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Old 3rd September 2012, 17:46   #1
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That car you never thought you'd end up buying!

There's a bunch of cars (amongst other products) which don't strike immediately and their value proposition only surfaces as time passes by and before we know it we're driving around town in one of those cars that we thought was never going to make it to our garage despite whetver whoever told us about it. So lets hear it folks!
I have a string of candidates on here. I was a total Safari junkie and could not imagine myself in a Scorpio. As time passed by, we brought home three Scorpios one after the other.
Another classic example is the Ford Ikon, nobody in our family thought the Ikon was worth investing into, but soon enough the valiue proposition of the Ford Ikon in the Flair trim could not be overlooked and we ended up getting one when in the market for a medium sized sedan.
A few years later we were in the market for a D1 segment sedan for my father to be driven around and instead we booked him a Toyota Innova for the sheer comfort & reliability factor.
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Old 3rd September 2012, 17:52   #2
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re: That car you never thought you'd end up buying!

For me it was the Ford Fusion. When it was launched, I would wonder who would buy this? Too expensive for a hatch. 4 years down the line, this model flopped badly in the market, resulting in mouthwatering resale prices. Ended up falling in love with it (why else would I search for 8 months and fly down to Bombay to buy a used one) and then buying one. Sadly had to sell it, in favour of a diesel car, but still miss it thoroughly.

If one had asked me earlier, I would have said you need to be out of your mind to buy one. I did, eventually.
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Old 3rd September 2012, 17:55   #3
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re: That car you never thought you'd end up buying!

For me its my first car Alto 800 . When the car introduced in the market with 1 litre engine (i was enterring college by that time), I thought what its gona do, looking somewhat similar to 800 and carrying engine from wagon R, why would one need to get the car. Later when it comes in 800 CC, i thought why we need it instead go for 800, until my cousin bought it. When i drive i understand this car ticks everything except power. So finally i bought one as my first car and ended up riding it for good 5 years.

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Old 3rd September 2012, 18:07   #4
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re: That car you never thought you'd end up buying!

For me its my Chevy Spark which I bought last year.
When I went to the Chevy showroom in 2010 to check out the Beat, I was hell bent sure I would never buy a Spark. Firstly it looked too cute and we already have one in the family.
But as luck would have it, I ended up purchasing a pre-worshipped Spark.

But now I don't regret the decision at all. I'm in love with my car. Its fun to drive and pretty reliable.
Though I still find it too cute and wish it looked a bit sexy
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Old 3rd September 2012, 18:10   #5
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re: That car you never thought you'd end up buying!

Its the ikon Tdci. I never ever expected to buy and ikon and even advised some not to buy an ikon as the ford A.S.S was expensive (5-6 years back).
Some how i ended up buying it after maruti tested my patience with insane swift abs waiting periods. lol.. I'm ok with it now.
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Old 3rd September 2012, 18:11   #6
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re: That car you never thought you'd end up buying!

Strike!
It was the Figo for us.
When I first saw it in Green, in Laalbhag, I thought it was plain ugly and was not worth a new launch.
But when we started to plan for a small car, and when we first watched the overdrive review, It somehow turned my heart around to have a look at it once.
And when we started test driving them all, the i20, the Polo and my Fav at that time, the Micra, the VFM simply blew us all, and now we are a happy Figo owner duo
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Old 3rd September 2012, 18:24   #7
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re: That car you never thought you'd end up buying!

Ford Figo for me. Never in dream i thought i will buy a Figo when it was launched. When it was launched i used to criticize the car for dated side looks, low GC, rear manual window. When my friends used to ask for suggestion on VFM diesel car my suggestion of Figo was "its uncles car for people who are 45+ in age".

When i went to buy car for myself, i test drove figo,polo,i20,rapid etc. But looking at value for money figo offered and price,A.S.S of other cars i was forced to buy Figo. Even today when i see the car, i just cant believe that I have bought figo. And now its all my friends turn to make fun of me "so you have bought uncle car"

Last edited by recshenoy : 3rd September 2012 at 18:26.
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Old 3rd September 2012, 18:30   #8
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re: That car you never thought you'd end up buying!

Nice Topic : I title rang a rather loud bell to me. Could not stop myself from posting.

Not there yet, but I might be there soon enough.
- Was/Am considering a C2 Sedan. Vento/Rapid.
- Might end up with the Ertiga. a more utilitarian/realistic vehicle.
I am still pondering - Why will I ever buy the Ertiga ? But I see 8 examples above on why I may.

Last edited by DieselDon : 3rd September 2012 at 18:31.
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Old 3rd September 2012, 18:31   #9
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re: That car you never thought you'd end up buying!

The car I never thought I would ever own? A VW Golf GTi MkII 8v.

Strange, isn't it, coming from a die-hard petrol head? That he never thought he would own what is arguably the best hot-hatch ever made?

I really wanted to buy a Subaru Legacy. But it was out of my budget, and loans at that time were proving very expensive. On the recommendation of a colleague, I started exploring the VW Golf.

Never regretted it!
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Old 3rd September 2012, 18:37   #10
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re: That car you never thought you'd end up buying!

Interesting thread! Its a diesel figo for me in 2010. After horrendous Indica experience I sweared never to look back to different brand other than a Maruti and also to a diesel. Checked out Ritz & Swift and also the i10 just for the sake of it. Found the Maruti siblings priced high for what they offer. After the Indica, the build felt very tinny and interior space wasn't that great in swift and ritz and the i10 was too cramped for us. Had no other choices left other than the Swift/Ritz and I was mad over which one to chose.

Ford was out with Figo recently and I hated the jaded looks when I saw the pictures on Internet. Saw the car in flesh very soon and started liking the looks. Bumped up to TBHP for the first time and went through the official review. Went to the nearest dealer and took a TD and got the Quotation! Upon comparison, the figo offered better build, better space and better equipment for less money! Also the diesel versions were closely priced with the petrol versions of the Maruti. Decision was made . So Again it was a non-maruti car and that too a diesel.

Last edited by Blow Horn Ok : 3rd September 2012 at 18:41.
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Old 3rd September 2012, 18:58   #11
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re: That car you never thought you'd end up buying!

For me, it would be both of my current cars.

I always believed that the Honda Jazz was way overpriced and didnt quite understand what the fuss was all about till I drove one around. The sheer space, quality and utility on offer is amazing.

The Nano I thought was a wobbly car on stilts, one built to a cheap standard and only contributing to our traffic woes. So much for preconceived notions. Yes it is still wobbly and built to a cost standard. But its just so damn easy to park anywhere in towan and its damn peppy to boot. which by the way, it has a decent sized one though a bit inconveniently located!

Never thought I would buy either of these cars. Always said to myself, buy a diesel this time. But I guess I cannot give up being a petrolhead. not yet!
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Old 3rd September 2012, 19:07   #12
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Re: That car you never thought you'd end up buying!

For me it's my current ride, the VW Vento.
I had set my eyes on the Linea for the next update back in 08 and was all set for it. But then some pesky old relatives with their typical Fiat-hating-hearsay-based-rumors ruined it for me. The Vento which was very rare on road that time, was finally decided on after the City and Verna were vetoed out by me.
But as of now, am really happy with the Vento, and am now just saying that.
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Old 3rd September 2012, 19:24   #13
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Re: That car you never thought you'd end up buying!

First car on that list is of course Ford Fusion.
I was not that well settled to afford one when it was launched and then kinda forgotten the car. But when I moved to Goa, where Fusion is relatively common, bought Petrol one after searching for 3-4 months. Really love this car. Still have it. IMO it is the perfect car on narrow Goan roads.

Second is my current drive Linea T-Jet+. Reasons mentioned in my ownership thread. When I used to see a Linea on road, really used to admire it but never ever thought of owning one as I am a SUV type to the core. So it has to be an exceptional car to make me switch over to sedan, and I can proudly say that T-Jet is the one.

Next on the list is Volvo which I secretly admire. Who knows one day I own one.
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Old 3rd September 2012, 19:27   #14
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Re: That car you never thought you'd end up buying!

It is the Fiat Linea T Jet for me. A car that I kept admiring from the time Fiat launched it. Every time I saw one, which was not so often, I used to do everything I possibly could to ride next to it or be close to the car. To see that difficult to read T Jet badge up front, those sixteen inch alloys, the exhaust tip and I used to think, man that dude behind the wheel is special and only folk who are special are seen with this car. The television adverts used to play in my head with that bird flying across in the frame. I was looking at a then Ford Fiesta 1.6. The Linea was out of reach. I had to buy the car but funds just would not allow it. It just happened one day, spoke to my wife, she said okay and it was also the car she always wanted us to have but we could not afford it. Did some math on our finances and went ahead and booked the T Jet. I have no words to express the joy I had on the day I took delivery of this car. I sat inside, cranked her up and as I drove out of the dealership, it felt special. My eyes had filled up in joy that we managed to buy the car we really wanted.
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Old 3rd September 2012, 19:35   #15
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Re: That car you never thought you'd end up buying!

For me it was the Skoda Octavia. After reading all the horror stories of skoda service i had vowed never to touch a skoda with a barge pole. But still ended up buying a diesel octi as a runabout car. But yes, i get the service done outside at my mechanics and petrol pump rather than the authorised service centre.
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