[EssYouWe]

Beg your pardon, but what is a sensationalist thread like this doing in the 'Hot Threads' list?


I did not understand a couple of things. He got his 'SUV' repaired after it rained a couple of days after the first repair. Did his warranty expire in those two days?

Although I absolutely agree that misleading adverts need to be strictly dealt with, I don't see this as a flagship case for the cause. Even a passenger car would be eligible for refund if it stalls when other passenger cars move. In any case, SUV's aren't meant to be driven in rivers either. Wonder why the 'SUV' tag was dragged in (I seem to have taken it personally :P).

[virkdoc]

completley agree with ACM and McLaren,absolutley absurd

[ACM]

Originally Posted by sarmarishi

How I wish I had the money to buy the Forester when it was available. Its one of the best cars I have ever driven... just love the way it goes uphill. Afterall its a Subaru. Sigh!

Pick up an old specimen now. It will cost as less as Rs. 2L and as long as you dont break of the light fixture etc, other parts should be repairable.

It is a great vehicle - just is short.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by ACM

Pick up an old specimen now. It will cost as less as Rs. 2L and as long as you dont break of the light fixture etc, other parts should be repairable.

Actually there is a general perception that Foresters have pathetic resale value and can be purchased for real cheap. But if you get down to looking for one, you realise that there are not many around, those who have dont want to sell it or if they are available they are quite pricy for used car.
I have seen 1 lac run Forester going for 5 lacs. I myself had bought a 30 k run Forester for 7 lacs and could sell it or the same price after 6 months. I am told that the third owner also sold it for nearly the same price after using it for 6 months.

[ACM]

Guna you are right in terms of the first offer that the dealer make, if you go to an owner he is not able to sell off the car, while if you go to a dealer then he is looking at makeing an extra buck especially when you specfically mention that you want a forrester.

There was a forester (wine red coloured under the Thane bridge before the start of ghoadbunder road Thane. for about 2-2.5L - about 3 months back.)

A couple of years back (2007 Dec) when I was looking out for other vehicle I had come across a forester for Rs. 4L from an Individual.

Of course Bangalore prices are always higher than Bombay prices.

It is a rare vehicle and so if one really goes to look for one it costs more, but if one sees it while looking for other stuff it may be a steal.

[Rahulkool]

I think this is total ignorant judgment .....

[h@r$h@l]

Originally Posted by salilpawar1

Guys, I had a good laugh when I read this news in today's papers

A senior citizen from Mumbai filed a lawsuit against GM for advertising their now defunct Chevrolet Forester as an off-road vehicle. He won Rs. 13 lakh as compensation.

To read more, click here.

Today's paper had the below article.

80-yr-old Amdavadi wins legal battle against car manufacturer



Ashok Tolat fights GM in Supreme Court without a lawyer; makes it pay him Rs 13 lakh compensation after his Chevrolet Forester, advertised as an SUV, turns out to be a car with limited off-road capabilities


SHRADDHA SINGH




It takes sheer grit to take automobile giant General Motors headon. Never in its 102 years of existence would someone have accused the world’s largest car manufacturer of marketing a car with limited off-road capabilities as an SUV.
A retired businessman from the city did just that. And that too without help from a lawyer. Ashok Tolat, 80, who fought a five-year legal battle with General Motors (I) Private Limited, has finally been granted justice.
A resident of Satellite, this octogenarian dragged GM to court, after he found out that his Chevrolet Forester — advertised as a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) with all-terrain capability — turned out to be a huge disappointment.
His car was nowhere close to what they made it look like in the brochure — ‘An SUV to beat all SUVs’.
The Supreme Court in an interim order under Special Leave Petition (SLP) has now directed GM to take back the car that Tolat had bought in 2004, and pay him Rs 12.50 lakh in addition to Rs 50,000 as legal fees.
On Monday, he and his wife Shanta, returned their “jinxed” Chevrolet Forestor to Gallops Motors, the local dealer of General Motors. The couple got the vehicle, that was lying in their garage for three years, towed into the showroom.
After getting the possession receipt from the sales manager of Gallops Motors, an elated Tolat said: “As per the interim order, I need to hand over the car and collect the entire amount of Rs 13 lakh deposited by the appellant before the District Forum. I hope I do not have to face any more hassle in getting the money. Though the case is still on in the apex court, I would want people to learn a lesson from my case and save themselves from unfair trade practices carried out by a reputed companies.”
Sales Manager Sheroy Kalyanwala of Gallops Motors said, “We have completed the formality of handing Ashok Tolat the receipt after receiving the Chevrolet Forestor. Gallops would like to clarify that the car was not bought from us but from the former dealer of General Motors in Ahmedabad.”

TROUBLE TALE

BEFORE BUYING the car, Tolat had gone through brochures which stated that it was an SUV. He paid Rs 14 lakh for it after discount and spent another Rs 2 lakh to do it up. A year later, during the July 2005 deluge in Mumbai, Tolat’s car refused to start.
The first round of repairs was done under warranty. A couple of days later, when it rained heavily, the car broke down once again. “The frequent breakdowns made me wonder about the car’s capability. The dealer told me that the owner’s manual stated that it was a passenger vehicle with limited off-road capabilities. Selling such a car in the name of a SUV was cheating. Its original brochure termed it an SUV,” said Tolat.
Tolat approached the Ahmedabad Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum. In 2006, the forum passed an ex-partia judgment in favour of Tolat asking General Motors to pay him the full value of the car, Rs 5,000 for causing mental agony, Rs 2,000 towards legal fees, Rs 2 lakh for accessories and nine per cent interest.
GM challenged this at the Gujarat State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, which while upholding Tolat’s claim, ordered GM to pay a compensation of Rs 50,000. This did not satisfy Tolat who had spent lakhs on the “so-called SUV”.

VICTORY AHEAD

TOLAT APPROACHED the National Consumer Redressal Disputes Commission (NCDRC). But it was not easy for Tolat as he himself had to defend his case both in the NCDRC and the Supreme Court. He said, “I had lost faith in most of the lawyers who were fighting on my behalf. So I decided to defend myself. It was difficult but not impossible for me to understand the Consumer Protection Act and the legal terminologies.”
In December, 2008, NCDRC ordered GM to pay Tolat Rs 12.5 lakh, the depreciated value of the car, and Rs 50,000 towards legal fees.
Chevrolet Forester was introduced in the Indian car market in 2003. The vehicle was discontinued in 2005 and according to sources, just about 200-odd Foresters were sold in the intervening time.

SOURCE : Welcome - Times Of India ePaper

[McLaren Rulez]

Not much new in that TOI report. Pretty much the same story that we've heard so far.

P.S. Gotta love TOI's unbiased neutral tone, don't you?

[GTO]

At the other end of the world, Honda got sued (and settled) for misrepresenting mileage claims on the Civic Hybrid NY Times Linky