[gaurav_chopra04]

Originally Posted by anilkalvani

Mitsubishi is out of the question, very poor resale.


The problem is my budget. I have stretched it to 10.5 - 11L max. Lets see.

I would say grab a cedia, around two years old for about half of the price of the new one... so its around 5.5-6 lacs for a 2007 model and spend the remaining 5 lacs on modifying it... It ll certainly turn out to be the best performer.

I have driven my cedia up to 185 and it always feel planted.....it just when you drive this thing I pre defines what you think is physically possible.. just take a test drive...

[pedrolourenco]

Originally Posted by vigsom

Take the Altis - Japanese cars are way ahead in Technology and reliability.

Skoda's are reliable too.

Originally Posted by muralisk

While Skoda does score on all the parameters, to me the most important is *** as it really affects your peace of mind.
From that perspective, I would go for either Civic or Altis.

The Skoda A.S.S. is not really all that bad. Most people are quite happy with it.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

Skoda's are reliable too.


The Skoda A.S.S. is not really all that bad. Most people are quite happy with it.

You've got to be kidding. Read right here on TBHP posts about Skoda's dealers replacing parts with counterfeits. This combined with the very high maintenance costs makes for an automotive nightmare. Car owners need peace of mind too not just so called driving pleasure.

I'd advise anyone to stay away from Skoda. A Corolla Altis or a Civic is the way to go. I went with Toyota twice over already. The after sales, reasonably priced spares and the legendary reliability helps. And no regrets so far.

Rgds,

[harjeev]

This thread is really interesting!!!
I too am and soon will be in the same state of mind!!!

I will be changing my Optra in the next 9-12 months and the final tally for me is between the Altis or the Civic. But my mind and heart are both set more towards the Toyota Altis!!!

[KRf1]

If you want that thrill or " whoosh and kick" as you put it , I think the Civic is the clear choice . The octy is now a old hat . Corolla is more for backseat drivers I think . But I have heard that both Civic and the Octavia are going for mid life facelifts soon .

[Ravveendrra]

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

Skoda's are reliable too.


The Skoda A.S.S. is not really all that bad. Most people are quite happy with it.

Originally Posted by R2D2

You've got to be kidding. Read right here on TBHP posts about Skoda's dealers replacing parts with counterfeits. This combined with the very high maintenance costs makes for an automotive nightmare. Car owners need peace of mind too not just so called driving pleasure.

I'd advise anyone to stay away from Skoda. A Corolla Altis or a Civic is the way to go. I went with Toyota twice over already. The after sales, reasonably priced spares and the legendary reliability helps. And no regrets so far.

Rgds,

No he is not kidding. Please read right here on TBHP, posts from satisfied Skoda customers. Please also read here the threads on maintainance costs from owners.

I, as well as other Skoda owners, have stated several times that we have had excellent experiences with Skoda and their A.S.S. we have also meticulously set out the expenditure incurred by us, these posts show that Skodas are not expensive to run or maintain. But then, perhaps, those threads are not read.

Cheers,

[ImmortalZ]

Someone has to dig up that thread with GTO showing how the Laura is four times as expensive to maintain compared to an Accord, which is a segment above.

Also, here's the difference between Skoda A.S.S and other A.S.S

Most Skoda A.S.S want to get you killed and swindle parts from you.

Most other brand A.S.S would be happy to serve you. Only a few want to kill you and swindle parts from you.

I don't see any threads on the forum like the Skoda one from any other brand. I don't see any other brand suing the poor customer for choosing to defend the right to own a machine that works right for his 10L+ money. I don't see any other brand where the main complaint is that the A.S.S swipes life saving equipment like brake discs.

"Oh why yes Sir, I did have to steal a part from your car. Too bad it was the brake discs or I wouldn't have had to say this looking at YOUR GRAVE."

I am sorry, but I cannot stand companies which DEFEND people like this. I simply cannot.

[devarshi84]

Why is every thread with the word Skoda to be turned into a Skoda A.S.S. thread?

Trust me, Skoda aint really that bad. It's the empty vessels making more noise here. Their management did make some mistakes in handling issues but there are numerous threads about how Skoda has willingly requested the customer to get a car replaced. Isnt that a corrective step enough? And above all, why is that we always tend to bicker about the company? Cant the customer be at fault too?(I have been witness to N number of such cases where customers fight only to get some return from the companies.)

Sales are mostly down because Octavia is old and Fabia is outsmarted by rivals and its own luxury being expensive image.

Check out with the local customers of the dealership and see if they are satisfied. If they are, go ahead and buy it.

[ImmortalZ]

If you are in Kerala, you can buy a Skoda because the A.S.S is run by good people. Well, good in comparison to the devils which inhabit Skoda dealers to the north. Things are overpriced, parts take months to arrive and there are big expensive things to fix at every 10K service, but they don't try to kill you. A poor cousin of mine is having to keep apart, every year, two month's worth of his big software engineer paycheck to keep his Laura in running condition. And that is without the diesel bills.

devarshi, let's see you gripe about such things when your own 10L is vaporized.

[cuttingcrew]

I am also a big fan of Skoda, but I wont buy one and that is not due to A.S.S. It's just that the petrols are not that reliable.

OT (but may be great news for the performance guys)
Skoda is comomg up with Laura vRS (petrol/diesel). May be worth a wait for some.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by Ravveendrra

No he is not kidding. Please read right here on TBHP, posts from satisfied Skoda customers. Please also read here the threads on maintainance costs from owners.

I, as well as other Skoda owners, have stated several times that we have had excellent experiences with Skoda and their A.S.S. we have also meticulously set out the expenditure incurred by us, these posts show that Skodas are not expensive to run or maintain. But then, perhaps, those threads are not read.

Cheers,

Dude, I have to disagree.

Let us for a moment imagine Skoda dealers are white as the driven snow..How do you think a new potential buyer will react to 'allegations' of parts swapping and exorbitant maintanance costs. He wont touch it with a barge pole! I know I wouldnt.

I evaluated the Octavia L&K and the Laura last Sept before becoming a repeat customer for Toyota. The dealer (Asset Auto, whose rep is not too good in Pune) informs me that it would cost between 4-6K per service for the Octy/Laura for oil/filter and consumables without labour (they possibly use synth oil). Not exactly value for money IMHO, as I religiously change the oil every 6 months regardless of mileage. As a comparo, Toyota charges me Rs 1300 for an oil/filter change including the crush washer.

And all this was before I read about the nightmarish experiences of Harishv on TBHP. Sorry, no way I can recommend a Skoda to friends & family.

Dont get me wrong, I know the Octy and Laura are good cars in their own right. I have nothing against them but only the attitude of the dealers and the company.

Rgds,

[devarshi84]

devarshi, let's see you gripe about such things when your own 10L is vaporized.

We bought a Lancer for 10.5 lacs back in 2003. The dealer is so bad we dont get our car serviced from them any more.

The mechanics blew our heating coil which was never used in our years of ownership. New one cost us 15K.

We had to replace our rear bumper after a small crash. The paint job was so shoddy we had to get it done again in 6 months.

One of the front discs needed replacement. They just brushed the disc and put it back. We had replace the whole disc through the new garage we get our car serviced from.

Event after all these experiences and much more, I do recommend people to go to Autonova Mitsubishi because not everyone has faced the same issues I have.

And above all, I confess that when our heating coil was damaged I went as far as I could (daily e-mails to the company, meeting the regional service manager etc etc) to get a free replacement not just for the heating coil but for the gase refill and watever I could with it. It's a human mentality. If I didnt get it doesnt mean I start shouting out loud about it and complaining.


For me a car is a place I spend a major part of my life in. I wouldnt believe in a compromise here. Resale and A.S.S and public perception be damned.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by devarshi84

For me a car is a place I spend a major part of my life in. I wouldnt believe in a compromise here. Resale and A.S.S and public perception be damned.

Excellent! Guess your next car will be a Skoda.

Rgds,

[sivaipm]

Can you tell me what discount was offered by the dealer?

Originally Posted by edassery

Go for an Altis G buddy... that's the most practical and well loaded car for India. I have described why in another thread here.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post1378384

[Ravveendrra]

Originally Posted by R2D2

Dude, I have to disagree.

Let us for a moment imagine Skoda dealers are white as the driven snow..How do you think a new potential buyer will react to 'allegations' of parts swapping and exorbitant maintanance costs. He wont touch it with a barge pole! I know I wouldnt.

I evaluated the Octavia L&K and the Laura last Sept before becoming a repeat customer for Toyota. The dealer (Asset Auto, whose rep is not too good in Pune) informs me that it would cost between 4-6K per service for the Octy/Laura for oil/filter and consumables without labour (they possibly use synth oil). Not exactly value for money IMHO, as I religiously change the oil every 6 months regardless of mileage. As a comparo, Toyota charges me Rs 1300 for an oil/filter change including the crush washer.

And all this was before I read about the nightmarish experiences of Harishv on TBHP. Sorry, no way I can recommend a Skoda to friends & family.

Dont get me wrong, I know the Octy and Laura are good cars in their own right. I have nothing against them but only the attitude of the dealers and the company.

Rgds,

Cool, please yourself and believe what the Toyota dealers/mechanics have to say about costs of servicing a Skoda!

My thread is there for all to see (and I have given the linky here too). The cost is approximately Rs.5K each time - all inclusive, parts, consumables, labour, other charges, taxes etc. etc. Servicie interval is one year. My car gives me approx 13 Kmpl for Rs.35/- (with a Petes Box thrown in for good measure). I did the math and TDed the car before buying. I continue to drive it after 2 years and have no regrets. In fact, the car is a joy to drive.

I do not care if anyone else buys Skoda or X or Y brand, for me, there is no comfort in numbers and I do not care to be part of a herd. I do not even care whether Skoda continues in India or not.

I shall however, state clearly my experience with my car. I do not know what the Skoda dealer/mechanics have to say about other brands. I do not ask them for I know they are the last people I should be asking if I were looking for genuine information about other brands.

I agree with Dev's statement - public perception and A.S.S. be damned. IMHO, independents are always better than A.S.C.s and, have been so right through history.

Cheers,