[noopster]

Originally Posted by sameerg001

He- We wanted to get the top-end version, we don't buy lower models.

I have heard this statement, usually spoken in a tone of utter disdain, from several car owners. It doesn't matter that the highest end model just has (say) some garish alloys, a useless sunroof, rain-sensing wipers (and the guy lives in a bone-dry city), front parking sensors (famous quote from a BHP-ian I know "I have front parking sensors too They're called EYES!!") and a whole lotta useless crap that may never be used. This goes double for the so-called "sports" variants which typically have spoilers and decals and all that and compromise on basic safety features.

The concept of after-market fittings is alien to a lot of our car-buying populace. It doesn't help that our manufacturers keep threatening to void warranty at the drop of a hat. A car is still very much a status symbol in India and this obsession with getting the "fully loaded" variant is probably a reflection of that mentality.

[AlphaKilo]

Originally Posted by mayankk

What are you guys talking about?
There's a skoda RIGHT HERE on tbhp that could do those figures.
One marketing head, I think, his pet project.
Search for it.
Worth your while.

Originally Posted by IronH4WK

you're kidding, right?

150kmph in 2nd gear and top speed of 400-450kmph?

edit: found it - looky here!

Come on Guys! The best thread on TBHP closely followed by that "Hanky-Panky" car thread . Sitting at my work place I am literally ROFL ing. You guys made my day! Surely such namoonaas are in abundance. Why doesnt TATA or Mahindra recruit these guys and make our own F1 team? I am thinking of recommending these "Bharat-Ratna's" to Vijay Mallya or Ratan Tata.

[S2!!!]

I saw an Innova with spinners yesterday to remember one of my old friend. We were quite young when spinners were introduced in the market and were the coolest things to have back then. My old friend had spotted a Lancer with them and here's what he told me, "the Lancer looked damn cool with spinning wheels. He stopped on the signal and pressed on a button and turned on the spinners, then when the car began moving he turned it off. They were damn cool!!"

I smiled at his innocence and explained to him the whole mechanism which doesn't need buttons to make em spin.


Another similar thing happened when a friend drove his cousin's turbo'ed Swift. He told me, "I changed from 1st to 2nd quickly and then 'he' (his cousin) switched on the turbo and then whooosh!! the car went damn fast" He actually meant that the turbo kicked in but for some reason he thought that you had to switch it on from somewhere to enjoy it

[arun_josie]

1) ABS = Air Bag System. This is what I thought when I was enquiring for WagonR during 2006. The SA in Maruti Showroom(Varun, Hyderabad) confirmed this. Only later I came to know the real meaning.

2) While taking the delivery of my Dzire last year from Kalyani Motors, Bannerghatta Road, I found lot of the scratches in the Sunfilm, and this is how the discussion went,

Me: I could see lots of scratches in the Sunfilm, looks like its not applied properly.
SA: No Sir, it will be like this only.
Me: Are you sure, with scratches all around?
SA: Yes Sir. Because it will take two weeks to dry and then it will be fine. The scratches will disappear.
Me: **I couldn't believe that**. I asked him again. So, Scratches will disappear after two weeks? But all scratches look like a small cut.
SA: Yes Sir, After two weeks everything will be fine. We have seen this in many cars(thank god he didn't tell that it happens only to Dzire).

I didn't want to speak with him any more and called the Manager from the Accessories department.

Manager: **After having a look at it says(he goes around the car 3-4 times)**, it will take 2 months to dry down Sir. Then he showed me couple of other cars which also had lots of scratches in the sunfilm and told me see all the cars are having the scratches. As I said it will take two months to dry. Man! I couldn't believe that coming from a Manager of the accessories department.

Me: Didn't want to talk with anyone else because 2 months might further go up to 2 years. Took the 3M dealer number from them, called him and explained the issue, the very next day he came to my home and replaced the sunfilm saying it was not applied properly(Only to be later removed due to the court order).

[sarthakgupta]

Originally Posted by AlphaKilo

Come on Guys! The best thread on TBHP closely followed by that "Hanky-Panky" car thread . Sitting at my work place I am literally ROFL ing. You guys made my day! Surely such namoonaas are in abundance. Why doesnt TATA or Mahindra recruit these guys and make our own F1 team? I am thinking of recommending these "Bharat-Ratna's" to Vijay Mallya or Ratan Tata.

Thanks for the Hanky-Panky thread AlphaKilo sir.

These threads are really the gems (of another kind) here. Posting the link for Hanky-Panky thread for other newcomers like me to enjoy.

The Hanky Panky thread:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/hatchb...uld-i-buy.html

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by arun_josie

2) While taking the delivery of my Dzire last year from Kalyani Motors, Bannerghatta Road, I found lot of the scratches in the Sunfilm, and this is how the discussion went...

...Me: Didn't want to talk with anyone else because 2 months might further go up to 2 years. Took the 3M dealer number from them, called him and explained the issue, the very next day he came to my home and replaced the sunfilm saying it was not applied properly(Only to be later removed due to the court order).

What he said is actually right. When you apply sunfilm on any car, tiny scratches are visible. They fade away with time. Probably 2-3 weeks, not months!

[arun_josie]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

What he said is actually right. When you apply sunfilm on any car, tiny scratches are visible. They fade away with time. Probably 2-3 weeks, not months!

Yes, it could be. What frustrated me was when the Manager said it will take 2 months. When it was applied for the second time, I couldn't find a single scratch mark. Also, 3M person confirmed that it was not applied properly because the scratches were bit sharp/deep, didn't affect the glass though.

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by noopster

The concept of after-market fittings is alien to a lot of our car-buying populace. It doesn't help that our manufacturers keep threatening to void warranty at the drop of a hat. A car is still very much a status symbol in India and this obsession with getting the "fully loaded" variant is probably a reflection of that mentality.

Well I for one generally would opt for the top model. Primarily as you said it to save on the warranty being void. Plus a factory fitted is definitely a more integrated system and I hate the nincompoops at the outside accessory shops sharpening their skills on my car. Also buying the top end version gives me a lot more features and keeps me glued (not getting bored off ) to the same car for a longer duration.

[Farukh]

Originally Posted by arunkk

I used to think like this when I was a small kid. Me along with friends used to peep into Ambys Fiats and Maruti 800s and check their speedos to know the max speed of that car

My kid brother still does it... According to him I should have bought HH Hunk instead of Pulsar 180 (Really?!). Any new bike he sees on the road, he is like, "Bhaiyya iski speed zyada hai ya tumhari bike ki?"

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by sameerg001

Here's the another conversation, which i had with SAME so called petrol head friend of mine.

I- Do you really need AWD just for driving that car in City like Delhi ?

He- We wanted to get the top-end version, we don't buy lower models.

Although this is a bit extreme situation where I agree with you, there is no need to buy the 4x4 version for normal city use, but I tend to suffer from that "top end is best" feeling too . The Best or Nothing, like the popular phrase. If I can't afford the top end variant of a model A, I would rather pick the top end variant of a cheaper model B than go with the base version of model A.

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Well I for one generally would opt for the top model. Primarily as you said it to save on the warranty being void. Plus a factory fitted is definitely a more integrated system and I hate the nincompoops at the outside accessory shops sharpening their skills on my car. Also buying the top end version gives me a lot more features and keeps me glued (not getting bored off ) to the same car for a longer duration.

I completely agree with MileCruncher. To add to this, some more reasons why I'm hell bent on picking the top variant ONLY :

- Most models equip the top models with ABS, Airbags and other safety features, while the lower models get nothing. Barring the Honda city, everything else is built like this. Heck, in the new Swift, the L and V have poor brakes too, while the Z variants get boosters and better brakes.

- all the bells and whistles come from the factory with OEM warranty. I don't need to run around to a zillion accessory shops to get things working. Peace of mind

- In some cases, there are the smaller add-ons and interior features which come with the top variants, which don't make it to the bottom of the pile. Why should I pay, say 7L for a car (say a base model) and get stone age interiors like a 3L Alto? that's what most base models are today. You get the body and mechanicals of the bigger car, with the interiors of an A segment hatch half the price. If I'm spending so much, I can as well pay 60-70k more, buy the top end one and enjoy the bells and whistles.

- Last but not the least, the feeling of being a king among the slaves, rather than a slave among the kings. *said in a lighter vein, no offense meant*

[veedub89]

A colleague of mine wanted to sell his car and so he put up a advert on the company classifieds. Some guy was interested so he called up my colleague.
The conversation went like this-
Guy-"Do you mind if I put a music system in it?"
Colleague-"Ummm. yeah sure. why not? You gotta buy it first."
Guy-"Ok so does your car have seats?"
Colleague-"Yes of course. All four of them."

So out of curiosity me and my colleague went to meet this personality.
Surprise surprise!! He doesn't know how to drive!

[KarthikK]

A funny incident with my non-petrol head dad which I must share here before I forget :

Although he keeps himself informed about the goings-on in the automotive world every now and then, my dad, being from the previous generation, is not an out-and-out enthusiast like us BHPians. My parents and I had gone to the Fiat showroom last weekend to check out the Punto 75HP and 90HP Sports. The sales guy explained all the features. We then took TDs, first in the Punto 75HP Emotion, then in a wine colored 90HP Emotion test drive car (the showroom doesn't have any sports version for test drives so they were using an old 90HP Emotion). We obviously liked the 90HP better.

After the test drive, we headed back to the showroom. I was convincing my dad that the Punto 90HP is better for driveability and increased power (being the typical petrolhead). Then we were talking about the color choices

Dad : The test drive car color was good (referring to Tuscan Wine)
Me : Since we already have a black, we'll go for something bright this time, what do you say? Anyway I will be using it most of the times. How about Red or white?
Dad : hmm ok..
<asks salesman to show him the white and red shades if available>
Salesman : <points to the Punto 90HP Sports white color parked in another part of the room> It has the OEM sport red decals and red colored mirror Sir. Looks great
Dad : yeah but this is the demo car, right?
Me : What demo car? No this is how the sports model looks
Dad : But the one we test drove was plain colored, right? why did that one not have stickering?
Salesman : Sir that is discontinued for now (referring to Emotion 90HP). This is the limited edition sports model with sporty decals/stickering.
Dad : you mean it comes with the red stripes and mirrors like this? from the factory?
Me : Yeah. Doesn't it look sporty?
Dad : but it looks ridiculous. It is like some demo car or test drive car . Don't they have any plain shades?
Me : What??!! you just humiliated the Punto sports with Fiat decals!! It looks smashing.
Dad (trying to pull my leg further) : <points to an official test drive Linea parked there with white stripes proclaiming "Demo car"> doesn't this Punto with stickers look like that test drive gaadi, minus the "Demo car" text? this also has stripes, that also has stripes. This "sports" model looks like any other demo car on the road, na?
Me : never mind. We'll take the white or red; I think they both look cool. Lets decide later
Dad : I don't understand this "sports model" funda and all. You and your car craze! Choose whichever color you want, I won't interfere

[Farukh]

Note from Team-Bhp Support: Team-BHP maintains a strong stand against drinking and driving and any mention of alcohol. Hence posts containing ANY alcohol content (in text or pictures, directly or indirectly) are not allowed.

[noopster]

@KarthikK, I don't know if it's an age thing but I kinda agree with your Dad!

Decals of any sort look really silly on a car, in my opinion. Those "Abarth" ones are the silliest. I also hate the decals on SUVs like the Endeavour and Pajero- think it completely takes away from the character of the car. So I assume this is a taste thing and not a "non
-petrolhead" thing!

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by noopster

@KarthikK, I don't know if it's an age thing but I kinda agree with your Dad!

Decals of any sort look really silly on a car, in my opinion. Those "Abarth" ones are the silliest. I also hate the decals on SUVs like the Endeavour and Pajero- think it completely takes away from the character of the car. So I assume this is a taste thing and not a "non
-petrolhead" thing!

It's certainly not an age related thing.

I don't like decals either. But the subtle ones look very nice. And on some cars, it gives it character and that 'race-car-charm' if you will. Although the cars I'm referring to are certain sports-cars that one often doesn't get to see.

On the Punto, it's okay. It's not over-done and gives it that 'Abarth' look. There are very few cars that can pull off decals in my opinion. The decals on other cars like the Endy and Pajero are horrible.

On the Punto, I would leave it on for a little while and then remove it, if certain anti-social elements haven't tried already.