Hi,
I took delivery of my Classic Ivory Indigo CS LX TDi on the 15th. I've detailed my decision making and booking experience here. This thread will cover initial ownership experience, fitment of accessories etc for the first year or so.
No thread is complete without pics, so here are some pics I took on D-Day.
But first, out of respect for her, a pic of our old '98 M800 which faithfully and safely ferried us all for 12 years and 52K kms. No one has ever got hurt in this car, not even a scratch. Not a single major accident other than minor dents and scratches. We've decided not to let her go. She's currently undergoing a refurbishment at the nearby Maruti ASC while her new home (garage) is being built.
Now for the real deal. Our Indigo is in Classic Ivory color. It's a shade that I have never seen on this model, and is only available on the LX version. Here's the view from the showroom, pic taken while we were waiting for the car to be readied.
Not content with merely waiting and watching, I decided to take a closer look and inspect the car for any new scratches. There were none when I had inspected it in the yard. Found a couple on the right side door rub-rails. Didn't make a fuss as it wasn't on metal part. The body-colored side rails with chrome inserts are also exclusive to the LX.
By that time, the delivery guy, Mr. Arun, came and pasted the 'Registered' stickers with number. Also pulled up the bonnet to add a ribbon, and put some lemons on betel leaves under each tyre as is customary.
My cousin joked that the car looked like a little girl all ready for her first day at school. The car did look cute with it on. Removed it the next day once I got the number plates.
I am the designated starter, so I got behind the wheel. I was a bit afraid that I might stall the car, so I might have given it a bit too much throttle.
Result - wheelspin and two squashed and two shredded leaves/lemons. Didn't stall the car though, and the showroom staff thought it was on purpose and applauded!
The Team-BHP pre-delivery checklist, and the 'How to buy a new car in India' thread were immensely useful. As mentioned in the checklist, we had all documents and papers ready when asked, and everything went like clockwork. Thanks, Team-BHP! Usually, the sales person is given some cash for his trouble by the customer. We decided to give him a gift instead, it felt more personal. The entire sales experience at Kulathunkal was very good.
The car had 52 kms on the odo when delivered. I was told that the car needed to be taken to the RTO twice. The registration was supposed to be on the day before, but it didn't happen because of power outage at the RTO Office. They went back the next day.
Before setting out, I was handed a voucher for 5 litres of diesel at the nearest pump. We set out and in my excitement, I forgot all about it and passed the pump. Filled up for 300 Rs worth of Xtramile at the pump next to my house. I was wary about Xtramile, but the queue for regular diesel was too long. Went to three temples to get the 'key pooja' done and got back home. The car felt fantastic and crisp. It crawled along in first gear at idle in heavy traffic, and the brakes were miles ahead of the ones on my M800. Final odo reading - 72kms. Neighbours were impressed by the space inside and the beige interiors.
The next day, I decided to fill up at the pump near the dealership on my way to work, and found to my dismay that the voucher was for the day before. Thankfully, the delivery person (Mr. Arun) provided a new voucher as soon as I asked and I was able to fill up 5L that evening. Odo reading at second fill-up - 100km. I'm keeping tabs on every expense on a book I keep in the car.
So far, I've removed the plastic cover on the seats and given the car her first wash. As of today, I've covered 284 km, and put in another 12.8 litres of the sticky stuff in the tank. I also discovered to my delight that the car is shod with tubeless tyres. I was worried that it might be tube-type because the brochure didn't mention tubeless, but it's written right on the sidewall. They're Goodyear GPS2s in 175/65R14. Good tyres, feel great on the highway, at the speeds that I've covered so far (< 90kph). Will post more pics, as soon as I've got the seat covers done. I'm getting them done at Subash in Thakarapparambu Road. They've quoted a price of 3200 for art leather seat covers. Anybody got their seat done with them recently?