Thank you Hrishi. I see that the fizzy drinks that make you see stars that we got together really worked!
Lets get down to business now. My story to buy a car this time around was a long one. The last three cars I owned (all FIAT's) were spur of the moment decisions to buy a car - see the car, plonk the money down, and drive away with glee. This time around, I was more measured:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/what-c...here-done.html
In short - my introspection over many moons decoded into a requirement of having a big no nonsense car that I could take on long drives - hence a diesel - and is cheap to own. The first car that shot up my spine was the Bolero. Though I loved the utilitarian perspective of this car (much like as another Bolero owner put it - sitting in the balcony and driving a 1BHK around), comfort levels did send a chilling judder up my spine as well.
Real reason: Mom called it a Dabba on wheels. GF did not want to hurt me and was alright with the bolero but later agreed to the Dabba on wheels concept.
And I thought women love you for what's inside! Very superficial indeed!
The day I was about to book the Bolero, the sales guy met me and said that the 2.6 CRDE's prices dropped by 70k. Early X'mas? Actually, the Refresh was around the corner and they were trying to clear out the old stock. But that was not the full story.
I immediately blocked a black 2.6 CRDE with a INR 10,000 booking amount (after much fighting and cussing, he started at a 50,000 booking amount and I started at 5,000). Think I'm a good negotiator huh? You aint seen nothing yet.
Later that week (the week end really), I hoppity skipped and jumped gleefully to the stockyard to choose my new black Scorpio. As I entered the stockyard, I saw quite a few undelivered cars. Started up a Mhawk and checked out the NVH levels. Not an insane amount of difference as against the 2.6. The way M&M launched the MHawk with those blinding ads of lights screaming across an american highway, you would think this engine was a product of the supposedly defunct martian civilisation. Well, I am sorry to crash your dreams but its from the same backyard as the 2.2 VTTXDFYT whatever engine that powers the rival which shares its name to Good Bye!
I noted down both engine numbers and chassis numbers but did not give a firm date for delivery since I had to yet put aside the rest of the money north of 10,000 greenbacks. And I walk away.
Cut to a week later...lying down in my small cubby hole of a living room (the size of which must have definitely inspired the glove compartment of the Scorpio) watching late night telly. Was flashing across the news channels and I catch the end of a ticker on CNBC with the word *Scorpio*.
WHAT?!?! What is CNBC saying about the Scorpio?
Stuck on for the next half hour and read each and every news story that the blasted ticker ran until the Scorpio thing came out...and what have we...
M&M reduces prices of Scorpio across all models between 30-70k! Wow! That included new models as well!
Now, I was confused. Should I wait for the new models to come through and bargain more for the 2.6. My good Karate sensei of years yonder always taught me patience. But it was no fun learning about patience when pursuing knuckle down push ups in blazing sun on hard tarmac. This agonizing self imposed wait...nay...exile...was almost unbearable.
Still I waited. And I called all the dealers in Bangalore every single day about the new models. To the extent that they refused to take my calls. I asked friends to call them then and ask about the new model in the hope I would get to know something. No luck. Things got so crazy that they had ready transcript responses whenever I called them. Blech!
And finally, the launch arrived. The prices arrived. Comparisons showed that the Scorpio was tremendous VFM now (minus air bags - spank you Anand!). Took a pen and scratched over the Black 2.6 Scorpio which was already written over a now hazy Bolero. Convinced myself that the ABS is a compulsion, not a luxury. Moved up the pecking order and blocked an SLE.
What color you ask? Did I go through similar vagaries whilst finally arriving to this not green here not grey there color? Thats coming up next.