[Caramelo]

No this not me asking for what car to buy!!

This thread is about VXI vs ZXI Bbhpians you are smart people you know what I mean! This is always question for the Indian janta. When they go to buy a car! Read on!

My friends.
this is what pissed me off very badly!!

My friend from Bangalore came in town. He is my best friend! And like family. he just started a new job we are all young 23 -24.and came for my advice. for car buying. This would be his first car. this dude has no knowledge of cars nope, nothing Nada!!! Oh you will be amazed !!

This is hilarious he thinks Honda accord is worth like 12 lacs at most .Oh my god I said to myself. And only thing luxurious is called SKODA!!!!!

I know poor fellow has no clue so i sat down with him . since I am the auto expert among my friends. I started by asking what is your budget and requirement! and what kind of car he likes etc. he had budget of 8 lacs and always wanted a big car!( in the end he bought something totally different)

He asked me what car is this pointing at Honda jazz which whizzed past us. I told him about the car. Magic seats lolz etc etc. He liked the Honda jazz but was amazed at the price of 8 lacs. What can I get for 8 lacs!! any another big sedan??

so I ended up suggesting him the SX4 instead, for his requirements! he asked me the price I said its 8-8.5 lacs something on road. he was surprised to hear the prices. He asked me what’s in this car which cost this much!. I said it has all goodies like climate control to leather seats and safety features etc.

I tried to justify the price but in the end i was just pissed off. Read on!!

Me: its has leather seats
Friend: who needs them seat covers are fine.
Me: alright , climate control err basically automatically controls the climate

Friend : I don't like controlled climate. I like the weather to change you know!! Don’t the cars comes with ac now. Whats the difference?

Me : explaining all the stuff about FATC
Friend : normal ac is fine for me man!! More automatic stuff more its likely to fail!!!

Okay: grrrr (feeling like grabbing his throat lolz ) power windows.
Friend: woh kya hota hai (whats that?)

Me: explained power windows.One touch anti pinch (head aching a little)
Friend: hahah aunty pinch hheheheeh…. Who needs that I will just keep the AC on full blower and chill at 16 degrees!! With windows rolled up always who need power windows.This is how I like to roll. Bratahhh!!

Me: you have got to be kidding me man, okay. Seriously ABS (explanation how it works and how its useful in emergency)

Friend: that’s just crap who needs that. By the term car “slipping” he thought about slippery roads. And he said there is hardly any rain in Ahmedabad and its just dry. And I wont drive fast on rainy season, you can’t possibly drive fast in this town anyway its impossible. So don’t need that too!!

Me :Airbags It saves you from head on collision etc explaing stuff very vital for safety! Etc

Now this is where I went mad!!! His answer to this was

Friend : I don’t need hawa ki thaili ( translated: bags filled with air) he laughed just mocking the term and its use and the concept .And add to insult he said and this is the exact quote
" the guy who I crash into will need airbags because of my driving style" (just laughing ridiculously).

I was having a serious headache and I didn’t want to talk cars with him. To end it I just said

Me: okay, I would suggest you the SX4 vxi:
Friend :whats the VXI.???

Me: its car same car without safety features basically cheaper version !!!
Friend: areyyy why didn’t you say this earlier yaar!!!

He thanked me and we went for a movie. He is gonna buy the SX4 VXI i thought!!

Later I had found that he instead bought swift VXI. And was pretty proud of it. I said good for you bro. but why swift??!! he simply said it’s the same car but without a boot man!
Whats on his mind was the interior (same parts being used the steering, gear knob meters) etc. he thought it was basically the same thing! and i don't need a boot man!! and this is way cheaper than SX4 and so fast and fun to drive!!

I didn’t know what to say!! I went blank and then just kept quiet as we drove off for a ride.. and the first thing he did was a highway ride and big ring roads in the city at midnight in the night doing speeds of atleast minumum 100 kph!!! and what was the argument.he gave me! I won’t drive fast and you can’t drive fast in the city man!! Its impossible!

You know whats possible!! a collision with a speeding truck in middle of the night nowhere on the crossroads!! With such attitude!! Would we be able to walk again after such accidents?

You know the thing is. Such people do exist. Yes you can skip on the luxury features and things like leathers seats or power mirrors granted but when you skip safety features! You are skipping probability of survival in road accidents!!!

So think hard very hard between the damn VXi and ZXI. before you buy! this stands true for all cars hyundai, tata, anything!!

Sorry for such a long post, I had to get it off my chest!!

[blue_pulsar]

Well, he wanted a car that has everything manual, you could have suggested him the Alto or the WagonR right?

[Caramelo]

Originally Posted by blue_pulsar

Well, he wanted a car that has everything manual, you could have suggested him the Alto or the WagonR right?

actually he deserved the wagon r Lxi. but i suggested him for sx4 vxi. since he didn't want any safety features.

my point is the safety features are ignored, people are just skipping them nilly willy!!

[srikanths1]

Well written post, looks like your dude is a future candidate for our "accidents picture" thread. "Hawa ki thaili" . Where did this guy get his license, from a pawn broker ??

[rkbharat]

I agree, so basically he required a mode of transportation as his first car, without any features

Wait for an year or two, he will come back to you asking about all those features he laughed at.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Caramelo

Me: you have got to be kidding me man, okay. Seriously ABS..(explanation how it works and how its useful in emergency)

friend: that’s just crap who needs that. By the term car “slipping” he thought about slippery roads. And he said there is hardly any rain in Ahmedabad and its just dry. And I wont drive fast on rainy season ….. you can’t possibly drive fast in this town anyway its impossible. So don’t need that too!!

Caramelo, atleast you can feel relieved that the guy doesn't have any knowledge of cars!

Yesterday, there was the exact same post in one of the threads! I guess we should have a debate on this. Some people do feel ABS is not needed inside city!

I wonder what made him buy a VXi instead of LXi.

[Gilead]

So your friend was unaware of the following.

-AC
- Power Windows
- Airbags

Looks like he just landed from Mars. lol His requirement seems to be a basic transportation on 4 wheels. The Alto would have worked best.

[harishnair]

Lol.That was funny dude.He would have been better off with the lowest variant of Tata indigo or an ambassador.

Now we cant argue that MSIL is taking us Indians for granted, because a bulk of their customer base costitutes of such ignorant people .

[theEnd]

The guy doesn't deserve a car. Get him a bicycle.

[sachinj12]

Since he has already bought the car, suggesting a car is useless now.
you should have asked him to get a M800 with A.C. No offence to M800 owners.Budget of 8 lakhs and has no need for power windows!!
After reading the post , I was

[MutantX]

wow..bicycle would be alright for him.

In india, people seem to ignore all safty features since they cost extra bucks! Indian government or the auto association of india need to make ABS, Airbags etc., mandatory on all cars irrespective of it being a Lxi or Vxi or Zxi!

Well from your friends point of view, he would never ever immagine of crashing his new car especially him being a first car buyer. Probably when he is buying his second car, he might want to consider these.

[DieselFan]

Guys, Guys, relax. Each person has his own requirement of a car. If a person needs a car for city driving and doesn't want a big boot why should he be spending on a big car with lot of bells and whistles. He is 23-24 yrs and single. Why do you folks recommend SX4 to him when he can buy swift and be happy with it and save the extra 3-4 L investment upfront and additional cash for recurring expenses. Swift is cheaper to run and maintain.

Safety is in the person behind the wheels and not in the car. Lady Diana was in the most safest car and still she died in the accident. Again I am not saying ignore safety requirements but one needs to do a trade off on cost v/s benefits. People do buy and travel in Bikes which we all know is much more an unsafe vehicle than any basic car. People are buying NANO in big numbers. Do you think they are all fools and they deserve only Bicycles. THINK AGAIN.

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by MutantX

Probably when he is buying his second car, he might want to consider these.

That is correct. A lot of cars are bought by first time car buyers, and what they want is basic four wheeled transportation, with a few frills like A/C and radio thrown in at the most. And any car is incredibly safer and more luxurious than a two wheeler, is it not? It can carry four people, it will protect you from the elements and best of all, you and your family will not fall on the road if there is a mishap...man, what more do you want! That will be the line of thinking, and in most cases there will be very little money to spare for other features in the first car. When they are ready for the upgrade, they will be veterans and will know/want the other features.

Certain basic safety features will have to be made mandatory by legislation. Even where certain passive safety features are already present - crumple zones, for example - they are compromised by extra fitments. How many Altos / Santros have we seen with bull bar type fittings in the front, which can directly pass on the impact to the occupants, leaving the car untouched?

[beejay]

Unfortunately most of the Indian buyers have the same view on purchase, especially if its their first purchase. You cannot blame him.

[ImranShahnawaz]

Originally Posted by DieselFan

Guys, Guys, relax. Each person has his own requirement of a car. If a person needs a car for city driving and doesn't want a big boot why should he be spending on a big car with lot of bells and whistles. He is 23-24 yrs and single. Why do you folks recommend SX4 to him when he can buy swift and be happy with it and save the extra 3-4 L investment upfront and additional cash for recurring expenses. Swift is cheaper to run and maintain.

Safety is in the person behind the wheels and not in the car. Lady Diana was in the most safest car and still she died in the accident. Again I am not saying ignore safety requirements but one needs to do a trade off on cost v/s benefits. People do buy and travel in Bikes which we all know is much more an unsafe vehicle than any basic car. People are buying NANO in big numbers. Do you think they are all fools and they deserve only Bicycles. THINK AGAIN.

I completely agree with DiselFan. It is not necessary that one will always be safe in a car equipped with ABS, Airbag etc. Eveything depends on how you drive. Someone suggested Ambi for the guy, sorry to defend, but Ambi has “the strongest” body compared to any car available in the market today.

IS