[ranjithpd]

Welcome to the world of FIAT sandeepmohan, guess we are in the same boat. My story is a bit different though. Booked a Bossa Nova White MJD Linea Emotion on the 29th Oct with VST Motors, Mount Rd., Chennai, paid 50k in booking and my loan(pre-approved) got disbursed by the 31st. Stupid move!!!

31st Oct, get an SMS with the Vin Number 26546DMZ, which shows that the car is of April 2011, negotiate with the dealer to get a later make, but this does not help, they come up with all kinds of points which beats the sanity out of me, right from saying that its 31st April make, to production stoppage, to changing color/variant will only help land up with a May, 2011 one, etc.

Finally, get cajoled into doing a PDI of the car. Along with Rameshnanda, a BHpian and an avid fiat fan, do a PDI and find that the car is okay but for a few issues. Have asked the dealer to get the issues fixed and responses to certain issues as to why the odo shows only 7kms when the trip meters show 9.9 kms etc, we strongly suspect that this might have been reset too. I am right now in a dilemma here, so might end up cancelling if the dealer does not come up with decent responses to the queries.

I know how hard it is, but IMHO, if I were you, would kick fiat in the foot and go find myself piece of mind, don't lose your sleep over this. Not that other brands or dealers are hunky dory but from my experience, they should not be as bad as the T and F. Or if you are ready to wait, 2012, that should be ideal I guess, but running around without a car is a pain, so...

[rameshnanda]

Sandeepmohan, When I bought a Palio in 2005, everyone were of the opinion that I am buying a car from a manufacturer who is going to close the shop in a year. Don't just go by the speculations. Fiat is going to be here for sure. They are very serious about the Indian market. A month after the purchase of my Linea, I got a call from Fiat, Italy to take a survey on my buying experience and about the car too.

Do remember that there is no match for the T-Jet at this price range. You can probably wait till January and go for the 2012 model.

[sandeepmohan]

Thank you all for the valuable inputs. I believe every one has a point. Some are very valid. It has left me confused and worried about buying this car. Lets see what happens. Will update this post.

If anyone has any insider information about how soon Fiat India will resume production of cars, it will help tremendously. I can wait till 2012. However, if production and deliveries are going to be delayed, it will be difficult. I may just go ahead and book a T Jet now.

[rameshnanda]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

Thank you all for the valuable inputs. I believe every one has a point. Some are very valid. It has left me confused and worried about buying this car. Lets see what happens. Will update this post.

If anyone has any insider information about how soon Fiat India will resume production of cars, it will help tremendously. I can wait till 2012. However, if production and deliveries are going to be delayed, it will be difficult. I may just go ahead and book a T Jet now.

If you book a T-Jet now, I am sure that you won't get a fresh piece for sure. But again, you can go for it as long as you do a thorough PDI. Still, I would advice you to wait for another 15 days and book the car in December as the discounts will be more in December than this month. You can again do hard negotiation to get a very good discount.

Also, understand that even if Fiat start production in Jan'2012, you will not get a car until Feb'12. If you are ready to wait, you can do so.

[teky]

sandeepmohan - Go ahead with T-Jet if your heart says so, It's a fantastic product for the price it's being offered now. The sheer acceleration will put a wide grin on your face every time you stomp the pedal.

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

@Sandeep Mohan: Heart says Fiat, I'd say listen to your head. Fiat may or may not be here same time next year the way they are selling. Last month they sold close to 700 units most of them Punto and diesels. A** would be a problem and so would be niggling issues in a car lying in a yard for 6 months. I'd say buy, even if the brand is half as reliable as Maruti, which it isn't.

The sales figure you see is from the company to sales point and not the typical retail sales. There were around 100 Fiat's sold in Chennai alone last month, So I wouldn't buy all your theory of Fiat packing it's bags.

I've a Fiat GP E+ driven around 30000 Km's with only total of 5 visits to the ASC which is VST. The additional 2 visits were because me being finicky over the car and no niggle as such. VST usually stocks lots of spares and anything not there can be had within 5 days. During all the visits I got done what I wanted - I didn't get a nicely dressed SA with fluent english and sugar coated words - But my car was perfect after each service.

So I would recommend you to please double check before commenting on a product which you've never owned or never intend to own.

[rameshnanda]

What have you decided sandeepmohan? Any decisions made on your car purchase?

[amit_mechengg]

i would say wait for 2012 model. i just got a news that linea will be upgraded with more gizmos like rain sensing wipers and all. i am now allowed to disclose more things though

[noopster]

Just read your reply to my post. You seem to have thought this through, Sandeep. I would reccommend you go ahead with your purchase. This is exactly the RIGHT time to buy a petrol car- push the dealer for heavy discounts given the price of petrol, the 6-month lag from production to delivery etc. Make sure you do a thorough PDI before accepting delivery.

I get what those suggesting you wait for the next version to launch are saying but I would still say the TJet+ in current avatar is kitted just fine and for what its worth is still a pretty NEW car. So go ahead and follow your heart!

[lloydofcochin]

Originally Posted by noopster

Just read your reply to my post. You seem to have thought this through, Sandeep. I would reccommend you go ahead with your purchase. This is exactly the RIGHT time to buy a petrol car- push the dealer for heavy discounts given the price of petrol, the 6-month lag from production to delivery etc. Make sure you do a thorough PDI before accepting delivery.

I get what those suggesting you wait for the next version to launch are saying but I would still say the TJet+ in current avatar is kitted just fine and for what its worth is still a pretty NEW car. So go ahead and follow your heart!

+1. Sandeep, You had an Ikon 1.6 and T-Jet is just the right upgrade. It is a fantastic Driver's Car and following your Heart will not disappoint you

OT - When did you sell your Ikon? I remember spotting you on the Domlur Flyover few weeks back

[sandeepmohan]

@rameshnanda Going to KHT Motors in Whitefield tomorrow noon to book the Fiat. Why KHT? It does not make sense for me as I live in Cox Town. However, this is the one dealer that has kept following up right from the time I took the test drive couple of months ago. I get a call not only from the front desk, but even the sales person every week. I will take another test drive tomorrow and also ask them about the batch of the car. I do know this but still.

@amit_mechengg I would like to wait. However there are a couple of things that might not work in my favor if I do. To start, I have a 2 month old son who will re join me on 22nd December. It will be difficult to manage without a car when my wife and baby return. If Bangalore had its *hit together with public transport and cab services, I would have delayed my purchase. I live in a city where it is practically impossible to move around without a personal mode of transport. I do have a motorcycle. Its my primary mode of transport to work and where ever else if it is without the family.

Next, when will Fiat India resume production of the T Jet is a big mystery. I am sure all the unsold units of the Linea will stay unsold into the new year and more discounts will follow but whats the point waiting to buy the car in 2012 when I know I am going to get one manufactured in 2011. I will lose some of the new frills. Got to live with it. Do share more about the upgraded Linea. Lets say they do resume production around mid January, my car will still be delivered only by February. This is a little too long for me to stay car less.

I am absolutely sure that the discounts will also stop with the new series of cars. Not that I can't pay for it. The car, as is, is such a fantastic package.

@noopster Thank you. I sure will try on pushing for more discounts. Can you suggest a discount figure? I am no good at this. Will do a full on PDI.

@lloydofcochin I don't quite recall going over Domlur fly over for over a month now. I sold the Ford a week ago. It was listed on team bhp classified for over 3 months. I got the first ping just last week and the car was gone last Saturday.

[noopster]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

@noopster Thank you. I sure will try on pushing for more discounts. Can you suggest a discount figure? I am no good at this. Will do a full on PDI.

No idea- a lakh at least maybe? Check the new car pricing thread- should give you a good idea.

And congrats on your new little bundle of joy! Be sure to buckle him up nicely in a car seat in the back of your new turbojet rocket!

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by noopster

No idea- a lakh at least maybe?

Really? Can I ask for so much over the already existing 95k discount? In case you did not know, the car comes to 10.09 lac on road after the discounts. Besides, I don't want to bargain too much. I don't want them to hand over a lemon that they already know off. Fingers already crossed for the PDI though.

[noopster]

How does it hurt you to ask? Once they sense that you are interested, they will EXPECT you to bargain hard and you should really not display any reluctance to do so- it's your hard earned money you're spending after all. I booked a VW Vento at the peak of its demand (just a month or so after the official release) and made sure I pressed for and got a corporate discount (16K which I knew of thanks to Tbhp!) AND did my insurance from outside which saved me another huge amount.

You have to of course maintain a civil and friendly demeanour through all this because if you throw your weight around too much you may end up pissing the staff off and that's never good is it? All the best!

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by noopster

How does it hurt you to ask?

It does not. I can sure push for 20-30k. I doubt if they will shave off another lac. I was told by another dealer that the best they can do was 5k corporate discount as my company does not list in their data base. I will push for a full corporate discount tomorrow.

Insurance is a part of the 95k discount. It is valued at around 23k.

[khan_sultan]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

Really? Can I ask for so much over the already existing 95k discount? In case you did not know, the car comes to 10.09 lac on road after the discounts. Besides, I don't want to bargain too much. I don't want them to hand over a lemon that they already know off. Fingers already crossed for the PDI though.

Just a data point for you. A colleague of mine in office just bought a t-jet from Concorde Bangalore, 3 weeks ago and his price ON ROAD was 9.52L he did bargain like crazy. And again, our company is not listed in their corporate discount scheme. So bargain hard.