[Turbo car]

Horizon,
Congrats on a great buy ! May there be many years of safe driving ahead. The color is really great.
Before making the purchase decision, why didn't you consider Vento TDI? Any particular reason or just that you wanted a rapid ?

[Horizon81]

Originally Posted by Turbo car

Horizon,
Congrats on a great buy ! May there be many years of safe driving ahead. The color is really great.
Before making the purchase decision, why didn't you consider Vento TDI? Any particular reason or just that you wanted a rapid ?

Thank you. I've driven Vento TDI and these factors(personal opinion) swayed my decision in favour of the Rapid:
Power delivery
Suspension set up
Projector headlamps
Looks
Headroom for the driver

[Turbo car]

Originally Posted by Horizon81

Thank you. I've driven Vento TDI and these factors(personal opinion) swayed my decision in favour of the Rapid:
Power delivery
Suspension set up
Projector headlamps
Looks
Headroom for the driver

Hi Horizon,

I am contemplating the purchase a new car and the choice is between a rapid and vento now.

I am worried about one thing though. If both these cars are really trouble free, how come they don't have really good resale values? i have seen in classifieds here itself that the selling price of 2012 Vento highline TDI is around 8 lakh.

Why do you think the resale value of these cars aren't what it should be?

[Hemant_Joshi]

It was a tough call for me as well, Between Rapid, Vento and another contender was Verna.
Vento's Turbo is really good, it comes thick and fast, and am sure, will put a grin on drivers face,,
However, other than this, I felt Rapid to be better in all aspects,, Build, look and feel,
I took 3 test drives of Rapid before putting my money, while I drove Vento twice.

Verna was a real contender - before driving Rapid, Once, I drove Rapid - somehow Verna was delisted - even though Verna scores much more than these two, in Features, interiors, quality - fit/finish,,

You should go for the one - which really makes you feel good, every vehicle has its strength and weakness,,
and Its not completely a logical decision - atleast for me,

[Horizon81]

Originally Posted by Turbo car

Hi Horizon,

I am contemplating the purchase a new car and the choice is between a rapid and vento now.

I am worried about one thing though. If both these cars are really trouble free, how come they don't have really good resale values? i have seen in classifieds here itself that the selling price of 2012 Vento highline TDI is around 8 lakh.

Why do you think the resale value of these cars aren't what it should be?

This is my personal opinion. People may or may not agree.
You will also find 2012 Honda Citys also in the 8-9 L bracket. Only Sub 12 Lakh Marutis and Hyundais have decent resale value. This is attributed to the perception that these are easy to maintain and the cost of maintenance is also low. My 2008 i10 costs me anywhere between 3-4K per service, which happens every 6 months.

Here in India we have a tendency to go with perceptions. Almost all European cars are perceived to be "high maintenance" and in some higher end models that is the case. But I feel it is proportionate to the price of the cart that you pay. The Rapid's service window happens every year, and the estimate for a "normal" service is 7-9K. I dont have a personal experience on the service costs since mine is a new one, but got this figure from the SA.

Finally, make the decision on your your own terms. Good luck with your purchase

[Turbo car]

Thanks guys...
I like rapid but the horror stories of Skoda service is the one that is deterring me from choosing it.
Some how the choice is narrowed down to rapid and vento. I like the feeling of both cars and i feel that vento has better interiors whereas rapid is more fun to drive kind.
Read all the reviews here and the horror stories of After sale service is vertually equal.
I am using a beat Lt now, which is comfy in its own way.
One question though.
The new car will be driven by atleast 2-3 persons. How would these cars respond to multiple drivers with different driving styles?
And we expect to run more than 40K km in 6 months as we intent to use this car for our office purpose. Would i be better off with a vehicle like nissan Terrano ?
I didn't consider it initially due to bad press for nissan vehicles.

[suhas_raj]

Originally Posted by Horizon81

Here in India we have a tendency to go with perceptions. Almost all European cars are perceived to be "high maintenance" and in some higher end models that is the case. But I feel it is proportionate to the price of the cart that you pay. The Rapid's service window happens every year, and the estimate for a "normal" service is 7-9K. I dont have a personal experience on the service costs since mine is a new one, but got this figure from the SA.

Agree. Unfortunately we are in a perception driven market, I have owned a Fiat for over 5 years & can safely say that the maintenance costs are more or less similar to say a Japanese/Korean car (Again, I am speaking from my own experience of also having owned a Hyundai & a Maruti prior). The "herd" mentality & "Brand Status" usually takes over car buying decisions more often in our country.

Horizon81, Congrats on your new purchase ! It was a very interesting read. I went through a similar buying decision around the same time. You summed it up really well & it was probably exactly what I felt during the test drives, I could not have put it across any better or anymore accurately.

Originally Posted by Horizon81

Safety was of utmost importance. It should be a diesel, and fun to drive (not the SUV kind of fun, the sedan kind of fun). As always, no offense meant to the owners of the following cars, it just happened so that the Rapid checked more boxes for me. The City didn't feel like a safe option - thin body panels and I didn't like the high speed dynamics. Not a fan of the current Verna's handling. Didn't consider Scala/Sunny nor the new Fiesta (don't know why, just didn't). All it took was a couple of test drives on the Rapid, and I knew that this was the one. It was almost as if VAG had identified what I didn't like on the Vento and made it right for me!

The only difference with my experience was that I absolutely loved the new fiesta & had almost made up my mind on it except for the cramped rear seats & that ugly tailgate (No, it hasn't improved much from the last generation!)

@Turbo Car: At the end of the day, buy a car that excites you enough to grab those keys & head out for an impromptu drive ever so often. A car that can put a smile on your face every time you drive, I did the same too by buying a Rapid

[Horizon81]

Originally Posted by Turbo car

Thanks guys...
The new car will be driven by atleast 2-3 persons. How would these cars respond to multiple drivers with different driving styles?
And we expect to run more than 40K km in 6 months as we intent to use this car for our office purpose. Would i be better off with a vehicle like nissan Terrano ?
I didn't consider it initially due to bad press for nissan vehicles.

You would definitely notice a slight deterioration in any car, if its being driven by 3-4 people. (Seen a Santro lterally spoilt by multiple drivers. The Vento in the family is holding up good even though it is being driven by hired drivers once in a while. Again, no extensive use by changing drivers)

Sorry, can't comment on your second question as I've not done that kind of mileage nor do I have done TD/research on Terrano

[Crazy_Bean]

Congrats Horizon81!! Great buy..

Lovely photo shoot too

I might soon join the rapid club with the DSG.