[His Highness]

Here is an interesting quandry , since I own both the cars that I am talking about.

I own several cars but this discussion is about 2 that my wife and I share. A 2005 Chevrolet Optra 1.6 LT and a 2002 Honda City 1.5 4AT( OHC as its called here). Let me first tell you a little about the car's facts:

1. Chevrolet Optra: Done around 41000 Kms , Mileage is around 9-9.5 ( I leave early in the morning and return late in the evenings these days so I get pretty decent mileage. Manual Transmission

2. Honda City : Done around 65000 Kms , Mileage is around 8-8.5 , Automatic transmission.

Now let's review the pros and cons of each car:

Optra

Pros:
> Very High level of comfort. Silky smooth drive.
> Pretty decent snob value ( At least in comparison to the City)
> Better Mileage than the City
> Roomy!

Cons:
> Manual Transmission
> Needs a paint job

OHC

Pros:
> Automatic Transmission!
> Reasonable amount of comfort- Not as good as the Optra though


Cons:
> 7 year old car ! Even though its in Showroom condition
> Needs suspension work
> Lower mileage than the Optra , smaller tank therefore more trips to the petrol pump.

A little about my driving:

I travel from Bandra to Fort every morning at around 8 AM , so I do hit traffic at Haji Ali and after that. I drive myself and my wife takes the driver.

My wife has been using the OHC since the beginning and I have been using the optra since 2005 ( I was driving an Opel Corsa before that)

Last month, as an experiment I took the OHC to work for a week and was very pleased with the comfort that the Automatic transmission offered me. My wife has rather graciously offered to exchange cars with me if I so want so here is the quandry. Which car should I choose?

I can always exchange back in the future!

[GTO]

Since you have a driver, it's quite simple:

1. OHC = For whoever is self-driving that particular day. Light controls + auto tranny is a boon.

2. Optra : Chauffeur driven. Great back seat + ride comfort.

There you go!

[gowda79]

Originally Posted by GTO

Since you have a driver, it's quite simple:

1. OHC = For whoever is self-driving that particular day. Light controls + auto tranny is a boon.

2. Optra : Chauffeur driven. Great back seat + ride comfort.

There you go!

You cannot get better information than mentioned above by GTO.

[His Highness]

Originally Posted by GTO

Since you have a driver, it's quite simple:

1. OHC = For whoever is self-driving that particular day. Light controls + auto tranny is a boon.

2. Optra : Chauffeur driven. Great back seat + ride comfort.

There you go!

That makes sense but its not that simple

As I mentioned in another post , my things must always be in "my" car. Therefore any exchange of cars means that all my things must move from one car to the other. Gym bag, Cooler, Cds, chargers etc.

That process takes at least an hour .

The bottomline is that once I exchange the car with my wife, I wont be able to use it for at least a few months.

So please give me your long term opinion.

[SS-Traveller]

The auto 'box is wasted on the driver. The driver is better off driving the manual 'box Optra, now you decide between you who wants to be chauffeur-driven.

[His Highness]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

The auto 'box is wasted on the driver. The driver is better off driving the manual 'box Optra, now you decide between you who wants to be chauffeur-driven.

The driver will stay with her. My work timings are too erratic for any driver to stick for too long , unfortunately.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by His Highness

The driver will stay with her. My work timings are too erratic for any driver to stick for too long , unfortunately.

So you get to drive the OHC and she gets the Optra! Elementary, Your Highness!

[GTO]

Originally Posted by His Highness

TAs I mentioned in another post , my things must always be in "my" car. Therefore any exchange of cars means that all my things must move from one car to the other. Gym bag, Cooler, Cds, chargers etc.

That process takes at least an hour .

You can have your driver transfer all the stuff from car to car. Butttttttttttttttttttttt:

Originally Posted by His Highness

The driver will stay with her. My work timings are too erratic for any driver to stick for too long , unfortunately.

If that's the case, you ought to use the A/T Honda. After all, Fort to Bandra in the evening rush-hour traffic is just the drive that an automatic tranny was invented for!

[His Highness]

Ok Guys, as an experiment ( Thats what I told the wife) I have taken the City. Lets see how things feel in a month then maybe I can take an informed decision.

Thanks for your input!

[His Highness]

Update: Went back to the Optra last evening. Reason? Well, I took a ride with the driver and saw how he was riding the clutch. At least he cant do that with the Automatic.

So, its back to the Optra for me !

[greenhorn]

Goes to show that some of us here care more for their cars than they care for themselves!

[His Highness]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

Goes to show that some of us here care more for their cars than they care for themselves!

Thats funny but true !