[honeybee]

Originally Posted by shineshine

I can forgive TATA for

1. Not giving a refined 2/3 Cylinder Engine
2. Not giving a proper hatch door. [Considering the limited space behind the seats]
3. Not giving a proper user friendly dashboard
4. A clutch that's gets hard like a truck as miles gets added.
5. A horn that's so feeble even shame a bajaj scooter

BUT I CANNOT FORGIVE IF THEY FAIL TO PROVIDE SOME OPTION TO RETROFIT THE POWER STEERING TO EXISTING NANOs.

Unrefined? I thought we had already covered remarks out of ignorance much earlier.

You don't need a hatch door. I haven't missed it in one and half years and 26k kms. Not going to miss it in the next few years.

User friendly dashboard? That's subjective. I am used to the centre console. I would probably be confused in a conventional setup.

If tue clutch is hard get the cable replaced. Asap.

The remark on the horn is again out of ignorance. I can vouch for its effectiveness. Unless of course the person you are honking at is deaf.

The Nano doesn't really need a power steering. But if you just want to go ahead and retrofit one why not buy the Nano Twist? I am sure there are other changes made for incorporating the power steering and the retrofitment will surely not be as cheap as 13k.

Please correct me if I am wrong but no manufacturer in India provides retrofitment of power steering on their non-ps vehicles. So why single out Tata?

[zenren]

I don't think we should bash Tata for providing a useful feature in their car at a very reasonable cost, just because the earlier owners also wanted it.

When I was out shopping in 2008 for a diesel Swift, I badly wanted a ZDi but VDi ABS was the maximum that was on offer and I couldn't get airbags and rear wash/wipe. I was disappointed that Maruti didn't give ZDi earlier but that doesn't mean they did a big mistake by introducing the ZDi for at least the future customers. Same thing goes with the existing Honda City customers. There are at least a few of them who would have loved the climate control and good interiors but I don't think they'll hold it against Honda because it was not available earlier.

Originally Posted by honeybee

Please correct me if I am wrong but no manufacturer in India provides retrofitment of power steering on their non-ps vehicles. So why single out Tata?

Fully agree here. Maruti never gave power steering for 800 or Omni. Zen did not get power steering till 2000 or 2001 and Maruti never gave an option of officially retrofitting power steering in a Zen back then. I don't think anyone complained and I still don't think there is anything to complain.

If someone badly need a power steering, they can either fit it at the risk of their warranty from some FNG or buy a new car. Tata sells the spares for its cars outside of TASS and hence I don't see any reason for such hue and cry.

Originally Posted by shineshine

Are you willing to throw your hard earned 1.4 lakhs for a 9k run car which is still in warranty. I've been quoted with 60k for a exchange for a new nano, otherwise I would have exactly done that what you have suggested. Adding a power steering to any car does not require rocket science.

I don't understand the significance of the 1.4 lakhs that you mention. How old is your car?

If they are offering you a Nano Twist for an additional 60k after exchanging your existing Nano, you should take out the 15k of power steering out of it which brings down the effective depreciation on your car to just 45k. Any car that leaves the dealership takes a 10-20% hit on its value immediately, even before it enters your house for the first time. I don't see Tata to be undervaluing your Nano if it has already covered ~9000 km.

Originally Posted by shineshine

For me its a car failed against my expectations.

I guess you had the wrong expectations from Nano.

Based on your listed grievances, I have to say that all these negatives of Nano were already available in public domain for quite some time now and most of them are visible the moment you see the car or take a test drive. The reason you find a lot of happy customers for Nano in this forum and elsewhere is because they did their research and knew very well what they were getting into.

If you didn't do due diligence and proper research before investing such a big amount, you are equally responsible for your grievances. If power steering was such a deal-breaker for you, I assume Alto had PS version even then.

P.S: I'm not a Tata fanboy and usually criticize Tata in a lot of my posts but this is one of those occasions where I feel they are being blamed unfairly!

[S_U_N]

Originally Posted by shineshine

Tata as usual is treating all the existing customers like you and me as GUINEA pigs and nothing more. I have also been hesitant to agree that its car with more demerits than merits.
Now, with all these things, if you still feel that you got a TECHNOLOGICAL MARVEL, its your opinion.
For me its a car failed against my expectations.

Perhaps you are correct about the initial versions of the Nano.

And perhaps you are unhappy that as an early adopter, you were a "guinea pig".
Your feedback has surely helped Tata and it's new customers.

The current version is quite refined I must say.
So, all Nano owners should thank you for this.

[subscrive]

Originally Posted by zenren

If someone badly need a power steering, they can either fit it at the risk of their warranty from some FNG or buy a new car.

Clarification... (In fact its argument from your side!). If someone badly need a power steering, they can buy another car with PS. If another car is not in their budget, then they can buy 2nd hand car. GTO has written a very good post on pros and cons of 2nd hand car.

[zenren]

Originally Posted by subscrive

Clarification... (In fact its argument from your side!). If someone badly need a power steering, they can buy another car with PS. If another car is not in their budget, then they can buy 2nd hand car. GTO has written a very good post on pros and cons of 2nd hand car.

The moment we include 2nd hand cars into the equation, none of the new cars would be VFM. All this discussion assumes that the owner/buyer is not willing to go for a used car route. Otherwise, how can you justify the purchase any new lower segment car when a perfect condition 2-3 year old car that is one segment higher is available?

There was always a used Maruti 800 in very decent condition (that required minimal maintenance) available for 1 lakh. So the 1 lakh car existed even before Nano if we included used cars.

[subscrive]

Originally Posted by zenren

The moment we include 2nd hand cars into the equation, none of the new cars would be VFM. All this discussion assumes that the owner/buyer is not willing to go for a used car route. Otherwise, how can you justify the purchase any new lower segment car when a perfect condition 2-3 year old car that is one segment higher is available?

If PS is going to be a deal breaker, then either buy another new car with good PS - or buy a 2nd hand car in same budget. As far as justification is concerned, you can go through GTOs thread and check pros and cons of 2nd hand car. If the cons far outweigh your criteria, dont buy 2nd hand. Else 2nd hand is a good choice.

[sandeepmohan]

Been looking for an affordable drive for my wife. Though very tempting, I fear reliability even on the short term. The Nano is no longer a cheap little ride as it was planned to be. You can get a Nano or a BS3 Maruti Suzuki 800 which I believe is still on sale. The difference in cost is <20K. The 20K gets me a very old model for sure but complete peace of mind. I do loose a lot of toys and that power steering. The peace of mind ownership, for me far out weighs the toys the Nano gets.

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

Been looking for an affordable drive for my wife. Though very tempting, I fear reliability even on the short term. The Nano is no longer a cheap little ride as it was planned to be. You can get a Nano or a BS3 Maruti Suzuki 800 which I believe is still on sale. The difference in cost is <20K. The 20K gets me a very old model for sure but complete peace of mind. I do loose a lot of toys and that power steering. The peace of mind ownership, for me far out weighs the toys the Nano gets.

Honestly speaking, my colleague has a Nano and he is happy with it.

The car has done 11K in 9.5 months with a FE of 19 kmpl. He is pretty happy overall with TASS here and will be retro - fitting the PS on his Nano soon.

Think about it as it is way better than a BS III M800. The Nano is a safer car when compared to the M800 too.

Anurag.

[honeybee]

The Nano is a much better car in terms of space. Plus a new car gives you a 4 year 60k kms warranty. Don't know if you get this peace of mind with a used M800.

I haven't had a breakdown yet with my 2012 Nano after 1.5 years and 26k kms. Nor have I heard reports of any Nanos leaving their occupants stranded.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by zenren

If they are offering you a Nano Twist for an additional 60k after exchanging your existing Nano

No, I think he is being offered just Rs 60k for the old car!
That apart, I think that existing users really don't need the PS. Indeed, this thing of PS allowing you to use one finger to turn the steering wheel on a stationary car fosters bad habits, by lending power to doing something that damages the steering mechanism and the tyres.
The Nano has so little weight on the front tyres it doesn't need PS if driven the way any car should be driven - no steering input till there is some forward/backward motion of the car. Larger heavier cars need more effort to move the wheel even after this motion is present and make a case for PS assist.

[zenren]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

No, I think he is being offered just Rs 60k for the old car!

That seems unlikely and suicidal, especially when Tata is trying to sell another Nano to him. If a 3 year old Nano is just worth 60k as per the dealer, why should any customer buy another Nano which would have the same depreciation levels?

For existing customers who come in for exchange options, almost all dealers add the prevailing dealer discounts into the value of the old car in a way to lure the customer. I've heard a lot of cases where people decided on a specific brand because that dealer offered him the maximum value for his existing car. Sometimes, these dealers didn't offer any other freebies that others did but the customer was still happy. That's playing with human psychology at its best!

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by zenren

That seems unlikely and suicidal, especially when Tata is trying to sell another Nano to him.

That was just my guess, because I can't see Tata offering him a new Twist for just an extra Rs 60k. Taking out the PS cost, all he will be losing is Rs 45k on a 2-3 year old Nano, and I can't see how such an attractive deal can be viable for the dealer.

[zenren]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

That was just my guess, because I can't see Tata offering him a new Twist for just an extra Rs 60k. Taking out the PS cost, all he will be losing is Rs 45k on a 2-3 year old Nano, and I can't see how such an attractive deal can be viable for the dealer.

Nano did have 25k worth accessories and freebies offered on it at a time. As I said earlier, an exchange deal always gets the dealer discounts also incorporated into it. If the dealers are currently giving 10-15k discounts/benefits for a new customer, including it into the exchange calculation makes the depreciated value on the old car back to the 60k range which is normal.

[MadTiger]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

Been looking for an affordable drive for my wife. Though very tempting, I fear reliability even on the short term. The Nano is no longer a cheap little ride as it was planned to be. You can get a Nano or a BS3 Maruti Suzuki 800 which I believe is still on sale. The difference in cost is <20K. The 20K gets me a very old model for sure but complete peace of mind. I do loose a lot of toys and that power steering. The peace of mind ownership, for me far out weighs the toys the Nano gets.

I have a 2011 nano, it has been driven 21k kms. The longest distance travelled was Bangalore to Kolkata and back a total of about 4.5k. Made couple of trips round about 700 odd kms. It's ready to hit the road any time, and I can vouch a little care and well handling will never let you down, it's a very well engineered product and did give me peace of mind for the last 2.5 years.

[S_U_N]

Is it possible to adjust the clutch pedal travel/ position somewhat?

The SA said that the workshop can do that, since my wife was not comfortable with the angle that the left foot makes with the clutch pedal (when seated at the nearest position from the steering wheel).
They are going to bring the car today to check where she is facing the problem and then see what adjustments they can make.

Edit: Got to know that the workshop guy suggested that they can fix something on the floor to raise the level for the left foot. They demonstrated with a brick kept in front of the clutch pedal on which the left foot could rest.

Now, I am not sure what the issues would be with making such a mod. (e.g. a wooden block fixed)

Edit 2: Someone is already talking about a wooden block here: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...g-drive-3.html