Prospective Car buyer's search- Bought a car that was not in contention at all!

kgc_cool · 18th January 2007, 13:41

Mr. Jeevan John sold me my Baleno VXi too.. Have to admit that he made the purchase process a pleasure.

Alas, the same cannot be said about Pratham's A.S.S - they leave a lot to be desired!

Great post there Himanshu! Wish you loads of fun with your new car!

supremeBaleno · 18th January 2007, 13:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by typeOnegative

Or were you speaking metaphorically?

You are right. And I love the duckling. I anyway loved its front and side profile - only the rear looked a little odd. But now I have come around to actually loving the rear as it is.

himanshugoswami · 18th January 2007, 14:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samurai

Congrats, Himanshu! Good suspense, I too didn't guess your choice.

BTW, I think you are picking the wrong size here, your GC will go down by 21mm and speedo error of -7%. Too much difference. The correct upgrade at 13 inch is 185/70.

OOOps my mistake,

You are right Samurai- it is 185/70!

Guys,

thanks for all your responses! will post pics soon, once the ICEing is complete. Just waiting for my next paycheck.

Wheeliej · 18th January 2007, 14:32

Congrats Himanshu. I too wouldnt have guessed that you would finally buy the Baleno when you told me you had finalised on the Esteem on Tuesday p.m. it seems dangerous to let you get out of sight.......

So, that would make it the 4th new car in 18 months, right?

deepakhon · 18th January 2007, 14:48

Cool. This made for an interesting read. I could not guess that you would book a baleno. It sure is a good choice.

v1p3r · 18th January 2007, 16:28

Welcome to the club!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wheeliej

So, that would make it the 4th new car in 18 months, right?

finneyp · 18th January 2007, 18:05

Congrats Himanshu on your Baleno!

Just 3 things I don't like in a Baleno - Low Ground clearance (on any bigger than normal hump, the body touches the ground), hard Gear shift and old looks! Otherwise it is a Great car!
I would have preferred a Petra 1.6, but that was me!

himanshugoswami · 18th January 2007, 18:32

Thanks Finney,

To be very honest, I did not even consider the Petra since I already have a Fiat, and the A.S.S. is already proving to be a headache- I love the car but am very very disappointed with the service.

Will post a thread on my recent experience on service.

kpzen · 18th January 2007, 22:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by finneyp

Just 3 things I don't like in a Baleno - Low Ground clearance (on any bigger than normal hump, the body touches the ground), hard Gear shift and old looks! Otherwise it is a Great car!

Thats true ...

Quote:

Originally Posted by himanshugoswami

Thanks Finney,

To be very honest, I did not even consider the Petra since I already have a Fiat, and the A.S.S. is already proving to be a headache- I love the car but am very very disappointed with the service.

Will post a thread on my recent experience on service.

Congrats ....Get GIIIs on stock rims....

rahul_intlad · 18th January 2007, 23:35

Congrats Himanshu.New baleno to have the same engine with some modifications nice...

Samurai · 20th January 2007, 14:03

On the other hand, it put a question mark on my future plan. We were thinking about switching from Baleno to a SUV next year, even Safari was in the running. After hearing your experience, I am wondering whether this would be a bad trade...

THE-U- · 22nd January 2007, 05:00

Congrats on the new Baleno! I do have a few questions for you though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by himanshugoswami

Then, I saw an ad in the paper for a Safari Dicor (8.2 OTL Bnagalore) with 55K worth of accessories(40Kcash dicount) and I was very tempted. I have always loved the regal bearing of the Safari, and now it was tantalizingly close to my reach. ......
I asked my wife what was her impression and she said- "this feels like driving a truck! the clutch is too hard, the gear shift is horrible and the vibrations!- God! you could shake all your bones loos in a months time!"

The 8.2L OTR price is for what trim? The Concorde folks quoted me Rs.12.4L for VX 4x4 and Rs.10.2L for EX 4x4 at Madras. I always thought the Safari has the best seat comfort for all passengers even better than any vehicle on bad roads. Do you think this vibration would have been specific to this vehicle?

Quote:

Originally Posted by himanshugoswami

I thought, if we are not buying safari, then let us just get the best VFM sedan we can. the deal was worked out for 5.35 OTR- a total disocunt of 35K.

I agree. Esteem is a great VFM sedan. Since the Esteem VXi has a slightly better equipment level and higher power/weight ratio, is it just the size and overall refinement of the Baleno LXi that won you over?

himanshugoswami · 22nd January 2007, 08:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by THE-U-

Congrats on the new Baleno! I do have a few questions for you though.

The 8.2L OTR price is for what trim? The Concorde folks quoted me Rs.12.4L for VX 4x4 and Rs.10.2L for EX 4x4 at Madras. I always thought the Safari has the best seat comfort for all passengers even better than any vehicle on bad roads. Do you think this vibration would have been specific to this vehicle?

I agree. Esteem is a great VFM sedan. Since the Esteem VXi has a slightly better equipment level and higher power/weight ratio, is it just the size and overall refinement of the Baleno LXi that won you over?

The 8.2L OTR is the LX 4X2.

As re. teh Baleno, yes, teh size did matter. Plus the low end torque, teh road grip, the feeling of better build, better NVH, better noise insulation etc etc.....

hrag · 22nd January 2007, 10:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by THE-U-

The 8.2L OTR price is for what trim? The Concorde folks quoted me Rs.12.4L for VX 4x4 and Rs.10.2L for EX 4x4 at Madras.

OT:

Here's Concorde's price list at Chennai

Model: ex-showroom + Insurance + Life Tax + Handling + Extended Warranty = On Road
LX 4x4: 826698 + 26658 + 49602 + 2500 + 7200 = 912658
EX 4x4: 903759 + 28869 + 54226 + 2500 + 7200 = 996554
VX 4x4: 1107891 + 34724 + 66473 + 2500 + 7200 = 1218788

hrag · 22nd January 2007, 10:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by THE-U-

The 8.2L OTR price is for what trim? The Concorde folks quoted me Rs.12.4L for VX 4x4 and Rs.10.2L for EX 4x4 at Madras.

OT:

Here's Concorde's price list at Chennai

Model: ex-showroom + Insurance + Life Tax + Handling + Extended Warranty = On Road
LX 4x4: 826698 + 26658 + 49602 + 2500 + 7200 = 912658
EX 4x4: 903759 + 28869 + 54226 + 2500 + 7200 = 996554
VX 4x4: 1107891 + 34724 + 66473 + 2500 + 7200 = 1218788

18th January 2007, 13:41	#16
kgc_cool BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 53 Thanked: 6 Times	Mr. Jeevan John sold me my Baleno VXi too.. Have to admit that he made the purchase process a pleasure. Alas, the same cannot be said about Pratham's A.S.S - they leave a lot to be desired! Great post there Himanshu! Wish you loads of fun with your new car!
	() Thanks

18th January 2007, 14:32	#19
Wheeliej BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 284 Thanked: 47 Times	Congrats Himanshu. I too wouldnt have guessed that you would finally buy the Baleno when you told me you had finalised on the Esteem on Tuesday p.m. it seems dangerous to let you get out of sight....... So, that would make it the 4th new car in 18 months, right?
	() Thanks

18th January 2007, 14:48	#20
deepakhon Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,441 Thanked: 65 Times	Cool. This made for an interesting read. I could not guess that you would book a baleno. It sure is a good choice.
	() Thanks

18th January 2007, 18:05	#22
finneyp Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,716 Thanked: 319 Times View My Garage	Congrats Himanshu on your Baleno! Just 3 things I don't like in a Baleno - Low Ground clearance (on any bigger than normal hump, the body touches the ground), hard Gear shift and old looks! Otherwise it is a Great car! I would have preferred a Petra 1.6, but that was me!
	() Thanks

18th January 2007, 18:32	#23
himanshugoswami Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: !!!! Posts: 2,303 Thanked: 2,619 Times	Thanks Finney, To be very honest, I did not even consider the Petra since I already have a Fiat, and the A.S.S. is already proving to be a headache- I love the car but am very very disappointed with the service. Will post a thread on my recent experience on service.
	() Thanks

18th January 2007, 23:35	#25
rahul_intlad Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Pune Posts: 1,579 Thanked: 4 Times	Congrats Himanshu.New baleno to have the same engine with some modifications nice...
	() Thanks

20th January 2007, 14:03	#26
Samurai Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bangalore/Udupi Posts: 25,828 Thanked: 45,547 Times View My Garage	On the other hand, it put a question mark on my future plan. We were thinking about switching from Baleno to a SUV next year, even Safari was in the running. After hearing your experience, I am wondering whether this would be a bad trade...
	() Thanks