[nitin_vish]

Originally Posted by raksrules

Need guidance here. I am newbie when it comes to buying car and we are planning to get Tata Punch soon and will be paying booking may be next weekend. I was going to take everything from the Dealership but I see mention of insurance from 3rd party.

Can anyone direct me if I should have insurance before car is taken from dealer's hand? Also where should I shop for insurance and what all to consider when choosing one? What all information will be asked by insurance company?

Insurance is mandatory before car hits the road. So once you have the registration number you should purchase it immediately. Choices that you have to buy insurance:
1) Online portals like Policybazaar, etc.
2) TATA AIG since you are buying Tata Punch

When you will try to buy through online portals chances are you will not be provided quotes from TATA AIG but from other insurers like United, HDFC, etc.

In case you want a quote from TATA, write an email to their customer care or visit nearest branch. You will get a direct quote which will be much lower than dealership quote. At best dealership will only be able to match the direct quote from TATA AIG.

I prefer government insurers as they have a higher rate of settlement. But maybe it makes sense to buy from TATA AIG to avoid hassles at dealership end, which theoretically should not be there even if you buy any insurance.

Lastly, Zero Dep + Return to invoice should be there for new vehicle. Add consumables and engine protection as needed.

[raksrules]

Can anyone tell me if the discounts offered on new car (cash discount, exchange bonus, corporate offer etc) are applicable at time of booking or invoicing? I booked S-presso on 31 Oct 2021 and dealer told me there is 25K cash discount (15K+ 10K) and 3K corporate discount. But he also told me discounts are what is applicable at time of invoicing which means if car gets invoiced in November 2021, whatever offer is there is applicable and so on.

Now I am confused because when manufacture gives ads in newspapers saying "Diwali Offer" but the car is going to be invoiced after a month or more, it seems like a bait and switch for the buyer.

Can anyone enlighten me?

[raksrules]

Additional question continuing from above post. The Maruti dealer near my home where I have booked my car Is telling me he will give 15K worth of accessories for free. It is verbal commitment and nothing on paper. Can I ask him to instead reduce 15K and give me that or little less as cash discount? I don't think he will as they have fat margins in accessories and their accesories are definitely priced high.

[superutp]

Posting this twice, once in the NCB thread (Mods please delete the post which is irrelevant)

If we are buying a new car insurance from outside then do we put the date of registration as the day we are buying the policy? Asking this because if I am buying the policy today for a car which is getting registered in 2 days won't there be a difference?
Or do we wait for the registration to happen and buy the insurance on delivery so that the registration date is correct?

[red_nemesis]

Originally Posted by superutp

Posting this twice, once in the NCB thread (Mods please delete the post which is irrelevant)

If we are buying a new car insurance from outside then do we put the date of registration as the day we are buying the policy? Asking this because if I am buying the policy today for a car which is getting registered in 2 days won't there be a difference?
Or do we wait for the registration to happen and buy the insurance on delivery so that the registration date is correct?

I don't think you will be able to register the car without a valid and active insurance, as it is one of the prerequisite document for registration. I would suggest you discuss with the representative who is selling you the insurance. The start date of insurance cover does not need to be same as date of registration.

[superutp]

Originally Posted by red_nemesis

I don't think you will be able to register the car without a valid and active insurance, as it is one of the prerequisite document for registration. I would suggest you discuss with the representative who is selling you the insurance. The start date of insurance cover does not need to be same as date of registration.

So in essence I can purchase the policy (am doing it online myself) from today as thats what it allows for putting the date of registration. Even though car gets registered in a day or two

[red_nemesis]

Originally Posted by superutp

So in essence I can purchase the policy (am doing it online myself) from today as thats what it allows for putting the date of registration. Even though car gets registered in a day or two

Yes. For my new car, the policy start date is 30th July, while the car got registered on 12th August (Both done by dealer). Still I would suggest you ask for a callback from whatever portal you are buying from. Most of these online portals have chatbots, and response time is also pretty fast.

[vijitj]

Hello folks,
I am newbie here so just adding a related matter to this thread.
I am planning to buy the new Tata Safari 2021 and just wanted to know what can I do if my dealer refuses me from purchasing the insurance from outside.
Also, are there any other ways or tips that I can use to bring down the price further because from my initial discussions with the dealer, it seems there is nothing more that they can do over and above what Tata motors is offering.
Any guidance would be much appreciated.
Keep up the good work TeamBHP. Thanks.

[raksrules]

I have few questions, would appreciate people more knowledgeable to answer..

1. Upto what point can we cancel a car booking? Can it is be done after car is allotted?

2. Can I book same car (variant and color) from more than one dealer in my city and whoever allots me cars first, I keep that and proceed and cancel other bookings?

3. Is it advisable to do what is mentioned in Question 2 above if my current booking seems to be not moving forward and wait times have increased a lot? Asking since I booked a car at a close by deal in Oct end but now it is Jan end and no news about the car and dealer says there are 6-7 people ahead of me for same color and variant. He says Feb End "mostly" but I absolutely have no hopes.

[krishnakumar]

Originally Posted by vijitj

Hello folks,
I am planning to buy the new Tata Safari 2021 and just wanted to know what can I do if my dealer refuses me from purchasing the insurance from outside.
Also, are there any other ways or tips that I can use to bring down the price further because from my initial discussions with the dealer, it seems there is nothing more that they can do over and above what Tata motors is offering.

You are legally entitled to purchase the insurance from wherever you want. However, since cars are in short supply and demand is high, what you're experiencing is dealer high handedness.

Talk to the insurance executive at the dealership on the nitty gritty. Dealerships earn quite a bit of money by selling you insurance and financing options, through commissions. There will be a ton of add-ons which are part of the deal so by carefully going through them and removing these add-ons, you can correct the price to a great extent. Spoiler alert, you mostly won't need ANY add-on as they are all marketing gimmicks.

The best way to do this is by bringing quotes from Policybazaar to them and asking why their rates are so high. They'll be forced to go through the details and then you can negotiate on these.

If the dealer is outright refusing on the above, find another dealer. Shop around. The biggest mistake that people do is to not shop around enough with other dealers. Even from cities outside. I checked both in Bangalore and Trivandrum (my hometown) for rates. Dealers don't care much about RTO registration because it's anyway money not earned.

I went for the insurance offered by Mahindra itself because they were higher by ~10% only but came with the added benefit of cashless claims and not having to deal with surveyors etc. This came useful recently as well when I had to claim insurance due to a minor incident. I didn't have to do anything, just drop the car in the service center. When such things happen, having some peace of mind is priceless. So do consider this aspect when buying insurance from outside. Obviously, ensure that Tata is offering such terms for the insurance that they are selling.

Originally Posted by raksrules

1. Upto what point can we cancel a car booking? Can it is be done after car is allotted?

2. Can I book same car (variant and color) from more than one dealer in my city and whoever allots me cars first, I keep that and proceed and cancel other bookings?

3. Is it advisable to do what is mentioned in Question 2 above if my current booking seems to be not moving forward and wait times have increased a lot?

You can cancel until the VIN is registered in your name by the RTO. And they'll do this only after you pay the full amount including RTO charges. However, be prepared to lose some amount as cancellation charges.

[kvsriki]

When should you make full payment while buying a new vehicle?

In today's scenario, where the dealers are in full control with them forcing customers to make full payment even before they share VIN or allow PDI:

• Is it advisable to make full payment or pay the ex-showroon price before PDI?
• Or should one keep insisting on PDI or atleast get the VIN allotted before making the payment? In this case too, should the full payment be made or should one withhold some amount for the day of delivery?

Note: I got a call from my dealership today that the vehicle has been allotted, but in order to do PDI or even to get the VIN, I should make the full payment to them. Seeking help in this process to avoid getting trapped by making full payment without even getting the VIN? I am not even sure if the dealership has received the vehicle in their stockyard.

[JeepSilver]

Noob car buyer looking for 'the' car with a budget between 15-30L. Please help!

Hi all,

This is my first post since joining Team BHP. I've been a reader on and off for many years but a recent interest in buying a new car has me spending a lot of time on various TBHP threads and reviews. This has fortunately helped me realise the level of my current 'noob-ness'. Hoping to learn from your opinions and responses to this post.

Context: A little over a decade ago is when I helped my dad buy the first family car. He was not too keen but had to get rid of his beloved Bajaj Chetak on the advice of doctors for some back pain he'd developed. They advised him to get a car for daily commute to work. Dad wanted a compact car that would be easier to manoeuvre in the city and we ended up checking out MS WagonR, Hyundai i10, Abarth Punto, VW Polo, and the Ford Figo. While I distinctly remember the cockpit like interiors in the Punto, dad felt the most comfortable in VW Polo and Ford Figo. Given the price difference, went ahead with Ford Figo and he uses it till date without much fuss over the years. I remember the decision making being so much simpler back then.

Over the past decade I've lived and studied across Lucknow, Pune, Gurugram, Trichy, Chennai and finally settled in Bengaluru since 2019. Given the nomadic lifestyle, I never considered buying a car and was content with a Himalayan I bought in 2018. My wife has owned a MS Swift since before we started dating. I didn't bother getting another one given the traffic in Bengaluru, and continued using the Himalayan for daily commute.

Fast forward Post Covid and the tech world going remote, we've moved to an apartment complex on the outskirts of the city, away from the narrow roads and crawling traffic. My current employer has permanently gone remote in a bid to hire globally, and while the wife may have to return to a hybrid model and travel to an office in the city eventually, we're clear that we do not want her to drive all the way, and will likely get a cab/taxi service. We're looking to upgrade, and here are the considerations,

1. The current car being manual, we definitely want to upgrade to an automatic transmission
2. We enjoy going on road trips (have used Zoomcars for the past few years, but given that we're away from the city, limited options and too much hassle) - so the car needs to have good highway manners, long range driving comfort. I enjoy cruising along at a reasonable pace (80-100 kmph) but do need the additional punch to overtake larger vehicles. The current pace might be a function of the kind of cars we've been driving, but I don't suspect my style of driving to change overnight
3. Given the fauji upbringing (dad serves with the armed forces), I'm big on safety first and risk management. Need 5 star NCAP safety rating and reasonable performance on the moose test
4. Not too fussed about after sales experience (its important enough to make the list), but definitely want to stay away from dealers/brands that are notorious for poor experience or unable to give decent sales experience (looking at you PPS VW, Bengaluru!)

With this context and list, here are the few options we checked out,

1. Honda City 5th Gen One of the TDs we took, good experience where the SA was knowledgable and explained relevant features. Liked the drive experience and the top variant fits easily in budget. Heard poor reviews about GC on hilly/bad roads, and highway stability (light Asian chassis). Nearly made up our mind but decided to explore further based on the negative reviews

2. TATA Harrier Very poor sales experience, the SA barely knew anything about the car or cared to explain answers. I liked the Harrier overall, but both wife and I felt it was a bit too big. To be fair, it was the first SUV styled car we test drove

3. VW Taigun Visited the VW showroom and while the transmission and engine of the Taigun instantly impressed, the interiors and exteriors (we're don't fancy chrome as much) definitely does not do justice to the price tag. Build quality in 2.0 is definitely not comparable with what is expected from VW. The SA bad-mouthed Kushaq plenty and given we were unimpressed with the interiors and exteriors of the Taigun, have not yet checked out the Kushaq

4. MG Astor Loved the looks and you can feel how premium the interior cabin is. We loved every bit of the ADAS features (despite the creepy toy staring at us all the time) and for a bit even forgot about the lack of proven history and reliability of MG in India, or the lack of official NCAP ratings. Were jolted back to reality when we asked the SA to drive and decided to check out the rear seat. Comfort is not what comes to mind while trying to describe the under thigh support or the recline angle

5. XUV 700 Had a short TD of this with a couple of other friends - I would have gone for a 5-seater version of the car in the AX7 trim. Nothing particularly wrong with the car, just that it being a 7-seater felt a bit much considering 95% of the time our car will only have 2 passengers

6. Jeep Compass This was a tough one cause we initially did not want to spend over 20-22L, but an article on a finance website assured us it was wise to spend upto 50% of gross annual income on a new car, and based on the stories we told ourself about keeping the next car for 8-10 years, we increased the budget to 30L and went for a TD. Enjoyed the test drive, the car felt very planted and solid throughout without any body roll whatsoever. This was clearly a segment above everything else we had seen so far. I was quite impressed with everything on offer and zeroed in on the Limited AT 1.4L. Made an INR 20K transfer as booking amount (fully refundable) a couple of weeks ago, and haven't yet had any update about expected delivery date.

If you survived reading till this point, here's where the problem statement begins. I've now started questioning whether its prudent to spend INR 30L for the kind of usage I am likely going to have (no daily commute, occasional drives to the city, weekend trips once a month, a 5 day trip once a quarter). Also, is it normal to experience some buyer's remorse when buying your first car?

I've read a lot about pre-worshipped cars on this platform but don't consider myself informed enough to be able to judge what's a good bargain/judge the quality of a used car. Hence would prefer sticking to a new car at least this time.

Are there any other options I should be checking out? The strongest contenders at this time seem to be Honda City and Jeep Compass - does my usage pattern justify a spend upwards of INR 20L?

Thanks in advance!

[chipsnchops]

Need urgent help in buying a small EV

Hi there,

I hope this is the right forum for this. It's a combination of buying a new car as well as an Electric car. I want to buy a small electric car for my inlaws who are 75 plus. They live in Pune and the requirement is mostly city driving. Something to replace their two-wheeler which is pretty dangerous at this age.

Can anyone suggest to me something that is not very expensive? Would really appreciate it. I am very new to the EV world. I still am a hardcore Petrol/Diesel guy. Want to hear the engine respond to me

[Aaditto]

Originally Posted by GTO

My Indigo came with MRF rubber (or was it Apollo?). I asked my dealer to switch to Bridgestones, they were only too happy to oblige.

One can do that?!
I sort of assumed that the buyer has no choice regarding the stock tires!

So, at which point do I ask the dealer for the change? And how do I enforce it?

I am guessing that it's only during the PDI that I will actually get to know which brand of tires have been fitted. Assuming that up to that point I have only paid the dealer/ company the 'booking amount' - So, if and when the dealer is not ready to oblige with my request during PDI, for tire brand change - can I just tell them that I am cancelling my booking - if they don't comply with the tire change request?!

[shipnil]

Originally Posted by Aaditto

One can do that?!
I sort of assumed that the buyer has no choice regarding the stock tires!

The change is for price upgrade. I think you have assumed it to be free. If you are willing to pay the difference, they can give whatever brand tyres you want.