[sr912m]

Hello Friends ,

This is my first thread on tbhp. I have included my initial driving , buying and ownership experience.

Pre-cursor:

After staying more than a decade overseas (USA), packed our bags and landed in hyderabad in May 2010. I have never driven a car in India before and never
a manual shift 4 wheeler anywhere. Had gone to RTA office and based on my US driving license they have given me indian license . Then took some driving
classes (aroung 10 - 12) .

Usage and requirements :
I knew one thing for sure, that i wanted a sedan (possibly because of years spent in US).
My usage would be around 1000 kms a month of regular usage . I am also interested in driving , to visit places. I had done many road trips in US and
have driven more than 600 miles (1000+ KMs)in a single day , few times. So figured my usage would be around 15000 Kms a year , give or take a few.
Initially was not biased towards either petrol or diesel , but as the days went by felt diesel would be better.
Another thing i wanted was a very reliable car (who doesn't) with only regular service schedules for as long as possible.

The hunt :

Used cars :
With a few classes under my belt , i started feeling little bit better (still not comfortable though) about driving in india and started looking for a
car. Went through online ads ,print ads , visited Dr.Cars , Maruti true value and many
mom-and-pop used car dealers. Couldn't find a VFM/good sedan to my liking (was looking for something aroung 2 - 3 lakhs ,as i wanted to buy a new one sooner
or later). One thing that hamstrung me , because of my lack of driving experience in india , was the ability to drive in traffic/busy areas. So i would
always ask the dealership guys to take the vehicle to a deserted area (which in Hyderabad is like finding an Oasis) and a few obliged and a few said they
would drive and i can sit in the passenger seat and feel the car , which was not the best , but considering my situation i was ok with that too.

New cars :

With almost more than 2 months gone and still not able to find a used vehicle to my liking i turned my attention to new cars.
First up , Honda City : The guys (Sundaram Honda) were prompt and brought the car to my home (more than 20 kms away from dealership) . I liked the car ,
but the price for a top end vehicle was around 12 Lakhs on road . Considering i owned a top end Honda Accord in US for around $27K , i felt the city
( i believe 2 segments lower than accord) was overpriced (again my personal opinion , possibly skewed by my US living ). I agree that i may not be comparing apples to apples ,
still i didnt feel convinced enough. So put it on hold and informed the guy that i was also looking at other vehicles as well and when i make a decision to buy city , i would call him.
He was very understanding and very courteous. Full marks for the sales guy the way he worked with me .

Next up , Ford Fiesta (diesel) : This is a very decent , no frills car , just suited to my taste. I liked the car , again the test drive was with me
in the passenger seat . I went through the reviews on tbhp , and also my FIL owns one. So this made it to the top of my list. I was looking for
discounts and the dealer said he would give about 30k (insurance + some other stuff) on the top end model ( i wanted a car with ABS and Airbags)
. This is Mody ford in Minister's road/Begumpet. I have also had Fortune ford guys give me a test drive and quote . Their quote turned out to be pricier than Mody.
This was around august/september 2010. Then i came across
threads in tbhp where some members mentioned that Ford does give a manufacturer discount to the tune of 70 -90k . Decided to wait out . Also checked out
Figo , even though not keenly interested in hatch back.

Next , Hyundai verna : went to Lakshmi Hyundai near LB Nagar. No discounts and the sales guys were not very interested (at least, thats what i thought).
Skipped the test drive.

Next , Maruti SX4 : One showroom (i believe RKS not sure ) in Malakpet didn't have any SX4 for test drive and the weren't even remotely interested
in me when i said SX4 . I just turned back from the entrance itself . Later went to Varun Motors in Begumpet . At least , the guys here were
attentive and by this time i was seriously considering buying a diesel . So didn't seriously consider SX4 ( at the time SX4 Diesel was not released).
I would give the Varun motors a very good rating as well , they were good , accommodative and also called me after the diesel version was released .

Next , Chevy optra LT 2.0: I have read the reviews about optra on tbhp and also went though SmartCat's rankings thread and optra was on my list.
Visited Kun in Nagole , they didn't have any vehicle for the test drive and also they weren't budging much on the price. Not sure why , as the car
exactly was not flying off-the-shelves. Tried couple of times and they never had a vehicle for test drive. Saw a Cruze (TD vehicle i suppose)
in the parking lot, checked it out and was interested . OTR price was around 14+ Lakhs for top end vehicle . Considering this was going to be my first car in india , i backed out.

Buying experience :
Negotiations :
By this time almost 6 months passed by and i was seriously introspecting as to what is wrong with me . Why can't i buy a decent car which i liked.
I was getting edgy and then december rolled in . Ford announced december dhamaka and on SXI diesel the discount amounted to be 50k . In the meantime
(from my test drive to december) the price has gone up by 10k . Effectively i was getting it 10k cheaper ( taking into account 10k price increase and 30k discount dealer mentioned originally) . Bargained hard and the another guy at the dealership said he would also give me corp. discount (even though the company i worked for is not on their corp. discount list ) to the tune of 12k.

Dealership buying experience:
I wanted sea grey and the sales manager ( i didn't quite like this guy) mentioned he doesn't have any sea grey and only Silver is available. There is also another guy involved in the process (who offered the corp discount) and he is very genial and seemed honest.I preferred dealing with this guy than the arrogant sales manager. I reluctantly agreed for the Silver and paid a token advance amount (5000) and said i would do a PDI of the car. They said it would be ready in one or 2 days and i can go to their stockyard and do the PDI. I agreed . Two days later we went for the PDI. Car looked OK , but had 150+ KMs on the ODO. I didn't quite like this fact (went through tbhps PDI check list) and told them i wont take the car. Arrogant sales manager argued
with me saying either take it or leave it. He wouldn't refund my token amount , saying it is against their company policy. Was also saying they wouldn't normally let the buyer do PDI. I asked him would he buy an almost 10L car without even inspecting it ? I left the showroom with mixed feelings and issued a stop payment against my advance check. My FIL enquired what went wrong and i explained him what happened. He said , they (his circle) bought a few cars from that dealership and he would talk to them. I am not sure what he did , but the dealership said , they would give me a sea grey car. I assumed this would also be at the same discount and asked for a PDI. This vehicle had about 50+ KMs on the odo and the car seemed fine. So i went in to sign the invoice and talk about payment arrangements. This is when i found out that the corp disc. they promised had been reduced from 12k to 5k. I was furious , but also at the end of my patience spectrum. So i obliged and settled for 50k ford discount + 5k dealer discount. I bought the EW + Insurance and essential pack from the dealer , knowing quite well that i am being fleeced little bit. I probably should have bought insurance outside as that would have saved me the 7k they reduced in their discount. Transferred the amount same day and said would pick up the car on the Friday , 17th Dec.

Total price i paid 9.45 L on road . (about 55k Cheaper than the list price for SXI Diesel at that time). Also managed to eke out a fiesta car cover from the corp. guy mentioning that the promised discount has been reduced.

Overall dealership rating : Good , except for the arrogant sales manager.

Mods : None.

Delivery :

The car was ready on Friday at the promised time , though the cleaning was not perfect. I had pointed out few spots in the interiors. I have asked the corp. discount guy to
arrange for the car to be driven by one of their drivers as i was still not comfortable and my home was good 17 kms away .He obliged and we went home.

Initial driving experience :

I decided to take the car for pooja in the evening. We went to the temple and there was another car in front of ours , i parked the
car (on an incline) , engaged the handbrake and came outside and waited. Security guard comes and points out that the car is rolling slowly downhill (slight incline).
. I was perplexed to say the least wondering why the car is rolling even after engaging hand brake. My FIL comes and says engage the gear.
Lesson learnt , when parking on inclines engage gear also. I think the proper way is , on upward slopes engage forward gear( frist gear) and on downward slopes engage reverse gear.

On the way back home , i come to a stop at the junction which was little bit uphill , let the traffic pass and then tried to take the turn. The car
starts rolling backwards . I panic and apply brakes . I try two more times , same result. Luckily , there is no one behind us. Eventually , engage
hand brake and somehow manage to get it moving forward. Similar experiences encountered whenever i stop and start from an incline (even smallest ones).
It would be until some good 20/30 days before i figured out (with the help of tbhp threads) the proper way to not have the car roll back at inclines.

My mistake and lesson learnt for rollovers : I was releasing the brake first all the time while holding the clutch , which would cause the car to move towards downward slope. The proper way (hope this helps some newbies) is to slowly release the clutch until you feel there is a tug while holding the brake and then slowly release the brake and clutch . If you release too much clutch and hold the brake , car will complain (somewhat loud jarring noise). You will know.

There have been few bumper scratches and a slight pressed out-of-shape denting on the rear bumper . Once my mistake while reverse parking and another time some guy rear ended me in a stand still traffic.

Another lesson from my driving instructor that alone seemed worth the money :
State transportation and city buses have the right of way all the time , anywhere. I usually stay at least 1 to 2 lanes away when possible and always let them pass even when i am supposed to have right of way.

Servicing history :

Car has done about some 7000+ KMS in six months till now. I have done the servicing at Mody Ford LBNagar.

First Service:

I think this is only a visual check up and they didn't change or charge anything. Schedule 3months or 5000 kms whichever is earlier.
Mine was at 3months with 4055 KMs on the odo. Overall experience was good and the service advisor seemed knowledgeful and trustworthy.

Second service :

Schedule : 10000Kms or 6 months whichever is earlier.

Mine was done at 6 months (with 6900+ KMS on the odo).
Total charge : ~Rs. 2700. Labour was supposed to be free. They changed oil , oil filter and usual stuff. They have also done wheel alignment and balancing. The guy showed me couple of rust spots on the exhaust pipe and recommended (Albeit strongly i suppose) exhaust pipe coating and under body coating. I declined both. They quoted ~900 for exhaust pipe and around Rs 3000 for under body quoting.


Guys , what you say? Should i get the exhaust pipe coated with rust protectant next time? I didn't see any need for under body coating. Should i get under body coating also?

This particular service advisor was more intent on selling these add-ons , than servicing my car. He even selected Petrol version in the drop down box. I corrected him. overall rating average . I didn't feel like this guy was knowledgable at all. I managed to talk to another service advisor who was much more versed.




My impressions and observations :

1. Decent car.
2. I didn't know what turbo lag was and i still dont. I guess this is a good thing. As people have mentioned the 1.4 is very linear and helps in city
driving.
3. Good steering feedback , although feels somewhat light at times.
4. Stiff suspension.
5. Basic ICE.
6. Seems underpowered under load.
7. Good ride.
8. I think at least in the top end model , they should have included rear view camera , blue tooth and steering mounted controls.
9. FE around 16 in the city and around 20 on highways.
10. Did a long trip of 500 Kms in a day (Hyd - Basara and back). Felt good driving on Hyd-Nagpur highway. Cornering at high speeds is not up to the mark
, i felt. Had to slow down little bit. Managed to touch 120-130 Km/h few times.
11. Would have preferred grey interiors than the beige. No choice. It seems in India , there are not many choices when choosing interiors.

Overall verdict :
Overall , I am happy with the car and i think with the decision (to go with a new car without prior driving experience in india , may be i could have avoided the
scratches and slight dent on the rear if i had driven a used car for a while and then bought the new car). Has done the job quite well for me.



I also would like to thank Team BHP sincerely. Even though i was not a member yet , i was able to access all the threads which proved to be very useful and helped me not only buy a good car , but also taught me how to properly drive with manual shift.

Now for some pictures (last one is invoice from 2nd service and the one before that is highlighting the scratches and deformation on the rear bumper) :

[GTO]

Good review! I must say, your observations (especially the high-points on the car) are spot-on! Congrats on the car, and thank you for sharing.

I think your review also highlights just how important the pre-sales experience is. Pity that manufacturers spend crores on advertising, but not a couple of lakhs on proper training for their front-end (i.e. the sales staff).

Originally Posted by sr912m

This vehicle had about 50+ KMs on the odo and the car seemed fine.

Glad you used the Team-BHP PDI checklist and avoided the other car. If you weren't comfortable with the 150 kms example, don't ever commit. It's your money and it is you who is going to eventually live with the car.

I didn't know what turbo lag was and i still dont. I guess this is a good thing. As people have mentioned the 1.4 is very linear and helps in city

Fiesta diesel owners will never know what turbo-lag is. For that, you need to drive an Indigo TDi 1.4L diesel.

Originally Posted by sr912m

Is exhaust pipe coating recommended

Naah, not unless you feel charitable toward the dealership. Remember, every service advisor has monthly revenue targets. Hence, whenever cars come in for services, they upsell (teflon coating, headlight polishing and other useless stuff).

BTW, I would HIGHLY recommend you to get Ford's extended warranty package.

Drive safe, Sr912m

[bluevolt]

Congratulations on your Ford Fiesta. Very nice review and pictures.

Keep the thread updated regularly with pictures.

Drive Safe.

[libranof1987]

Hey, congratulations on the Fiesta! That colour looks real good on it; maintain the shine!

The leather seats look good, stock?

About the rusted exhaust tail pipe, is it supposed to rust so early in the first place?

Don't worry about the scratches on the bumper; nothing that a Free-Of-Cost touch job can't fix.

Post some interior pics please; and the features in the variant.

Happy driving!

PS : Not that it matters now, since you'd mostly driven in the US, why didn't you consider an AT?

PPS : The most important thing while driving on an incline is being calm. You'll get there

[sr912m]

Originally Posted by GTO

Good review! I must say, your observations (especially the high-points on the car) are spot-on! Congrats on the car, and thank you for sharing.

Thanks GTO.

Originally Posted by GTO

Naah, not unless you feel charitable toward the dealership. Remember, every service advisor has monthly revenue targets. Hence, whenever cars come in for services, they upsell (teflon coating, headlight polishing and other useless stuff).

I declined both , but my only concern was those couple of rust spots.

Originally Posted by GTO

BTW, I would HIGHLY recommend you to get Ford's extended warranty package.

I did get Extended warranty and OTR price i mentioned is including that.
This covers 3rd year (after 2yrs from Ford).

Originally Posted by bluevolt

Congratulations on your Ford Fiesta. Very nice review and pictures.

Keep the thread updated regularly with pictures.

Drive Safe.

Thanks bluevolt. Will do.

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Hey, congratulations on the Fiesta! That colour looks real good on it; maintain the shine!

Thanks libranof1987.

Originally Posted by libranof1987

The leather seats look good, stock?

Yes. Everything is stock in the car. I havent added any add-ons yet.

Originally Posted by libranof1987

About the rusted exhaust tail pipe, is it supposed to rust so early in the first place?

Not sure. But when they hoisted the car and pointed out , i did see 2 rust spots one at the beginning and one near the tail end where the pipe connects to the boxy thing.

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Don't worry about the scratches on the bumper; nothing that a Free-Of-Cost touch job can't fix.

Thanks. There are slight peel-off scratches on the front bumper as well.

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Post some interior pics please; and the features in the variant.

Will post interior pics later. IIRC , the SXI additional features are Leather seats, Fog lamps , alloy wheels , ABS and Airbags , Chrome mirrors (i think)
and there may be few others.

Originally Posted by libranof1987

PS : Not that it matters now, since you'd mostly driven in the US, why didn't you consider an AT?

I did consider AT ( I was strongly inclined to buy a 2003 CITY AT , but RC had a mistake in chasis/engine no. and owner was not willing to get it corrected) , but couple of things swayed me away , one is FE and the other is if i don't learn manual , i won't be able to drive other cars in the circle when the need arises (there are few AT cars in India, although beginning to catch up now, i think).

Originally Posted by libranof1987

PPS : The most important thing while driving on an incline is being calm. You'll get there

Thanks. I think i am comfortable now. Once i figured out the trick , haven't used hand brake while driving so far , even on slightly steeper ones.

[thenomad]

Originally Posted by sr912m

The guy showed me couple of rust spots on the exhaust pipe and recommended (Albeit strongly i suppose) exhaust pipe coating and under body coating.

Few rust spots are normal on a new car. If it grows worse over the next couple of months I'd suspect it to be manufacturing defect. Rust protectant shouldn't be required.

Normally the exhaust in a diesel car last for a good couple of years even when driven for short distances unlike petrol cars.

[sr912m]

Originally Posted by thenomad

Few rust spots are normal on a new car. If it grows worse over the next couple of months I'd suspect it to be manufacturing defect. Rust protectant shouldn't be required.

Normally the exhaust in a diesel car last for a good couple of years even when driven for short distances unlike petrol cars.

Thanks thenomad. Will keep an eye for it next time and decide.

[ghodlur]

@sr912m,

Congratulations on the beast. The Fiesta is one fine car and the diesel one is a pick amongst the lot. Welcome to the Fiesta family and wish you many happy mile crunching and also drive safely.

Normally the extended warranty comes for two years, did you opt for one year warranty only or was it given by the dealer. Also did you get the RSA? I would suggest go for it, its very nominally priced but peace of mind when stuck in nowhere.

There is a thread started by nairrk which is a bible for the Fiesta, has almost every aspect of Fiesta covered. request you to go throught he thread for any information.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...-you-here.html

[vnabhi]

Nice review, and congrats for the great-looking car. I'd suggest you go for the 4th year EW too, if available.

I don't know when they changed the interior trim in the sxi and put wood on the dash---I prefer the older dash that does not have it.

I got anti-rust coating done during first service, but not for the tail pipe.

I'm surprised you felt the steering was light at times---in my case I always find it a bit heavy and well-connected. As regards cornering issues, I bet you must be on stock tyres. IMO the Fiesta is one of the best handlers in the segment.

[krish3]

Congrats on buying the Fiesta TDCi, now called the Classic.

For the exhaust pipe rusting, if it starts rusting too much then you can ask for a change under warranty. Please take pics of it now, raise a concern with Ford (from their site) and see their response. This will be useful later on, to make them agree to it under warranty change.

@vnabhi-: The SXi's had wooden interior trim from late 2008/2009.

The steering for the new Fords are also lighter than Pre-2009 Fiestas. I noticed it when my original rack was changed under warranty for rattling issues. The steering became lighter after the change.

[selfdrive]

Great honest review sr912m, I wish you many a safe mile in the fabulous Fiesta!

I still remember from my own Fiesta TD the feel of those seats, they are awesome for stock offerings.
+1 to your decision about purchasing a manual, it will definitely grow on you till it becomes second nature to you. I always found driving a manual to be more fun than an AT, no offence meant to anyone.

How is it doing on the mileage part? And have you had any issues with the GC?

[GTO]

Originally Posted by sr912m

I did get Extended warranty and OTR price i mentioned is including that. This covers 3rd year (after 2yrs from Ford).

Not sure. But when they hoisted the car and pointed out , i did see 2 rust spots one at the beginning and one near the tail end where the pipe connects to the boxy thing.

Wise decision. Now, rest easy as any rust is Ford's headache for 3 years (they will repair / replace if damage is serious). BTW, some minor rust spots are normal. Don't fret over them.

Drive safe!

[Jammy28]

Congrats sr912m! I really liked the way you have narrated your car selection process and buying experience.

As GTO mentioned, it is really a pity how badly the customer facing staffs have been trained. However good might be the products the manufacturer offer, it only takes few guys like the sales manager you dealt with, to bring bad name to the brand.

At the end, you are happy with the car and that is more important. Enjoy your ride and drive safe.

[sr912m]

Originally Posted by ghodlur

@sr912m,

Congratulations on the beast. The Fiesta is one fine car and the diesel one is a pick amongst the lot. Welcome to the Fiesta family and wish you many happy mile crunching and also drive safely.

Normally the extended warranty comes for two years, did you opt for one year warranty only or was it given by the dealer. Also did you get the RSA? I would suggest go for it, its very nominally priced but peace of mind when stuck in nowhere.

There is a thread started by nairrk which is a bible for the Fiesta, has almost every aspect of Fiesta covered. request you to go throught he thread for any information.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...-you-here.html

Thanks a lot ghodlur. The dealer gave it like that only and it includes RSA too. I am still scratching my head as how did i miss this fiesta owenr's thread so far. Thanks for pointing out.

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Nice review, and congrats for the great-looking car. I'd suggest you go for the 4th year EW too, if available.

I don't know when they changed the interior trim in the sxi and put wood on the dash---I prefer the older dash that does not have it.

I got anti-rust coating done during first service, but not for the tail pipe.

I'm surprised you felt the steering was light at times---in my case I always find it a bit heavy and well-connected. As regards cornering issues, I bet you must be on stock tyres. IMO the Fiesta is one of the best handlers in the segment.

Thanks vnabhi. I will enquire about 4th year EW next time at the service station. Thanks for the heads-up. I think krish3 has pointed out below that the post 2009 fords have lighter steering. May be that explains the different feel. Yeah , i am on stock tyres only.

Originally Posted by krish3

Congrats on buying the Fiesta TDCi, now called the Classic.

For the exhaust pipe rusting, if it starts rusting too much then you can ask for a change under warranty. Please take pics of it now, raise a concern with Ford (from their site) and see their response. This will be useful later on, to make them agree to it under warranty change.

@vnabhi-: The SXi's had wooden interior trim from late 2008/2009.

The steering for the new Fords are also lighter than Pre-2009 Fiestas. I noticed it when my original rack was changed under warranty for rattling issues. The steering became lighter after the change.

Thanks Krish3 . Will definitely keep the tip in mind.

Originally Posted by selfdrive

Great honest review sr912m, I wish you many a safe mile in the fabulous Fiesta!

I still remember from my own Fiesta TD the feel of those seats, they are awesome for stock offerings.
+1 to your decision about purchasing a manual, it will definitely grow on you till it becomes second nature to you. I always found driving a manual to be more fun than an AT, no offence meant to anyone.

How is it doing on the mileage part? And have you had any issues with the GC?

Thanks selfdrive. In my daily city commute , about 19Kms each way of which around 9KM in free flow traffic and the remaining 10km moderate to heavy traffic , i think i am managing close to 16 km/l. I didn't get to test tankful to tankful on highways (the longest trip i have done is 500kms) , but my best guestimate for those trips is around 20km/l.

So far i have only scraped twice . Also please note that , i usually have my tyre pressure 2 to 3 psis above the manufacturer recommendation. This has been my habit in US also. Though this causes a bit bumpy ride on uneven roads , i feel on even roads the ride is smoother. I think manufacturers err on the side of caution and recommend little bit on the lower side. Again my personal opinion.

Originally Posted by GTO

Wise decision. Now, rest easy as any rust is Ford's headache for 3 years (they will repair / replace if damage is serious). BTW, some minor rust spots are normal. Don't fret over them.

Thanks GTO . Will leave it for now.

[RaguHolla]

Congratulation on SXI! Its a great car! As other have mentioned cornering will improve if you change stock tyres! Yes fiesta is no frills car! Every thing work! Including great OEM audio! To too agree with vnabhi, you should opt for 4th year EW. I went for underboday coating from 3M. Reason is not for rusting, but it reduces road noise considerably inside cabin.