Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   The Indian Car Scene (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/)

-   -   What was your 'Tipping Point'? (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/69946-what-your-tipping-point.html)

Hi All,

I invite all to use this space to post that 'Tipping Point' in your automotive life which made you buy the car one above your anticipation.

Trivia:
1. Tipping point - Although it literally means "the levels at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable", in this context I wish you tell the tipping point decision to :

a. Go beyond that pre-determined budget
b. Throw all those 'thumb-down' review about your dream car out of the window and follow your dream.
c. Go for mod forgetting the mileage barrier and hugging Power and Passion.


Here is my year 2000 story:

We were darn sure that the first car we would buy from showroom would be an M800 such that we were so close as signing the finance document from Popular Maruti at Mamangalam that the tipping point touched. Suddenly from nowhere dad called out, "Its Tuesday tomorrow and I cant delivery then. we should wait..". The magic happened. On our way out we thought of simply counting the second most car to be found on road as we home ahead. The winner was Santro. we turned over to Popular Hyundai at Vytilla. The space, ride and primariliy the legroom, ingress and degress just held us on to change our mind radically. The price tag was way beyond our budget but simply the 'superstitious' charm casted our garage with the korean hero rather than the 'Indian' car.

Now dont ask me why/how this miracle with an extra (totally unanticipated)cost of over 1L happened? why we didnt think of 'counting' earlier? Now thats 'Tipping Point'.

First it was the local Tata dealer, who kept delaying the test drive of 2.2L Safari despite knowing that I was waiting for the vehicle for 3 months. Instead they kept sending the vehicle to every other branch while I was helplessly watching BHPians all over the country getting Test Drives. My wife finally snapped and kicked budget from 12L to 20L.

Next I was looking at Tucson, while awaiting TD, I also test drove GV for reference, and liked it. Then I kept waiting for Tucson TD, but the Kanchana Hyundai showed utter indifference in sending the TD vehicle. The MD kept promising me the vehicle on phone, but never sent it. Finally I snapped and ordered GV.

I got the Grand Vitara because of the indifference showed by local Tata and Hyundai dealers. Thanks to them, I ended up with the prefect vehicle for my needs.:)

Back in 2005, the market was full of obsolete cars. And I hated Maruti passionately because they were pioneers in selling obsolete cars then. We had the Ikon 1.6 in the family and having been used to driving that beautiful driver's machine, I was clear that only another driver's car would fit my size when the time came for me to buy my own car.

The Swift. It was like none other. It was a revelation. And having experienced my friend's Swift, that was the "tipping point" for me.

For me it was the thought that in the budget of a hatch I'm getting a small sedan. I may still have gone for the Swift but the local Maruti dealer was absolutely adamant that there was not a single paisa discount on this vehicle. That was it and I was easily able to convince the Tata guy to share the cost of the insurance plus a couple of thousand more. All emotional reasons like most of you but I guess very few buying decisions are fully rational :)

well, for our budget for WagonR, we went to a tata dealer just to see hows indica, sat inside, saw the space they offer and a diesel hatchback with that much space with a WagonR pricing was the tipping point for us to go ahead and buy one instead of WagonR.

Year 2004.
Me and my dad were looking to replace our old but faithful M800. We were all set for the Maruti Alto LXi. Took a test drive at DD Motors in Delhi. Unfortunately the AC didn't chill do our expectations, and was probably due to faulty test drive model.
Went to another dealer in Delhi - Pasco automobiles. Again test driven the Alto. This time, the gearshift of the car had some problem. The sales man requested us to wait a little so that he gets the car inspected
Meanwhile, there was a black WagonR LXi parked outside. We thought why not test drive this, while the Alto inspection was in progress. I got on to the driver's seat, was imemdiately impressed by the commanding view. Pushed the car in to 1st, and off it went. Both me and my dad were very much impressed with the pickup. And there was no looking back after that, we knew this is the car we wanted. And finally booked a Perl Silver WagonR LXi. :)

Year 1996
We had 3 cars then, the Maruti Van, the Old original shape M800 and the new shape M800. Sold the new shape 800 as we had a car just short of calling it a lemon. Did not actually consider a segment car as such. We checked out the M1000 and lo! The Esteem had just been launched in LX and VX. Dad sat in the VX and was sold that very instant and we ended up with the Original 65bhp 1.3L Non -PS Esteem VX.

Cut to Year 2004
We had a Zen LX bought in June 1999 too(no tipping point there). Now the Esteem was getting old too. One fine day, Hyundai comes with a full page advert, Hyundai Accent for 5L ex-showroom, for 3 days only. Was tempting but really did not pay attention. Got a call from my best friend and he said let's go check it out, I said ok. So we both went and he sort of booked it and asked me. I went back and somehow convinced too. He booked the Husky blue and me the white. One week passes and Dad sees a red Accent Viva on the road. He loves it and says go get the Viva, cancel the 1.5GLE, I said ok. Now the problem, cancellation was an issue, secondly in the discount offer only a Black Viva was available with Modi Hyundai which they could not hold and lastly my deposit was with them. Still after all this, Dad was ready to forego the discount offer and we got a Passion Red Accent Viva which sure was a headturner in those days. Also the same year we bought the Indigo LS (not the tipping point again). We sold the Esteem after 6 months of getting the Accent as I was too attached to it.

Now, Year 2009
(Sorry, the year earlier we bought a Logan 1.5DLX which was NOT a turning point)
The unanimous choice this time was to get a small car as the women at home wanted a car to squeeze in corners and drive in traffic infested narrow roads in bandra west. So here we go again, we actually decide on the i20 and I go for a test drive, was not available that day but did so some other day. So he says try the i10 A/T, I was ok. After I drove that car, it sure was the turning point as I was sold on the convenience of the Autobox and the price and the conclusion that any new car I get from now on, the first checkbox would be 'Automatic' !!!

year 2003. i was looking for a car and a petrol car. we had a maruti m800 and was looking to buy another car preferably non maruti . i had shortlisted santro , palio 1.2 as i loved its looks. took the test drive of palio 1.2 and santro . liked the zippy santro but was more comfortable with the solid feel of palio. went to ford showroom to see the cars they had .test drove the ikon 1.3 flair drove it and it was ok just the small steering was good. went back to the fiat showroom and the salesman says 'sir this car is recently launched drive it' it was petra 1.6 el .i said why not lets give it a try .
it just blew all my socks off. what a pickup ,good brakes and a very chilling a.c. . it was priced at 4.85 lac ex showroom. it was beyond my budget and they didnt have any other car .just that car had come as a demo which they gave me for test drive .and i was so smitten i bought that very demo car in my wife's name and it has been since then with me and i have driven 92000k in it and took it to leh and ladakh .

if i had been a member of t-bhp i would not have bought a car that was a demo car and the showroom was using for test drive but what the heck it was love at first sight and i didnt look at what was the odo at the time .i just wanted it .

Most of them are shameless. In my city my friend was telling me that once a man was paying full amount in cash as advance (because he want to ensure delivery at said MUHURT) to a TATA dealer for safari and there was no one to hear him for half an hour.

Hyundai dealers rarely have Tucson for TD

What is the difference in attitude of maruti (for selling GV) & Hyundai (for selling Tucson)?
Both companies have settled in india by capturing small car marketing and now both are facing same problem for selling their big products.

Since mid 2008 we were considering replacing our Uno. We were looking in the 7 Lakh range and wanted to move to Sedan after 3 hatchbacks. Being a FIAT guy waited for the Linea but the underpowered engine disappointed me. ANHC was also being considered but the equipment level made sure we gave it a pass. Fiesta 1.6S was in the reckoning but somehow I wanted more choice.

Now cut to Jan 2009. On the Republic Day weekend, me and wifey decided to go to Hampi. As luck would have it, our car brokedown in the middle of nowhere and M&M guys came and towed us to their workshop. We liked their Customer Service, easy serviceability and A.S.S reach. Plus having grown up in Willys and MM540 DP, I was well aware of their rugged nature. That botched up holiday kind of accelerated the buying process and since me and wifey agreed that since our wanderlust nature and passion for exploring the uncharted path will never change, SUV would make life easy.

Wifey was sold on the Bolero Camper because of its utilitarian nature, but as it couldn't be registered as private vehicle in AP, it went out ofthe window. Next in line was the Bolero. TD'ed both the DI Turbo and CRDe and loved the power on the later. We also TD Safari and Scorpio but it was the Bolero CRDe that stolen both of our ( me & wifey) hearts in the first drive itself.

So our tipping point was:

1. Car breakdown on the way to HAMpi
2. M&M service that night and the next day.

Hadn't either of the above two happened, we wouldn't be having the Bolero in our garage.

I doubt if I ever had a tipping point. I am still the guy who drives all cars, brings in the excel sheets punches in parameters, take out a weighted score, ponder about in for a few weeks and one day just say I had enough and take a decision. stupid:

In 2006 we were looking for a car with a minimum budget, obviously it was 800 later heard that Alto is better with 5 speed & good chilling. Never looked back & booked Alto immediately. That was my tipping point.

Ask for TD on 12th, got the TD on 15th, booked on 19th, delivered on 3rd. Good enough attitude for me.

Excellent thread!

While I haven't gone over the top with a new car (period), the way I took the decision to get my Jeep back on the road was a tipping point. My Jeep had just gotten an absolutely lousy petrol engine installed (after the OEM diesel wore out). It was impossible to drive, and when you did, either overheated or sputtered to a stop (some reason or the other). The project had gone twice the original budget already, and it came to a point where there were only 3 options:

a) Sell the Jeep as is.

b) Drive the Jeep as is.

c) Get a brand new diesel engine, use OEM parts and go factory-grade.

Each option was difficult. I could never get myself to sell the Jeep (frustrating as the petrol experience was), couldn't drive it (undriveable with that wretched petrol) and a brand new engine meant 4X the book value. Work schedules only got tighter and time was at a premium.

Was casually surfin' through some Jeep threads on Team-BHP, made some comments, Behram replied "drop me a PM, I'll see what I can do" and the rest is history :). Budget be damned, I didn't even think of any calculations then!! The thought of a brand new diesel and a reliable Jeep bowled me over. This was the tipping point. The heart did the ruling, whatever the head wanted to say was drowned out by emotion.

Eventual result : Thread Link.

I recently, nearly, bought a V8 Mercedes. If the deal had gone through, man it would have been one hell of an impulsive buy. It didn't and I'm just holding on for the next special car.

I went to take a test drive for santro and had decided this is the car I need. I took a test drive and was convinced, was back at the showroom discussing with the sales guy and checking the features and prices. The pricelist was a common one with the prices of all Hyundai cars on offer and some how noticed that the Santro & i10 prices were not very different. The guy asked me what abt to test drive and in just a min into driving i10, Santro was mercilessly checked out and mind was all set to buy i10. This was a tipping point for sure, but my dad convinced me to buy a diesel and I ended up buying Swift D which was never in my radar!