[kumar2007]

New to this forum but have been reading this for a few days.

I have a Scorpio which I want to sell [a bit cramped and am fed up of the 'high' seating] and am looking for a diesel in the above budget.

Driving will be 90% city and rest highway. Never more than 2 adults and a kid [mostly alone]. 1000-1500 km per month [but I still want a diesel as I low the love end power that diesels have].

Options that I am considering are:

New:

1. Optra Magnum
2. Elantra
3. Octavia
4. Sonata Embera

Used:

1. Laura - maybe 1 year old
2. C-class maybe 3-4 yrs old

In the new what would you guys suggest? and in the used what would you suggest?

Would it be completely silly to buy a 4 yr old C? Did they have the 220cdi 4 yrs ago? Because I heard that the earlier model of the C diesel was not that good.

Should I look at a manual or automatic?

Any other suggestions that I may have overlooked?

Sorry for so many questions at a time.

[arunk]

if u can get a DSG in the used car market, that would be my choice. Great car, vfm, also might get better resale value too

[GTO]

Kumar,

From brand new options, the Optra Magnum suits your requirements the best. The Optra was anyways a nice car, and the turbo-diesel has gotten itself rave reviews. Just search around the forum.

If you are able to find a clean piece, a used Laura makes sense as long as you dont want to drive too enthusiastically. Make sure you opt for a DSG only...and not the manual version.

As much as I love the C220, I wouldnt recommend a 4 year old C Class because earlier C's were very problematic. Also, when trouble does come up, it will cost an arm and a leg to repair. It will be very difficult to predict how trouble free even a certified C will be.

Test-drive both : A new Magnum and some used Lauras. And keep us updated on your purchase!

[BUSA]

C-class maybe 3-4 yrs old

Dont even think about this, maintainance will be real high and previous C class have had quite a few issues with them. If you wanna buy a Merc better buy one in warranty or a W124 or W140, these were built like a tank.

I would suggest the laura elegance and then the Magnum LT

[GTO]

Originally Posted by BUSA

previous C class have had quite a few issues with them. If you wanna buy a Merc better buy one in warranty or a W124 or W140, these were built like a tank.

The W140 is reliable? Thats news to me Busa. It is amongst the most high maintainence Mercs one can buy, especially the pre-1996 ones. 1997 onward, they were better but still not what one would call reliable or easy to maintain.

The W124....Yup, agreed.

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by kumar2007

Would it be completely silly to buy a 4 yr old C? Did they have the 220cdi 4 yrs ago?

Stay away !!! And no they did not have the C220 4 years ago, it was the C200 CDi

Shouldnt the Laura Elegance fit into your budget too? The Optra diesel would be the 2nd best option.

[BUSA]

@ GTO i thought the best Merc ever was the W140? :S

[GTO]

Sure is....I prefer the huge imposing look of the W140 to any other. Buttttttttttttttttt it can be a nightmare to maintain. Mercedes' first venture into complex electronics...need I say anymore ?

[Akshay1234]

i would say the laura. lovely dsg gear box.

[vasudeva]

Why not the Sonata Embera. Hyundai definitely now has a improved quality and service rep. than the other 3, and by most accounts has improved a lot to the extent that Jay Leno jokes may no longer be valid (in case you have not heard, he joked `how do you double the value of a Hyundai?, Answer: fill it with gas!).

However I have never purchased a Hyundai because somehow I was not looking for what they were offering in that segment. I think it may be preferable to GM, Laura, and Merc for service, reliability, and ownership cost. Embera has also recently come out with a diesel auto.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by vasudeva

Why not the Sonata Embera. Hyundai definitely now has a improved quality and service rep. than the other 3, and by most accounts has improved a lot to the extent that Jay Leno jokes may no longer be valid (in case you have not heard, he joked `how do you double the value of a Hyundai?, Answer: fill it with gas!).

However I have never purchased a Hyundai because somehow I was not looking for what they were offering in that segment. I think it may be preferable to GM, Laura, and Merc for service, reliability, and ownership cost. Embera has also recently come out with a diesel auto.

the diesel is supposed to have a very small powerband.. it would be easier with an auto except that the auto is a 4 speed.

[rubin2006]

Go for used Laura best car in diesel .10 -15 lacks is very wide budget if you are near 15 lacks then nothing would beat Skoda Laura and if its near 10 then Optra Magnum is even better - Honestly for C class u need to stretch your budget a little Bit ,Like say 20 lacks 15 lacks for buying and 5 lacks for emergency repairs which can come up in ownership period of 3-5 years as the car would already be older by 3-4 years .Its might look easy to buy a used Merc but it can be attributed as pure luck to keep a used merc for 4-5 years and not spend a Bomb on it and i am not talking about older models Before 1997

optra if your budget is around 10 lakhs and skoda laura if it is around 15 lakhs..

[karan561]

1. Optra Magnum

If you are looking at sheer performance then the Magnum is the most powerful and comes at a good price .
With the pick of a 0 - 100 @ 9.8 secs , it becomes even faster than the Merc Cdi , and a torque of 32 kgm , which is enough to move an SUV too. Quite economical also should be giving you an average of say 13-14 in city and 15-16 on the highway.(but FE is highly dependent on the way you drive)
2. Elantra

Elantra is out of question , because the new model is going to be launched may be around july '08 , so if you can wait for that one , it should be worth the wait. But the present model is outdated.


3. Octavia

It is the most famous and common of the lot , it sure is having an great engine but is OUTDATED once again , I personally wouldnt opt for the OCTY.
4. Sonata Embera
The embera should be a good choice as it is the most comfortable car of the LOT . Its having a good 6-speed MT which is a joy to use. The only negative is that the car doest handle well.


(2nd hand choices) ;


Skoda Laura n merc. 220-cdi ;
I personally own an Laura L&K (MT) it is really torquey , and the 0 -100 timings goes in a mere 11.5 secs. , and very much stable @ high speeds .It is the car which is having the most features , and technically more advanced than the lot.lnfact it is better than the C-class because it is having a few features that the C-class also doesnt have , like the Xenons .
The FE of the Laura manual should be 12-14(city) 17-18(highway)

[BUSA]

lnfact it is better than the C-class because it is having a few features that the C-class also doesnt have , like the Xenons .

Where did that come from, drive a C and then a Laura, the C is loops ahead then the Lawra, please. Just because the Laura has more features doesnot make it a better car, the C is better balanced has better brakes, is faster, more stable, i can go on and on and on. Oh yeah its RWD too