New 2007 Vti ??

[tricka]

Greetings
at the risk of offending the moderator?? I am about to buy a new (2007 complied 2006 built) VTi auto, sheepskins, mats, dash protector, tints, centre console and rain guards. Best quote so far is $21,500 drive away through a car broker (I'm in Sydney).
2 questions -
1. is Roseberry Honda repectable as a dealer (as much as one can be) or do they have a poor reputation among the members?
2. Is there any driving advantage to fitting 15 or 16 inch wheels. I am unconcerned by cosmetics but want the most comfort I can get (I understand the ride can be rough over some surfaces). Do larger rims and good quality tyres help? If so are the Honda ones as good as any or is ther a particular combo I should organise in advance and get swapped over immed on delivery?
Many thanks for your help and comments
Tricka

[SiReal]

Can't help you with (1), but with number (2), usually, the smaller the wheel means the bigger the sidewall of the tyre, hence more 'padding' meaning more comfort. the lower profile the tyre (i.e. bigger the alloy), the less roll there will be, however you will be able to feel the bumps more noticeably.

Good quality tyres usually mean better grip in wet and dry and lower levels of road noise.

For a jazz, I would stick to 15" and no larger if you want comfort. 16" on a jazz will most likely require low profile tyres, which end up costing more and u may compromise a bit of comfort, but negligable in most cases.

let me know if i am unclear ;)

[tricka]

Hi Si Real
very clear - thank you
do you have a recommendation for a tyre/rim combo in a 15 inch? Is any tyre in particular better over what comes stock?
Cheers tricka

[Jazzdude]

I have Pirelli Dragons on mine. They are a bit more noisy compared to the Yoko's, but much better grip and a more comfortable.

[tricka]

Thanks Jazzdude for your input

[SiReal]

Tricka, as for tyres, remember, you get what you pay for. I've always stuck to one brand, cos all the other brands have turned me off. Yokohama are one of the best tyres I have ever used. Even the more budget-ish A drives are great (krogoth can vouch for this). For a bit more go, the C Drives are great as well.

Michelin i hate with a vengence. The ones I am running are the noisiest, shitty gripping tyres I have ever used.

But keep in mind, that I would never buy tyres known to be crap like : falken, nankang, ling longs, cheap imports.

stick with the better brands and listen to the advce the tyre shops give you. most ppl say they';re talking shit but 9/10, they know what they;re talking about.

also, as for rims, get your own design, keep it reasonable width (as close to stock as possible), and then choose your tyre from there.

[TECBOY]

na bro thats a sick car man. go for it. sick as bro. like my wrx but hotter

[tricka]

Thank you Si real

[7th Gen]

who did you go through? which broker?

[fundies]

Jazz VTI's come standard with Yokohama Aspec tyres. These tyres are very ordinary, and the 1st thing I did when I got my VTI was ditch these. I bought some 16inch alloys with 195/45 Nankang tyres, and the grip/handling level is heaps better, with only a slight ride quality compromise. Also you get more tyre noise with sports tyres, but I found with the Nankangs, this reduces as the sharp edges wear on the tread after a few months. At $100 a tyre, they are a bargain and highly recommended.

[nemes|s]

When you say Rosebury Honda I'm assuming your refering to Larke Hoskins Honda, if so then look for this guy called Sorin. He was the sales rep I dealt with and was happy with his service. Nice friendly guy and managed to get me my civic vti in 5 weeks instead of 2 1/2months as initially proposed.
So yeah... i reckon they're pretty alright. The Sales manager however was a bit of a f***head, arrogant stuck-up sonuvabitch. cant remember his name but he's this baldish, short guy. If you can... i'd avoid talking to him cos he'd give you a bad impression of Larke Hoskins Rosebury.

my 2 cents.

[SiReal]

Jazz VTI's come standard with Yokohama Aspec tyres. These tyres are very ordinary, and the 1st thing I did when I got my VTI was ditch these. I bought some 16inch alloys with 195/45 Nankang tyres, and the grip/handling level is heaps better, with only a slight ride quality compromise. Also you get more tyre noise with sports tyres, but I found with the Nankangs, this reduces as the sharp edges wear on the tread after a few months. At $100 a tyre, they are a bargain and highly recommended.


Really? yokohamas have always been a very well made tyre. Have a read of the tyre thread and do a search on Nankangs. Nothing but bad press. But you're coming from expereience. Take note that you also upgraded to 16s from 14s, hence you would expect better corner. If you compared size for size, then it might be a completely different story :)

[fundies]

Really? yokohamas have always been a very well made tyre. Have a read of the tyre thread and do a search on Nankangs. Nothing but bad press. But you're coming from expereience. Take note that you also upgraded to 16s from 14s, hence you would expect better corner. If you compared size for size, then it might be a completely different story :)

Some Yokohamas are very good(and expensive), Aspecs are serious rubbish. I heard a lot of good press on tyre forums about Nankang NS2's, and I haven't been disappointed. They are not a race tyre, but an excellent value, very good allround sports street tyre.

[Jazzle]

guess what i have experiences with both larke hoskin honda in rosebury and homebush.. and i would suggest you to go somewhere else. have an extremely bad impression, and from what I know, servicing your car in larke hoskin dealer is a rip off and they do a very dodgy job. Collins Honda in rockdale isnt really far from rosebery and the sales people there are very friendly and nice. + their service department is heaps better. :thumbsup:


When you say Rosebury Honda I'm assuming your refering to Larke Hoskins Honda, if so then look for this guy called Sorin. He was the sales rep I dealt with and was happy with his service. Nice friendly guy and managed to get me my civic vti in 5 weeks instead of 2 1/2months as initially proposed.
So yeah... i reckon they're pretty alright. The Sales manager however was a bit of a f***head, arrogant stuck-up sonuvabitch. cant remember his name but he's this baldish, short guy. If you can... i'd avoid talking to him cos he'd give you a bad impression of Larke Hoskins Rosebury.

my 2 cents.

[tricka]

many thanks to one and all.
car broker was private fleet but will buy direct through a dealer as I quite like to make a game of it! You know they can't negotiate out of a paper bag.
Thank you - will go out to Rockdale and have a look at Collins. But at the end of the day dealers are dealers. Their sole objective is to separate you for as much money as they can and make you feel good about the experience (abit like dentists)! It would be nice to talk with someone who knew their product! I am amazed at what poor knowledge they had about the engineering of the car. Even up to the Sales Manager level. Still bugger of a job so tend to be abit forgiving.
Out of interest drove the Colt as well. Quite liked it (well apart from the horrendous foot park brake and weird column shift auto). Fun.
Liked the Gli just as much as the Vti (actually liked the interior trim more) and will probably get one of those to suit our needs. Also really like the manual Honda box; very very easy to drive.
Will get some 15 inch lightweight rims and decent tyres.
Thanks again
Best wishes
Tricka

[vividjazz]

The 14" 175 ASpecs that come standard on the VTi are really crap. No traction wet or dry, poor wear, weak sidewalls. Mine slashed straight thru the sidewall along the join from an ordinary pothole. They would have to be the worst car tyres I have ever had the misfortune of driving on. They are a total embarrassment to Yokohamas other very fine products.

I put on Pirelli P6000 after the ASpecs were sliced to shreads and my car towed home. 1000% better traction wet and dry. Don't squeal like the ASpecs in corners at 40km/hr. The Pirelli are a bit noisey but still quieter than the ASpecs (almost anything would be). Yokohama C Drives are excellent and have lower road noise. Goodyears are excellent also. You can't get ultra high performance tyres in 14" only high performance from each of the manufacturers ranges.

The standard 15" tyres on the VTiS are a world apart from the ASpec donuts of death. If you value your life change the ASpecs as soon as possible they really are that bad.

[icejazz]

I agree with the negative comment on the Yokahama Aspecs. I have nearly 40K on mine and they are starting to get quite noisy. They still have a fair amount of tread but my wife hit the gutter a bit harder once and one of them split apart. I replaced it with a different brand and second hand.

[SiReal]

interesteing re A SPECs. point taken :thumbsup:

[tricka]

Hi one and all
quick update: Larke Hoskins Roseberry were very disappointing (and in the case of the Sales Manager downright dishonest) in my dealings with them, which were not good. I cannot recommend them in their sales department. I cannot comment on their service department but do not intend to take the chance given, in my experience, a culture of exploitation tends to permeate through an organisation.
The sales dept at Collins were a great deal more up front and "this is what we can do" and we would be happy to have your business should you choose to buy with us and at least didn't put on the **** and Teeth Show for accessories. Collins are prepared to do $21750 on road for a 07 VTi auto with mats tints etc and also changing the wheels over to a decent 14 inch flavour (15 VTIs' are another $1000 ); 19700 for an auto Gli with same spec.
Interesting. :cool:

[kreugar2000]

Hi all

I bought my VTi from Collins Honda a few weeks ago and I live in western Sydney. I agree with Tricka that the sales staff were more upfront. They said that for the price they were quoting for the Jazz, we should just get the Civic instead. However the Jazz was more practical for our needs. They didn't even push for the paint protection that most dealers want to sell you ... if this is what's meant by the **** and Teeth show?

Tricka, it sounds like you have been given the same deal I was given. For the price difference between the VTi and the GLi, go with the VTi instead.

Let us know how you go.

Cheers

[true]

I recommend 15"
15" with 195/50/15 is good looking with comfy
16" on the other hand with 205/40/16 for me is too low profile
i have a celica b4 with 215/35/18 which is very uncomfy
for the road is just a very very little bumpy


Personally recommend Bridgestone GIII

[DOHCVTEC]

Hi one and all
quick update: Larke Hoskins Roseberry were very disappointing (and in the case of the Sales Manager downright dishonest) in my dealings with them, which were not good. I cannot recommend them in their sales department. I cannot comment on their service department but do not intend to take the chance given, in my experience, a culture of exploitation tends to permeate through an organisation.
The sales dept at Collins were a great deal more up front and "this is what we can do" and we would be happy to have your business should you choose to buy with us and at least didn't put on the **** and Teeth Show for accessories. Collins are prepared to do $21750 on road for a 07 VTi auto with mats tints etc and also changing the wheels over to a decent 14 inch flavour (15 VTIs' are another $1000 ); 19700 for an auto Gli with same spec.
Interesting. :cool:

Totally agree with this post. I have personal experience with both these dealers. Some sales staffs at The Larke Hoskins Honda at both Rosebury and Homebush are very dishonest, rude and intimidating. I would not recommend any of you to go there for a new or used car. I would not let them touch or service my car at all!

Collins Honda at Rockdale, on the other hand, did a very good job. It is far easier to trust them instead of Larke hoskin. Every dude at Collins were friendly, very honest and up front. I ended up buying the car there.

[tedh1951]

Are you a member of a trade union? If so, try accessing Union Shopper and see how they go with your new Jazz purchase price. I have bought both my wife's 2000 CRV and my 2005 Jazz VTI-S through this organization. They act as a broker and their fees are absorbed by the ACTU or options they arrange - tow bars, tint, parking sensors etc. Honda will also provide these accessories, but often at a higher price than the broker. Get your best price first, know which options you want, if any, be ready to buy. The Jazz was delivered to the door, with a full tank of essence, from Southern Highlands Honda - about an hour south of home, and at a price much better than I could negotiate. The price savings covered accessories I mightn't normally consider.
Both the CRV and Jazz, as well as a previous Civic and Accord, have been well looked after by Collins Honda at Rockdale (Banksia) - but I wasn't treated particularly well by one member of the sales staff - I was dressed in my old painting shorts when I visited, the ones with the $25,000 cash in the pocket. Looks can be deceptive - take care, old blokes can be tricky (or stupid).

[tricka]

Thanks for the posts.
I too eventually was led to Southern Honda and thoroughly enjoyed dealing with Lee the Sales Manager. He was very upfront and honest in my dealings with him and was $500 cheaper than any other dealer I have dealt with. Thoroughly recommend the dealership to one and all. And it was great to deal with someone who could make the deals on the phone.
At the end of the day we have decided to pick a up a second hand jazz while we wait for the 2008 model to hit the market sometime next year which we will buy new. I suspect it will get the 6 airbags as per the US and body changes but that is it. Am buying an 06 Gli for 14k while we wait.
Not a member of the trade union but got to Southern via Private Fleet.
Lee takes the attitude that he won't give away discounts but is willing to negotiate to have the volume he needs.
Yes - very silly to think someone dressed in old painting shorts doesn't have the cash in his back pocket. More often than not that is exactly what they have.
Cheers
tricka

[racinghonda]

We have 16" wheels on the Jazz (http://www.racinghonda.com/pictures/jazzSpoonSprings/DSCF8235.jpg) and i wished they were 15s. There is too much of a straight line performance cost due to the higher rotational mass and contact patch. Fuel consumption went up by 1L/100kms by fitting 16s (205/45R16). Handling is great but the car is slower.

On topic, that is a great price for all the kit you are getting!