[v.tec]

I have a budjet of <65 lakhs to spend on a car. We booked the Mercedes E350 but due to a long waiting in our desired color, cancelled the booking for the time being.

The new Audi A6 Limited edition is out for sale as well at a stealing price of 37 lakhs, however i am not sure how long this model would be in the market until a newer one comes out.

However, is it worth waiting for the Mercedes or should i just buy the Audi?

Second complete set of new options is between the BMW Z4 or Audi TT.

Any feedback on those two?

Second hand is an option as well!!

Is the Jaguar XK worth considering as it doesnt have any service places in New Delhi ( to the best of my knowledge ).

Any advice would be deeply appreciated.

[Akshay1234]

well your looking at completely different segments there.
the sedan options you would have are-
-e350 and e350cdi
-audi a6 3.0tfsi or 3.0tdi
-bmw 530d or530i
-jaguar xf

there is no point in looking at any other a6 engines besides the 2 i have mentioned since your budget is high enough. also the e350 and audi are a little different. the audi is like a mix of bmw and mercedes, the driving pleasure is almost as good as a bmw and the luxury almost as good as a merc.

since you are also looking at coupes i presume you want a good drivers car, in which case i suggest either the e350cdi (but you are saying there is a long waiting), the a6 3.0tfsi, the jaguar xf v8 or the 530d.

out of these the audi will get you least attention while the jag will get you the most.

[Anand123]

Pick the new E 350 CDI. Its the new kid on the block and the best car within your budget. Dont know whether the new E has such a long waiting list. Which colour did you choose initially? Leave the 5 series. Its no more desiring as it was. And its also time for a model change for the 5 series. Audi A6 may excite you with its price tag but if you buy it, I strongly feel that you may regret about it later. Even the resale value of A6 is too low. Jaguar XF is a good option if this is going to be your personal car. Its back seats and rear space are nothing to write home about. Overall, I'll recommend the new E 350 cdi.

[GTO]

Since you are open to used, why consider a new E class at all? Super wide choice of used S Class' in the market. Recent year cars between 40 - 50 lakhs look just like they've driven out of the showroom.

Even the new 7 series has started entering the second hand market. Take a spin, the 7 will blow your mind away. Between the S & the 7, its rather simple. Backseat > Driving = S. Driving > Backseat = 7.

[sammyboy]

^^ +1 to that. There is a pre owned 7 in the classifieds section as well with the asking price of 50L. You can check that out.

[vrprabhu]

Originally Posted by v.tec

I have a budjet of <65 lakhs to spend on a car. --------
Lexus GS300 | Mercedes S320 | Honda Accord 2.4 AT | Mercedes E 220 | Skoda Octavia 1.9 TDI | Honda City ZX VTEC

Well, the last line had me dreaming... and if you insert an "Audi Q7" in between the S320 and 2.4AT - you have a garage to kill for....

Probably you will overshoot your budget by 4 - 5 lakhs; but that will be one hell of a car/SUV to drive ...

[prateekm]

Your sig says you have 2 Mercs. Why not opt for a 2nd hand Porsche Cayenne V8 instead?

If you need a SUV, you can get a 2nd hand Hummer/Land Rover for that price or even a new Touareg.

EDIT : Just checked Carwale, a low run 911 Carerra is also available in Delhi. Cayennes are available in plenty

[quickdraw]

Err you can buy a A6 and a 520d for the budget you have (almost) right now.

[Xehaust]

Lets take it step by step & exactly according to your post. No new options (unless you think the suggestions here are something you are willing to think about):

1. Between the new Mercedes E & the Audi A6 SE:
Pretty simple, if you plan to buy new & are thinking of keeping the car for upto 5 years, the Audi would be a good bet as the resale would not make much of a difference in that time frame. Further, you are worried about the A6 being replaced soon. All i can suggest there is that if you arent too much in a hurry, do some research & you can figure out exactly how soon the new one would be expected. Further, if you like the present A6 & think it lives upto your expectations, buy it & be happy, no matter if a new one comes along as long as your satisfied with the car. And as mentioned in the beginning, if you intend to keep it for about 5 years, the resale wont be too much of a botherance.

2. Between the BMW Z4 & Audi TT:
Ill quote from the comparison of an auto mag which does justice here.
"The Z4 is for the enthusiast who loves to take corners a little sideways & craves for attention whereever he pulls up. The TT is for the more level headed guy who likes to drive up to work everyday in his coupe & have some fun on the weekends as well."
Simply put, id say...
Daily driver = Audi TT for all its practicality.
Fun to drive non daily driver = BMW Z4 for all its rowdiness & ravishing good looks.

3. Finally, the Jaguar:
A beautiful car. Compared to all the above mentioned, the Jaguar is the one to go for.
I mean, just the interiors (exquisite), you will always feel special everytime you enter. I need not talk about the gorgeous exterior.

But, as with most cars which deserve to be bought over any other, servicing is a problem like you have stated. If you can find a reliable source for servicing, id say just go for it. Perfect blend of luxury & performance.

But if not, then any product (not just a car), no matter how amazing, is just not worth buying in India without the peace of mind of getting good service for it.

Hope this helps.

[v.tec]

Thank you all for your detailed replies.

Well firstly an SUV is out of the question. I personally, am not fond of driving SUV's nor is anyone in my family. However if still considering one i would consider an X6 ( as its half a sedan anyway ).

But now the question stays about practicality in everyday driving, i already have an S320 so buying another one does not make sense as its a chaueffer driven car and is really a headache to take out everyday.

The E Category is more of a self drive category and much more fun driving. However the question remains in short:

Wait for the E350?
Go in for a Z4?
or Risk it with a Jaguar? ** NO Service **

Looks of the car are definately important! That is why even an Audi A6 at a steal price is not very exciting further more topping it up with a change of model soon it just fades it away as an option.

Saw the X6 today as well quite liked it, but it is slightly big for the feel of a sedan.

[Angad_kalra]

I went to the Jaguar India website and they have a phone number and a showroom name mentioned (AMP motors) in their contact section for NEW DELHI. I am not sure if this a showroom or a workshop but you can always call them and find out.Jaguar India - Jaguar Cars - Sitemap

[v.tec]

Angad,

Thanks for that link, really helped me. I am going to Pushpanjali farms tomorrow as they have exhibited all their cars there.

Have started leaning towards the XK now. 5.0 L Supercharged V8 is just way too tempting at 66Lakhs.

They have a service center at Mohan Cooperative so it solves the problem and theyre also coming up with a showroom in 2 weeks.

[Xehaust]

You will soon have another option. Nissan is bringing in its 370Z within the week to what ive heard. Its going to be a CBU import. So id suggest you test it out as well. Just make sure that just like Jaguar, your servicing is taken care of.

[ameya]

I think you need to be clear on what you want from the car.

If you want a driver-oriented car, then the BMW 5 series is the car to go for. BMWs have been known for their direct and precise steering and good handling performance. However, they falter to Mercs in the areas of NVH and ride comfort. The latter problem could be mitigated to a certain extent by specifying high profile tyres (smallest available wheels) but steering feedback will inevitebly suffer. The diesel powered BMWs are very good with sufficient low down torque for quick acceleration.

the Mercedes E class is the car to have if all you want is comfort and peace while you travel. The steering is no match to a BMWs but ride quality (especially on our roads) is legendary. NVH is also widely applauded.

the Audi A6 tries to be a bit of both, really. They are however known for their astronomical build quality that even Mercedes struggles to match.

The recently launched Jaguar XF is a breath of fresh air in this stale battle really. It is supposed to be involving to drive and also offers a very good ride quality that can be varied from sport to comfort mode. With a responsible company like Tata owning the brand, I feel it is only a matter of time before dealerships and workshops spring up; certainly in the metros.

Again, these are only my opinions based on what I have read and heard. They could very well be wrong! My advice to you would be to test drive each of the above cars instead of a mere static appraisal. Make sure you use the same piece of tarmac (with a variety of surfaces) for all four vehicles to create as fair a ride assessment as possible. Take the family along so that while you are say assessing steering, the back seat passengers can assess in cabin noise and ride comfort. Try to do the tests back to back on the same day to avoid pollution of the results due to weather and allow consistency in perception.

Hope this helps. All the best.

[nutcracker]

Originally Posted by GTO

Since you are open to used, why consider a new E class at all? Super wide choice of used S Class' in the market. Recent year cars between 40 - 50 lakhs look just like they've driven out of the showroom.

Even the new 7 series has started entering the second hand market. Take a spin, the 7 will blow your mind away. Between the S & the 7, its rather simple. Backseat > Driving = S. Driving > Backseat = 7.

Totally! Plus I truly admire the features of the 7 Series. The iDrive, takes time getting used to, but is practical. And obviously, the 7 Series is a real treat to drive, and looks gracious compared to the S Class but thats just me. Where the S Class takes it is the interior lighting. Its bloody gorgeous.