[blitz_nomad]

Folks,

A few questions:

1. Is car inusrance typically 1+3yrs? i.e., 1 year for OD and 3 years for 3rd party? I spoke to RoyalSundram and they say that this is the norm. It sounds odd, since if I decide to switch providers next year - I'd be able to do that only for OD. This would be an hassle to deal with two insurers. I checked with them whether one could get a 1 yr policy (for both OD and TP), they were saying that the TP has to be for a minimum of 3 yrs. They were quoting (31K) Was wondering what others typically do?
2. When I check with different dealers (Tata), they seem to have tie ups with different providers. While there is an overlap, they say for the ones not supported by their dealership the process involved is different. I'm having a tough time understanding this - I'd like to have cashless/hasslefree all over India, as opposed to just the dealers' service center. They say that the providers have tie-ups with Tata and I should get the facility in all service stations, but then don't seem to agree with a list that other dealers provide with the same terms.. For instance, one accepts Acko while another doesn't.
3. How does one track the booking status - there seems to be lack transparency here. The dealers gives me an order number. But there seems to be no way to track currently at which "spot" in the queue I am. How do I make sure, that I'm not being short changed by the dealer - by allotting cars to someone who booked the same car model later than me? There is a clause in the booking that I'd get a 100% refund on cancellation, but I wouldn't want to do that after waiting for months. I suppose many others who booked recently might have had the same apprehension - would love to know what did you do to work around it? Does one book from multiple dealers to gain leverage. I'd assume there must be some kind of a clause against this - if not, everyone might do it and lead to wild inventory errors in true bookings at the TATA end.

Thanks!

[sridhu]

A question: Do any dealers offer 3-4 day rentals so that we can check out how the car is to live with?

Friend is interested in the Tata Harrier (moving up from a Polo)


If not, would be grateful for any pointers where he could rent it from in Bangalore.

Thank you.

PS: If this is not being done, I think it is a great sales option for the dealers of 20+ lac cars to offer !! Getting a trial of the vehicle in everyday use is half the problem.

[blitz_nomad]

Originally Posted by blitz_nomad

I've been told by the dealer, that Tata has hiked the prices of Punch. For Creative AMT it is about 12K more now. Anyone else has more info on this? A Rushlane article also seems to be talking of an hike.

The dealer says that I'd have to pay the full amount to lock in the prior price and that price protection is only till Apr 28th. Apparently my car had been allotted but will take a couple of days more to arrive at the dealer. I wanted to do a PDI before I pay, but it looks like this will not be possible since the car may not be here till Apr 29th.

Would appreciate any advice here... What typically happens in these scenarios - is it the booking price or price at time delivery that counts? I'd told them I wanted to do a PDI - I wonder if I'm just being rushed into paying up the whole amount before PDI. The dealer says invoice has to be generated before Apr 28th for old prices to apply.

[grvs]

Hi all, I want to buy a new automatic, and two main contenders are Astor AT and City CVT. Which one should I go for, should I create a new thread for this.

How I selected these two cars - I created a tool and they scored highest based on my requirements.

My requirements in priority order:
1. Automatic (I have ACL in left knee, so no clutch for me).
2. Safety
3. Reliability (I have 2 young kids, so no DSG/DCT)
4. Easy city driving (12-15 times per month in bangalore traffic during day time) - this includes good behavior on bad roads, low turning radius, good steering, no speed drop while overtaking (read no AMT) etc.
5. Night driving (5-6 times per month in bangalore, high beams troubles me too much), so I want a higher seating position.
6. Comfortable seats/good space for long drives.
7. High speed stability (I generally don't go beyond 100, but good stability till 120)
8. Driving fun (something of heart finally)
9. Good Interiors
10. Good boot space (for kids' stuff during long drives)
11. Extra features (internet, sun-roof) - for kids.
12. Resale value - not really important for me
13. Maintenance - should not be rocket high (no DSG/DCT again), but not worried about 10k difference per year.
14. Exterior - least important (I see them maximum twice in a day for 2 seconds at most, interior/comfort is more important). That means I can live with new Creta .

Then there is a *veto from Wife*.


Summary of my observations and decisions. :
Honda City CVT - Had a test drive of manual city, as CVT was not available on that day. If roads were good and people did not use high beams, it was clear winner. I currently own city 2012 VMT and never faced any problem. It is safe, reliable, great interiors, features, stable for both city and highways, comfortable seats, nicely priced (comparing to crossovers/compact SUVs). Just that I loose all visibility at night due to high beams and I noticed that higher seating position does help. Also not great for unscientific bumps and potholes/bad roads/no roads conditions.

Nissan kicks CVT - Test drove, Good power, good suspension, high seating position, but almost no sales, interiors from 20 years back, minimal features, wife vetoed.

Creta IVT - test drove before new ratings, was feeling it has less to offer for a higher price, and after new safety ratings it is a clear no.

Astor CVT - Test drove twice, liked this car a lot, ticks almost all checkboxes: expect that its a new brand, so no idea about long term reliability and ownership costs.

Astor AT - Since wife does not like red/black or ivory/black in CVT (well she has her tastes), and AT offers black interiors, she suggested AT. For me it is as good as it can be as it will be more fun, though I have not taken a test drive yet.

Hector CVT - test drove, too big for city driving.

Alcarzar - test drove as a friend wants a big car, but size is an issue for me.

Nexon AMT - VFM, safe, I took a test drive of petrol AMT - felt lag was too high. This felt very risky while overtaking as I am speeding up but upshift slows down the vehicle. Also it has less boot space.

So only two options left are city CVT and Astor AT.

Still to be sure I created an excel tool to score my cars and Astor and City are at top. So I need suggestions on which one to buy. Thanks!!

[raktim]

Originally Posted by blitz_nomad

Would appreciate any advice here... What typically happens in these scenarios - is it the booking price or price at time delivery that counts? I'd told them I wanted to do a PDI - I wonder if I'm just being rushed into paying up the whole amount before PDI. The dealer says invoice has to be generated before Apr 28th for old prices to apply.

This is a general practice that when you paid the full or a substantial amount so that an invoice is created the price becomes final.
I believe you would mostly want to check for the accessories at the time of delivery. You may at best negotiate with the dealer to withheld the relevant amount. However, more often there is no need to get over alarmed.

Enjoy your new car.

[Paddy19]

Hi all, facing a new car dilemma and reaching out for some perspectives. I currently own a 2013 Ertiga ZXI with 70k odo that has served me well and is still quite reliable. Major issue is ride quality - cabin is too loud on highway drives and the ride isn’t smooth even on good roads, and gets worse on poor roads. One mechanic diagnosed an issue with steering rack that’s causing more than normal vibrations and impacting ride quality but it will cost 15-20k to fix so have held off.

So requirement is to really replace the current car and a get a good solid 7 seater. I say replace and not upgrade because I don’t really need more space than what Ertiga offers. I do want auto transmission (petrol), a quiet cabin and a comfortable ride over bad/undulated roads. I had a budget of 12-15L in mind but clearly the market has moved ahead, so have had to stretch it to 18L now, but even then the choices are limited!

Cars considered:
1. New Ertiga - severely disappointed. The dash of my 9 year old car looks better, especially the AC knobs! Off the list.
2. New XL6 - love the car and no complaints really. Only hesitation is paying 18L for an average spec car by today’s standards, and the lingering worry that it might it force me to upgrade in 3-4 years. If it was priced same as the outgoing model, it was no brainer.
3. Carens - Ranks below XL6 on ride quality for me but better specs, finish, interiors, etc. Not entirely convinced about NVH - test drove the vehicle 3 times at 3 different dealerships. The last drive was better than first 2 so getting myself to believe it’s not so bad. 6 month wait period is a big downer.
4. Innova - We all know the positives. Two issues - 1. Driver legroom is really poor, my knees were hitting the steering when getting in and out. Wasn’t expecting for a car of that size. 2. AT is coming to 32L OTR because auto isn’t available in the penultimate variant. That’s almost double the price of XL6.

It’s a toss up between XL6, Carens and Innova with the feeling that I will be compromising on something important with any of those. Also checked Hector Plus but 3rd row was a joke. Tata Safari and XUV 700 too had really tight 3rd rows - I had to contort to get in and out, so ruled them out. Two unexpected choices popped up:
1. Marazzo: I got a Marazzo when I booked Ola for an airport ride and was impressed by the space and ride quality. It’s a dying model, and is not available in AT but for 60% of Innova’s price, it offers almost everything Innova does. Does it makes sense to go for a car that’s nearing end of life?
2. Alcazar: Since I was confused enough, thought of checking this out…how much more can it confuse me! But surprisingly, very impressed by the comfort and feature list. 3rd row is average though and price is about 6L more than XL6 but it might be more future-proof than XL6. Haven’t yet TD’ed but read through the Alacazar thread on the forum today and it seems like a good vehicle. The AT is a TC and not DCT (while I am no enthusiast), and this gave me some cheer as the experts on this forum seem to prefer TC over DCT.

Here’s where I am:

1. XL6 is a dependable package but doesn’t feel worth 18L, especially after the steep jump from prior model (anchoring effect!). Plus the worry that I might feel the need an upgrade soon. I got the Ertiga when I didn’t need a 7 seater (got it for its seating position) but thanks to that decision I wasnt - and still am not - forced to make an upgrade. I still don’t need a 7 seater but very used to that configuration now.
2. Innova and Alcazar are tugging at my heart. Alcazar seems to be a good price-feature balance but there is a waiting period.
3. Another reason for wanting a “big” car - this sounds silly but isn’t - is that my society has a zillion speed humps within the periphery and my Ertiga makes me feel each one of them even if I slow down to zero!
4. Since I have an Ertiga, I am also assuming driving the Innova or Alcazar in traffic/tight lanes etc., won’t going to be significantly different - they are bigger but not by much. This is also key because I don’t have a bike or a second car so even short neighbourhood trips are on my Ertiga today.

Thanks for the patience, time and suggestions!

[Paddy19]

Originally Posted by Paddy19

Haven’t yet TD’ed but read through the Alacazar thread on the forum today and it seems like a good vehicle. The AT is a TC and not DCT (while I am no enthusiast), and this gave me some cheer as the experts on this forum seem to prefer TC over DCT.

I did the test drive today. Love the drive quality and the feature list - the lane/change turn camera was amazing. Excellent steering, control, turn radius, etc., but 3rd row is quite tight. So the needle is swinging back towards XL6...

regards,
Paddy

[abhisheksnayak]

Thanks GTO for the detailed post. I'm in the market to replace my Tata Hexa. Absolute beast of a vehicle especially on the highways, done 1.25L kms. in 5 years and pampered us with a truck load of space for a joint family. Wanted to upgrade to a mid-size luxury SUV. Checked the Discovery Sport, Q5, X3, XC60 (best of the lot) and GLC but they're really not comfy on the back row for long drives and can fit in max. 2 (third person literally sits over the AC vent). This will mostly be chauffeur driven so burning 70-80L didn't make much sense for my driving time of <10%. Came down a segment and narrowed in on Gloster, Carnival & Crysta (last choice). Captain seats are a must. Ingress/ Egress should be easy. This was the only problem with Hexa and something that Tata has still not fixed with the Safari. Any recommendations?

[Muscle Boyy]

Looking for a fuel efficient city Car for Dad.

Hi folks.
Our garage consists of three cars, the first one being a 2016 Ford Ecosport Titanium+ Diesel, which is primarily used by me and my brother, a 2019 Hyundai Santro Sportz AMT,used by my mom and a 2010 Wagonr VXI,which is what my dad uses for his office commute. Since the Wagonr has started showing it's age related issues and the fuel efficiency in city limits is a mere 9-10 kmpl, we came up with two options. Either restore and get the car serviced completely and use it for another 5-6 years or sell it off and get a diesel car,since his daily running is around 50kms. He isn't keen on selling the car mainly due to the fact that the area where his office is located is crowded and the roads are narrow as well,and parking a brand new car in the crowded environment is something he isn't happy about.This was why we also considered the option of retaining Wagonr for another few more years.He is a person who prefers to have no nonsense cars and doesn't like walking behind them. We are still in a dilemma whether we should use or sell it before it turns 15. According to the prices in OLX, the car can easily fetch us at least 2 lakhs,which is quite good for its age.
Dad hasn't tried learning to drive an automatic but considering the fact that he is about to turn sixty, getting a Car with an automatic transmission makes things better for the future and most importantly, convenience.The first car which came to my mind was the Kia Sonet Diesel Automatic and it's HTX variant meets most of his requirements.Since he has backpain issues, he needs a car with relatively high seating position and overall, the sonet ticks all the right boxes. If he is willing to maintain the car with proper care, I feel he can easily live with the Sonet in the city without any hassle.

The confusion is still going through our minds. I feel the fellow BHPians can help me reach to a conclusion. Are there any other cars which can fulfill his requirements?
It would be great if y'all can share your valuable suggestions.

Thanks a bunch BHPians!!!

[Thunder18]

Hey guys. So I am looking at two cars rn. One has 4 air bags and the other has 2 air bags but more safety features like ebd and hill assist. Both have a good crash rating. What would be better for city uses?

Can't decide between the kriger or magnite.

[PaceTraveller]

Hello,

I read some info on an earlier post that it is general practice to pay full or substantial amount for invoice to be generated and amount to be finalised.

I have a question regarding this.

I have paid booking amount of Rs. 50k and originally I was planning to go the loan way. However, after discussing and a lot of deliberation, family decided we should do it the without car loan via direct payment.

Now, since no one in our family has bought a car outright in the past, and given so many concerns around dealers taking customers for a ride, I am concerned at what stage should I make the payment?

I confirmed with the dealer that the vehicle variant that I want is readily available and I was shown the vehicle for inspection at the time of booking. I did initial inspection, took some pictures and paid the booking amount however I couldn't do full PDI of electronics and everything as the vehicle was not activated. He said the vehicle is activated at the time of Service Center PDI and that is done after they receive the payment from the bank (assuming I was to go the car loan route)

Now since I am thinking of making the payment in cash, I want to know what % of amount should I pay to the dealer right away and at what different stages should I pay the remaining amount?

Could you please provide some clarifications/guidance? Thank you.

[MacBa]

Having spent more than 4 years with my trusty City, looking to upgrade to a proper 6/7 seater.

Have shortlisted the following in their auto avataars:
1. Innova Crysta
2. Tata Safari
3. XUV 700

The car will see both City and Highway mileage and would be carrying 5-6 people (including 1 kid) on highways and 2 adults during most of the city commutes. XUV 700 has a very looooong waiting period plus loses out on reliability aspect as well given the niggles are yet to be sorted out completely.

I'm getting immediate delivery of new Crysta diesel in the family's color of dislike (black).

Need advice on the following questions:
1. Toyota is not taking fresh bookings for the diesel crysta. Should I bite the bullet and take the one in the color being offered?
2. Go for the safari in the color of choice (getting a 100k discount as well on XMAS trim)
3. Wait for the XUV 700 for its rich interiors and expect the niggles to be sorted over the next 8 months (expected delivery date)
4. Wait it out for Innova Hycross and buck the diesel trend. That said the car is expected to be substantially more expensive given Toyota's history of pricing

[carboy]

I am looking to buy a new car. Since I hardly drive these days, I am looking for the cheapest new car I can buy. I am only looking at Hyundai or Maruti. Which are the cheapest cars from these 2 brands. My main reasons for these 2 brands is that they are reliable and also very easy to maintain. Every neighbourhood mechanic can repair these 2 days & parts are very cheap - especially for Maruti.

So my questions are

- What are these cheapest cars available in these 2 brands? How much do they cost on road?

- Is there any other brand I should look at (only if it's cheaper) - I have ruled out Tata - but are there any others I should look at, I am quite out of touch with the car market.

- I am 6 feet tall, but I have done OK in the back seat of small Taxis like Alto etc. Would front seat be much different (not planning very long drives). I will, of course, take a test drive before buying.

[cuttingcrew]

Didn't find a specific thread to discuss, but felt may be relevant here.

I am getting old, back problems have started (L3-L4 gap reducing) and also concentration/reaction time are iffy (though I don't believe that). So while buying cars the priorities have changed. Used to like fun-to-drive cars, but can I do a 6-8 hrs in that? Low seats, stiffer suspension, low profile tyres, hard ingress/egress - doesn't appeal that much. So my new requirements are (priority high to low)
1. Good seating comfort and ergonomics - thing of 8/10/12 way adjustable seats with adjustable lumber support etc
2. A fine tuned suspension with more focus on comfort - higher profile tyres might help
3. Decent back seat comfort - under thigh support, adjustable back rest
4. Can spend around 50L
5. All other fun to drive features - cant rule out these

I am not concerned if it is a sedan, suv or mpv. So my short list as of now Audi A4, GLA 200, Innova, kia Carnival. Some of the other I am not sure of are S60, A-class limo, 330i.

So any help? I need a comfortable but fun to drive car.

[chrn]

Should I wait for the harrier facelift?
My comparative analysis between the old and new harriers is below. Kindly help me decide. Thank you.

Old harrier (one in the market now):
•Iconic design which will be ruined in facelift as Mr. Pratap Bose had left Tata for Mahindra.
•Better power which will be toned down to comply with BS6 stage 2 to be implemented from April 2023.
•Lesser price due to year end discounts & BS6 stage 1 compliant hardware.
•ADAS in facelift will cause accidents as we already saw in many articles as Indian roads do not have clear markings and signs and almost no one follows traffic rules properly.
•Facelift will have huge waiting periods.
•Recall headaches of facelift due to initial batch real life testing issues.
•Recently added electronic hand brake and rare disc brakes complete it as a wholesome car.

New harrier (2023 facelift):
•Resale value.
•Bigger and faster Infotainment system.
•CAMO edition re-entry possibility. I love that colour.
•Hybrid engine options possibility.
•New logo and brand image revamp possibility.