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Hi

I wish to seek the expert opinion of the forum members on an issue regarding buying a car for my son.

I am getting a Ford Figo Model ZXi 2013 production model (brand new / unused car) with 2 year & 1 lac kms company warranty.

My obvious question is that how come such a car is unsold by a dealer ? Specially as Figo was being sold at good discounts before the new model was launched.


#1 Need to cross check VIN number to get the real date of production et al

#2 Do rubber parts need to be replaced before taking delivery as they would have dried up / cracked ? This is a grey area for me - any factual information would be highly appreciated

#3 What is a fair price to buy this car - given that it is a 3 year old production model - though it will / does come with full warranty.

#4 Car was 6.80 Lacs on road in 2013

#5 Intend to use the car for a long time - 5 years at the least

Look forward to comments & suggestions, anything I am missing ?

Thanks

#1. Definitely get the correct VIN and I suggest you to verify it yourself by going and seeing the car wherever it is parked currently (Would be at the dealers yard). Not sure what a 2013 model Figo is still doing there! Hope it ain't a Lemon.

#2. I'll place my doubts on door beadings, tyres (most important). Do check the engine bay for any pest infestation. So rubber plumbing etc.

If the car is parked at the yard, please do check the tyre health thoroughly as it has been exposed to the elements since ~3 years. Hope they haven't deteriorated.

Before delivery insist on getting a full service with "all fluids changed".

PS: Take someone with you for help when doing the PDI for this Figo.

Fiat is offering one lakh discount on 2015 model lineas, although the dealer did not give me the exact date of manufacture. He said the vehicle is at their plant in Pune. The price for Linea T-Jet active model is 8.12 lacs on road in Gujarat.
Is it worth at this price point and i feel the active model has all that i require.
The site mentions up to 1.25 lakh discounts.

Dear mods,

Tried searching a relevant Thread for the same but found none. Please merge with any available appropriate thread.

Dear BHPians,

I am in a sort of a huge confusion. I got to know that TATA motors Pune have few Bolt (Petrol) available with them in XM & XT Variants. They are on sale and will be sold through CONCORDE Motors their direct subsidiary. These are December 2014 cars and are said to be pre-production cars with similar/same features available on the regular production version. I spoke to my contact in TATA motors and got to know that if i go ahead and order one, TATA motors will fully refurbish the car and give me replacement for Battery & tires.

These cars are barely driven for 300-500 kilometers. However the case is, no company warranty will be given and I can opt for the extended warranty at the dealership but not the AMC packs.

I will be getting the car @ 4.3 lakhs on road which i feel is a good price.

I was told that there is a huge rush in TATA motors where employees really flock to buy such cars! Also,Concorde motors will process it as a delivery of a regular car. 90% on road price finance is already available (pre approved ICICI car loan).

Please note that I have booked the Tiago RT XT(O) variant lol: Some reasons I even thought of considering the Bolt w.r.t Tiago were as follows.

~Price difference of almost 65K
~Proper 4 cylinder Turbocharged engine
~Good Power delivery and decent NVH (as compared to tiago)
~Good Space and it easily seats 3 in the backseat
~Alloy wheels
~Better ride quality than the Tiago (Personal opinion)
~Projector Headlights

Should I even consider the Bolt or wait for the Tiago?

P.S The option Pack in the Tiago is made on order and may command a higher waiting period.

If I were you I would not think about this given this condition. Buying a new car without a warranty is not a wise decision.
If there is nothing wrong then you can be lucky. But what if something expensive, lets say the suspension setup, fails within the first few months? Since you're not on AMC you won't get a replacement. I am not sure of the terms of the extended warranty offered by the dealership but it is likely that it will not be a Pan-India warranty. In case something happens if you are on a driving holiday, it would spell trouble (again). I think waiting for the Tiago is a better option.

Since you have a contact inside TATA Motors, check for the vehicle history. There are possibilities that these pre-production cars might be assembled with few proto parts and they may not be able to match the performance (be it durability or NVH or anything) of regular proper tooled up parts. Take decision based on the criticality of the proto parts (if any)

If everything goes well this sounds to be a sweet deal, with some risk

I'd say stick to the Tiago booking and DO NOT go for the 1.5 year old bolt. They themselves do not trust the car and are not willing to give you regular warranty.. Why should you take the risk? It might be tempting due to the discounts but you will have piece of mind with the Tiago. And if the car starts throwing tantrums you'll truly regret your decision. Also, there are things that can go wrong with an old car that hasn't been used. These are my two cents, all the best with your decision!

IMO, it makes better sense to get a brand new production vehicle than a used pre-production vehicle, even if its a sweet deal.

You would never know how the vehicle has been driven for those few hundred kms, whether it has been abused or not, what sort of drivers have handled it etc etc. Also, as Mr.Boss noted above,there is the issue of reliability of pre-production parts (if used).

All in all, a brand new car with proper company warranty is definitely a better choice.

What took so long for Tata motors to release these cars in market? Shows how things move.
Unless you work with Tata motors (directly or indirectly) & this would be your secondary vehicle, please don't buy. Pre-production cars can also mean cars given to media for test drives OR for internal testing and during such drives cars definitely get driven hard.

Price looks tempting but take decision based on what has been written above.

I am driving one such car - bought without warranty, and from the manufacturer. Battery, Tyres, one full service before beginning my ownership, a power window motor is what I have had to spend on. Tata covers the battery and tyres, so I would say see the car, and take a gutsy gamble. This is no BMW, so even out of warranty, you probably would never end up spending 2.5L. Ah yes, and what is life without few small risks and twists? :D

Even I was thinking on the same lines,get the full vehicle history from your contact at Tata Motors, have a look at the car, if possible a small drive too. If you face problems with the car ,say within an year. You always have the option to sell it off in the used car market without loosing much. I'd say have a look at the car and then decide. If it seems fine I guess it's worth taking a little gamble.


Just my two cents :)
Pai

Pre-productions cars will be used for testing and validation by OEs. Some of them will be declared as non saleable cars (the very 1st batch of prototypes or the trial production vehicles with maximum proto parts) and only the rest will be sold to customers, but only after completion of their testing plan. Some trials / durability run will be conducted even after launching the product in market and these cars will be sold as a batch after completing all those trials.

PS: If the car in subject is one of the Journalist drive vehicle, I would suggest to grab the deal. In general the journalist drive vehicles will be the best of the initial batch vehicles (best one chosen from a batch)

Maybe before they get the car. Most certainly not after.

I'm not a fan of buying cars that have been driven by multiple drivers, stood in the yard for long periods of time and are pre-production vehicles!

If you want to save, why don't you buy a regular customer Bolt or Zest? I see a lot of used examples on OLX & Carwale. Would prefer a production-spec car that's been used more frequently by one owner. An owner who has cared for his own car a lot better than company employees / drivers.

Hi friends,

Various Honda dealers in Bangalore are offering discounts in the range of 50-60k on Honda City on ex showroom basis, for Dec 2015 cars. Do you think it is worth taking them for this kinds of discount?