dear all,
I am a new entrant to this group. I was gapling which car to buy, and had the sprectrum open from a nano to a BMW, but restriced to the c and d segment. I further made test drives of many a car. I hit upon this discussion group. on reading the thread, was convinced on Optra, took the test drive and , now I have booked a Magnum Optra LT, and would be getting the delivery in a couple of days. I thought I should communicate to this group as this tread was a one which helped me make the decision.
I would like to share my experience in the choice of cars. I shall attempt to do so, with the winning point of optra over the cars. All are petrol versions only, top end.
1. Corolla altis : this was my first choice. A great car, but I feel over priced. Optra has all the features and even more (sun roof) for a price differential of 4 lacs. i thought the brand was the only factor between them. This was amply clarrified by this group and I was convinced.
2. Civic: again as the altis, but very low ground clearance. I saw a number of Civics with bumbers being scrubbed and scrached. the price differential of over 4.5 lacs
3. Verna : is a good road hugging car, but I found that frequent gear change was required. As I am a city guy, this was a disadvantage to me. More over the reverse gear was a different, which was uncomfortable for me ( optra also has the similar reverse gear, but the other features scored way above this disadvantage)
4. City: a very over rated car I thought. For the price of optra but without alloy wheels, music system, auto climate control, leather seats etc.
5. Lenia : fell in love with it initially, but realised it was an teen love. A good car, has a long way to go in respect of interiors. One good feature was the engine power. you can drive at 30 kmph in the 5th gear. the waiting time for a petrol was over 4 weeks.
6. SX4 : Is again a good car, but did not have the josh in me.
7. Feista : was not very impressed, as many cabs drive them. Came to know that the maintenance was pretty high.
8. Scoda : did not go near it, as was told that the service in Chennai is pathetic.
9. Dezire : The waiting time would kill any one. so out of choice.
What I liked in the mangum optra was the price ; ( got it for 9.75 on road) which is no secret. All you need is to show real interest and the dealer will come down streadly. further, the space inside the car is really huge. sun roof is an attraction for the kids. some benz technology is incorporated in it in the air filter (i was told). No additional accessories need, all factory fitted.
Thougth will share some thoughts on my reasearch which choosing the car. I am certainly not advertising for optra, but hope it would be a good choice.
hoping to have a great time with my cashmere optra magnum LT petrol 1.6
