[Epic]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

Because a FIAT is sold by TATA! Thats the biggest mistake FIAT had done. Why would TATA be bothered to sell a FIAT?

FIAT has never managed to set the sales chart on fire anyways. And it is entirely FIAT who is to be blamed.

Who will buy a car from a company which does not have it's own service centre? Very few.

I think they are right. From a service point of view, you MAY have certain issues maintaining a FIAT.

Please dont think I am persuading you to buy a FIAT. Infact I am open enough to tell you that if you buy a FIAT, be prepared to have some minor issues with the dealer. I would recommend the Punto to only those who have test driven the car & absolutely love it. You dont feel so & if you buy a FIAT, even minor issues will give you a headache & you will start repenting.

Aaree?? Your previous posts were sort of describing the good things about the car and why I should consider it but your above posts have given me all the reasons as to why I should not buy a Fiat! Sorry I called you a fan before, I think you are a Fiat hater now!! Just kidding

Originally Posted by raj_5004

But I can tell you that VW's service is no better or worse. Dont expect a premium treatment with VW. Some cars are not 100% trouble free either.

Possibly, but the fact is there are still more VWs on the roads than a Punto or Fabia. This definitely means something positive I'm sure.

Originally Posted by raj_5004

If you are keen on good after sales service, please have a look at Maruti or Hyundai. That is what I feel.

After sales service is probably the best, not so sure about product quality. My Swift showed signs of corrossion in 03 years!!

Originally Posted by raj_5004

Warranty on the car for sure is 4 years.

Paint & anti corrosion warranty is a question mark now!

Aaree? Again why is it a question mark now when you said it is written in the Punto manual?

Originally Posted by Turbokick

With some serious discounts on offer for the Fabia 1.6, you should reconsider it. Just have a check about skoda's service with the owners at your place and see what really is the cause of concern.
- if its the indifferent attitude and lack of support then it is something serious.
- if service costs,spare parts and other expenditures are bothering you then VW won't be too different. Both cars are mechanically almost the same.

Wait till Jan, when you might see the improved punto.

The discounts on Fabia are only on the current 2011 models for stock clearance. This model does not have a rear washer and defogger. The new 2012 model will have these features and will not have such a good discount. This is what I have been told by the sales guys when I had gone for a test drive.

Based on the above posts, I don't think Punto would be an option anymore now.

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by Epic

Aaree?? Your previous posts were sort of describing the good things about the car and why I should consider it but your above posts have given me all the reasons as to why I should not buy a Fiat! Sorry I called you a fan before, I think you are a Fiat hater now!! Just kidding

Yes, because you need to know the pros as well as cons of owning a Punto, or any car for that matter.

Well, you can say, I like the Punto but I hate FIAT's attitude towards Indians. You may note that earlier I had used the word 'Punto' but in my previous post, I have used the word 'FIAT'.

Aaree? Again why is it a question mark now when you said it is written in the Punto manual?

Its a question mark because in the manual it is written as 2 years but everywhere else it is mentioned as 5 years. I have seen many people saying its 5 years!

Similar to the car's warranty, FIAT's booklet says its 2 years but it is actually 4 years, I have a written record from the dealer for that!

[blueblooded]

@Epic ,
Dear epic ,punto is fantastic car to own and drive ,I am having it for last 18 months .
I have covered varanasi-lucknow-kanpur-indore-nashik on it driving all by myself.
The point is its fabulous car to possess ,I too have had my share of woes in ownership ,like
1.I have to wait for 3 months for the right side ovrms
2.The wheel covers almost took 4 months to arrive
3.The door beading keep falling apart
4.The system failed in the second month of ownerhip itself
5.The front right shocker almost took a month to arrive ,my car was lying idle
Now ,despite all this , the moment i sit on its wheels you know it makes me forget all the worries .
Now as regards the warranty its 48 months and fiat do honor its warranty liberally
Things which they changed /repaired under warranty without much ado
1.Rear light assembly(RHS)
2.AC was repaired FOC along with gas charging
3.Front suspension struts
4.Front right shocks
Moreover ,the problem as pointed by the raj lies with the dealers and of course the Tatas.
Still fiat is and will remain an enthusiasts car ,so please stay away ,if any of the following matters to you
1.Resale value-punto and linea are new so cant say
2.After sales is a pain is *** and will remain so foreseeable time
3.The average is below the swift- its most compared nemesis
4.Pick up is below the swift
But go for it iff
1.you want a better ride quality
2.Rock solid steering even at 120+kmsph
3.Great high speed dynamics
4.Pretty good braking
Now its your call
regards
praveen singh

[Epic]

Originally Posted by blueblooded

@Epic ,
Dear epic ,punto is fantastic car to own and drive ,I am having it for last 18 months .
I have covered varanasi-lucknow-kanpur-indore-nashik on it driving all by myself.
The point is its fabulous car to possess ,I too have had my share of woes in ownership ,like
1.I have to wait for 3 months for the right side ovrms
2.The wheel covers almost took 4 months to arrive
3.The door beading keep falling apart
4.The system failed in the second month of ownerhip itself
5.The front right shocker almost took a month to arrive ,my car was lying idle
Now ,despite all this , the moment i sit on its wheels you know it makes me forget all the worries .
Now as regards the warranty its 48 months and fiat do honor its warranty liberally
Things which they changed /repaired under warranty without much ado
1.Rear light assembly(RHS)
2.AC was repaired FOC along with gas charging
3.Front suspension struts
4.Front right shocks
Moreover ,the problem as pointed by the raj lies with the dealers and of course the Tatas.
Still fiat is and will remain an enthusiasts car ,so please stay away ,if any of the following matters to you
1.Resale value-punto and linea are new so cant say
2.After sales is a pain is *** and will remain so foreseeable time
3.The average is below the swift- its most compared nemesis
4.Pick up is below the swift
But go for it iff
1.you want a better ride quality
2.Rock solid steering even at 120+kmsph
3.Great high speed dynamics
4.Pretty good braking
Now its your call
regards
praveen singh

Hi Praveen. Thank you for the very honest feedback. Looking at you post above, it seems that you already have a good number of issues in just 18 months of ownership. Even more worrying is the amount of time the spares take to arrive. As you have also compared it to the Swift, it seems the Swift is a better bet. And ofcourse, I currently owning a Swift myself since the past 06 years have never had mechanical issues so far. My only issue was corrosion. Is it fair to say that Fiat cars or rather the Punto are not reliable machines? In such a case, I would definitely stay away from it.

If we compare it to the VW Polo 1.6, would you recommend the Polo over the Punto?

[Turbokick]

I believe once a car undergoes some serious discount schemes, it is difficult to price it again at the original level even after minor refurbishment.
Fabia might get minor change over as far as features and specifications are concerned. With Fabia scot coming sometime in mid 2012, I don't think the normal version will see any drastic changes.

Preferably skoda may come up with better pricing strategy because petrols and that too premium hatchbacks are hardly doing any numbers thanks to rising fuel costs. The appeal limited to enthusiasts or petrolheads.

With some good 70-80Ks off on the 1.6 variant, Fabia is actually a great value. More so when compared to the Polo 1.6.
And ofcourse Fabia's imported components make up for a better build and tighter finish compared to locally made polo.

[blueblooded]

@epic ,I am very sorry if I gave you the impression that fiat punto mjd is most unreliable of the cars in india .
I firmly believe is that punto is the most reliable hatchback one hard earned money can buy.
Now in the last post i gave you some of the troubles i faced ,which was all of dealers making .
Moreover please note that
1.My shocks was busted owing my mishandling -My punto ran over a railway crossing at speed of 60kmph, and in the same journey i landed it over a open manhole and could stop only after front right wheel had crossed it with loud thud.
2.The ovrm was damaged owing minor crash.

Please go through the various ownership reviews regarding punto and then come to any conclusion.
All i can say that there is still no car this side of 10 lakh as compared to this wonderful hatch
regards
praveen singh

[Epic]

Originally Posted by Turbokick

Fabia might get minor change over as far as features and specifications are concerned. With Fabia scot coming sometime in mid 2012, I don't think the normal version will see any drastic changes.

With some good 70-80Ks off on the 1.6 variant, Fabia is actually a great value. More so when compared to the Polo 1.6.
And ofcourse Fabia's imported components make up for a better build and tighter finish compared to locally made polo.

The only change as far as I have been told that the 2012 Fabia will have are 15" rims with a new design ( I don't think 15" were offered in the 2011 models - please correct me if I am wrong) and the rear wiper, washer and defogger which are not available in the 2011 models and below even on the top variants. Also the discounts are claimed to be applicable only on the 2011 models in order to clear stocks. Same goes for VW too. I am getting a good 70k discount on the Fabia 1.6 and a 50k discount on the Polo 1.6.

Now comparing the imported components to the locally made ones, I doubt there would be a difference in quality. Also I would prefer locally made components as they would be easily available and less expensive so that is a good thing. Also, as per the Skoda sales representative, even they have started manufacturing parts locally now. He told me that the Fabia clutch now is arounf 12k but in the past it was almost 30k. The drastic cut in price was due to the locally made components.

Originally Posted by blueblooded

@epic ,I am very sorry if I gave you the impression that fiat punto mjd is most unreliable of the cars in india .
I firmly believe is that punto is the most reliable hatchback one hard earned money can buy.
Now in the last post i gave you some of the troubles i faced ,which was all of dealers making .
Moreover please note that
1.My shocks was busted owing my mishandling -My punto ran over a railway crossing at speed of 60kmph, and in the same journey i landed it over a open manhole and could stop only after front right wheel had crossed it with loud thud.
2.The ovrm was damaged owing minor crash.

Please go through the various ownership reviews regarding punto and then come to any conclusion.
All i can say that there is still no car this side of 10 lakh as compared to this wonderful hatch
regards
praveen singh

Ok so the damage caused to your car was due to your negligence but it is still a worrying factor that parts take almost a month to arrive. Are the parts of the Punto/Fiat improted? If so, are they costly as compared to other brands? If not imported, then why such a long waiting period?

[Epic]

Hi guys. Back after checking out the market again and I am surprised to see the new 2012 Skoda Fabia already on the roads. I thought this would happen only next year. Is it possible that Skoda has sold off all its old stock already?

Another thing that I have been wondering is that eventhough there has been alot of Skoda bashing all around with regards to its after sales and stuff, one does see a huge number of Lauras and Superbs on the roads but very few Fabias. Why is this so? Has Skoda finally mended its ways as it is amazing to see so many Skoda cars ranging from 12 lakhs to 20+ lakhs and growing on the roads for a company that is not known for its after sales service!

[supremoo]

I have been following this thread and i found it very interesting how it developed and progressed thus far. If I were in your shoes i would be inclined towards the polo 1.6. At a time of high interest rates and slowing car sales, VW have been surging ahead with their sales.

Volkswagen India car sales witness 140 percent growth in 2011

I guess the strike at maruti's maneswar plant also contributed to the strengthen growth for Volkswagen.

[Epic]

Originally Posted by supremoo

I have been following this thread and i found it very interesting how it developed and progressed thus far. If I were in your shoes i would be inclined towards the polo 1.6. At a time of high interest rates and slowing car sales, VW have been surging ahead with their sales.

Volkswagen India car sales witness 140 percent growth in 2011

I guess the strike at maruti's maneswar plant also contributed to the strengthen growth for Volkswagen.

Yes, we have finalized on the VW Polo 1.6. However, there is news of a new 2012 version being released soon which is rumored to have extra features like audio controls on the steering wheel and a new headunit with bluetooth. I hope they also add auto climate control, electric folding mirrors, etc. I have been told that there might be an increase of 15k for the new model. Not sure if this price increase is a good move by VW. Also, a dealer in Mumbai is promising delivery of the 2012 model in February or March but is not clear (or doesn't want to disclose yet) of the additional features and price. Pretty silly for him to want me to book a car without giving me such vital information.

[Epic]

Hi guys,

Firstly thank you all for the help rendered in helping me decide the car. We finally booked our VW Polo 1.6 yesterday and we have asked for delivery in the first week of March. Will keep you guys posted on the developments.

[KINI]

Originally Posted by Epic

Hi guys,

Firstly thank you all for the help rendered in helping me decide the car. We finally booked our VW Polo 1.6 yesterday and we have asked for delivery in the first week of March. Will keep you guys posted on the developments.

Congrats Epic!!Polo is a brilliant hatch indeed!!Have you booked the 2011 or 2012 model??

[Epic]

Originally Posted by KINI

Congrats Epic!!Polo is a brilliant hatch indeed!!Have you booked the 2011 or 2012 model??

Hi Kini. Thank you. We have booked a car manufactured in Q4 of 2011. Have asked for the VIN so that I can verify the same. Should be getting these details soon.

[F150]

Ok Q4 2011, how much discount did you get ?

[Epic]

Originally Posted by F150

Ok Q4 2011, how much discount did you get ?

50k cash discount and 17k corporate discount. Total on road price is 6.68L