[voldemort]

As other mentioned, it depends on why the car flopped.

I might buy a flopped car if I really like it and there is nothing inherently wrong with the car.

Back in 2005 we bought a Chevrolet Optra 1.8 LT (the fully-loaded variant) which was like a super-flop model. If I count the number of distinct Optras (the one with the long grille) I have ever seen, it is probably less than 100.

We were on the fence with the Corolla (the variants we were looking at were similarly priced). Things that finally tipped in favor of Optra were:

• We were about to move to a small town that had no Toyota dealer.
• The Optra had a little more kit than the Corolla (sunroof, steering-mounted audio controls).

We ended up keeping the car till 2017. Absolutely troublefree ― no breakdowns or anything, The only things we had to change were routine stuff like tyres and batteries.

[sgmuser]

This is an interesting and intriguing topic. Flopped in India or everywhere? For example, there are many cars flopped in India, e.g. Yaris or Elantra or Jazz (old one!) etc were super hits in international markets! So, parts availability will not be that much of a challenge, I assume. But duds like Honda BRV, it is the same story everywhere and A.S.S for long term will be a costlier affair.

[porsche_guy]

Originally Posted by sgmuser

So, parts availability will not be that much of a challenge, I assume. But duds like Honda BRV, it is the same story everywhere and A.S.S for long term will be a costlier affair.

It depends a lot on the car itself. Parts availability for the cars you mentioned will be tough 7-10 years down the line even though they are successful internationally. Reason being the high cost of import and the hassle involved.

On the other hand, for products like the BRV procuring parts should not be a huge problem since most of the mechanicals are shared with the City. Specific body panels might be tough to come by but it won't ever be a pain mechanically.

[SoumenD]

All my cars till date are 'flop' as per sales report card. Maruti Estilo(2010), Jazz CVT(2019).

The Estilo being a plain and simple maruti never had any mechanical/reliability issues per say in 8 years(40k kms) of ownership. And I got a decent resale as well(1.7L) at the end of ownership. Similar Wagon-R could have maybe fetched 20 grands more but the initial cost while purchasing itself took care of it. We got the LXi with ~35k discount back in 2010.

9 years later, while buying Jazz CVT, the other two super-hit options were Baleno and i20 CVT. But after 2-3 test drives on each Jazz was clearly the mechanically sorted choice for my needs. Yes, features front its lacking a couple of them (projectors/DRL I surely miss) but I prefer a reliable engine/gearbox combination over electronics. Being a not-so-popular choice in market I managed a solid discount making it ~40k cheaper than both i20 & Baleno which anyways I wouldn't have bought

Pros:
1. Excellent discounts upfront.
2. Unless the manufacturer is on the verge of packing bags, spare parts usually won't be an issue.

Cons:
1. Only serious con I can think of is resale value, if you try to sell it within 2-3 years of ownership.

P.S: If Altroz AT was available back then, would have been a tough choice as I love the car's looks and 5 star GNCAP just makes it that much more attractive.

[dg2332]

I would like to add the Rapid 1.6 to the list of flops. Bought it for the best bargain in this segment of sedans.

[rajushank84]

Sometimes a crazy discount can be a good motivating factor, plus there is charm to rarity.
I chose an Indica Xeta over an Alto. At that time both went for just over 2 lakhs, and both were the cheapest things after Maruti 800 and Omni.
Because it was a flop (I guess), the discounts brought the Xeta into this price bracket and it offered so much more than the then-Alto. 1200cc instead of 800cc, and also this was an oddly peppy engine, it was a petrol engine that made all its torque of 100Nm as low as 2500rpm. So, this was an interesting and highly underrated engine, surprisingly punchy in the city. My friends with Swifts and i10s were quite pleasantly surprised at my car. And needless to say, much more spacious and better highway-handling/riding than the Alto or 800. On everything apart from price, the car itself was equivalent to a Santro, so the flop factor afforded me a segment higher.

The downside though, every petrol pump employee assumed it was a diesel and I had to be careful when fueling . They looked at petrol Indicas like rare animals in a zoo, and in some cases didn't believe me. I guess this is an aspect for whenever one fuel variant of a model is a flop compared to the other (wonder if owners of the original Zen Diesel had the same problem at petrol bunks).

[HooghlyBoy]

Originally Posted by arvind71181

Pity, as it is a little gem of a car, but the price, from the Suzuki stable, made it dead on arrival.
......

I have a SX4 with 1.6L Petrol and Oh boy it's a hoot to drive.No other Maruti can match it in peppiness. It's a SUV in sedan's guise.

[ottocycle]

I would be fine buying a flopped car from a successful manufacturer as long as the car has its strengths. But can't touch a car from flopped manufacturer who can shut tbe shop anytime and leave.

[neon_daytona]

Originally Posted by SmartCat

If I look at my own garage, it looks like I sub-consciously gravitate towards flop cars or cars that have never sold more than 500 units per month.

- Chevrolet Optra (petrol)
- Honda Civic (not exactly a flop, I agree, but not a high volumes model either)
- Maruti A-star (flop by Maruti standards)
- Honda BR-V
)

Our choices seem to be similar. My wife wanted an Optra and me Civic. We could not afford it back then and got A-star AT. 85000 kms and 7 years later we still enjoy driving it. We added BRV AT for long drives 1.5 years ago and is now at 14000 kms. I did not find anything more practical then BRV when we bought

[anumod]

The "Flop" word in Indian Automobile industry is Subjective. Indians have the mentality of "Kitna Deta hai" attitude always (And off late flashy features like DRL, Big touch screen, Panoramic sunroof etc.). So even if it is a proper tin can and it gives more than 20KMPL majority of Indians will go for it. Global Fiesta, Optra , Cruze , Corsa , Jazz, Palio etc. were hits in International market and failed miserably in India. So I will not look for a failure in Indian market , if the car ticks in all boxes for me , I go behind it .. In the past I owned a Palio and Fusion and I never had to blame myself on that decision.

[Nilesh5417]

If Marrazo is a flop, am still bringing one home in a month. I was looking for a family mover and didn't like the Ertiga's build though it drives like a car and has more kit than Marrazo. Didn't like the innova though it's built to last cause it just doesn't seem truly worth the kind of money (all the long run mathematics aside). Also, can't imagine it being my almost daily car with that heft and clutch.
Marrazo seems like a perfect in between car - better build than Ertiga and car like to drive. After discounts that am pushing for, M8 would be slightly more expensive than Ertiga zdi+, way less than the base innova. Lower than Ertiga's kit but more than what the base innova offers.
But just that it was never the first choice!! Am hoping the new engine and tranny combo continues to be used across more cars in Mahindra so that i dont have to worry about me driving the only car in their stable which isn't sharing anything with the breed.

So yeah - flop car from a manufacturer whose been around and will be around works for me.

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by aniyo

I had a Brio for 4 years before I bought Nexon. Even with its shortcomings Brio was a good car no idea why it did not sell as much. Never had problem with the glass back either

Agreed. Never understood why the Brio was a sales flop. It is an extremely capable car, and the more I drive mine nowadays the more it makes sense to navigate crowded and trafficked roads of a metropolis. The glass back is a feature I actually love - the visibility and airiness it offers is absolutely unparalleled. The only con would probably be the boot space, which is pretty small. Other than that, Honda as usual has done wonders with space management on the inside, as with all other Honda cars. The engine is a gem, smooth and powerful especially in a car of its weight.

Till today, I find it difficult to figure out which current car would serve as a proper replacement for the Brio, given its set of core qualities.

Hence, while its sales number would undoubtedly make it a flop, the car itself is a super competent one.

[condor]

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

Agreed. Never understood why the Brio was a sales flop.

My guess - the pricing, esp compared to other hatchbacks. Though it had a H badge, the car being small, it needed some more USP. A better pricing would have helped, IMO

[Fusion2006]

Originally Posted by ajmat

The Orphan Terrible[/b] - The bad variant people regret having bought - Jeep Compass 1.4, Ford Ikon 1.3, Corolla 1.4 - White elephants, stuck till dead or unless a willing elephant sanctuary is found.

I object !

I don't regret buying my Jeep Compass 1.4 AT at all.

[//HB]

"Hits" and "Flops" relate to market-wide numbers, in any case you would look at a vehicle in terms of whether or not it ticks all (or most) boxes for you, and if yes then it really doesn't matter. In fact, in such case it being a "Flop" can actually work in your favour in terms of getting the vehicle at a good bargain.