| My new home on highways - simpson red Toyota Innova
The need
Thou came the time to ferry 5 or more people, thou came time to travel more, the thought of an MPV/SUV came to my mind.
The available options vs the requirement
Safari/Innova/Scorpio/Tavera were the available options.
Ruled out tavera, since I hated its looks and did not hear anything good about its performance except the excellent fuel efficiency. Also travelled in a tavera taxi once. Did not like the bumpy ride and not too good leg space.
Used the rent a car option of a local travel agency and got myself a Scorpio for 4 days. Packed up bags and went for a drive totalling 1200 kms containing highways, bad roads, ghats etc. I liked the power, the seating position, the visibility, maneovarability in the city etc. But my wife and other travellers were completely against it. Thanks to the body roll and partly due to my inexperience in driving a SUV resulting in not so good braking. I too felt that the ride is a bit bumpy. The vehicle takes some time to settle down after we ride through a pothole.
My elder kid liked the idea of 3rd row bench seat, because he could sleep there so much so that the moment we entered a safari for test drive, he began yelling out that he don't want this vehicle coz it lacked the third row seat. Eventhough the delear offered a TD, I did not do that since all my requirement were not matched by this beast viz had to carry 5/6 people, ingress should be easy as we take our parents along most of the time . I had no doubts about its famous engine and being an admirer of its looks always I had an inclination towards this beast.
Hence the only option available was Innova. Went for a TD at local dealer. Was well attended to. On TD ing it found the vehicle to be really as good as a car. Wife and kid gave green signal.
Petrol or Diesel
Since I will be doing long rides + daily commuting to office through city I decided on deisel because of its fuel efficiency and good low end torque.
7 seater or 8 seater
7 seater gave a more luxurious feel. The third row passenger can use the space between the second row space for an enhance leg space. Since my kid always sits in the third row, if it is a bench seat we will feel as if he is not near to us (a funny little logic but it is true). more space to keep luggage (eatables and kids stuff which is always needed) inside without losing out on seating space.
Which model
E, G1, G4, V to chose from.
E ruled out since no AC and no color options. G1 ruled out since no 7 seater is available and no AC vents for 2nd and 3rd row. Only G4 and V to chose from. V crossed the 10lakh barrier. Hence decided on G4.
Color
Wanted the black colour. .
But black was not available and on enquiry it was found out that black model production has been stopped. Apart from black the only color I liked was the red one. To me all the other colors looked similar
When to buy
I had to take a decision on whether to buy it in december or wait till the new innova is launched. Also the launch of Xylo was impending. Found out that the new innova differs in external appearance only, also I will not get the discounts offered in december. Also the climate control feature was expected in the top end V model only. Xylo being a new product, I was not able to take a risk, since all these are very high value cars based on my income. Hence decided to buy it in December.
Loan
Arranged for loan from Union Bank of India. Did not opt for private banks, since they had initial processing charges and prepayment penalty was there. Also thanks to the help of Bank Manager at UBI, he committed that he could give the loan inside 3 to 4 hours. So decided that I will go the bank only on the day when the vehicle is available
Booking
Booked the vehicle on 18th December. Color opted was simpson red. Dealer informed that this color is available. Hence decided to make the rest of payment on 19th. Dealer agreed to register the vehicle on 20th and deliver it by 3pm on 22nd December. Discounts offered were 40k cash discount. The excise duty cut also came into effect at that time which reduced the cost of vehicle by about another 20k. So total OTR came to 9.75Lakhs.
No freebies were offered. Opted for keyless entry (Rs 3800), parking sensor (Rs. 3200) and mudflaps (Rs. 450) from the dealer.
Predelivery Inspection and final payment
Based on the knowledge from Team BHP requested the dealer for a predelivery inspection. Dealer readily agreed and told that I can do the PDI before making the final payment. Went to the bank for getting DD. As was earlier promised the manager arranged the DD within 1hour or so. Went to the dealer, armed with the PDI in company of wifey. She was surprised seeing me keeping a checklist. The dealer took us to their yard.
The vehicle's month of manufacture was Nov 2008. Noted down the chasis number. Also saw that the odo read just 2 km. Tyres were bridgestone.
Once satisfied, went to make the payment. Sales person clearly explained the total amount involved, handed over the documents needed for registration and yes the formalities were over.
Only problem there was the dealer had agreed to attest the photo id and address proof. So I gave a copy of the passport to the dealer. Later the dealer called up and told that since I had given copy of passport, it has to be taken by the original owner for attestation. Hence had to travel back to the dealer and roam around to find an officer who can attest. Foud out a government school and got it attested by the Headmistress of the school. So now everything ready, the vehicle will be registered on 20th.
The accessories - keyless entry and parking sensor will be fitted on 22nd monday and by 3pm the vehicle will be delivered. Also opted for fitting the number plate from the dealer.
Delivery
Checked up with the dealer whether vehicle is ready for delivery. Dealer asked me to come at 3pm. Went to take delivery of vehicle with my wife and kid. Bought a token gift for the sales person and the sales manager (Team BHP influence) since both of them were talking to me over the past one month over the cost aspect.
Had to wait for some time since the number plate was not yet ready. Meanwhile the sales person explained to me all the service procedures and other relevant details. The explanation was so neat and clear that I hardly had to ask any questions.
Soon I saw a red Innova rolling into the delivery area. A sense of happiness was felt and I was itching to go near it. Soon we were taken to the vehicle. There also the sales person took time to explain each and every controls. While showing a demo of the spare wheel removal, found that the wheel spanner was not locking properly. Immediately they replaced it with a new one. I saw that the speedo read only 6 km.
After some time the whole team at the dealership came down for the handing of key ceremony. Senior manager of the nippon toyota gave me the key. Some photo session followed. After this I called up the sales person and then sales manager and handed over the gift to them. Really they were taken by surprise and I could see the happiness in their faces too.
Drove the vehicle straight to a temple nearby. Performed the poooja. Then started off to home. The new smell of the car giving a mighty pleasure. I could see my son trying out all the seats. It seemed like suddenly I have lots of space behind me while travelling.
One person whom I would like to thank for all the help which I needed is btirthankar. He do not know me, but whatever I was looking for, I found an answer in one of his threads relating to innova purchase.
My initial ownership experience and service experience will follow. Some snaps of the delivery process are here | 
12th February 2009, 17:20
