My Ferrari red Punto MJD Emotion pack

milestogo · 27th March 2010, 15:20

I live in Mumbai and this is my first foray into posting on this forum. I just want to quickly talk about my new car buying and ownership experience. I earlier used to drive a 2005 black Santro erlx. Drives comprised of mostly city trips with some highway drives to nasik, murud, chiplun, rantnagiri etc. I clocked about 32k kms over the 4 years that I owned the santro singh. My dad in Madurai,TN, owned a year 2000 santro which had seen a couple of bad accidents. The last one was in 2009 and we then decided that it was time to sell the TN car. My car in Bombay was about 4 years old in 2009, so I decided to give my car to my dad and sell dads car. Dads car fetched about 1.3 lakhs. It was fitted with lpg and alpine music system and speakers and sold as is.
Test drive experience :
I started scouting for a car to buy in Mumbai in Oct 2009.
- did not want a Hyundai again because I felt there was nothing that a Hyundai car is really great about. Its good all around, but I thought I wanted a car that was amazing on certain aspects even if it had certain not so great aspects.
- I did not want any Maruti because my personal opinion is that its a brand people "settle" for when they dont want to spend the extra. Also like Hyundai, there is nothing that Maruti is great about. I know people go gaga about the Mass, but I dont intend to go to the service centre as much and if I did I'd have a crappy car anyway.
- Figo and the beat werent around and so the only choices I had was between the fabia and the punto. The Jazz did not offer the kind of features that wanted ( ACC, Alloys).
- I test drove the fabia once in the andheri w dealership. They had a petrol ambiente TD car which had clocked 27k kms. I thought the gearing was super smooth, no rattles or squeaks at all, the suspension was amazing ( even better that the punto that I would TD next) , but the engine was a big let down. What bothered me most however was the brakes on the TD car. It would only go down half the travel length and then it was like hitting rock. The car just wouldnt stop.
- I then called for a TD car from Mulund. This one had 10k on the odo. Again the gearing and the suspension were top class, but I still felt the car was underpowered and when I compared it with the Punto MJD, I really missed the torque.
- Same day I went to TD the Punto in Fortune Powai. He had a new MJD emotion variant. On ignition was pleasantly surprised that there was hardly any diesel clatter. Was slightly taken aback my the long clutch travel but at the same time loved the way there was no resistance while clutch press. There would hardly be any fatigue clutching in the city when compared to my santro. But what I loved most was the fact that even on a incline on second gear I did not have to pedal. The car just kept going without knocking. I was simply sold by that and the looks obviously. The plastics did not look so great but I had decided I was going with the fiat for the top of its class looks, engine and handling.
Buying experience :
A friend suggested I work with a company called Andromeda who would handle the the entire buying process for me. They said they process loans from Kotak and for Fiat work with Fortune Nerul. I followed up with the dealership myself as well. I wanted the ferrari red ( you call it what you want but its ferrari for me) diesel emotion pack.
The booking process was hassle free although dealer hiked price by 10k between October and my delivery in November. The onroad price worked out to 6.9 lakhs with free insurance from future generali. I got a loan for 5.45 and paid the rest in cash.
What I liked about the dealership -
- the sales guys in Nerul was honest about what is possible when through the whole process. His name is Jackson and he communicated clearly about date when the car was going to arrive in stock and delivery etc.
- I did the underbody rust coat and the 3 m tints for charge. I got mats and mud guards free. All the work done was good.

What I did not like about the dealership -
- when I did the PDI after car arrived into stock, the odo had 55 kms. On delivery after registration it was 155 kms. There were no visible damages to the car though and I was aware that Nerul to worli and back was around 60 kms but 100 kms more was just too much. Given I did not find any problems otherwise I just took delivery after cribbing a bit. The sales guy only kept saying it was because of the PDI done and the kms run to the rto.

- the number plate was the sad stickers that would'nt stick properly.
- Next day after delivery, jackson calls me to say that the regn number on the car is wrong and he's going to send someone over with different stickers to change the number. I drove around for 3 months with the changed number. When I get my RC card, I see that its a different number altogether and that I've been driving around in a wrong number all along. Changed the stickers again and the RC card had its own problems. The model number was shown as petrol active. I sent it back to the rto to be changed and its been a month and I'm still chasing Jackson for the RC. sigh !!

Attaching some pics of the car in the stockyard when I did my PDI taken on my mobile ZN5. I will continue with my ownership experience post delivery, first service experience in the my next post on my thread....

NutsNBolts · 27th March 2010, 20:26

Congrats mtg on your mjd. How has been your experience in three months? Fully agree with your observation here: I did not want any Maruti because my personal opinion is that its a brand people "settle" for when they dont want to spend the extra. It is a personal opinion of course and couldn't agree with you more here. Do post some more pics.

ms001 · 27th March 2010, 20:35

congrats buddy great choice . enjoy the Italian diva

gaddiwale · 27th March 2010, 20:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by milestogo

I did not want any Maruti because my personal opinion is that its a brand people "settle" for when they dont want to spend the extra. Also like Hyundai, there is nothing that Maruti is great about. I know people go gaga about the Mass, but I dont intend to go to the service centre as much and if I did I'd have a crappy car anyway.

What I did not like about the dealership -
- when I did the PDI after car arrived into stock, the odo had 55 kms. On delivery after registration it was 155 kms. There were no visible damages to the car though and I was aware that Nerul to worli and back was around 60 kms but 100 kms more was just too much. Given I did not find any problems otherwise I just took delivery after cribbing a bit. The sales guy only kept saying it was because of the PDI done and the kms run to the rto.

- the number plate was the sad stickers that would'nt stick properly.
- Next day after delivery, jackson calls me to say that the regn number on the car is wrong and he's going to send someone over with different stickers to change the number. I drove around for 3 months with the changed number. When I get my RC card, I see that its a different number altogether and that I've been driving around in a wrong number all along. Changed the stickers again and the RC card had its own problems. The model number was shown as petrol active. I sent it back to the rto to be changed and its been a month and I'm still chasing Jackson for the RC. sigh !!

Congratulations. Fiat GP is a nice car indeed. Has a much better built and handling qualities than Maruti and Hyundai cars and hope you don't have to visit to such a lousy delership frequently who gave wrong reg. no. not once but twice. Your sad story tells all about Tata-Fiat dealership. All the best.

download2live · 27th March 2010, 22:29

Congratulations on your purchase!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by milestogo

But what I loved most was the fact that even on a incline on second gear I did not have to pedal. The car just kept going without knocking.

Love that thing about Diesel.

nkrishnap · 27th March 2010, 23:20

Congrats mate on the Red Italian Diva.

Are these hassles because of the negligence from Andromeda or the dealership?

Amartya · 28th March 2010, 00:20

Congratulations on your purchase. The Punto is a fantastic car, wishing you many miles of happiness.

bnzjon · 28th March 2010, 00:35

Congratulations on your well thought purchase. Happy miles ahead.
Drive safe and take care of your Ferrari.

Utopian · 28th March 2010, 02:10

Conrats milestogo for your Ferrari(altough the front reminds me of Maserati). She certainly looks gorgeous in Red. The Linea and Punto have certainly turned tables for Fiat in India.
Wishing you miles of happy driving with your red Ferrari.

PS-Kindly do not run your car with so less fuel(courtesy pic#1)

kailashnj · 28th March 2010, 09:07

Congrats on your new purchase. Happy mile munching

milestogo · 28th March 2010, 09:20

NutsNBolts - thanks
ms001 - thank you
gaddiwale - i stopped going to Nerul or thane after delivery. I go to Fortune Powai but its not been all great. I'll describe in detail in my after sales writeup
download2live - thanks. The torque is so good. I was just thinking one day how much of a driving experience I would've missed if I hadnt experienced the diesel. Diesel just gives you a different perspective on your rides
nkrishnap - these are dealership screwups. I started working wirth the dealerships once I knew who Andromeda was recommending. Andromeda did their job with the bank and the dealership fairly well I thought.
Amartya - thanks
bnzjon - thanks
Utopian - thanks. The picture with the fuel so low is when the car was in the stock yard and I had gone for a PDI. I guess thats the way the dealer treats an unsold car though I would never do that.
Kailashnj - thanks

aarenes · 28th March 2010, 17:27

Congrats Milestogo on your proud Ferrari Red MJD

I too own the Punto MJD E+ and love the car.
Apart from city commute, I have driven it on the Mumbai - Pune Expressway about 7 times now and the car has enough poise and control mixed with power that is difficult to beat.

So I can tell you are going to love the car.

Quote:

Originally Posted by milestogo

- Next day after delivery, jackson calls me to say that the regn number on the car is wrong and he's going to send someone over with different stickers to change the number. I drove around for 3 months with the changed number. When I get my RC card, I see that its a different number altogether and that I've been driving around in a wrong number all along. Changed the stickers again and the RC card had its own problems. The model number was shown as petrol active. I sent it back to the rto to be changed and its been a month and I'm still chasing Jackson for the RC. sigh !!

This is interesting. After reading your note, I saw my registration card as well. While the chassis, engine and fuel type is correct, it does say Punto Fire 1.4 Emotion Pack. Whereas I clearly own a 1.3 MJD Diesel.

Should I get it changed. Not sure if all this is worth the hassle in case of insurance, theft or sales. Can others comment!

neoonwheels · 28th March 2010, 17:28

Congrats milestogo and welcome to the punters group

. Keep updating the thread with your inputs.

gaddiwale · 28th March 2010, 17:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by aarenes

This is interesting. After reading your note, I saw my registration card as well. While the chassis, engine and fuel type is correct, it does say Punto Fire 1.4 Emotion Pack. Whereas I clearly own a 1.3 MJD Diesel.

Should I get it changed. Not sure if all this is worth the hassle in case of insurance, theft or sales. Can others comment!

Not only you changed it from RTO, both of you should file a complaint to Fiat India as well. What happend to Tata-Fiat dealerships? How can do such a mistake in such an important document!

arun1100 · 28th March 2010, 17:57

Congrats on buying a wonderful car-The Punto! Have a Fiatful life ahead!

27th March 2010, 15:20
milestogo BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Mumbai Posts: 87 Thanked: 7 Times	My Ferrari red Punto MJD Emotion pack I live in Mumbai and this is my first foray into posting on this forum. I just want to quickly talk about my new car buying and ownership experience. I earlier used to drive a 2005 black Santro erlx. Drives comprised of mostly city trips with some highway drives to nasik, murud, chiplun, rantnagiri etc. I clocked about 32k kms over the 4 years that I owned the santro singh. My dad in Madurai,TN, owned a year 2000 santro which had seen a couple of bad accidents. The last one was in 2009 and we then decided that it was time to sell the TN car. My car in Bombay was about 4 years old in 2009, so I decided to give my car to my dad and sell dads car. Dads car fetched about 1.3 lakhs. It was fitted with lpg and alpine music system and speakers and sold as is. Test drive experience : I started scouting for a car to buy in Mumbai in Oct 2009. - did not want a Hyundai again because I felt there was nothing that a Hyundai car is really great about. Its good all around, but I thought I wanted a car that was amazing on certain aspects even if it had certain not so great aspects. - I did not want any Maruti because my personal opinion is that its a brand people "settle" for when they dont want to spend the extra. Also like Hyundai, there is nothing that Maruti is great about. I know people go gaga about the Mass, but I dont intend to go to the service centre as much and if I did I'd have a crappy car anyway. - Figo and the beat werent around and so the only choices I had was between the fabia and the punto. The Jazz did not offer the kind of features that wanted ( ACC, Alloys). - I test drove the fabia once in the andheri w dealership. They had a petrol ambiente TD car which had clocked 27k kms. I thought the gearing was super smooth, no rattles or squeaks at all, the suspension was amazing ( even better that the punto that I would TD next) , but the engine was a big let down. What bothered me most however was the brakes on the TD car. It would only go down half the travel length and then it was like hitting rock. The car just wouldnt stop. - I then called for a TD car from Mulund. This one had 10k on the odo. Again the gearing and the suspension were top class, but I still felt the car was underpowered and when I compared it with the Punto MJD, I really missed the torque. - Same day I went to TD the Punto in Fortune Powai. He had a new MJD emotion variant. On ignition was pleasantly surprised that there was hardly any diesel clatter. Was slightly taken aback my the long clutch travel but at the same time loved the way there was no resistance while clutch press. There would hardly be any fatigue clutching in the city when compared to my santro. But what I loved most was the fact that even on a incline on second gear I did not have to pedal. The car just kept going without knocking. I was simply sold by that and the looks obviously. The plastics did not look so great but I had decided I was going with the fiat for the top of its class looks, engine and handling. Buying experience : A friend suggested I work with a company called Andromeda who would handle the the entire buying process for me. They said they process loans from Kotak and for Fiat work with Fortune Nerul. I followed up with the dealership myself as well. I wanted the ferrari red ( you call it what you want but its ferrari for me) diesel emotion pack. The booking process was hassle free although dealer hiked price by 10k between October and my delivery in November. The onroad price worked out to 6.9 lakhs with free insurance from future generali. I got a loan for 5.45 and paid the rest in cash. What I liked about the dealership - - the sales guys in Nerul was honest about what is possible when through the whole process. His name is Jackson and he communicated clearly about date when the car was going to arrive in stock and delivery etc. - I did the underbody rust coat and the 3 m tints for charge. I got mats and mud guards free. All the work done was good. What I did not like about the dealership - - when I did the PDI after car arrived into stock, the odo had 55 kms. On delivery after registration it was 155 kms. There were no visible damages to the car though and I was aware that Nerul to worli and back was around 60 kms but 100 kms more was just too much. Given I did not find any problems otherwise I just took delivery after cribbing a bit. The sales guy only kept saying it was because of the PDI done and the kms run to the rto. - the number plate was the sad stickers that would'nt stick properly. - Next day after delivery, jackson calls me to say that the regn number on the car is wrong and he's going to send someone over with different stickers to change the number. I drove around for 3 months with the changed number. When I get my RC card, I see that its a different number altogether and that I've been driving around in a wrong number all along. Changed the stickers again and the RC card had its own problems. The model number was shown as petrol active. I sent it back to the rto to be changed and its been a month and I'm still chasing Jackson for the RC. sigh !! Attaching some pics of the car in the stockyard when I did my PDI taken on my mobile ZN5. I will continue with my ownership experience post delivery, first service experience in the my next post on my thread.... Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

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27th March 2010, 20:26
NutsNBolts BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Kochi Posts: 794 Thanked: 7 Times View My Garage	Congrats mtg on your mjd. How has been your experience in three months? Fully agree with your observation here: I did not want any Maruti because my personal opinion is that its a brand people "settle" for when they dont want to spend the extra. It is a personal opinion of course and couldn't agree with you more here. Do post some more pics.
	() Thanks

27th March 2010, 20:35
ms001 BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: bangalore Posts: 879 Thanked: 44 Times	congrats buddy great choice . enjoy the Italian diva
	() Thanks

27th March 2010, 23:20
nkrishnap Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,276 Thanked: 732 Times View My Garage	Congrats mate on the Red Italian Diva. Are these hassles because of the negligence from Andromeda or the dealership?
	() Thanks

28th March 2010, 00:20
Amartya Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Calcutta - King Posts: 1,633 Thanked: 116 Times	Congratulations on your purchase. The Punto is a fantastic car, wishing you many miles of happiness.
	() Thanks

28th March 2010, 00:35
bnzjon BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 806 Thanked: 108 Times View My Garage	Congratulations on your well thought purchase. Happy miles ahead. Drive safe and take care of your Ferrari.
	() Thanks

28th March 2010, 02:10
Utopian BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: New Delhi Posts: 493 Thanked: 56 Times	Conrats milestogo for your Ferrari(altough the front reminds me of Maserati). She certainly looks gorgeous in Red. The Linea and Punto have certainly turned tables for Fiat in India. Wishing you miles of happy driving with your red Ferrari. PS-Kindly do not run your car with so less fuel(courtesy pic#1)
	() Thanks

28th March 2010, 09:07
kailashnj BHPian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 606 Thanked: 23 Times View My Garage	Congrats on your new purchase. Happy mile munching
	() Thanks

28th March 2010, 09:20
milestogo BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Mumbai Posts: 87 Thanked: 7 Times	NutsNBolts - thanks ms001 - thank you gaddiwale - i stopped going to Nerul or thane after delivery. I go to Fortune Powai but its not been all great. I'll describe in detail in my after sales writeup download2live - thanks. The torque is so good. I was just thinking one day how much of a driving experience I would've missed if I hadnt experienced the diesel. Diesel just gives you a different perspective on your rides nkrishnap - these are dealership screwups. I started working wirth the dealerships once I knew who Andromeda was recommending. Andromeda did their job with the bank and the dealership fairly well I thought. Amartya - thanks bnzjon - thanks Utopian - thanks. The picture with the fuel so low is when the car was in the stock yard and I had gone for a PDI. I guess thats the way the dealer treats an unsold car though I would never do that. Kailashnj - thanks
	() Thanks

28th March 2010, 17:28
neoonwheels Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 1,395 Thanked: 119 Times View My Garage	Congrats milestogo and welcome to the punters group . Keep updating the thread with your inputs.
	() Thanks

28th March 2010, 17:57
arun1100 BANNED Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Bangalore Cantonment Posts: 1,640 Thanked: 3 Times View My Garage	Congrats on buying a wonderful car-The Punto! Have a Fiatful life ahead!
	() Thanks

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