Thread Starter
#1
Foreword:-
My job location is in a remote village some 40km away from the nearest city and I need to travel to the city for almost everything apart from basic amenities. The responsibility of taking me to the city was entrusted to my Yamaha FZS FI ver 2.0 and she has done hell of a job in that. But after getting married recently, the thought of going to the city with my wife in pillion on a busy highway in a place with complete disregard to traffic rules was something I was not comfortable with. Moreover with ambient temperature of 2-4 degree C in the winters, bike was not a viable mode of transport with a lady at the pillion. The need of a car started growing and when my wife joined a job in the city, it was apparent, the time to buy a car has come.
The first car dilemma: (August to October)
Buying one’s first car is job of tremendous pressure and if you don’t know how to drive, you will have to rely solely on reviews and friend’s suggestions in choosing a car. I went through the usual process of deciding the budget, fuel, must have features and reading/watching each and every review to finalize the car. Summary of my thought process can be found here:
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/car-shopper/27675-first-car-dilemma.html
Summary:-
Budget: 8-9L
Fuel: - Diesel
Must have features: Dual Airbag and ABS
The top contenders: Ford Aspire Titanium, Volkswagen Ameo Comfortline, Hyundai Accent, Maruti Suzuki Baleno (Yes i20 was not even on the list)
I personally did not like the styling of Honda Amaze and found it way too costly for the limited features it offered. I did not want anything from the TATA, Mahindra stable and did not bother looking into their offerings.
Pre Sales Dealership Experience:- (1st October)
Volkswagen:-
Incidentally I visited the Volkswagen showroom in the very day the Diesel Ameo was launched in Mumbai. As no details of the diesel version was available, I looked into the petrol version to get an idea of the features. I liked the sporty steering wheel Ameo offered, top notch build quality. But the car was costly then the Ford Aspire as I will come to know later that day. Auto climate control, reverse sensors, steering mounted controls were missing which one was a bummer.
Ford: -
Moving out of the Volkswagen showroom went to the Ford Showroom to check out the Aspire. Loved everything about the car. It checked every item on my list and from the reviews I have read, the fuel economy was phenomenal despite being the most powerful car (before Ameo Diesel launch) in the compact sedan segment. My friend accompanying me took a test drive (I have never driven a car till then) and as a shotgun rider I loved everything :P , almost finalized it mentally. Did not book it as color would have been chosen by wifey who was not with me that day. The showroom guys informed me that there was a huge waiting for this car and delivery on Dhanteras would not be possible if I delayed the booking.
Hyundai: -
The Hyundai guys had come to my workplace the previous month for a sale program and were in constant touch with me after that. Took an Xcent out for spin (obviously my friend was driving) and somehow I did not like it.
Ford Aspire was almost finalized.
Maruti:-
Called the Nexa Showroom manager and asked him for waiting time on Baleno. He quoted six months. When I said that’s too long, he said “Sir, make a booking, if we are unable to get a car for you in the date you desire, we will give you a different car of our brand”. In my mind I was like “Are you kidding me?”
Volkswagen Ameo was offered to me in 8.70L for Diesel comfortline, and Polo for 8.3L. However less features than Aspire, and somewhat bad reputation of Volkswagen in service and maintenance made me finalize the Aspire
Two weeks later:-
When my wife finally moved in with me permanently, we went to the Ford showroom the very day and made a booking on Aspire (On road price 8.36L. Color opted: Sleek Silver). I even drove the car for a km or two. That was the first time I was ever behind a steering. The showroom guys said they might be unable to deliver the car on Diwali, but will definitely deliver on or before 20th Nov. I was OK with that and post Diwali I contacted them again to finalize the date. 20th November is what they quoted again. As days past, I become skeptical and started contacting Ford directly. Initially the response was good, but even they were unable to give me a solid date. On around 4th November when I blasted Ford on Twitter they finally came out with the truth. As per the Ford representative the dealer will get a manifest on 22nd November, they will place the purchase order then and it will take at least 15 days to deliver after receiving P.O. I was pissed, called the owner of the Ford Showroom and gave him a piece of my mind politely. When I told him am cancelling my booking, he blatantly said go ahead and cancel. I realized if this was the situation in pre-sales, post-sales will be much worse.
The Realisation:-
The next day the salesperson called again and offered me a car in white. The catch was, the car would be coming from another showroom which will be driven to my city and will have therefore 950 km on the odo. I refused. They offered me another white Titanium Plus with some discount (On Road 9.10L after discount). Then I realized if I get a Petrol car in around 7 L, I will break even at 110k km considering (12-13 kmpl of petrol and 20-22 kmpl of diesel) barring maintenance cost and interest in the auto loan I will take.
Rise of the i20: - The Hyundai Experience
After the Ford fiasco, I immediately called the Hyundai Salesperson (Mr. Ashish) who was in touch with me. I enquired for i20 Petrol Sportz and got a quotation of 7.20 L and immediate delivery if required. I already know the i20 well, as one of my friend own from 2015 model year. I went to the showroom the very day with my wife, and looked into the i20. As the 2016 model year car was updated with dual airbags, it check every item on my list. Made a deposit and booked the car. As the showroom has good relations with both my and my wife’s company, the owner of the showroom met us personally and asked to approach him directly if there were any hiccups. He even said I can drive the car home that very day if I want and all payment, loan formalities can be handled later. In the end finalized the deal with delivery dated of 12th November. The final deal was:-
On Road Price: 7.17L
Insurance: Zero Dep (included in the 7.17)
Inclusions: Floor mats, Seat Cover, Body Cover, Teflon Coating, Underbody Coating
Delivery: -
Delivery was smooth. Car was ready when I got there. Seat covers were not available at that moment. (They were fitted a month later along with number plate). Only hiccup was a minor scratch on both the driver side doors, which they promised to repaint in first service. As I did not know driving till then I took a friend with me who drove “The Silver Surfer” home. As we were leaving the showroom, I was given an idol of Ganeshji for dashboard, some items for performing a Puja and a box of sweets for Prasad.
In contrast to Ford’s indifferent attitude, the Hyundai team did their best to make the experience smooth and memorable. Kudos Hyundai!
The Final Showdown: -
Thumbs up:-
Great interiors
Top notch build quality
Responsive Engine
Reverse camera with steering feedback (boon for new learners)
Lighter Steering
Thumbs down: -
Lots of room for improvement in Headlamp (details in 1 month report below)
No speed sensing door lock
Lighter Steering (Yes it makes to both the list)
Seat Ergonomics could have been better
My job location is in a remote village some 40km away from the nearest city and I need to travel to the city for almost everything apart from basic amenities. The responsibility of taking me to the city was entrusted to my Yamaha FZS FI ver 2.0 and she has done hell of a job in that. But after getting married recently, the thought of going to the city with my wife in pillion on a busy highway in a place with complete disregard to traffic rules was something I was not comfortable with. Moreover with ambient temperature of 2-4 degree C in the winters, bike was not a viable mode of transport with a lady at the pillion. The need of a car started growing and when my wife joined a job in the city, it was apparent, the time to buy a car has come.
The first car dilemma: (August to October)
Buying one’s first car is job of tremendous pressure and if you don’t know how to drive, you will have to rely solely on reviews and friend’s suggestions in choosing a car. I went through the usual process of deciding the budget, fuel, must have features and reading/watching each and every review to finalize the car. Summary of my thought process can be found here:
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/car-shopper/27675-first-car-dilemma.html
Summary:-
Budget: 8-9L
Fuel: - Diesel
Must have features: Dual Airbag and ABS
The top contenders: Ford Aspire Titanium, Volkswagen Ameo Comfortline, Hyundai Accent, Maruti Suzuki Baleno (Yes i20 was not even on the list)
I personally did not like the styling of Honda Amaze and found it way too costly for the limited features it offered. I did not want anything from the TATA, Mahindra stable and did not bother looking into their offerings.
Pre Sales Dealership Experience:- (1st October)
Volkswagen:-
Incidentally I visited the Volkswagen showroom in the very day the Diesel Ameo was launched in Mumbai. As no details of the diesel version was available, I looked into the petrol version to get an idea of the features. I liked the sporty steering wheel Ameo offered, top notch build quality. But the car was costly then the Ford Aspire as I will come to know later that day. Auto climate control, reverse sensors, steering mounted controls were missing which one was a bummer.
Ford: -
Moving out of the Volkswagen showroom went to the Ford Showroom to check out the Aspire. Loved everything about the car. It checked every item on my list and from the reviews I have read, the fuel economy was phenomenal despite being the most powerful car (before Ameo Diesel launch) in the compact sedan segment. My friend accompanying me took a test drive (I have never driven a car till then) and as a shotgun rider I loved everything :P , almost finalized it mentally. Did not book it as color would have been chosen by wifey who was not with me that day. The showroom guys informed me that there was a huge waiting for this car and delivery on Dhanteras would not be possible if I delayed the booking.
Hyundai: -
The Hyundai guys had come to my workplace the previous month for a sale program and were in constant touch with me after that. Took an Xcent out for spin (obviously my friend was driving) and somehow I did not like it.
Ford Aspire was almost finalized.
Maruti:-
Called the Nexa Showroom manager and asked him for waiting time on Baleno. He quoted six months. When I said that’s too long, he said “Sir, make a booking, if we are unable to get a car for you in the date you desire, we will give you a different car of our brand”. In my mind I was like “Are you kidding me?”
Volkswagen Ameo was offered to me in 8.70L for Diesel comfortline, and Polo for 8.3L. However less features than Aspire, and somewhat bad reputation of Volkswagen in service and maintenance made me finalize the Aspire
Two weeks later:-
When my wife finally moved in with me permanently, we went to the Ford showroom the very day and made a booking on Aspire (On road price 8.36L. Color opted: Sleek Silver). I even drove the car for a km or two. That was the first time I was ever behind a steering. The showroom guys said they might be unable to deliver the car on Diwali, but will definitely deliver on or before 20th Nov. I was OK with that and post Diwali I contacted them again to finalize the date. 20th November is what they quoted again. As days past, I become skeptical and started contacting Ford directly. Initially the response was good, but even they were unable to give me a solid date. On around 4th November when I blasted Ford on Twitter they finally came out with the truth. As per the Ford representative the dealer will get a manifest on 22nd November, they will place the purchase order then and it will take at least 15 days to deliver after receiving P.O. I was pissed, called the owner of the Ford Showroom and gave him a piece of my mind politely. When I told him am cancelling my booking, he blatantly said go ahead and cancel. I realized if this was the situation in pre-sales, post-sales will be much worse.
The Realisation:-
The next day the salesperson called again and offered me a car in white. The catch was, the car would be coming from another showroom which will be driven to my city and will have therefore 950 km on the odo. I refused. They offered me another white Titanium Plus with some discount (On Road 9.10L after discount). Then I realized if I get a Petrol car in around 7 L, I will break even at 110k km considering (12-13 kmpl of petrol and 20-22 kmpl of diesel) barring maintenance cost and interest in the auto loan I will take.
Rise of the i20: - The Hyundai Experience
After the Ford fiasco, I immediately called the Hyundai Salesperson (Mr. Ashish) who was in touch with me. I enquired for i20 Petrol Sportz and got a quotation of 7.20 L and immediate delivery if required. I already know the i20 well, as one of my friend own from 2015 model year. I went to the showroom the very day with my wife, and looked into the i20. As the 2016 model year car was updated with dual airbags, it check every item on my list. Made a deposit and booked the car. As the showroom has good relations with both my and my wife’s company, the owner of the showroom met us personally and asked to approach him directly if there were any hiccups. He even said I can drive the car home that very day if I want and all payment, loan formalities can be handled later. In the end finalized the deal with delivery dated of 12th November. The final deal was:-
On Road Price: 7.17L
Insurance: Zero Dep (included in the 7.17)
Inclusions: Floor mats, Seat Cover, Body Cover, Teflon Coating, Underbody Coating
Delivery: -
Delivery was smooth. Car was ready when I got there. Seat covers were not available at that moment. (They were fitted a month later along with number plate). Only hiccup was a minor scratch on both the driver side doors, which they promised to repaint in first service. As I did not know driving till then I took a friend with me who drove “The Silver Surfer” home. As we were leaving the showroom, I was given an idol of Ganeshji for dashboard, some items for performing a Puja and a box of sweets for Prasad.
In contrast to Ford’s indifferent attitude, the Hyundai team did their best to make the experience smooth and memorable. Kudos Hyundai!
The Final Showdown: -
Thumbs up:-
Great interiors
Top notch build quality
Responsive Engine
Reverse camera with steering feedback (boon for new learners)
Lighter Steering
Thumbs down: -
Lots of room for improvement in Headlamp (details in 1 month report below)
No speed sensing door lock
Lighter Steering (Yes it makes to both the list)
Seat Ergonomics could have been better
![[clap]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Clap.gif "Clap [clap]")
. Enjoy, happy and safe miles. ![[drive]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Drive.gif "Drive [drive]")
![[:D]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Big%20Smile.gif "Big Smile [:D]")
. Agreed petrol engine starts pulling right from go!!. This car I found to a be a complete package with all my needs checked
