| How I ended up buying a TATA Punch
When it comes to cars there are a myriad of options available and it’s very easy to get confused and arrive at a decision. There are a lot of factors to be considered right from the Brand, Model, engine options (Power, Fuel, Turbo, NA etc.), Transmission, looks, feel, color, features etc.. and the list goes on. I was recently faced with the same situation and then I decided that I will share my experience with the members of the forum.
Having read through so many articles on the forum about different cars, it’s kind of my first detailed article regarding my experience while buying my lovely steed……TATA PUNCH.
Context:
I was a proud and satisfied owner of a 2014 model Maruti WagonR until December 2023. The thoughts about changing the car had started coming to my mind as the car was approaching its 10 year milestone. I had intended to keep the car until Jan. 2025 as I would have completed my decade long ownership for the car. The car had clocked in around 86000 Kms. On the ODO and I had started feeling the lack of power to be irritating at times specially when the vehicle was fully loaded.
Everything was going smooth until suddenly on 22nd December 2023, My grand father complained of a sudden Pain in his abdomen which became unbearable to the extent that we had to rush him to the Hospital in a span of 30 mins. From the time the pain started. My grand father was immediately moved to ICU and was in a stable condition. On 25th December, while I was going back home from the hospital with my wife, sister and 3 kids (all below 1.5 years of age) the car suddenly died down on the main road. The car would start and then immediately stall. I called up multiple mechanics, RSA, service centers etc. but finally it was my local mechanic who happened to be approx. 1 km away from my location. He came in and towed the vehicle to his garage and diagnosed that the fuel pump was faulty and the root cause was due to a short circuit in the ECM. I could see a burnt out connector pin on the ECU. Finally after spending 1.5 days In the garage the car was ready. The same day My Grand Father Passed away.
After all the rituals were over, I was having a chat with my father and gradually the discussion veered towards our car and I proposed him to change the car. He also gave and In-Principle approval to my decision.
I was initially inclined to go for a used car and after many hours of rummaging through various websites like Spinny, Cars24, Carwale, Car Trade, Car Dekho, You tube channels such as MCMR etc. I realized that in order to get a decent vehicle, I will have to shell out around 6-7 Lacs and I will have to go for the Loan Option. Meanwhile the above issue cropped up again suddenly after 27 days when I was going to visit a friend in Delhi. This instance shook my confidence in the vehicle and we decided to purchase the new car ASAP.
After having this realization, I didn’t think it was a rational decision to go for a used car. Then we finally decided that we will go for a new car. The Budget was decided to be max 7 Lacs OTR.
Valuation for Old Car:
Got appointment scheduled with Cars24 and Spinny for car valuation for my WagonR. The representatives came and did a thorough inspection of the car and went back stating that the price offer will be shared on the App by evening
Meanwhile, I also went to various showrooms to check out the Baleno and get the exchange value for the existing car.
The quotes received for my WagonR are shared below:
Nexa Dealership – 1.70 Lacs (Includes 10K Exchange Bonus)
TATA Dealership – 1.80 Lacs (No Exchange Benefit)
Nissan Dealership – 1.25 Lacs. (No Exchange Benefit)
Hyundai Dealership – 1.40 Lacs (No Exchange Benefit)
Spinny – 1.25 Lacs
Cars 24 – 1.55 Lacs
Dealership experience:
Nexa – Too arrogant. They took 20 mins. To assign a sales person to attend to us as I mentioned that this might be a cold call. I could sense that the various sales guys were trying to pass on the lead to other person and eventually 1 of the sales guys reluctantly agreed to show us around. After sometime, he handed us over to a senior sales manager who was a bit arrogant and gave us the pricing and loan estimates.
TATA – Situated across the road from Nexa, we were politely and promptly attended to by the reception staff and immediately a sales person was appointed to look after our requirements. The sales person – Mr. Deepak Bist gave us full attention and was very patient with all our queries. We enquired for almost the entire lineup until 10 Lacs and after spending close to 3 hours with him wherein he showed us all the cars, explained all their features, did a comparison amongst all the cars within TATA stable and shared the pricing and loan estimates we had made up our mind that Punch is the most suitable car amongst the lot. When I requested a test ride, he mentioned that it will take some time to arrange the same and offered to do a home test ride the next day at a time suitable to us. We agreed to the same as I wanted to have an opinion of all the ladies in the house as well.
Nissan – Average experience, it was more transactional and to the point. The test ride was offered promptly while the evaluation for my car was going on. After the test ride got over, I liked the vehicle but the NA engine was lacking the punch. At some point, I thought that my existing WagonR was peppier to drive than the Magnite. The price quoted for the existing car was the last nail in the coffin for them.
Hyundai Dealership – Reached the dealership quiet late around 6 PM and the urge to wrap up the day could be seen and felt across the faces of all the showroom staff. Requested them to brief me about Exter and I wanted to sit inside the car for the look and feel. The car was locked and the sales person mentioned that the car cannot be unlocked as the Battery got discharged. When I asked him to show me the Test ride vehicle, he denied the same stating that the vehicle has gone for service and will be available tomorrow. When I asked him for a home test ride, he mentioned that they don’t do a Home test ride. I am welcome to the dealership for the same the next day. I could sense that he is in a rush to wrap up the day and go. When asked about the availability for a Base model for Exter, he mentioned that it will be a minimum of 6-8 months.
Initial Impression:
I had never considered Tata Punch as a contender but after I checked it out, I was surprised with the cabin space and overall look and feel of the car. I don’t know why but I had the notion that the Punch was offering the similar space as my existing WagonR.
Car booking Experience:
As promised, the Tata Sales person called up 1 hour before the scheduled appointment time to confirm the test ride and when I confirmed that everything is on schedule, he came home with a Top Model Punch as the test ride vehicle on time. We all checked out the car and the features, I took a longish test ride of approx. 15 Kms. and was happy with the performance. The entire family loved the size and space of the car and we finally gave the token amount for booking. The Final deal for TATA Punch – Pure – Petrol (Base Model) was negotiated at 6.15 Lacs OTR without registration with a basic zero dep Insurance. Since he was not very sure of BH Series charges. The delivery was promised within 21 days. Also, I had decided that I will exchange my car with TATA dealership and I had requested to handover the car 1 day prior to delivery which they had agreed.
Car Delivery Experience:
The Sales account manager created and included me in a whatsapp group after the booking and was giving me updates on periodic basis. Once the VIN number was allocated, he promptly shared the same and asked me to start the Loan Procedure. He again contacted me to inform me that the car has arrived and asked me when I can take the delivery. I confirmed that the delivery will be taken on 22nd Feb. 2024. Since I had the Pre approved offer on my bank account, I was told to come around 4 PM to the Dealership for delivery with some basic documents like Aadhar, PAN and 2 Passport photos. The Loan formalities were quickly processed within a couple of hours and I was handed over all the relevant documents. After another 30 mins. During which they explained all the features and functions of the car and the Delivery ceremony the car was handed over to us and we were happily on our way to the nearest petrol bunk for a tank full.
Impressions after driving the car for 600 Kms:
I will write this section as a question answer post in order to keep the post brief.
1. How’s the family’s reaction?
Overall the entire family has been very happy with the car and my Twins (1.5 Years) old now recognize the Car Keys and address only TATA Punch as TATA.
2. How do I feel?
I am very satisfied with my purchase and satisfied with the performance so far. Having upgraded from a Maruti WagonR I can see a considerable difference in terms of space and engine parameters.
3. How’s the Driving Position?
The Driving position is also quite commanding and I can compare it to that of a Brezza.
4. Kitna Deti Hai? Average Fuel Efficiency?
In terms of mileage, the car is constantly churning out an average of 14.5-15 KMPL in city conditions
5. Ride quality
Everyone in the family is very happy with the ride quality. The large ground clearance definitely helps in crossing the potholes and the humps without bottoming out, the vehicle also seems very planted when driving around 80KMPH (Haven’t exceeded this limit yet) with negligible body roll. The cabin noise also feels very quiet despite having a 3 Cylinder Engine. Also, many people pointed it out to me that the new Punch (V6.2 Onwards) is very refined and quiet as compared to the previous versions.
Overall, I am elated with the purchase and I look forward to having a great ownership experience in future as well.
P.S.: The car was finally sold to Cars24 after negotiating a final price of 1.90 Lacs net in account.
A few photographs to accompany such a long post. Pardon the poor picture quality as they are taken from phone. More photos will be added in due course. | 
5th January 2024, 20:36
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