After a lot of thinking and pondering and reading up (Mostly Team-bhp), with a heavy heart I finally gave up on the Safari and decided to purchase an Innova Vx 8 seater in Silver.
The reasons for me changing my mind, I will dwell upon later after I get the Vehicle and post the Initial review. This Thread is about a couple- well make that quite a few- queries regarding the Innova.
In 2005, when I was going about buying my Baleno, I got fantastic support and help from my fellow members. In fact it was this forum that convinced me to go for the Baleno and now, five years and 49,000 kms later, i haven't ever regretted my decision. Hope the guys help me again...
Queries about the innova-
1) The V version comes with the Alloys marked as "City" in the Toyota website- Accessories-Exterior. I prefer the other one listed as "Rugged" shown just below in the same accessories section.
See below-
Toyota - Innova
Would Toyota agree if i requested them to provide my vehicle with this set of Alloy wheels as O.E?
2) About the Tyre Upgrade-In this part of the country, Ground Clearance is a major deal. This is one of the main reasons i was keen on a Safari and the only reason why we bought a Fusion for home this month. Basically, out here, we need Ground Clearance- the more the merrier.
The Innova comes with 205/65-15 tyres and the GC of the vehicle is 176mm. Most of the experts here recommend upsizing to 225/60-15. According to my calculations this would only increase the clearance by 1.75mm.
I asked the Toyota dealer here and he said that putting 225 section tyres would result in Suspension problems over a period of time and they won't give me warranty on suspension if i insist on upsizing this big.
Instead they recommend 205/75r15 for increased Ground clearance. My friend's Innova has this set-up and it seems to work just fine. But according to my calculation, the GC goes up majorly to 196.5mm. Wouldn't the overall stability and the suspension suffer because of this?
What size should i upsize to if i want more clearance yet offer good grip and ride quality?
3) Bank Loan- I'm putting in 8 Lacs and i need a loan of 4 Lacs. I'm thinking of reducing balance coz in a couple of months i might be able to put in Rs 2 lacs at one go. Which bank door do I go and knock in? Who gives the best deals?
4) The Innova doesn't come with USB slot or anything else to play my i-pod. I read in some other thread that one can buy the I-pod interface and hook it up with the OE sound system. What is this Interface? Where can I buy one and how much? Will it work properly? What other options do i have?
Being somewhat of a music buff, I'm keen to have a good system in the car. Yet I want to retain the OE Head Unit, if possible coz it works with the steering remote. Do I need to upgrade the speakers and put in components and tweeters in the front? What about an amplifier and Basstube, cables etc? What is a decent set-up for a limited amount of funds, say 10-15 grands?
5) Does it really make a difference in the long run if i buy a December 2009 vehicle (Resale value?) or should i wait for a couple of weeks and book a January 10 vehicle?
6) Discounts & Freebies - No Discounts ans after a lot of bargaining, the Toyota people here are offering me Floormats, Fender Pole and Mudflaps. Yet I've read across the Forum of some guys getting Car Cover, 3M coating, Spoiler, Muffler Cover etc.. Am being cheated here?
7) Insurance- 2 weeks back, We bought a Ford Fusion Tdi on full cash payment but for Insurance, instead of declaring the Ex-showroom of the vehicle as 6,80,000/- I haggled and showed it as 5,00,000/- thereby getting 1st party insurance yet saving a tidy sum. The only problem of this method is that if the Vehicle gets banged up badly and is a total write-off, then i'd get Insurance based on this figure declared.
Now, since I'll be taking a loan for the Innova, can I do the same thing? The yearly Insurance is coming to about 36 grands and i would like to save from here, yet get 1st Party.
That's all the questions for now (Phew!)
Hope a lot of guys will pitch in and help me with advices.
Puffy.