After so much mental deliberation, poring through classifieds, checking cars out for over seven months since we seriously began looking, we finally found what we were looking for. Not far, right here on Team-BHP
My "Wanted" ad for the Fusion and Palio met with low response. But I did get a call from an owner who ultimately sold me the car yesterday. And yes, he too, a BHPian, had posted his car ad on Team-BHP classifieds!
It us quite a while to decide between my first love, the Fiat Palio 1.6 and a Fusion. Thanks to suggestions here and in the
Fusion and
Palio user groups it did help clear some cobwebs in my mind. I also spoke and took advice from members here like GemiThomas on first hand comparisons between his Adventure and Fusion because he has seen the best of both worlds.
With just two cars on my mind, searching was harder than I expected. Yes both were never popular and hence have low resale value. But finding them is hard. And if they have not been abused (performance cars afterall) and battered you are lucky. And resale value notions (supposedly very poor) go for a toss when the owner knows you are an enthusiast and are looking for a specific model that they have for sale. So they up their price.
It was a slow and painful process. Unfortunately couldn't finalise on any good deals of my first love, the Palio 1.6 (Sport/GTX/S10). Either the cars are good but owners expect too much, or cars are seriously banged up or the car is nice, price is right, but the owner suddenly has a revelation that he may miss his beauty and decides to keep his car, or I just took too long to decide and the car got sold, or I just miss a deal I never heard of only to realise I could have paid a significant premium for that car compared to what it was sold at!
I meanwhile found some nice examples of my second love, the Fusion! Priced
significantly higher than an equivalent condition Palio but still great value. Wife loved the Fusion for its unique looks and space. From not knowing anything about cars she could identify Fusions and Palios and even identify 1.6s among the Palios! Her preference was clear, the Fusion, but every good example of the Palio we would see, she would like it for the lower cost in comparison to the Fusion.
It was really tough deciding and we had to up the budget we had set aside for a Palio significantly to pick up a Fusion. In fact it took us over 2 months to make up our mind after seeing Guna's Fusion, the first Fusion we saw. We also had a hard time deciding between two very similar spec Fusion+s, same colour, same year, both +. My wife had taken a liking for Fusions for the looks, space and exclusivity reasons while I was holding on to my first love in the Palio.
Among all the cars we saw, one stood out for the way it was lovingly maintained. It was a silver Fusion + with ABS belonging to a fellow BHPian. Virtually immaculate, it was in pristine condition. Even though it had run a significant amount you could hardly tell its age. I liked the way the owner looked after the car.
We took a liking for it, while still searching for options. Upped our budget significantly and decided to make an offer. Meanwhile all this conFusion of Ford discontinuing the Fusion. Friend advised I drop the plan or reduce the offer I made. Many couldn't see sense in going for a
"flop" car. But I could see the practicality the Fusion offered! So whether being discontinued or not, I decided to stick to my offer.
Meanwhile I got busy at work and also had this bike tumble. Finally more than two months after we first saw the Fusion+ we managed to close the deal.
So there it is folks. Our first car is a 2005 (Dec) Ford Fusion + ABS, belonging to a fellow BHPian! Not exactly because I found it better than a Palio (it is on several counts, but then again not on others). But has got to do more with availability, condition, timing and luck!
The car is in stock condition with every tiny part and accessory in place. The owner even gave me an Original Fusion brochure that he took from the dealer before he got the car. I was thrilled!
Immediate expenses I see include Insurance renewal (in a couple of weeks) and Tyre replacements in the near future (5000 km). Battery may be near end of life, considering it is a 3 year old car!
Thanks for all your advice, it sure was of great help.
Cheers,
Glifford.
PS: Wondering whether it would be appropriate to share the name of the owner on a public forum, more so as he is a BHPian himself. Decided not to for obvious privacy reasons.