After a lot of trials and tribulations I finally settled down for a used Skoda Laura.
Cars that I considered
New Fluidic Verna
New Skoda Laura
New Yeti
XUV 5OO (Not launched in Orissa)
New Chevy Cruze
New Jetta
Threads which influenced my decision
Two threads penned by GTO did greatly influence my decision to go for a used car. Here are the links to the two threads:
1.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/owning...rade-swap.html
2. Lateral upgrades
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/buying...-car-less.html Skoda : A word of caution
The majority of the people on team BHP give a thumbs down to Skoda. However when I spoke to the Skoda owners, they were "satisfied" with Skoda. I have mentioned "satisfied" as one has to buy a Skoda with one's eyes open. Spare parts are expensive and Skoda after sales cannot be compared to that of a Toyota or a Maruti.
I met two Skoda owners personally and their inputs made me take this "calculated risk". I say "calculated risk" because if the great drivers car(Laura) works for me its a win-win situation. If it
does not work for me I sell it at a loss; and since the car is a
used car the loss will not be not much vis-a-vis a new car.
Details of the used car
Date of Manufacture-May 2008
Number of owners-1
Colour- Candy White
Variant- 1.9 PD Ambiente (Diesel)
Kms on the Odo- 58650 Kms
Price-7,60,000/- (From Mahindra First Choice)
Mahindra is offering a one year warranty on the car and according to me it may not mean much. However it does provide a kind of a peace of mind. If I would not opted for the First Choice Warranty I would have got the car at a price of around 7.45 lakhs.
Steps taken prior to buying
1. Checked the RTO website and found the name of the owner correct.
2. Checked the Service history. Went to the Skoda Service outlet and the guys were co-operative. Was pleasantly surprised after hearing horror stories about Skoda. The car was last serviced at 58000 Km.
3. Spoke to a few Laura owners (more importantly Ravveendrra from TBHP) and all of them said it was a great car to drive.A special thanks to Ravveendrra. Our Mod Ajmat was also very kind to respond to my queries.
The downsides (As I learnt from them) were- AC, high cost of spares and Skoda Service.
4. Checked the used car valuation from "Carwale" and found the car to be valued in a reasonable manner. The car would have been cheaper without the Mahindra First Choice Warranty.
5. Insurance was valid till Aug 2012 (IDV 8,40,000). One time tax paid as a pvt. car.
6. The Ex-showroom price of the car was 13,66,000/-.
7. The interiors of the car are in good condition. However in the exterior there are a few scratches.
8. The car has a loan and it will be squared off by the first owner before delivery and transfer.
9. Want the interiors polished before delivery.
10. Have shown the car to my regular mechanic who has given me a go ahead. The Skoda service centre guys also say that 59000 on the odo is not much for a Skoda.
IMHO it is a calculated risk that I am taking. The car is great to drive and hope and pray that it serves me well for at least 2 to 3 years if not more.
The driving experience
1. The car in question was reasonably well maintained and the car is a driver's delight. Prior to buying it I drove it on 4 different occasions for around 100Kms and the sheer driving pleasure made me buy the car. The gearshifts are very smooth and the car is stable and feels planted at 100 to 120 speeds.
2. The Steering wheel is extremely responsive and gives a assured feel at speeds of 100+. After driving the Laura my otherwise lovely swift kind of a feels like a "Plain Jane". But then that is the magic of "Lateral Upgrades"
3. The ingress/egress of the car is good and one does not have to "stoop low" like one has to do in the case of say an Esteem. It is an irony that an "Esteem" makes you "stoop low", really low.(Esteem Owners - Please take this in good humour)
4. The "hatch" and other additional gizmos like rear parking sensors, heated side mirrors, leather seats, were additional features which adds to the deal. The 4 way seat adjustment feature helps one in getting a very good seating position.
5. IMO the older Laura and the Octavia more or less look the same so far as the exterior is concerned. It is only that the Laura has some more bells and whistles. The gizmos on offer are:
a. Climate control
b. Cooled glovebox and Cooled armrest. Probably these make it a "cool" car.
c. Rear Parktronics (sensors) The higher models get front parktronics too!
d. ABS and ASR
e. MP3 player with 8 speakers.
f. Electronically adjustable side mirrors (pic of same attached). I must add that the mirrors are unusually small.
g. Rain sensing wipers.
6. The "dealer maker" in my case was the overall driving experience and it is a great drivers car. The car probably has one of the best gearshifts around. If this car serves me well, who knows, my next car would also be from the Skoda / VW group. I simply loved the New Jetta.
Things I like about the car
1. The car is a sheer delight to drive.
2. The overall build quality and fit and finish is good.
3. Has some of the modern gizmos.
4. The car is a fuel-efficient diesel car and gives an average of around 16 KMPL
Things I do not like about the car
1. Skoda's Image about service (though till now I have not faced any problems)
2. No steering mounted controls in the ambiente.
3. No Bluetooth.
4. Extremely high cost of spares.
The Experience of buying a used car
This is the first time that I am buying a used car and I must tell that Tbhp did really change my views. Only time will tell whether the decision / calculated risk of mine will pay dividends or not. However I must say that buying a used car is a lot of hard work.
One has to see the service history and analyse it. Loans on the car, whether it has met with an accident earlier, details of insurance; each of these aspects have to be gone into meticulously. I did face a lot of apprehensions and I must admit that buying a used car is not a very pleasant experience.
There were times when I thought I at about 7.5 lakhs I can go for a new car easily or may be buy the same car with a loan. On top of it Skoda was giving a loan at 9.99% on its cars. However finally I took the risk and I have a "worst case scenario" in place.
I hope it does not turn out to be a "White Elephant" for me!
Here are a few pics:
The Skoda Emblem.