[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by noopster

Three and a half months is way too long to wait for any car, that too one that is newly launched. Towards the end I was actually seriously considering cancelling my booking and moving to another choice.

Wow. Now that is a unusually long waiting period for a petrol automatic sedan. It makes me want to think that VW probably forgot that there was a AT Vento to be built. Did you pester the dealer or did things just take its course?

[noopster]

@sandeepmohan-

I found this in my ownership review. Trust me without "pestering" it would probably take even longer!!

The wait...and then the wait...
It became obvious pretty quickly that VW had severaly underestimated the demand its new breed of machines would generate. Attuned to the likes of the Jetta and Passat that at most sold a handful of units a month, their sleepy dealerships overnight became a beehive of activity and the results were immediate and not very pleasant.
People thronged the showrooms to see the Polo and the Vento and bookings started piling up. A strange phenomenon started showing up not just at one or two dealerships but across the country- dealers were not committing any delivery dates. My own booking receipt has a vague promise of "3-4 months" in the expected date of delivery column. Consumers were not amused.
In my case it was compounded by the fact that my assigned sales rep was possibly the worst salesperson ever in history. I have documented my SR experience in lighter vein elsewhere on the forum but am too lazy to search, so let me recap: she never called me, I called her; I had to explain who I was and what I booked every time I called; she would inevitably be on leave or out sick and "someone else" would call me; that person (different each time) would inevitably shrug his shoulders (in a metaphorical sense, since we were talking on the phone then) and say vague things like "3-4 months", "January-February" or, scarily once "5 months at least"!
So I did what I could to alleviate my misery- I stopped calling her!
Thankfully work was hectic (OK that' something I never thought I'd end up saying) and there was the annual vacation/roadtrip to Goa to look forward to, so by the time January came around I was fairly OK. Then the rumours started again. VW's production line has shut down. Terra Beige (my preferred shade) and Shadow Blue will only start production in February etc. etc. I got an insider tip via TBHP (you know who you are, thanks!) and I finally decided enough was enough. Called my SR whose phone was unreachable so called the showroom, insisted on speaking to someone who could actually help me rather than give me vague promises and through a massive stroke of good luck (or good sense on the part of ther operator) got connected to a dude in the back-office.
He seemed new and eager to please and quickly confirmed my worst fears- colour choices were far and few and if I was steadfast in my Terra Beige preference, chances are I would continue to hang in suspense till March at least. But if I were flexible...and SUDDENLY I started listening. To be honest I wasn't too hopeful but the guy said he had ATs in white and silver that had been allotted and if I confirmed to him right away, I would be driving my new baby within the week!
I called the wife and asked her: white or silver? Black, she answered, as women will. Another call- no sir, Black has even longer waiting, so I said dammit all I am coming down there RIGHT now, took off during lunchtime, picked up the wifey at her office and went down to see the two side by side and decide.
It was a no-contest. Germans look best in white.
After that, it was like a blur (this was just last Monday). Wednesday I finished the payment formalities, Thursday she was registered and Friday she arrived at the showroom from the stockyard! And like I said, this afternoon we picked her up.

[maverhick]

Oh beat the 11 months I had to wait for the Honda Jazz. Booked in August 2011, delivered in July 2012. Sure, thailand wrecked havoc on the Honda factories, but the wait was still insane. Thankfully I wasn't too bothered because we had 2 other cars, but it had to be much worse for people who made the Jazz their first purchase during that time-frame

[theexperthand]

I have not voted because the answer depends on situations. If I am buying a car for general purpose use and I am not particular about the model, I would prefer no waiting at all, but if I am after a particular model\variant, then I am ok to wait as much as needed.
I purchased Vista as a workhorse, so if there was a waiting period, I would definitely have chosen an alternative from the same segment, provided they match at least 80% of my criteria. Punto was brought for self-indulgence, so even if I had to wait 1 or more year, I would never have brought an alternative model from the same segment.

[Prodigyy]

Excellent topic for discussion. I for one want bang for my buck immediately, in this age of post liberalization a waiting period of anywhere more than a month is simply unacceptable, that is just using your money for production of vehicles, circa Bajaj in the 70's & 80's.

I have always admired Jazz as a car, and did buy one in 2009 itself, when there was no waiting period for the vehicle, but as of today its simply perplexing to see the amount of waiting periods witnessed by Jazz, Swift, Dezire, Duster, Verna etc etc.

I recently was interested in booking a diesel in the price range of about 10-11 lakhs. Prime contenders for the car were Verna & the Duster, but the amount of waiting periods were simply exorbitant, and paying an extra 40-50K for immediate delivery shows the amount of hypocrisy and corruption in the company.

I was told, if i could pay 50K extra i'd be given the Verna within a week and a half's time. I would NEVER EVER want to be associated with a company who would fleece its customers for an immediate delivery. I mean, if they have stock ready then why not give it without the premium, or for that matter those people who have booked and did not have the extra 50K to shell out, dont they deserve the car for what they have already made the payment.

I looked towards Duster, similar waiting periods, and thankfully no premium demanded for an immediate delivery, Ertiga had a similar story to offer. Finally sealed the deal for Sx4, where i was getting a delivery within a weeks time.

Why should i lose interest for a hefty sum of money and not get anything in return either. I for one would never buy such a car which has a huge waiting period.

[Swanand Inamdar]

Long ago, I had read Mr. Rahul Bajaj's interview in Illustrated Weekly (or some such mag), where the interviewer asked him as to what exactly does his R&D department do?
The answer given was something i will never forget: R&D department? We dont have one! All we have is a dispatch department!
That, says a lot for an auto manufacturer, whose product was what drove the two wheeler segement.

I personally dont mind waiting for a vehicle, as long as the waiting period is justified. I for sure wont wait for a car for 9 months! A baby is delivered in that period of time!!

[ghodlur]

Is the long waiting period a hand play of dealers or are geniuely a delay from the car manufacturer? I feel it is the former in most cases and latter in few. I would not mind waiting for a month or two at a max for the car I have zeroed in provided the reason for the waiting period is genuine and I do have an alternative drive till that time.

I remember when I had booked the Honda Activa, I was told the waiting period was 3 months and is due to issues at the Honda plant. Upon googling I found that the Honda plant issue was the case a couple of years back and production should have normalized during booking. Wrote a to Honda mgmt requesting them for clarification on dealer's claim. A series of conversations followed and took the delivery of the scooter after 35 days of booking as against min 90 claimed by dealer.

[ashis89]

I don't like waiting at all. Last year my dad cancelled our Swift VDi booking due to the long waiting time.

12 years ago, while buying our first car, the M800 had a waiting period of around 45 days(don't remember why). After booking the car, he started looking around for pre-used cars in good condition and finally bought a 1 year old 800 Dx.

Last year while buying an Activa, we were quoted a waiting period of 3 months in our city. My dad got it from a city(about 200kms away) and he got it the next day itself in the desired color, delivered at our doorstep.

Similarly while I was out for a bike a couple of months ago, I had set my eyes on P200NS. Sadly, a month's waiting period put me off. Next the P220 and Karizma R remained elusive for 15-20 days each. Finally I settled for P180 which had a 4 day waiting for my desired Plasma Blue color.

I and my dad believe that after paying so much, we should rightly be given possession as possible since this is a BUYER's market, unlike the SELLER's market in the 80's.

[Saarth]

If I had it my way, I would never want to wait. I absolutely hate waiting periods on cars as I get very excited and impatient like a child. However, multiple times in the past, I have faced huge waiting periods, (8 months on the first Merc S500 and 4 months on the then newly launched BMW E60 5-Series), so I'd say I can handle waiting somewhere around 6 months, give or take a few.

[arup.misra]

If the wait for a genuine reason e.g. factory lockout, natural disaster then it would be acceptable but then the time frame should be reasonable. Some of the premium vehicles which arrive in CKD's 2-3 months is a respectable time period.

However for volume makers, quoting delivery times of 8-9 months if absurd. I for one would not wait for that long. For some one buying his first car, he'd want to derive utility benefits right from day one, thus waiting for long does not make sense.

[anujatwork]

Originally Posted by kadanaJ

If that happens they could lower the price again to INR 8,50,000

Fortunately, selling a car isn't like stock trading where ups & downs in price will be acceptable with changes in car's demand & supply. Such a tactic might ruin the brand image of a car company, besides triggering dealers to build positions. That's what happens in any trade where speculation is possible.

[avikamail]

Originally Posted by kadanaJ

Thank you, but to be honest, I wouldn't call them views, as much as I would admit that I'm curious to understand what stops a manufacturer from raising prices, as I said in my previous posts.

I'm trying to put myself in the manufacturers shoes and understand the rationale behind that decision, and of losing sales and profits due to these long waiting periods (apart from, as you said, fleecing customers)

P.S. Even for fleecing customers, would a manufacturer really feel that bad about it if it got him extra profit? As we've seen from the strikes at various plants, these guys clearly aren't the most ethical bunch

One word - brand image - will take a big time hit if auto cos resort to such short term tactics. This is not a commodity game where the market can understand and relate to the supply-demand elasticity. Car branding is a complex and long term relationship building excercise (though some of them don't seem to tag that line very well ).

[man_and_machine]

With a spare car upto 2 months is doable. If Its the only car in the family then ASAP.

[msvg]

Too good a topic for discussion and real numbers though.

Firstly I hate waiting for a new car/bike when completely paid or taken via loan.
The transaction showed be on the same day is my condition to the dealer so far.
Bought a New Honda Activa on the spot in one of the dealers in Bangalore.
My Fiat Punto 1.3 MJD had to wait for an auspicious day of that week in the dealership parking lot.
Now at present A Royal Enfield booking is awaiting me for full payment and pick up from the dealership ,booked 1 year ago.( Since i was away for a while now didnt push for delivery )
Secondly Booked a Harley Davidson Superlow 883 in Oct 2012 ,delivery in End of Jan 2013 in Bangalore.( Once i land in INDIA ,i will push for delivery of the vehicle ASAP )
Need to decide between Royal enfield classic 500 and Harley Davidson Superlow 883 once i returned to Namma Bengaluru.

Nobody would like to pay and wait for the delivery though.

NEVER EVER PAY PREMIUM FOR FAST DELIVERY IT'S AS GOOD AS A BRIBE

Thanks
MSVG

[pradyblr]

Wow. 85% of team-bhpians who responded to poll so far are in the first 2 choices. I added one more.

The maximum I had to wait so far for any of my vehicles is 27 days for my Suzuki Samurai. I was a teenager back then eagerly awaiting my first bike.
Every day a trip to dealer (Sometimes more), 2 calls everyday - memories :-)