[MileCruncher]

Lot of you might find the heading a little bizarre. I would agree too. But having thought through I think that was best heading that was possible in the circumstances.

Present Situation:

We have two cars, both of them bought in April 2011

1. Scorpio Getaway - Done about 25K and we really like the utilitarian nature and go anywhere ability. This my daily runaround car/truck (whichever you might want to call)
2. Tata Nano - Done about 6K. My wife's car and she absolutely loves it.

We are satisfied with both the vehicles and ideally both of them wouldn't require changing in the next 2 years the at the least.


However about a month back, I moved into a new job leading to improved financial situation.

I have liked the new Jetta due to its design and have been thinking about it for sometime. Finally I went to TD it on Saturday and locked on the 1.4TSI.

People might ask, why a Petrol in the present scenario. Simple. This is going to be a purchase of passion and it will not be the primary vehicle. Hence want a fast Petrol car.

Drove the Jetta and wasn't impressed with the power delivery. Found it too slow and came back disappointed. On the way back thought about checking out the other TSI engine available in the market. The Laura 1.8TSI. Went to dealer and was apprised that there is a 3L discount on the RS and 2L on the Ambition variant. Haven't taken TD as yet so no comments about performance.

Came home and told all this to wifey and she says we need to hit the Jeeping circuit again which we have been missing for the last 1.5 years. So THAR came into the picture.

I'm confused. Actually both of us are confused. We even discussed the Gypsy for a bit today evening but that got discarded because of AC issue.

We would like to know what would TBHPians recommend in a situation like this.

Want: A fast fun car
Budget: About 16L at the max.

POVs welcome!!!

[smokie]

To add to the confusion, might I also add Kizashi to the list

[richie4u]

How about trying the Kizashi too, it falls in your budget, looks good and will you will enjoy exclusivity too cause you cant see any of these on the road.

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by smokie

To add to the confusion, might I also add Kizashi to the list

Originally Posted by richie4u

How about trying the Kizashi too, it falls in your budget, looks good and will you will enjoy exclusivity too cause you cant see any of these on the road.

While the front looks good, I somehow don't like the looks of the tail pipes. Especially the two thin pipes coming out. Secondly hate MUL and wouldn't buy anything from their stable barring the Gypsy.

So Kizashi is surely no go!

If I haven't clarified before, neither of the existing cars will be sold.

[akshay4587]

How about selling the Getaway,and purchasing a Thar and a Laura 2.0
Will keep the Jeeper in you happy as well.

[smokie]

Fast petrol car = kizashi. That 2.4 is a scorcher.


Pity it's out. If not set on petrol, how about Cruize?

Thar seems to be the winner for a weekend fun vehicle. Unless you want to start a restoration project with old jeeps.

[GTO]

You want a car that will make you happy? Buy the Skoda Laura vRS or the more practical VW Jetta TDI. Between the two, it depends on the petrol or diesel coin flip.

Great quality, great dynamics, great looks and the best petrol / diesel engine. Either car is an all rounder to fulfill various duties, and are long term keepers, european reliability aside. Plus, a fast diesel sedan would nicely compliment your existing garage.

Of course, if you are open to used, nothing like it! A pre-worshipped 5 Series would do just swell.

Good luck hunting. Nice situation to be in.

[pganapathy]

I would guess the escape would be pretty decent for off roading so unless you get into it very seriously, I see no value in the thar or gypsy.

Fast cars, would you be open to tuning a car. If so, the options are quite varied. If not, consider something used with a big, powerful engine. Eg, accord 3.5, skoda 3.6, BMW petrol 3 series, a4, c class etc.

These options are expensive maintenance wise but considering you don't plan to use it as a daily rider, it should be manageable.

[absynthguzzler]

Yeti 140bhp 4WD - fun to drive , live with and go anywhere - barring a tailor made 4x4 trail, i think a Yeti should serve all purposes for an adventurous and well to do couple. This comes within your budget if you get rid of the Getaway . Frankly speaking , i dont see a reason to have 3 cars Ani. blocking way too much of your money on a depreciating and underutilized asset.

Congrats on your new job as well Ani.

[MileCruncher]

Another thing is No Used Car. No restoration project. My time is limited between work and my other passion of running/cycling.

@GTO: I haven't checked out the Jetta TDI. I'm sure its a good car but me wants petrol scorcher with a nice growl when revved. Unless offcourse wifey puts her foot down on the THAR. I think I have been missing the 5-6K revvs since the Uno left my garage in Feb 2012.

@pganapathy: No used car and its way beyond my budget to buy new. Any of them.

P.S: I looked back and remembered, last time I had started a thread like this was exactly 2 years back to sell the Bolero and buy the THAR. However due to various shortcomings on the THAR, ending up buying the Getaway.

Let's see where this goes :P

Originally Posted by absynthguzzler

i dont see a reason to have 3 cars Ani. blocking way too much of your money on a depreciating and underutilized asset.

While Bidisha would agree with you Arun, I say you live only once

Originally Posted by absynthguzzler

Congrats on your new job as well Ani.

Thanks Arun! Hope to see you out of the mines and in Hyd sometime.

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Want: A fast fun car
Budget: About 16L at the max.

If you don't have a mental block about buying a Fiat or Mitsu product, then how about TDing the Linea TJet and Cedia Sports? You might be pleasantly surprised.

Cheers,
Vikram

[suhaas307]

You know what you need? A Subaru / Chevrolet Forester. You could get one for dirt-cheap today and slam it with some serious performance kit. That way, you get to satisfy your off-road / performance-petrol-car craving in one package.

Since it's a Jap, it shouldn't be much of a hassle to maintain. Parts might be a problem though, but since you want something that isn't going to be driven much, it makes a whole lot of sense.

[pganapathy]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Another thing is No Used Car. No restoration project. My time is limited between work and my other passion of running/cycling.

@GTO: I haven't checked out the Jetta TDI. I'm sure its a good car but me wants petrol scorcher with a nice growl when revved.
@pganapathy: No used car and its way beyond my budget to buy new. Any of them.

That then leaves you with two options as I see it. Laura 1.8 and kizashi 2.4. Given you are biased against the kizashi and Maruti in general, the choice is clear. Please buy it soon before they stop production though.

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

If you don't have a mental block about buying a Fiat or Mitsu product, then how about TDing the Linea TJet and Cedia Sports? You might be pleasantly surprised.

Cheers,
Vikram

Thanks Vikram. I'm absolutely not averse to Fiat as I have owned an Uno Petrol for 10 Yrs and a Palio P for 8. So am a seasoned Fiat guy . That makes a whole lot of sense. Let me try that as well.

The only Mitsu sedan I'll buy is the Lancer Evo. But I don't have cash for that :(. Cedia is like Urrrrgh!

[ksaurabh21]

Congratulations for your new job! May I suggest about XUV 500 as it may meet your Jeeping circuit needs. Or if you are ready to wait, then the Ssangyong Korando.