[jsrakkar]

Well, not exactly 18, it is 18(00) to be precise – details in the later part of the story.
First of all, my deepest apologies for starting this thread late, it should have been started around a month back, but a lot has happened over the last one month (I’ve got married, been to Goa, etc.), so the delay.

Well, cutback to last week of Dec ’08 – preparations for my marriage are in full swing, shopping, arrangements and bookings for the cook, the bandwala, the tentwala, DJ, etc when suddenly we family members realize that since our family member count is going to increase, we would need another car, soon!

Lo, ek kharcha aur tyaar! (One more expense is ready)

Now, since I am the self-proclaimed car-expert in my family and all neighborhoods, the onus to decide which car to buy falls upon me – as if it just a walk in the park.

So, which car should we go for? Simple, we either buy the Santro, or the Tata Indica, or the Indica Vista, or the Indigo CS or the Ford Icon TDCI or the Swift …. Phew!

Ford was out of budget, so it went out.

Regarding the Swift/Swift Desire, we all know how much time it will take to be delivered, so that was out of the options too.

But, we have to finalize one soon as we have to buy it before the end of year, if we have to avail the year-end discounts and also, this is the time when we will need a second car in the family the most. By the way, we already have a 2002 M800 MPFI with us. And since, this one would be financed, so second hand option cannot be used (also, finding a decent second hand car in such a short span of time would be very difficult, so new it has to be!)

26-30th Dec 2009
So, off we go, searching for the options available in our budget of 3-4.5 lakhs (At the max 3.5 for a petrol car, and 4.5 for a diesel one). Now, Hyundai is offering a very sweet deal offering the base Santro (GL) at 2.99 lakhs till 31st deck – a very lucrative deal, must say.
But, it seems, everybody and his cousin in Chandigarh has already gone out and bought all the Santo’s in stock, inquired at three different dealerships in my city, but none had any in stock. The next lot will come only after 10th of Jan, next year. Only one dealer has a lone Santro GL in stock, but I’m not really keen on buying a black coloured Santo, so let’s hunt for some other options also.

Option 2 – Tata Indica Vista Quadra jet
Now, even since it was launched, I’ve been a great fan of Tata Indica, always loved the way it was developed and related stuff. But, Indica Vista is even better than the first generation and the best thing is it comes with the gem – yes the Dais, named the Quadra jet here, so this option is one in which really interest me a lot. Took a test drive of Indica Vista A and come back fully impressed, this is the car I want to buy and that too in Red! But, no one else than me likes the Indica in Red, so I am ready to look at other colors also.
In the meanwhile, I search around in Team-BHP regarding various options for Tire upgrade and most importantly, ICE! I deviate from my usual silent mode and even write a PM to hiragana. Now, this is one amazing guy. I wrote him a PM at around midnight regarding tire upgrade options (at that time, the question was for Santro) and replies back within half an hour with a very detailed description, hats off to you man!

31st Dec 2009
Now, the D-Day has finally arrived, but we still haven’t decided our car, so after having a couple of long discussions with family and some friends regarding the Santro and the Vista, we decide that let’s go and get the Vista.

So, off we go to a Tata dealer to get the quote for Vista as we have to give it to bank for loan processing. (I had already started the loan case with Punjab & Send Bank as my father is an ex-employee and all formalities were completed during the days we were evaluating the cars, the only thing left was to give the dealer’s price quote and get the DD).
We reach the dealer, check out a couple of colors in Vista and this is when the story goes for complete U-Turn.

While checking out the vista in the dealer’s lot, my father looks around at other Tata models parked around like the Indigo and the Indigo CS, and he says that he would be more interested in getting the CS than the Vista because it comes with a boot and looks like a proper car and not a small car.

Now, what is this?

So, we again discuss the things and finally decide to go with Dad’s choice – though I was a bit reluctant as it is essentially the same platform developed around 10 years ago while the Vista is brand new and come with that lovely Quadrajet, but I guess this was not to be.
So, we talk to one more dealer (Joshi Tata) and he promises me a better deal – the CS didn’t have much of discounts even during year end. But, I get free insurance as part of corporate discount and it seems like a good deal.

So, what started as a process to bring home the Indica Vista turned into getting the Indigo CS!

So, I got the top-end LX version in TDI form.

Paid 4.49 lakhs +3700 for extended warranty to the dealer (Insurance was free) and sealed the deal.

The buying experience was quite bland and nothing to write home about – there was a heavy rush of customers, it being the last day of year, also something on Tata’s servers in Pune went wrong and it took them around 2.5 hours to complete the paper work. Not much was shown/told to me about the car and it’s features by the salesmen, got the customary photo clicked and drove it home.

Now, being a repectful member of Team-BHP, I can’t leave my car in it’s normal guise, it has to have some special touch to it, right?

So, the tyres had to be upgraded alongwith getting new ICE.

But, tyres were my first priority as the sooner I got them replaced, the better deal I would get on my existing tyres – Goodyear GPS II (TubeType). Based on Ishan’s advice and whatever I could read over this forum, I wend looking for tyres the next day – my primary choice was to either go for Yokohama A Drive’s or Michelin XM 1+ followed by Apollo Acelere.

Looked around at a couple of shops – every dealer had his own pricing strategy, some quoted as much as 3300 for
one piece of Yokohama A-Drives, while some asked for 2900.

So, to the last dealer I went, he gave me the option of Continental (which I had read that it has just been launched officially in India). Had a look at the tyres and liked them. Also, my brother-in-law, who has come from Canada, said that Conti is good brand since he has used it in his brands up there and we went for it. So we upsized by one size and went for 185/65 R 14 ContiEcoContact III.

Choosing alloys was a bit of difficult as not many options are available for Indica/Indigo as compared to Swift. Also, I didn’t want to go for the Chromed look, so that narrowed down the choices a lot. The one design in alloy wheels that I’ve always liked is the one with multiple but straight spokes, but nothing similar was available for the Indigo in the market, checked a couple of trye shops but in vain. We really liked one in a 10-spoke design from some unknown brand and went for it. The funny thing that I discovered later is that one can get any brand sticker placed on the alloys – you can get Plati, HR, Lenso (or is it Lenzo?). Heck, you can even put an official Tata Logo over the alloys.

So, all five tyres and four wheels were changed. Total Damage: 13.5 K (paid Rs 250 per tyre and around 11k for the alloys).

Tyre part done, now was the most important part – ICE, but that I will discuss in an appropriate thread in the ICE section.

One thing that has been very much consistent in this whole experience, is that I have not bought even a single thing that I had intended to in the first place – right from the car, to the tyres , alloy wheels and even the ICE too! (More on that in the ICE thread).

Now, with the title of the thread – this is the first time I have bought a diesel car for myself, though I have driven a few quite extensively. Heck, this is our first purchase other than an M800 – our first car, a 1992 M800 was replaced by a new 2002 M800.

But, I just love the way this thing responds after the turbo kicks in after 1800 RPM – this is a very addictive and lots of fun! Restraining myself for the first 1000 KMs was quite hard, but I managed it quite well. The initial hiccups till 1800 are there, but after that, it’s a different story altogether. The more rapidly you accelerate, the more pronounced is the kick.

Regarding the change of tyres, I can’t comment much as to how well they perform vis-à-vis the OE ones, as I hardly drove on them for 150 kms, but they look quite good

This is all for now, posting 2 pictures which I clicked with my mobile phone camera, will update with better pictures in a few days:

Thanks a lot for reading the post guys, I hope you enjoyed it.

I will post the initial review soon as the car has already covered around 3500 kms in less than 40 days with a more than a few 300 kms+ trips on the highway and country roads.

Keep your comments flowing.

Regards,
Jaspreet Singh

[white_vdi]

congrats jaspreet on starting this new chapter of life and also your new buy
nice alloys! all the best for future and drive safe.

[girish.r]

kahan se kahan tak!

Jaspreetji, Congrats for your marriage as well as your new car purchase.

You have written a nice report and I did enjoy reading it.

CS looks good, nice color, good looking alloys there. Post some interior pics as well.

Enjoy the fun at 18

[Eddy]

Very well written Jaspreet. Congrats and drive safe

[Fountainheader]

Congrats Jaspreet and the alloys look really neat on the CS.

You paid 250/tyre after buyback ? What were the OEM tyres ?

[GTO]

From the 800 to an Indigo, your family has taken a massive leap ahead. You will enjoy the space, ride quality and fuel economy. I tell you this as a proud Indigo owner myself. It is quite simply the most comfortable car from my garage. Nothing beat the regular Indigo for value and the CS simply takes it to another level! 4.5 lacs for the top variant is highway robbery.

Well-written review, I must add. Enjoyable read. Congratulations and drive safe.

[mukeshgoel]

Dear Jaspreet,

Congrats for your marriage and new car.

I remember an ad used to come on TV "Waah Sunil Babu - Naya Ghar ??, Nayi Gaadi, Nayi Mrs. - Kya Baat Hai !!!"

[govigov]

good choice of alloys. love them

[shantyrocks]

thats a nice looking car mate!
enjoy and drive safe

[dockap]

congrats man indigo cs is 1 cute car and very nice alloys
for that price you have a very good deal a diesel with a boot
the suspension is pretty good when compared to many higher priced cars
u need to install sunfilm on the windows to get optimal ac function
also looks like the car is on the terrace of a building how did u manage that and you said you just turned 18 years old and you just got married?

[abhibh]

Congrats Jaspreet. I see you are enjoying the new car. So start a thread about the ICE

And good that you bought from Joshi as they are anyday better than Hind Motors.

[jsrakkar]

Originally Posted by jsrakkar

In the meanwhile, I search around in Team-BHP regarding various options for Tire upgrade and most importantly, ICE! I deviate from my usual silent mode and even write a PM to hiragana. Now, this is one amazing guy. I wrote him a PM at around midnight regarding tire upgrade options (at that time, the question was for Santro) and replies back within half an hour with a very detailed description, hats off to you man!

Hi,

Please read this as iraghava (Ishan) - my word spell checker messed it up.

Regards,
Jaspreet Singh

[jsrakkar]

Originally Posted by white_vdi

congrats jaspreet on starting this new chapter of life and also your new buy
nice alloys! all the best for future and drive safe.

Originally Posted by girish.r

kahan se kahan tak!

Jaspreetji, Congrats for your marriage as well as your new car purchase.

You have written a nice report and I did enjoy reading it.

CS looks good, nice color, good looking alloys there. Post some interior pics as well.

Enjoy the fun at 18

Originally Posted by Eddy

Very well written Jaspreet. Congrats and drive safe

Thanks a lot Guys!
Really appreciate your wishes and compliments.
Some better exterior and interior pics coming up soon.

Originally Posted by Fountainheader

Congrats Jaspreet and the alloys look really neat on the CS.

You paid 250/tyre after buyback ? What were the OEM tyres ?

Thanks Fountainheader!
Yes, I paid Rs. 250 per tyre after buyback.
The OEM tyres were GoodYear GPS II

Originally Posted by GTO

From the 800 to an Indigo, your family has taken a massive leap ahead. You will enjoy the space, ride quality and fuel economy. I tell you this as a proud Indigo owner myself. It is quite simply the most comfortable car from my garage. Nothing beat the regular Indigo for value and the CS simply takes it to another level! 4.5 lacs for the top variant is highway robbery.

Well-written review, I must add. Enjoyable read. Congratulations and drive safe.

Thanks GTO.
Quite simply, transition from M800 to Indigo has been like a huge step forward and truly, it's a massive leap ahead in comfort and most importantly, running costs.

Though I've noticed one thing, getting a diesel car is not really going to lower the running costs much - one tends to use the car more as compared to a petrol one, just because it's cheaper and in effect, lowering down the difference between running the two. So, where one would normally avoid taking the car and take a two wheeler instead, now it's the two-wheeler that's being avoided!

I say this, because only today, my car has completed 40 days and already it is reaching the 4200 KMs mark.

I am glad you liked the review, hope to follow up with better ones in the future.

Originally Posted by mukeshgoel

Dear Jaspreet,

Congrats for your marriage and new car.

I remember an ad used to come on TV "Waah Sunil Babu - Naya Ghar ??, Nayi Gaadi, Nayi Mrs. - Kya Baat Hai !!!"

That was very good Man, Thanks!

Originally Posted by govigov

good choice of alloys. love them

Originally Posted by shantyrocks

thats a nice looking car mate!
enjoy and drive safe

Thanks a lot once again.
I am glad that you all liked the alloys, was a bit apprehensive about them initially as I had been planning to get some other design since long.

But now, even I like them a lot!

Bhai, apni cheez to sabhi ko pyaari hoti hai!

Originally Posted by dockap

congrats man indigo cs is 1 cute car and very nice alloys
for that price you have a very good deal a diesel with a boot
the suspension is pretty good when compared to many higher priced cars
u need to install sunfilm on the windows to get optimal ac function
also looks like the car is on the terrace of a building how did u manage that and you said you just turned 18 years old and you just got married?

Getting Sunfilm is next on the agenda alongwith better floormats as and when I get time and some much needed Vitamin M.

And no, I didn't turn 18 now, that stage passed quite long ago .
Please read that 18wala part of the story again.

The pics were taken on a parking space beneath which are garages in basement, that's the reason it looks like on a terrace, though in reality, it's very much on the ground.

Originally Posted by abhibh

Congrats Jaspreet. I see you are enjoying the new car. So start a thread about the ICE

And good that you bought from Joshi as they are anyday better than Hind Motors.

Thanks a lot Abhibh!
Yes, Joshi seem better than Hind Motors, but to be very honest, even they were not as good as I had expected them to be. Maybe, I was expecting too much from them, since I knew that they were the No. 1 in customer satisfaction for a couple of consecutive years when they were dealing in Maruti Suzuki cars. Or maybe it really was a hard day for the guys there.

And yes, the ICE thread is coming up soon!

Regards,
Jaspreet Singh

[HappyWheels]

That is one experience you had! From the time the choice of vehicle being made to the actual buying experience!

Congrats on the buy, mate! Wish you happy motoring, always.

I do hope you do not get too addicted to the new vice - turbo boost!

[gemithomas]

Congrats man. Initially, seeing the detailing and passion i thought it was another FIAT owner. The CS is a real god buy at that price though personally i would have loved the quadrajet. BUt anyways the indigo is a proven car while the vista is yet to see some long term ownership reviews.

How about some pics of the tyres. Please also review the tyres. I have been looking to buy the Conti's