Time To Fulfill Childhood Dream of Owning The Beast - Tata Safari Storme

[be2_sharma]

It had been around 10-12 years since I fell in love with this beast & always dreamt of owning one in this life time. When the maturity struck I came to know the niggles & problems associated with the Safari but that didn't deter me from fulfilling my dream. Started saving up and there was a time when I had enough money to buy a hatchback and the family was forcing me to buy a car as it was needed but I had other plans as the rumored 'Merlin' was under testing.

After a lot of checking the online forums & stuffs in magazine, spyshots of the Storme & all, I kind of grew a love-hate relation with the storme, I loved the so called improvements but didn't like the looks specially the removal of the spare tire from the rear door. I was in two minds whether to buy it or not, then came the news of the Ecosport coming round the corner, after a full 6 months wait I disregarded it & started liking the storme after having a look at it in flesh.

Current day

Test drove the Storme two days back & now can't get enough of it, I am getting sleepless nights thinking about the beast & when I get sleep I dream of driving it...

The dealer here in Bareilly is quoting 12.68 lakhs for the EX model & no discounts or anything, only giving 12K as exchange bonus.

Questions that need to be cleared before I go ahead.

1) Which model should I go for between LX & EX. Does the small added features of EX worth it for the price difference.

2) Storme owners can please tell me things to watch out for before & during the buying time.

3) I am from the shipping industry so have got an NRI account in Axis, am I eligible for loan, if yes then which bank is best for me?

4) Anything you guys want me to know at this time.

Many thanks to all, first for accepting me in here & then helping me out in fulfilling my dream.

 

[Superbad]

Re: Time to fulfill the childhood dream of owning the beast

I think ex has fog lamps and rear windshield wash and wipe.
Came to know both of these things cannot be retrofitted.
So regarding that on the variants, it is your call .
Whether you need those added features or those are of no use to you.

You can press for discounts.
He would say no, but you can show him the official sales figures and can try to extract a deal out of it.

 

[be2_sharma]

@superbad: Thanks for the response, actually the features that are additional in EX are:

- Fog lamps
- Rear wash & wipe
- Roof mounted rear air con
- Driver & passenger arm rest
among others

What ever I have heard these if fitted after market will not look neat. So the heart says I should go for EX.

First hurdle cleared, now coming to other things to know before booking.

Sorry, but I didn't understand how I should ask them for discounts, can you please elaborate, because ours is a city where only influential people go for such vehicles and thus the dealers don't bother to give discounts. Any ideas will be very well appreciated. I am not too good at it.

 

[Superbad]

Are there any other TML Dealers around?
Maybe within city limits etc.
Ask for a quote.
They would give their figure.
You could then ask that it is ok,but what about discounts?

He would deny .
You can then press that other TMl dealers are giving discounts on storme.

So you should match those prices.

Also try to look for finance and insurance by your own.
Look for the internet to contact Them to offer you a competitive quote.

Then ask your dealer to match their quotes.
If He agrees fine , else look to get insurance on your own.

 

[teamsachinf1]

@be_sharma ! since u have an NRE account you are not eligible for a loan but what can be done is u can be a co applicant and one of your family members i.e your mom father or wife etc can be the applicant.

 

[ADS99]

Hi buddy, get Tata Safari Storme EX. That will fulfill all your childhood dream requirment.

 

[be2_sharma]

Thanks superbad for the help, but there are no other TAT dealers in the city but may be look around in the near by city.

Regarding registration & insurance, I am in talks with a friend who says that his contacts will do that much cheaper than the dealers. Lets see the outcome.

@teamsach: yeah, thats what the SBI loan manager said, I have to take the loan on my wife's behalf.

@ADS: Thanks buddy, I will be going for the EX variant.

 

[mukesh]

@be2_sharma, the major difference in LX & EX is the rear A/C other wise rest of the things you can get from aftermarket and that too very cheap. Moreover you can get the rear A/C as well fitted from aftermarket for 14k (depending if you want to play with the warrantey)
I own Storme LX since January and enjoying every KM i drive. You can read my ownership review at http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...safari-storme-comes-home-dream-fulfilled.html

 

[be2_sharma]

@mukesh: I have been following your thread for the last 2 months after joining & that had really helped in making the decision to go for the beast.

During the test drive my thighs were touching the steering even though it was adjusted to the lowest possible position, although it is not a problem at all for me currently as I am not that huge(fat) but 6' tall now at 26 y.o. but might be a problem for my father who is on the fatter side. I recollect even you had this issue how did you cope with it.

Coming to the variant diff. all the things can be fitted after market for almost half the price diff b/w LX & EX, but will they look nice, coz in our small towns its hard to get skilled people doing the job.

 

[mukesh]

@be2_sharma, the steering position in storme could have been better in Storme but it does not touches the thighs during driving, i am also on a fatter side 104Kgs with 5'11 hight and driving Storme with ease. related to accessories, there are lots of shops available in delhi eg, lajpat nagar,Kashmere gate, palika bhawan & karol bagh but rightly said by you these may not be available in small town. To me LX is the most VFM variant.

 

[quitefar]

fantastic choice. my two cents about the choice among fitting stuff aftermarket, vs getting it along the vehicle. the factory fitting is unmatchable with the aftermarket fittings.
for lot of stuff, aftermarket work is acceptable, provided you find a skilled guy, but with things like rear AC, and such trivial and important stuff, i would rather pay a little premium and have peace of mind. EX would be choice for me.
all the best.

 

[soumyen]

Hi buddy, get Tata Safari Storme EX. That will fulfill all your childhood dream requirment.

hey , just go for the storme ex buddy , it has got all the features apart from airbags, fog lamps , overhead a/c . i just bought the beast 2 months back loving it. Only a few minor niggles of sound you have to bear it , apart from the the fit & finish of any tata cars. drove to ooty from goa , took the 36 bends up , pure beast , all thrill.

 

[be2_sharma]

Thanks everyone, all your comments have made my decision to go for the EX model. Now the next part is deciding the bank for loan, options available:

Important part to consider is I have an NRI status because I work half the year outside India.

1) SBI - Agreed to give a loan to me, interest rate offered - 10.45%,processing fees - around 5K, loan amount will be 85%, loan & car will be in my wife's name, I will only be the co-applicant. Plus a lot lot of paper work to fulfill the requirements.

2) AXIS - I have my NRI salary account with them, offering me 10.6% rate instead of regular 11%, processing fee - 3500, loan amount 85%, same all in wife's name. Need PAN of wifey & just address & income proof for me, thats it.

3) TMF - Tata motor finance, they are offering 9% flat rates, but the Storme salesmen told me not to go for TMF as the interest counted for 5 years will come out to be around half of the interest amount. Now, can anyone elaborate the TMF schemes because if we see the cases of others like Mahindra & VW, they are giving lower interest rates than banks to sell their products, then why is TATA charging so much?

 

[be2_sharma]

Finalised Axis bank to get the loan, will be going out of India on Tuesday, so would be making the booking after I come back in July 1st week. The last thing that needs to be finalized is the colour, If possible can someone show me a link to some colors in RL shots, went to the showroom but they only had Pearl Champagne & UB. I really wanted to see the White color.

 

[visran]

I really wanted to see the White color.

You can check out Mukesh's car in the ownership thread http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...safari-storme-comes-home-dream-fulfilled.html