What to buy for 25 lacs!!

[BMWfanatic]

Hello All

I am new to this forum and in a bit of a soup at the moment. I am from Delhi and looking to buy a new car for about 25 Lacs. I can stretch to 26 lacs max. Note: These are on road costs. I have always loved driving and currently drive a Ford Fiesta (Classic now). I will be buying in the month of July and have shortlisted a few cars. Also, I am 25 years old, single and will be using the car for my self, driving to office everyday in gurgaon and ocasional long trips to Chandigarh with Mom dad, but very less often. In all, I know i want a Diesel, irrespective of my daily running.

1. VW Passat High-line: I visited a local showroom that had this car on display. They had both the Comfort-line and High-line on display, and some how the high-line with its black interiors felt more premium by leaps and bounds than the beige comfort line. I never thought i'll feel so for black interiors. Anyway, the car has the best interior in the segment. It also had a lot of party tricks like auto park assist and ventilated seats with massaging (Yes!). It has a 170 HP engine that is good and frugal. Only problem is that its a big car and i'll be driving it on daily basis. Does that look good

?. Another thing i forgot to mention is the top class driver visibility. The car gives such a good view upfront, something that you hardly get in a luxury car. I hated the Jetta (No offence!) after sitting in the passat. Actually I had gone for the Jetta to VW Showroom . We worked out the on road cost for highline and came to about 27.xx Lacs after 2.5 lac discount (2012 model).

2. Skoda Superb: Again, I will be driving so idea of a limousine like superb dosent sound very attractive. Also Passat has better engine and more classy interior. So SUPERB but No SUPERB.

3. Mercedes A class (UPCOMING): This the car that convinced me to spend 25 lacs but I was put off by the recent scoops of a underpowered 110BHP Diesel. Also India spec car does not have AMG pack as reported by some websites. The BUMPERs are not AMG on the display cars I have seen. Anyway, I believe in brand value and am open to the A class depending on pricing and test drive experience. I am open to it as dont need too much space. BTW I am 6 feet tall, still I struggle for good outside visibility. So I use the seat Height adjustments very generously.

4. Volvo S60: Havent seen the car yet, but had a talk with a sales representative, He is giving the S60 D4 kinetic for 25 lacs ex showroom, after discount. was put off by the idea of thin sales network and really old inventory. But still its a strong contender that I am willing to consider.

I am not looking for SUVs as they are too big for me. I am yet to see the BMW 3 and AUDI a4 but I'm sure they will be out of my budget (anyone!) as I dont want the base models, still can anyone give me more detail on this. Anyway, I am open to a discussion if anyone finds any other car more suitable. Please help me here. Thanks

[F30]

As your name suggests " BMWfanatic' go in for a BMW, simple

If new options are limited;

X1 is the one & only and if you can wait the 1 series hatch will be launched shortly (Sept 2013)

If pre-onwed;

F10 520d, E60 530d, E90 3 series (various engine options available)

^ Above all can be got in an around 25L Range

[PrancingHorse]

While your list of cars is exhaustive, seeing your requirements, you might need to stretch a bit. On the other hand you could get a fully loaded pre owned less run 3 Series or A4 diesel or for that matter a C Class as well. I seriously feel you should look that way. From the list above I would choose the Volvo but as you mentioned the dealer network is not as much compared to the Germans.

[BMWfanatic]

Thanks for the response, F30 and prancing horse. As far as BMW is considered, I love them. I hate how the 1 series looks, so ruled out. about the 3 series. I always buy a new car so looking at f30 320d baseline, Is it worth it? also i heard some people getting close to 3 lacs off so after that it might fit my budget. But isn't it too bare bone.

This is getting more and more confusing. I was hoping u guys will say "passat is good and VFM, go for it" . That would have made things easy. Now I need to stretch, which is hard at this point. Can a BMW 3 or A4 come down to 27 lacs ex showroom after discounts.

@F30 : I see you have a BMW 328i, one of my fantasy cars.. i know its amazing to drive and have read your ownership threads here and there. Also read about new tires. Even I once bought alloys and tires from Performancealloys.com UK for my cousin's 5 series. We got some sweet 19" TSW rims with michelin rubber all for 1.3 lacs before customs. It was a very good experience indeed. ( Not having to deal with frauds in india)( Its a story itself ).

Quick question for you, how is the forward visibility in the car. Do u sit very low and high Dash or does it have an excellent all round visibility.

THANKS

[BMWfanatic]

While your list of cars is exhaustive, seeing your requirements, you might need to stretch a bit. On the other hand you could get a fully loaded pre owned less run 3 Series or A4 diesel or for that matter a C Class as well. I seriously feel you should look that way. From the list above I would choose the Volvo but as you mentioned the dealer network is not as much compared to the Germans.

How is volvo s60 as a car? Is it better than Passat, also how is the resale value compared to the trio and passat?

I really like how volvo looks and as I have a dealer close by, i wont have service issues as well. I am just worried about maintenance costs and resale as it has not been very successful in India. Thanks

[PrancingHorse]

Well I cant assure you of good resale. First of all in today's scenario not even the Germans have great resale value to be honest. Very less driven cars go for really low prices and make for great buys. So as far as resale goes the Volvo might fetch you slightly less than the Germans

AS a car the Volvos are really awesome. They have fantastic build quality and the other thing is they are CBUs so fit and finish is top notch. Inspite of being a CBU you can get a good deal on the price if you buy one. Its got every safety feature that you can think of. Volvos are anyways considered the safest cars in the world. I have driven Volvos and they feel really solid.

As far as maintenance goes even the Germans are not cheap to live with. So I guess you can live with a Volvo.

Do give it a thought. Hope that helped.

[BMWfanatic]

Well I cant assure you of good resale. First of all in today's scenario not even the Germans have great resale value to be honest. Very less driven cars go for really low prices and make for great buys. So as far as resale goes the Volvo might fetch you slightly less than the Germans

AS a car the Volvos are really awesome. They have fantastic build quality and the other thing is they are CBUs so fit and finish is top notch. Inspite of being a CBU you can get a good deal on the price if you buy one. Its got every safety feature that you can think of. Volvos are anyways considered the safest cars in the world. I have driven Volvos and they feel really solid.

As far as maintenance goes even the Germans are not cheap to live with. So I guess you can live with a Volvo.

Do give it a thought. Hope that helped.

wow, thanks.. Thats a good point. Do u have any word on the facelift s60. It has been on the web for quite sometime now. any idea when it comes to india. also, i totally forgot about the volvo v40 crosscountry. That should also be a good option, but somehow s60 is more appealing. What kind of discounts show I be looking at? I mean, i was given a 2 lac discount for a 2012 car over the phone, How low do you think he can go?

[PrancingHorse]

Well look at this way. If he gave you 2 lakhs off on the phone, go to the dealership and tempt him that you will make the booking if he goes down further. Try haggling him for freebies like insurance or maybe a maintenance package if they have one. IMO he should go down 3 lakhs if pestered the right way

I have no clue on the facelift S60 yet though.

The V40 will be here around Diwali

Btw where are you based?

[BMWfanatic]

Well look at this way. If he gave you 2 lakhs off on the phone, go to the dealership and tempt him that you will make the booking if he goes down further. Try haggling him for freebies like insurance or maybe a maintenance package if they have one. IMO he should go down 3 lakhs if pestered the right way

I have no clue on the facelift S60 yet though.

The V40 will be here around Diwali

Btw where are you based?

Ok, I shall try that.

I am from Delhi,

Now I have a job in Gurgaon, so moving there

[PlatzdaTurbo]

Ok im about to suggest the least glamorous of options here but its a tried and tested product in the market & more importantly personally and i feel it should definitely count among your options. Lo n Behold , the 'Skoda Laura TDi Laurin&Klement lol !

Im sorry to burst your bubble incase you expected something better especially since the options youv mentioned above are atleast from a class above but hear me out - Just about a year ago we opted for this very car for heavy running and today after 11 months of ownership i cant tell you how happy and satisfied i am.

In 11 months she has clocked 19,000kms and is still going strong. She was driven extensively through all sorts of roads through Mumbai's unforgiving monsoon and virtually non-existent roads and still flawless ! She has every bell n whistle that the superb has, the same engine in the same set of tune from the superb and that unbelievable DSG box. I regularly get 17-18km/l IN THE CITY (not in bumper2bumper ofcourse). Ok the engine is in a lower set of tune compared to the passat but then they are from different classes and besides, the passat is almost a good 10 lakh dearer.

Car to car its much better value than the Jetta and when you drive her you will realize what a hoot she is to drive. To sum it up- Safe looks, ALL features skoda has got to offer in India, great handling, stiff ride but very very limited body roll , great engine and the legendary DSG.

Ok Skoda will soon be launching the new Octavia but if that is not a deterrent for you , you could be plenty happy with the Laura and she should be around the 20 lakh OTR whereabouts in Delhi.

Good luck !

[F30]

Quick question for you, how is the forward visibility in the car. Do u sit very low and high Dash or does it have an excellent all round visibility.

THANKS

I dont sit extremely low & never have thought/felt lack of visibility, so overall it is pretty much spot on

[BMWfanatic]

Ok im about to suggest the least glamorous of options here but its a tried and tested product in the market & more importantly personally and i feel it should definitely count among your options. Lo n Behold , the 'Skoda Laura TDi Laurin&Klement lol !

Im sorry to burst your bubble incase you expected something better especially since the options youv mentioned above are atleast from a class above but hear me out - Just about a year ago we opted for this very car for heavy running and today after 11 months of ownership i cant tell you how happy and satisfied i am.

In 11 months she has clocked 19,000kms and is still going strong. She was driven extensively through all sorts of roads through Mumbai's unforgiving monsoon and virtually non-existent roads and still flawless ! She has every bell n whistle that the superb has, the same engine in the same set of tune from the superb and that unbelievable DSG box. I regularly get 17-18km/l IN THE CITY (not in bumper2bumper ofcourse). Ok the engine is in a lower set of tune compared to the passat but then they are from different classes and besides, the passat is almost a good 10 lakh dearer.

Car to car its much better value than the Jetta and when you drive her you will realize what a hoot she is to drive. To sum it up- Safe looks, ALL features skoda has got to offer in India, great handling, stiff ride but very very limited body roll , great engine and the legendary DSG.

Ok Skoda will soon be launching the new Octavia but if that is not a deterrent for you , you could be plenty happy with the Laura and she should be around the 20 lakh OTR whereabouts in Delhi.

Good luck !

Thanks Platzda turbo for the input. I used to like the laura alot about 2 years back, one of my relatives went ahead a bought one (elegance trim). Although the car is an allrounder, the air con is not very effective in delhi heat. Secondly, it dosent feel premium anymore, I donno why but, the interiors and the overall package is not very exciting. Even the jetta dosent excite me anymore. I had decided on the jetta in feb (No test drive) and waited for may-june to start the booking procedure, Did not like it. All of a sudden an A class made more sense at this price. (I mean if launched at about 22 lacs ex showroom, Jetta is 19 lacs highline DSG).

Anyway, U have a gem of car ( _/\_ 3.0 TDI). Congrats on that. I called up audi gurgaon today, and the base 2.0 Tdi is 29.90 Lacs ex showroom. When i asked about discounts, He was like come to the showroom sir, we can talk about it. I might consider it if the discounts are good. Thing is, I want to spend about 26-27 lacs, and want the best car in that price. Volvo s60 D4 is also making sense. Confusion confusion

[librankur]

Even with a decent enough budget you are in a fix.

Everything that's out there, you don't like

Mostly what can fit in, is a few months away so wait for those launches.

Personally , its better to take a fully loaded variant of a slightly smaller car than a base variant of a bigger car.I would have gone with the Passat any day as against a base Beemer variant.

[BMWfanatic]

Even with a decent enough budget you are in a fix.

Everything that's out there, you don't like

Mostly what can fit in, is a few months away so wait for those launches.

Personally , its better to take a fully loaded variant of a slightly smaller car than a base variant of a bigger car.I would have gone with the Passat any day as against a base Beemer variant.

Hey, thanks for the input. What launches are you talking about, if its the v40 and and 1 Series, as I learned they are launching after September, I dont think I'll be able to wait that long . Also I have a very similar opinion as urs regarding buying the top spec model instead of a base one. Agree with u there.

Thing is I know BMW is out of budget at the moment but I want to know how far behind are the passat and S60? I mean, is it really worth spending extra ( close to 7-8 lacs extra!) to get a 3 or C. I am looking for a nice fully loaded package and am planning to keep it for 5-7 years

[PrancingHorse]

Trust me, go to the Volvo showroom and sit across the table. Haggle him and Im sure the S60 will fit the bill perfectly.

[Sstar]

@BMWfanatic: Firstly, about the 3 options that you mentioned in the initial post of yours, I would say it has to be between Passat/S60...however, the way you expressed your concerns about driving through traffic in Delhi-Gurgaon-Delhi...believe me non of these two gems would give you driving pleasure and it would not be their fault...it will be traffic.

However, PH has rightly pointed out that VOLVO cars are world's best and most secured cars on the road. But as you said it is little streching of your budget and traffic problem...then I would highly suggest you to go and look for Merc B Class. It is a recently launched Merc..I am sure this is the one you would find it to fit in your needs as it is a big but a hatch with premium feel and would also be more easy to drive in congested roads.

Btw...on Volvo....I work in gurgaon too and my office is in the same building as of Volvo's corporate office...we have 50 odd Volvo's parked in the basement parking lot...be it s60 or XC40 (or whatever the SUV i mean).... all brand new

[PlatzdaTurbo]

Anyway, U have a gem of car ( _/\_ 3.0 TDI). Congrats on that. I called up audi gurgaon today, and the base 2.0 Tdi is 29.90 Lacs ex showroom. When i asked about discounts, He was like come to the showroom sir, we can talk about it. I might consider it if the discounts are good. Thing is, I want to spend about 26-27 lacs, and want the best car in that price. Volvo s60 D4 is also making sense. Confusion confusion

As an Audi owner let me first get one thing out of the way, the A4 2.0 TDi is NOT worth all that money. Yea ok it has the features and the Audi badge but 140bhp with a multitronic ???? EVEN ON THE FACELIFT ??? I dont know which clown at Audi decides to overlook plonking 170hp and a better gearbox in whats their bread n butter car in India. The Laura/ Jetta have superior gearboxes and lesser weights hence they are quicker and more practical at a much lower price. The Q5 and Passat get 170hp + & even the superb though in 140hp tune, still gets the DSG box and hence its a gem to drive. Besides the superb too is cheaper and more practical than the A4 2 diesel. In short, ALL its relatives have an upper hand over it !! The A4 2.0 TDi is almost treated as a step-child by Audi and god knows why !? With a better drivetrain it can give some stiff competition to BMW and Merc but as of now in this tune it ought to be steamrolled. I dont see what exactly you pay 30 lakhs for with the A4 2.0 TDi.

Yes the Volvo does make the best sense here. Good looking, exlcusive, good diesel engine too and you will get good discounts. Give it a shot !

Good luck

[BMWfanatic]

@ all, thanks for the input. So finally I am deciding between the S60 and the Passat highline. I dont like the B class as its looks so uncool, and is petrol at the moment.

Going to visit the volvo showroom soon, will decide depending on discounts on what to settle for.

One last query, WHY NOT THE A CLASS??? (I know underpowered (one)), but if launched for 22 lacs (Diesel, ex showroom), then

[PrancingHorse]

Well if you are ok with a hatch, yes you could add the A Class to the equation but you would rather hold your horses till it is launched on May 30th. Pricing will be the key

[monaco]

I would suggest passat, it is the largest selling med-large car in the world and overall the fifth largest seling car in the world. so that proves its reliabilty also. if you can consider suvs then fortuner and cr-v is also a good choice in your budget.

[dr_nishu]

It has to be VW Passat as per your views.

Heard that it's not that much involving to drive as a Skoda Laura or BMW or might be a Volvo.

Actually Passat has got everything to be a Luxury car but make sure one thing before signing a cheque -Investment on Buying a car is 40% of job done & rest 60% for upkeeping it is another task.

So its your money, spend it wisely specifically i'd suggest buy the car which falls comfortably in your budget not for which you needs to extend your budget.

My suggestion is to wait for Mercs A-class CDi, reason being that most of the times you drive singly & it's of appropriate size for today's Trafficky scenario with keeping in the Luxury quotient in mind.

Another being its a Mercs & got everything what a C-class got or even E-class gets i.e The feel, the brand, the image & many more.

[librankur]

@BMWFANATIC

A Class is expected to be launched right in your desired zone , still I would keep batting for the Passat .

How far have you reached in your decision making process ?

[Sstar]

@BMWFANATIC

A- Class is arrived finally...did you get chance to check it out on Merc dealer?

[BMWfanatic]

Hi Everyone. First of all I am extremely sorry for a delayed response. I was busy with some personal stuff.

Its decision time. I have to book the car this week. I have really appreciated everyone's input.

Here is my take on my situation. IT has to be a new car. It has to be the A class. I Saw the car and there is was. It looks so good. So good. I drove the diesel version but the car inside the showroom was a petrol(it looked better).

I have enquired about everything.

The car is about 23.xx lacs ex showroom. About 27.xx on road(Delhi) + 70k for diamond grille+ 60k ( Silver colour) . As of now the diamond grill is compulsory as the first lot cars were shipped with this grill. August onwards one can save those 70k and get a regular 2 bar grill, which also looks incredible i must say.

Now about diesel vs petrol. It is more like diesel vs sunroof(Diesel dosent have a sunroof, petrol has). Also the interiors of petrol version look much better, i felt. Petrol also has slightly better looking steering wheel( perforated with contrast stitching) . Head says diesel heart says sunroof. ( I am not into petrol engines, I like fast diesels) . So I hope u guys can help me decide.

All other options(cars) are either expensive or not as tempting as the A class. Its truly A class apart . Anyway just for a healthy discussion. Other Option I have is a MERC C220 Sport. Old inventory discounts. In all it was exactly 4 lacs more than A if i buy it in a non metallic shade. It loses out on Xenons, sunroof, but adds power passenger seat and a better engine (160 Hp). Also it is more car for the money. So it was a very confusing visit to the showroom. Now at this I have two mercs to decide between.

As plazda pointed out, No A4. And BMW well, its expensive, baseline comes with smaller rims, and I think C class sport with AMG kit looks slightly better. it will also be 1-2 lacs above C class sport. And then there is no limit, on can keep adding 1-2 lacs and it will always go on.

Well, Please help me. I shall be closing the deal in a day or two.

Thanks a lot

[BMWfanatic]

Hi Everyone. First of all I am extremely sorry for a delayed response. I was busy with some personal stuff.

Its decision time. I have to book the car this week. I have really appreciated everyone's input.

Here is my take on my situation. IT has to be a new car. It has to be the A class. I Saw the car and there is was. It looks so good. So good. I drove the diesel version but the car inside the showroom was a petrol(it looked better).

I have enquired about everything.

The car is about 23.xx lacs ex showroom. About 27.xx on road(Delhi) + 70k for diamond grille+ 60k ( Silver colour) . As of now the diamond grill is compulsory as the first lot cars were shipped with this grill. August onwards one can save those 70k and get a regular 2 bar grill, which also looks incredible i must say.

Now about diesel vs petrol. It is more like diesel vs sunroof(Diesel dosent have a sunroof, petrol has). Also the interiors of petrol version look much better, i felt. Petrol also has slightly better looking steering wheel( perforated with contrast stitching) . Head says diesel heart says sunroof. ( I am not into petrol engines, I like fast diesels) . So I hope u guys can help me decide.

All other options(cars) are either expensive or not as tempting as the A class. Its truly A class apart . Anyway just for a healthy discussion. Other Option I have is a MERC C220 Sport. Old inventory discounts. In all it was exactly 4 lacs more than A if i buy it in a non metallic shade. It loses out on Xenons, sunroof, but adds power passenger seat and a better engine (160 Hp). Also it is more car for the money. So it was a very confusing visit to the showroom. Now at this I have two mercs to decide between.

As plazda pointed out, No A4. And BMW well, its expensive, baseline comes with smaller rims, and I think C class sport with AMG kit looks slightly better. it will also be 1-2 lacs above C class sport. And then there is no limit, on can keep adding 1-2 lacs and it will always go on.

Well, Please help me. I shall be closing the deal in a day or two.

Thanks a lot

Edit: C220 is 170HP.

As I pointed out earlier, I dont need much space in a car. As mostly it will only be driven by me. Anyway C class space is very much comparable to the A sans the boot.

I want a good car, that is easy to maintain and is special. A felt more special than C. What do you think?