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but whats the difference between a 2012 and 2013 Storme, considering their stocks of 2012 LX must have been from months Nov/Dec

Is there any difference in features etc ?

Supersom, I am surprised and sad to hear that you are being quoted such a long waiting period. I had booked my storme astern black ex last month and was given the exact same reasons as you; however, after some pressure they ensured that I didn't have to wait too long. The car has already reached the dealers stock yard ready and is ready for PDI. I am picking it up in the coming week. Yesterday I went to check the car and found everything to be fine. My dealer is Concorde motors, Delhi. Please speak to Concorde motors in your city and see if they can help.

There is no difference between the 2012 and 13 models at all except a difference in the year.

None whatsoever. Just that the year of manufacture might affect resale value.

I won't sell the car anytime soon, but if Tata is so worried about it's 2012 stocks, I'd choose to err on the side of caution :-)

Probably they are being cautious about giving discounts on the Storme. Discounts this early will mean the product is NOT selling due to the bad reputation. They might wanna keep that in check and nothing more. :)

Any car lying in the lot causes money to the dealer/OEM (Inventory Carrying Cost). So they need to clear it first. That is when you may get discounts on specific vehicles (the only ones in the lot, not for the ones you pre-order). Since there are no changes in 2012 and 2013 models, and if you would want to keep it for long term, and is readily available, i would rather go with 2012, or try to get a discount for the 2012 model.

Congrats! You are all set to be "storme'd"! But then, that might be the EX and Tata may be having a smaller inventory of black 2012 EXs. You are right. I must resume discussions with Concorde. Thanks! Sometimes the most obvious things get left out.

Sure. I wish them all my very best. But in an effort to shroud reality, should TML be pushing away customers and making the reality any bleaker?

And talking of discounts, I think the exchange bonus and corporate discount offers are an open secret by now; that's all they are offering me. If so many 2012's remained unsold that they have to shove it down my throat even at the end of Feb 2013, that stands testimony to the fact that they haven't done as well as they expected to. They can take the bitter pill whichever way they like!

I understand their reasons and appreciate what is driving their effort. I asked for additional discounts to cover part of the depreciation. I would be fine with a Nov 2012 - I would never sell the car unless something drastic happened. But the dealers are quite adamant about selling it for the same price as a 2013, surely for the reasons mentioned by swiftnfurious. Over and above, these are not lying at the dealer's stockyard. These are lying at the TML factory, which puts out even the slimmest chances of squeezing a discount.

Then, I must admit, there is also that slight sense of false security that TML might have silently fixed a little niggle here or a little defect there in the last 3 months, although facts say that the 2012 and 2013 models are identical. There's also that age old saying about not touching a TML product within the first year of launch lol: As much as the Storme has enchanted me and made me to violate this, I think I would still be a little more comfortable with a Feb 2013 manufacture. I would love to see the Storme prove me wrong on this one; just buying a little more insurance. The mind works in funny ways.

No, he booked his car a couple if days ago, I spoke to the sales head at Prerana, he still says there is no such thing as clearing old stock, maybe you can speak to him as well and refer this thread, his name is Ranganath.

Personally I think you should just go in for the 2012 stock, infact maybe even ask for a slight discount since you have already told them you want 2013, make it seem like you are compromising.

I've never understood this thing about previous year cars, especially just a month into the new year. You car will be 2013 registered so I don't see it affecting your resale much.

Save yourself the mental trouble, and get the 2012 stock.

Thanks, Luke! I will definitely speak to him. Is the name of the Prerana sales head Karthik? Thanks for the reference - i'll mention Ranganath - and will keep everybody posted.

I have tried the going down the discount path. The dealers are treating that subject as taboo at the moment.

For reasons mentioned in my last post, in this case, I would prefer to get as lately manufactured a car as possible. But you are right; this situation is mental trouble too. In fact, I would have yielded if there were, maybe, a plant shutdown in 2013, or a case of overbooking even when the lines are running on full steam. Here, there are people getting 2013 models; that's when I don't feel like ingesting this.

Akshay, the registration year doesn't count in resale, the manufacturing year does count. So, even a month old car into old year bygone straightaway makes a difference of 1 year on resale. While selling it off, the only question you will be asked is what year and month manufacture it is.

Seeing the 2012 stocks are still not sold out, buyers beware as you may land in such a situation of being sold 2012 makes and lower resale down the years. If you are not worried about selling it off ever, or resale doesn't matter to you at all, go for any year and month make. Otherwise, make it a point to get it NOTED DOWN on your purchase order that the manufacturing should be 2013, otherwise they would blindly push you the 2012 car and you would have nothing to complain about.

Small changes keep happening to the car, especialy when it is newly launched, and feedback from the field starts coming in.

How pro-active is Tata in retrospectively updating the cars that rolled out before these changes were introduced into the manufacturing line?

Is it done automatically when the cars come in for their regular servicing? Or are the cars specifically recalled for retro-fitment?

Supersom - your concern is very much valid. Stick to your guns unless a really attractive discount is thrown in. The exchange bonus they offer is a total farce. I checked the valuation of my 2010 i10 with them and including an exchange bonus oof 30K, the price they quoted was 50k off the market price ! Corp discount offered was 5K.

Sounds logical, although I have little (read: no first hand) experience in buying or selling used cars. But if I were bargaining for a used car, I admit that I wouldn't leave a stone like that unturned.

Neither am I sure of the specifics of TML's change integration process, but some part of me likes to stay hopeful that there is one. I work for a consumer electronics company and can vouch for ours. This is what makes me so inclined to get a Feb 2013 manufacture if possible, especially for such a nascent TML product.

Bike manufacturers like Bajaj have it for their products like the KTM Duke as well. I agree - for a product this recently launched, especially from Tata, and especially for a Safari, buying the latest lot would be the safer option.

A pertinent point to illustrate this (small changes, plus them getting updated in older cars at service) is given below (courtesy: The Automotive India)

Apparently there was a problem in the rear door hinges/locks in the 2012 lots which has been rectified in the 2013 lots. These were replaced on a customer's 2012 Storme when he complained of the rattling.

I remember posting that the Storme I TD'd was distinctly making a noise and had some issues opening and closing. This was on 2 different TD Stormes, two different dealers.

Thanks Doc for highlighting this. I hope not that its a tip of the iceberg for retrofits :D
tiny url . com / dykzw7x(courtesy: The Automotive India) remove space between tiny and url to view the link