Thread Starter
#1
This is not an ownership review, neither is it going to be one. That is the reason I have posted this thread in this section.
This thread is regarding our dilemma of buying a new car! The story goes like-
We have an Innova. A silver coloured 'V' variant with a diesel heart. Then came Jan '12 & we were looking to replace it. Nothing wrong with the car as such, just that it was 5 years & almost 1 Lac kms old. We were in the process of replacing our ageing Innova. The only condition was that the new car should be a diesel & it should have 7 seats. Comfort in last row was not the priority but yes, if the need arises, it should be able to carry 7 people.
Budget - Well, not decided actually. Nothing too expensive.
We dint do any test drives. My family does not like random test drives. They will generally first ask for final OTR prices by mail or fax, see if it fits in our budget, then go through the websites & brochures, visit a dealer, sit in the display car & only after they have thoroughly liked the car, the space, the comfort, etc, will they ask for a test drive. A test drive is just a last measure before closing a deal.
We have considered/rejected several cars & here is our experiences regarding them -
Option 1 - The new Innova : It was a blow on our face when Toyota revealed the new Innova. My brother was struggling to notice the differences. He said, oh the headlights are new! Wait a minute, it costs 15.6 Lacs on road. WHAT??? Move on... It is not worth it. Also, it dint make sense to buy another Innova for that price. So...
Option 2 - The new Fortuner : Ahh, now this sounded good. I have always been a big fan of brawny rugged SUVs. And the Fortuner looked just right. Also, the option of Automatic was icing on the cake. Called up the Toyota dealer & they tell us that deliveries of the new Fortuner has not yet started. Asked the price & they say it costs 25 Lacs on road. Again... WHAT??? So...
Option 3 - The Chevy Captiva : Superb car, superb price & superb engine. Only one downside - it does not come with rear AC vents & that is a big disadvantage for us. Also, we all know that the new Captiva is just round the corner. So...
Option 4 - The Hyundai Santa Fe : Everything was right about this SUV. It had the space, the features, the bhp, the luxury. Just one thing that my bro dint like... He said "I wont spend 28.5 Lacs on a Hyundai". I was sad. I so wanted this 190 bhp monster. But well I agree, for that price, you could buy an Audi A4, so....
Option 5 - The XUV5OO : When the XUV was launched in October last year, I immediately liked the vehicle. The main reason was the price, the space & the features. Over time, I saw more & more XUVs on the road & the novelty factor faded away. I started noticing that the XUV does not have the road presence of the Fortuner, Endy or even the Aria. Secondly, quite a lot of electronic glitches were reported. So we kept our distance. But then since all the other vehicles were out of the radar, we thought that this would be the best option & we were waiting for the bookings to re-open. Me & my bro went to the Mahindra showroom & checked the vehicle & my bro was mighty impressed. After that, we were ready with the cheque book in hand waiting for the bookings to open & Mahindra did this blunder - they had this draw system. My bro was angry & flatly refused to block the booking amount with them & then wait for our luck to get a car allotted. So...
Option 6 - The TATA Aria : No matter what my forum members think about my hatred towards TATA, I actually gave it a fair chance. I called up TATA motors & enquired about the Aria. I was interested in the top end Pride 4x4. We were adamant that we want a 2012 car only. With news of hefty discounts going on & someone buying the car for around 10 Lacs OTR, I was expecting that I would get a quote which is cheaper than the XUV, but unfortunately that dint happen. they sent us a quote of Rs. 17.3 Lacs, which was supposedly after discounts. Disappointed I told this to my bro who said that anyways it does not matter as he was not too keen on buying a TATA, based on our previous experiences. So...
Option 7 - Mahindra Scorpio A/T : My brother is very keen on a diesel A/T. I suggested him the Scorpio A/T but he rejected it without even having a look as he did not want yet another Scorpio! So...
Since we have run out of options, the only way left was to wait for the bookings of XUV to re-open. But to be very honest, we were not sure whether this draw system would re-appear. If it does, will we be lucky? If we are, when will we get the deliveries? What if we are not lucky?
The other problem was that we dont prefer buying vehicles after March-April. Even if bookings of XUV open by that time, deliveries would happen only by June-July. Not good.
Only if Mahindra had not launched the stupid draw system...Sigh! I am in the process of convincing my bro that the Santa Fe is a really good SUV!
This thread is regarding our dilemma of buying a new car! The story goes like-
We have an Innova. A silver coloured 'V' variant with a diesel heart. Then came Jan '12 & we were looking to replace it. Nothing wrong with the car as such, just that it was 5 years & almost 1 Lac kms old. We were in the process of replacing our ageing Innova. The only condition was that the new car should be a diesel & it should have 7 seats. Comfort in last row was not the priority but yes, if the need arises, it should be able to carry 7 people.
Budget - Well, not decided actually. Nothing too expensive.
We dint do any test drives. My family does not like random test drives. They will generally first ask for final OTR prices by mail or fax, see if it fits in our budget, then go through the websites & brochures, visit a dealer, sit in the display car & only after they have thoroughly liked the car, the space, the comfort, etc, will they ask for a test drive. A test drive is just a last measure before closing a deal.
We have considered/rejected several cars & here is our experiences regarding them -
Option 1 - The new Innova : It was a blow on our face when Toyota revealed the new Innova. My brother was struggling to notice the differences. He said, oh the headlights are new! Wait a minute, it costs 15.6 Lacs on road. WHAT??? Move on... It is not worth it. Also, it dint make sense to buy another Innova for that price. So...
Option 2 - The new Fortuner : Ahh, now this sounded good. I have always been a big fan of brawny rugged SUVs. And the Fortuner looked just right. Also, the option of Automatic was icing on the cake. Called up the Toyota dealer & they tell us that deliveries of the new Fortuner has not yet started. Asked the price & they say it costs 25 Lacs on road. Again... WHAT??? So...
Option 3 - The Chevy Captiva : Superb car, superb price & superb engine. Only one downside - it does not come with rear AC vents & that is a big disadvantage for us. Also, we all know that the new Captiva is just round the corner. So...
Option 4 - The Hyundai Santa Fe : Everything was right about this SUV. It had the space, the features, the bhp, the luxury. Just one thing that my bro dint like... He said "I wont spend 28.5 Lacs on a Hyundai". I was sad. I so wanted this 190 bhp monster. But well I agree, for that price, you could buy an Audi A4, so....
Option 5 - The XUV5OO : When the XUV was launched in October last year, I immediately liked the vehicle. The main reason was the price, the space & the features. Over time, I saw more & more XUVs on the road & the novelty factor faded away. I started noticing that the XUV does not have the road presence of the Fortuner, Endy or even the Aria. Secondly, quite a lot of electronic glitches were reported. So we kept our distance. But then since all the other vehicles were out of the radar, we thought that this would be the best option & we were waiting for the bookings to re-open. Me & my bro went to the Mahindra showroom & checked the vehicle & my bro was mighty impressed. After that, we were ready with the cheque book in hand waiting for the bookings to open & Mahindra did this blunder - they had this draw system. My bro was angry & flatly refused to block the booking amount with them & then wait for our luck to get a car allotted. So...
Option 6 - The TATA Aria : No matter what my forum members think about my hatred towards TATA, I actually gave it a fair chance. I called up TATA motors & enquired about the Aria. I was interested in the top end Pride 4x4. We were adamant that we want a 2012 car only. With news of hefty discounts going on & someone buying the car for around 10 Lacs OTR, I was expecting that I would get a quote which is cheaper than the XUV, but unfortunately that dint happen. they sent us a quote of Rs. 17.3 Lacs, which was supposedly after discounts. Disappointed I told this to my bro who said that anyways it does not matter as he was not too keen on buying a TATA, based on our previous experiences. So...
Option 7 - Mahindra Scorpio A/T : My brother is very keen on a diesel A/T. I suggested him the Scorpio A/T but he rejected it without even having a look as he did not want yet another Scorpio! So...
Since we have run out of options, the only way left was to wait for the bookings of XUV to re-open. But to be very honest, we were not sure whether this draw system would re-appear. If it does, will we be lucky? If we are, when will we get the deliveries? What if we are not lucky?
The other problem was that we dont prefer buying vehicles after March-April. Even if bookings of XUV open by that time, deliveries would happen only by June-July. Not good.
Only if Mahindra had not launched the stupid draw system...Sigh! I am in the process of convincing my bro that the Santa Fe is a really good SUV!