any Skoda is completely disqualified in my books on account of A.S.S. But for this issue I would have blindly gone for it. However, if you’re still sold on the Skoda, I would say go for the Laura instead of buying a lower power Octy and spending on mods which could further impact warranty.

Civic v. Altis: I have finally elected the Civic over the Altis. The only two issues that made me think really hard about the Civic are: ground clearance and poor boot space – on both counts the Altis scores. However, the Civic is still by far a much more rewarding drive. Also far more refined. I do admit the A.S.S. reports of Toyota are far better than Honda but the Honda service, though not ideal, is not worrying to Skoda levels to put me off the purchase altogether.

Some Alternate Suggestions

All New Lancer

Supposed to launch in early 2010. Knowing the pedigree, I’m sure it’ll be a great platform for future mods and an extremely entertaining car to drive even before the mods.

Fiesta 1.6S

I’m not a big fan of Ford as a brand but if budget is an issue, you should seriously consider the 1.6S for pure driving exhilaration. Sometimes, its not how much power a car delivers but how it delivers the power it has. This depends on a range of factors (chassis set up, steering characteristics etc). I currently own a Swift and I think its far more entertaining to drive than even the outgoing Honda City. Beautifully chuckable and just begs to be thrown into corners with the right set of accompanying rubber. I think you may find the Fiest 1.6S delivers everything you want (in spite of sitting a segment below) with the peace of mind that is missing in Skoda. Of course you may find it’s a little cramped at the rear compared to what you’re looking at and also will not have the same image – consider this if these factors are more important to you than pure driving pleasure.

All the best.

[Sawyer]

Somewhat off the topic, but looking at this and many other posts, I can't help remember buying a new Fiat 1100D, when the only thing to mull over was - what color do I buy it in? Life has become so complicated now - no?!!

[n.devdath]

In spite of a few people having A S S issues with Skoda, all of us are aware that it has been a very successfull brand in India. The new Laura has been acclaimed for its outstanding build, refined engine and predictable handling by all.
After Sales Service issues are few and far between. I have many friends who own Skodas at Bangalore and are completely satisfied in all respects.
In my view, if your budget permits you, the new Laura is the car to go for. Petrol or diesel, depends on your requirements and choice.
And yes, in case you are in Bangalore and have any issues with Skoda whatsoever feel free to PM me. I have quite a few good contacts at TAFE Access here and will be glad to assist you.

[anilkalvani]

Originally Posted by R2D2

Close your eyes and go in for a Toyota or a Honda. You wont go wrong.

Yup, been hearing that a lot from non team-bhpians too.

Originally Posted by ashish22

For once go by your heart, you will get enough chances to go by your head throughout your life. For once take a decision which gives pleasure to YOU rather then your wallet.
i hope i have added to your confusion!

Yeah sure, you have confused me even more. Thanks for that!

Originally Posted by edassery

Remember, you are not going to drive on Mumbai - Pune highway everyday but typical Indian roads - No matter whether it is urban or rural.

Agree with that, but since my older car also clocked low miles in 5 1/2 years of ownership and was driven just for the fun factor, hence considered the TPi.

Originally Posted by devarshi84

How about looking at the Ford Fiesta 1.6S?

It will save you a lot of money on initial costs as well as maintainence compared to the the segment you are looking at right now. and you can use some the money saved to install a turbo and FFE.

Its not about saving money bro. In fact i could stretch my budget by 50% and not worry about the maintenance, at home, they are just not interested in Ford, Mitsubishi at all.

Originally Posted by aseem

There is no comparison btw the thrill of a turbo charged TPI and a naturally aspirated Fiesta. Its not just handling he is looking for, he wants power as well. With the torque figures of TPI Fiesta would have troubles keeping up on the fun factor.

Exactly, you got the drift.

Originally Posted by ImmortalZ

Gotta love this thread. Not an easy decision, is it anil?

Very very tough decision man. Every night at dinner is the same talk.

Originally Posted by marlinspike

That should give an idea on Fiesta Sport.

Originally Posted by inferno

You have defined the dynamics of Fiesta perfectly in this line.
Even I noticed this thing when I went to have TD of the car.

Yeah, heard a lot of the 1.6S too. But will have to grind this into the folks' heads. Dad, Mom & Wifey.

Originally Posted by Ferrari1976

I know you/your family have clearly discarded Cedia, but request you to test drive the new Sports version!!

A TD will surely change your family view.

Originally Posted by gaurav_chopra04

It certainly will.. but no way a new Cedia.. the resale is pathetic.

Plus If the heart says Skoda.. it sud be skoda.. I was told by numerous people not to buy a cedia but I did and I am a happy man. Just do what your heart says!

Yeah the heart. The fickle minded heart.

Originally Posted by abhayshanu

Dude, Just imagine this
A skoda octavia. It just stands there, looking you in the eye, its stirn, steady, ready.
It says, "You comming or not?, I'm going."
The civic is, im a honda, reliable, fun and easy on the pocket.
The altis is, im a turtle (or tortoise), im slow and im stady but i can go a long way.

I own a qualis for more than 5 years now and i have not really faced any problems, its run 1.3 L KMs but feels just like new, atleast the engine and other mechs.
I have seen my friend drive a honda City (OHC), 2 actually, both were in real good condition, drove it and it was awesome.
Currently i am looking for a vRS, so this tells what is the best of the lot(s), atleast in my opinion.
You live life once, not many times, buy a second hand skoda and keep the 3-4 lacs for 'The High Maintenance', or use it for mods.

There is another option you did not think about, but this will be only driving and racing, it wont be practical.
How about a evo?
Get a used lancer and put in the mivec and AWD, and a turbo, and a few more things, this should cost you around 11 lacs total. Just food for your thoughts.

Too much food for my thoughts. Thats why i started this thread to make it easier for me to decide. If only i knew!

Originally Posted by Axe77

Here’s my two bits on your question – I’ve gone through exactly these issues as I’m currently in the market for exactly the same cars. I was personally considering the Laura 1.8 TSi, the Honda Civic (upcoming facelift or existing) and the Altis.

As an enthusiast, my heart yearned for the Laura – it is simply fantastic to drive and an incredibly refined engine.

As i said earlier, i want to limit myself to 10.5-11L max. I have made quite a bit of investment in plant machinery at my factory this year and don't want to overburden myself at this point of time.

Originally Posted by Sawyer

Somewhat off the topic, but looking at this and many other posts, I can't help remember buying a new Fiat 1100D, when the only thing to mull over was - what color do I buy it in? Life has become so complicated now - no?!!

Exactly, not like today where you have a plethoria of choices in every segment and easy financial solutions to help you upgrade to a segment higher that usual.

Originally Posted by n.devdath

In spite of a few people having A S S issues with Skoda, all of us are aware that it has been a very successfull brand in India. The new Laura has been acclaimed for its outstanding build, refined engine and predictable handling by all.
After Sales Service issues are few and far between. I have many friends who own Skodas at Bangalore and are completely satisfied in all respects.
In my view, if your budget permits you, the new Laura is the car to go for. Petrol or diesel, depends on your requirements and choice.
And yes, in case you are in Bangalore and have any issues with Skoda whatsoever feel free to PM me. I have quite a few good contacts at TAFE Access here and will be glad to assist you.

Well i am in Bombay, so i will have to find a reputed Skoda garage "IF" i consider the 1.8TPi.

Thanks for your inputs, please keep them coming as i need more and more clarity for decision time.

[devarshi84]

ok if you can increase the budget by 50% of the tpi, how about the Sonata?

It's a great car with awesome power. It's proven worldwide but very few takers in India.

Resale will still be an issue but then every driver's car is plagued by it.

If nothing else works, go for the tpi.