[mmxylorider]

I guess when the product is unique and there are not too many alternatives in the market (eg Swift/Fortuner/Bullet) - the manufacturer has the upper hand. If the waiting period is not acceptable to buyer, few hundreds of switch overs is not going to cause a dent in the sales. Add the concept of rolling preferred delivery using somebody else's booking (at premium, of course) and it's a nice way to retain customer base and earn money (for the dealer).

That being said, if product like Swift is enjoying continued success - I do not know why MSIL is not ramping up the production.

Off topic - When the Etios Liva was launched, the local dealer arranged for a stall in our office. The wait period was 6-8 months. In the IT industry a good percentage of people don't plan that far ahead. Needless to say, sales would drop for that reason.

Both my vehicle purchases have had a lead time of under a month - which is acceptable for me.

[deetjohn]

I can wait to get the car I want.

For all the talk that we have so many models now to choose from, I still can't find many cars in each segment which will suit my requirements.

So, once I have decided on a car after a lot of reading, driving and discussions, its hard for me to change to something else. That second option always feels like a compromise.

I plan to keep a car for 5 years or more, so 2 or 3 months here or there doesn't matter. But what is important is that, I get the one I want.

[puchoo]

I dont think i have it in me to wait for more than 30 days for the new car to be home. One aspect is ofcourse the anticipation of wanting to get my hands on the new car but waiting allows for introspecting - is it the right car , is it the best deal , can i do better etc etc.

I also have very little patience with manufacturers who 'create' a waiting period the basis of which has nothing to do with demand simply exceeding supply. The most recent case being the new Ford Fiesta , 1.5 months waiting on an average is what was quoted to me by 2 dealers - reason - not because the car is not selling , simply because they are seemingly only making the car on order. A situation like this does not agree with me one bit.

[anand_lukose]

My parents had to wait for 6 months to get the SX4 delivered. Almost a similar case for my cousin's Ertiga as well.

I would really welcome the opportunity of earning interest on the booking amount until date of delivery although this may cause a bias to customers who pay higher booking amounts than a first come first serve basis.

[mayankjha1806]

Just a cursory look at the results and its revelation to see that 80% of the buyers wait no longer than 2 months to get the car. With about half of them not willing to wait over a month.

Considering this sample as a representative of the real world, it proves to the manufacturers that long waiting periods are bad for their brand and the product. So the saying they do market study and be ready for heavy rush does make sense from a business perspective.

[mempheS.D]

Although the straight answer is that I'd like to have my car/bike as soon as the payment is made. It may sound unreasonable so the wait can be as glong as a week. Anything more is better forgotten than wait.. like I did for the Royal Enfield. 7 months...phew!

It was a breeze in case of the Fabia though. They gave me an estimate of 10days and caught me by surprise on the 7th day which is when I went for the PDI.

[~~h]

3 years back we booked a Dzire VXI even after 3 months the TVM dealer was unable to deliver or provide a timeframe; went on to buy the FIAT Linea and eventually bought a Punto.
It was an all cash deal and got the car home on Day 2

[kutts]

My cousin has been waiting for his Royal Enfield since February of this year !! Mariker Motors, Trivandrum gives all the usual excuses inclusing a partial lockout of the factory (did it ever happen? ) when we follow up.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by kutts

My cousin has been waiting for his Royal Enfield since February of this year !! Mariker Motors, Trivandrum gives all the usual excuses inclusing a partial lockout of the factory (did it ever happen? ) when we follow up.

Guess that the same waiting period quoted in Kottayam too. And believe there was a lock out. Before that the wait period was 8 months I guess.

[su1978]

Last year i was going for a wagon R CNG in delhi. The dealer told me that waiting period was one week.
Although i knew that the waiting was for over 8-9 weeks for Swift VDI but Out of curiosity i asked the SA. He told me its 8-9 weeks. Since i had done an extensive research on TBHP and other sites and was aware that Ritz VDI also has same specs and is equally efficient, hence inquired about Ritz VDI. He told me that it was just one week and for the color i wanted, it was available of the shelf. Immediately i cancelled the booking for Waggie and went ahead for Ritz VDI. It was delivered to me in 2-3 days. Taxes were increased by around 25 k in another 10 days by Govt. and also the petrol prices went up by Rs 7 a litre. Hence it have made no sense waiting.
Waiting for 8-9 weeks for a car of choice is really a big no-no for me. If i want something today, it will never be the same for me after 2-3 months. If i am hungry today, i will want the food now and not after 2-3 months. Secondly, what about the money that i would be spending on petrol in next 2-3 months. Thirdly, what to do in case of price rise. For example, i book a car for 6 lakhs and after 2-3 months the prices revise by 5-7 k and the taxes go up.

[Abhi_abarth]

I wouldn't mind waiting for 15 days or max one month. This will be one of the key deciding factors in choosing a car which is available within the considerable time limit. It doesn't make any sense to me waiting for >2 months and being a fickle minded person i would be more than happy to get the car off the shelves if available else there is a danger of my mind taking over my heart

[ruchir911]

Waiting does not only signify unnecessary exhuberance but also poor planning. I would never indulge in impulsive buying for a thing like car. There were times when it was a sellers market, now it is not! Any wait period over a month is an insult :-)

[a4anurag]

While upgrading from the WagonR to a Diesel hatchback mostly the Swift, the dealer was adamant of 6 months waiting period for any diesel version on the Swift.

So I turned my focus on the Ritz which was readily available in any color and variant. The dealer was more than happy too sell the car! So didn't have to wait much. I wanted the Swift badly but the waiting period killed it and made me get a Ritz. Not that I am complaining!

[DieselDon]

PN: The 2 thread titles are a little overlapping What's your upper limit before switching to another model ? vs Delivery waiting period : How much can you handle ?

Looks like only a few are of the 'patient' variety. ('forced'/'wanted' to be patient - more on that below). My response is wrt : What's your upper limit before switching to another model?

First Personal Car : 2 months for a Tata Indica V2 DLS finally delivered in Feb 2003. Phew was so happy since I got enough time to arrange for a loan with a 6 month work experience. Not that I had a choice in a Sellers Market : one had to wait.
Second Personal Car - Yet to happen : Have been 'still' deciding for over an year now. Am split between the various 'good' options available & a few more coming in 2013.

I am hereby choosing to be 'patient' in today's scenario.

I would be a different me when I have decided & placed my order though. atmost 2-3 months. Else I might have to re-decide.

[idofsuresh]

In absolute sense anything more than 3-4 months is unacceptable to me. I won't even care for a show room visit. I waited for 2.5 months for my Duster. Booked around June 23rd and got the car around September 1st week. It did not bother me much because a) I already had a car b) there was simply no equivalent. If not for (a) and (b) I would have waited for maximum 30 to 45 days time.

Current demand for Diesel has to do with vacillating government policies. It should be hard on manufacturers to plan. In one stroke, they killed petrol sales (And fiat launches turbo petrol). In another stroke, they can kill diesel sales (By that time Honda will have a nice diesel line up). Read a news article - Hyundai imports its diesel engine and is not willing to setup a diesel plant in India because of lack of clarity on fuel pricing. I must say Korean companies are smart.