[ghodlur]

Can anyone explain whats the advantage of going for a free insurance offer from dealer? For a new car buyer first time - I guess it will be an advantage but for a person who has NCB from previous car will be at a loss. If the Insurance is bought from outside the NCB can be put to use and saved on the premium. Otherwise opting for free insurance from dealer and using the NCB during the next renewal would mean the loss of 20% NCB in the first year earned (if no claims are taken). The Insurance co does not pass on the first year NCB and the NCB accumulated from previous car during the renewal of insurance premium for the second year. Is my understanding correct?

[creative420]

Can a car be bought under HUF Pan Card? Has anyone here done that or know of someone who has? Please let me know as soon as possible. Need to know all the paperwork that is required. Or, can anyone here from Bangalore give me a number of any trusted RTO agent who'll have an answer to this query?

[Vikki@Hyderabad]

Hey. Hope someone could help me here and quick! I booked a Ford Figo Titanium paying 10k for a quoted price of 6.9 lac on road, with free insurance, the regular warranty that applies and 3 years/45k kms of free service including oil and filter changes. I applied for a Rs. 6 lac loan with SBI yesterday and got it sanctioned. I've also made the down-payment.

Here's when it all started. I was about to leave the showroom and my eyes fell on a yellow Titanium which I knew was a 2012 car and had 277 kms on the odo. I casually asked the sales advisor what discount I could expect on it. He said he'd give the car away at 6.5 lacs and later brought it down to 6.4 lacs with all the warranties as usual, freebies, but no free services detailed above. The car is neat except for some salt-water stains and some dirt between the windshield and the rubber lining. With a 6 lac loan approved already, and the sales advisor's promise of returning the 50k balance within 3 days, I'd ideally be making a down payment of 40k.

I know the first point of contention here would be resale value, but I don't plan to buy a car that I have to sell in a couple of years, meaning I want to keep this car for its life [or mine] or at least use it until the end of the term of the loan.

I haven't promised him that I'll buy the 2012 car though and have put the decision away until tomorrow.

How do I go about it?

[roadjourno]

Hi,

Not sure about correct place but please can someone tell the exact RTO tax for cars in pune.

I googled and found it approx 14%. However the car dealer we are dealing with dsk seems to be charging more than that.

Also LBT rates as per pmc is 4% but they are charging .0466 %

Is overcharging a norm ?

Car is question costs 23 lacs exshowroom.

How to go about this ?

Many thanks !

[karthik_rao]

Hi to all,
Am looking for help on deciding the best car that meets my needs. Looked around forums and this looks like the most appropriate place to post this query.

I currently have a 2010 Linea Emotion PK Diesel that I will replace. I am looking for the following attributes:
1. Ground clearance and off-roadability - Must not be impacted by potholes, and should be able to handle occasional off-road trips in rough terrain, slush.
2. Economy - I do not intend to buy a guzzler. So am looking for <1800 CC diesel.
3. Comfort during long drives.
4. Handling

Need advice on the following:
1. Car models to consider - already have Duster/Terrano, Yeti and Ford Ecosport in my list, anything I need to add?
2. Is 4wd really needed for minor off-roading? I usually go birding and sometimes get on rough tracks. I read that electronic traction control tech is making RWD more than sufficient.
3. Can I get past the After-sales stumbling block of Ford and Skoda by buying a vehicle with comprehensive maintenance packages?
Any other advice is welcome.
Thanks
Karthik

[roadjourno]

Hi guys,

Given that govt vows to deregulate diesel price, sooner or later petrol n diesel will cost same.

Irrespective of milage factor, do you rationally think it worth to consider petrol over diesel vehicle ?

Avg monthly running 1500 kms

Once in year long trip 8000kms

Budget for no nonsense 4*4 vehicle. Yes rajasthan, NEFA,j&k , jungle etc trips

Toyota Fortuner new or used / Grand Vitara new or used.

Thanks

[roadjourno]

Originally Posted by roadjourno

Hi guys,

Given that govt vows to deregulate diesel price, sooner or later petrol n diesel will cost same.

Irrespective of milage factor, do you rationally think it worth to consider petrol over diesel vehicle ?

Avg monthly running 1500 kms

Once in year long trip 8000kms

Budget for no nonsense 4*4 vehicle. Yes rajasthan, NEFA,j&k , jungle etc trips

Toyota Fortuner new or used / Grand Vitara new or used.

Thanks

Bumping up. Gurus any advices ?

[graaja]

Note to Moderators: I am not sure if this is the right thread to post this. Please move to a suitable thread. I would also request you to consider putting this in a new thread to make this more visible to users and to improve the tool.

Hi,

Usually, buying the first car is an easy process (at least for me, it was). First time buyers look for very few aspects - budget, fuel economy, comfort to name a few. Choosing my first car was a very quick process for me. I had a budget in mind, as I was learning to drive, wanted a small car, as I am 5'11", wanted a car with good legroom for the driver and good legroom on the back bench. So, I compared the hatchbacks available at that time, viz. Hyundai Getz, Swift and Indica and chose Hyundai for the features and space it came with.

However, while choosing a second car or later, many other factors get added to our priority. We now start looking for fuel type, if petrol, is the engine naturally aspirated or turbo charged, torque, the RPM range the peak torque is available over, transmission type, in case of automatic, tiptronic or paddle shifts, in case of manual, the number of gears, the slickness of the gear shifts, hardness of the clutch, suspension type, number of airbags, halogen vs. bi xenon headlights, LED DRLs, spare part availability, reliability, after sales service network, and the list goes on and on.

One of the major problems I faced (and still facing) while selecting my second car is the "head and heart" issue. After analyzing various cars and many test drives, my head was telling me to buy a Honda City whereas my heart was telling me to buy the Octavia 1.8TSI Elegance. The reason why head was suggesting Honda City was for the reliability and the good reputation of the after sales service network of Honda City. My heart was telling me to buy the Octavia because of the powerful engine, fantastic ride and handling and the rich features. However the reliability and after sales network was a major deterrent why my head would not allow me to buy the Octavia. After weeks of vascillation between Honda and Octavia, I found that the reason for the vascillation of the mind is that at any given point of time we focus on a particular feature and compare the cars. At another time, we focus on another feature. For example, one day I would be concentrating on the engine power and ride and handling features and Octavia would be the clear winner. The very next day, I would be reading some reliability issues faced by other users and A.S.S horror stories and immediately would decide to drop Octavia and stick to Honda.

At times like these, it is better to have the bigger picture, where we have all the information of all the cars in one place which will help in making the final decision. I created a spreadsheet to help me with this process. I thought of sharing this spreadsheet with other TBHP'ians so that this may help others in my position and also get inputs from experts to improve the system.

The file "Car Comparision Template.xls" is the template for the comparision. There are two worksheets named "Fact Sheet" and "Summary".

The "Fact Sheet" has various major sections like Engine, Power and FE, Space, Safety etc. Under each section there are many features that fall under the category. Collect all the information from the brochures, test drives, ownership reviews from other community members etc and fill in the details. For example, the data for the features under the "Engine, Power and FE" can be taken from the brochure. Data for the "Reliability and Peace of Mind" can be filled in after reading long term ownership reviews of other users. If you do not have accurate data, you can fill in estimated data. Then based on the collected data, give a score in the scale of 1 to 10 for each section and also fill in the reason why you gave this score. Once you have all the cells filled in, it is time to move to the Summary sheet.

In the summary sheet, first you need to fill in the "Weight" column. Depending on your priority give a weight for each of the sections. For example if you consider Safety and Reliability to be the most important features, allocate high weights to these sections. Adjust the weights such that the sum of all the weights is 100. Now, fill in the Score values for each section from the "Fact Sheet", and the total score will be automatically calculated. I am also attaching the filled worksheet that I made for comparing the Honda City, Octavia 1.4TSI Ambition and Octavia 1.8TSI Elegance.

Hope this is helpful to confused souls like me!

[graaja]

Here is the results table for the comparision I showed in the previous post. Missed to attach this one.

[shayonpal]

For the past 2-3 weeks, I have been on the hunt for a new car. I already own a Honda City, but I am planning to pass it on to my Dad, and buy a new car for myself and my wife.

I must have read over 200 articles/threads and created 10-12 spreadsheets trying to finalise on a few cars to concentrate on. Every time I do so, I end up discovering another 1-2 car that fits my budget. I have truly gone bonkers while researching for them. So, I finally decided to write out my requirements here, hoping the lovely members of TBHP will help me with the process.

Firstly, the budget. I'd ideally buy a car with a on-road price of Rs 6.5L to Rs 7L (Mumbai), although I might be able to stretch another 50K if the proposition is really good.

I love going out on drives. Be it late night in the city, or weekend drives to nearby states. I am also the kind of guy who has driven over 5000kms in 15 days, spanning Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi, UP, and MP. And it's not just me, but my wife too loves to drive.

I admit, I am a slightly aggressive driver. I do drive safe, but I am spoilt by the peppy engine of the City. So, anything too mundane compared to that will be a compromise. I probably would have just picked up the Jazz, if I was sure it would launch in the next month or so. Currently, I am slightly inclined towards Grand i10 and VW Polo.

Since I've already mentioned that I drive on the highways pretty often, I am a stickler for safety. Which means ABS and airbags (at least driver side) are musts. Any more safety features will be a big plus.

My other preferences are in the following order -
— Good and reliable RSA
— BT enabled music system
— Reverse parking sensors
— Internally adjustable and retractable side mirrors
— Tilt & Telescopic steering adjustment
— Lumbar support
— Headlight Off & Ignition Key Off Reminder
— Auto Aircon.

Now, despite the long drives, I am thinking of a petrol, instead of a diesel variant, is because of the price factor. Given my budget and requirements, I don't think my budget will allow a decent diesel car.

Additionally, here's some research I've done myself, as of now. It's a work in progress. [Spreadsheet, on iCloud]

Really need some advise here, guys. Looking forward to some good discussion.

[Mohan08]

I do not know whether I have come to the correct forum. I am buying a new car post-monsoon and I wish I have some plain advice. My budget is around Rs 6 lakh. I owned an Esteem and now a Wagon R. I had good experience of both. I have a fancy for Maruti Ritz and the dealers with whom I made enquiries offer a good bargain for this model. I am also fascinated by Honda Amaze. I use the car for travel to office and occasional weekend outings. I do propose to go from Mumbai to Kerala and back once as it is among my wishlists. I want only petrol cars.

Can I request some one to help me make the correct choice?

[searacer932]

All, I am planning to get a hatchback(for my wife) and we hAVE almost finalised on Honda Brio. Few questions related to booking.

1. I presume that we just do the booking for the car by making a nominal amount say 5K or 10K.
2. I am planning to go for loan (80% loan, 20% self-finance). How much of money should be paid before the full registration? I will do a PDI and then ask them to do the registration. Is it the complete 100% which should be paid before the registration? Also, will the bank, from whom I will be getting the loan, give the cheque to me or to the car showroom. I just want to ensure that the showroom does not does not do a registration before I have done the PDI.

[pavanmadhini]

I had booked a Jetta Comfortline Manual 2.0TDI from VW Mount Road (Sundaram Motors) and my delivery was supposed to happen today, and I got to see the vehicle yesterday. (There is some issue between VW and RTOs in Tamil Nadu and all VW registrations are on hold now.)

On checking the VIN number online, I have come to know that the car is 8 months old. The sales rep, Mr.Mani, had verbally promised that my car would not be more than a couple of months old prior to the booking.

Upon raising this issue with the branch manager, Mr.Thirulog, he claims that all 2014 Jetta Comfortline manuals were manufactured in February only, and only Highline ATs were manufactured after that. Further, he says it is an industry practice to not tell the buyer about the age of the car, and thats what his dealership is doing as well. Further, he won't cancel the order since it is already invoiced, nor is he willing to provide a newer vehicle. Frankly, my entire conversation with him was superficial and he had no intention of apologizing or compensating for this mistake in any way.

I asked for a complimentary Extended Warranty, but that has been refused as well.

What are my options here? Can I legally refuse to take delivery of the car citing it's manufacturing date?

Car Info: The car itself is in fine shape as far as I can tell. The tyres, rubber beadings, etc. are fine, and the car was wrapped in white film in the dealership yard.

[SedatedDrive]

Originally Posted by pavanmadhini

On checking the VIN number online, I have come to know that the car is 8 months old. The sales rep, Mr.Mani, had verbally promised that my car would not be more than a couple of months old prior to the booking.

Take them to the consumer court and let them know about it. Do not shell out a single rupee. Communicate with them over email and if they fail to respond, find a lawyer.

[etrast75]

Hate to say this, but , Once the vehicle has been invoiced in your name, there is not much you can do unless there was something in writing about how old the car would be.
Usually the dealership gives the VIN number once the vehicle is allotted to you and you can cancel your booking if you are not satisfied with the allotted vehicle due its age.
You have the leverage if the vehicle has not been invoiced to you as you can threaten to cancel the booking.
My suggestion would be to haggle to more discounts. If you can afford it, keep them waiting for some time for the final amount and taking delivery. They would be willing to negotiate if the vehicle is lying in their lot.