Indica Vista Initial Ownership report

makarand_vista · 23rd July 2009, 20:31

Hi All,

Its been long this was due. So finally my initial experience with this car after driving about 650 Kms in 2 weeks.

The structure of this post is thus -
1) My Reasons to buy this car
2) I will talk about a minor hit that I got
3) My experience with dealer
4) Points to note (my perspective) for new buyers

My Reasons to buy this car

- Rear seat comfort
- Driver seat comfort and height adjustment
- Hatchback that is good in cities as well has a stable Highway drive
- Lower maintenance in terms of spare part cost and fuel efficiency
- Within budget - about 5 lacs
- Ford Fiesta had an offer going only for Delhi and Mumbai!

I wasnt bothered about air bags as I have a belief that they are rarely needed in India. I wanted ABS but didnt like the cars that had one within my budget!

"AA baail mujhe maar" Experience

On the the third day of my purchasing the car, I was hit by a bull and cart! I was just about to park and could see a bull slip along with the cart and come towards the left side of my car..I tried steering my car but there was a bicycle in front and before he could cross - the bull hit my car. I was furious, dropped out of the car but saw that the person handling the cart was a poor farmer - no chappals walking in chennai heat and couldnt utter a word. He looked at me apologetically and I looked at him and was like - chuck it!
I felt pity for the bull though - slipped while lifting the cart full of construction dump!

Experience with Dealer

Obviously called the dealer to repair the damage and also as central locking was not working.
The dealer sent a driver who picked up the car from 10 kms away. The driver was before time - a rare thing in service industry in Chennai!
Vehicle was taken. I was given a quote of 6500 for repair - paint the console above the rear window, replace the rear window beading, replace the rear tail lamp assembly (has just one hole in the top cover but this comes only in assembly it seems).
I was like - dont remove the dents/or recolor but replace the tail lamp and rear window beading. But later was called and told that neither of the parts are available and they would replace them only during first service - :(

So the car was returned after repairing the central lock. I guess, I should have waited as the gear box also feels very stiff. I have trouble putting the 4th from the 5th or 3rd from 5th!

The dealer charged me zero bucks - which was good!
I was marketed a rust coating - it costs Rs. 2900 it seems. BHPians, is it worth getting the rust coat done?

Points to note -
* Don't expect a great pick-up or a vehicle that has a great acceleration
Having said so - this car is very stable on highways, manageable (not as good as a spark or wagonR) in city
* AC is inadequate; the vehicle manual says that one should use "Recycle" mode ONLY when there is smoke/stench around but I have realized that without "recycle" mode the AC is below par! Simply inadequate if 4 people are in the car
* The seating comfort for the rear seat passengers is amazing and so is the seating comfort for front seats. this was and is the deal breaker for me
* 3rd Gear is inadequate. Maybe after first servicing I will change my perception but as of now - the 3rd gear needs a lot of RPM to go beyond 40. This doesnt help in fast overtaking. Again, most cars that I have driven are petrol cars and this feeling might be due to the reason that this is diesel car
* My only long drive about 150 kms has been to Mahabalipuram beach and that was very good. The car was very stable and the family could stretch and sleep in the rear seat when needed! Very stable at speeds of 100!
* The car stayed in Pune for 3 months and seems like the grease on door was dried. The PDI before delivery was also not done well - there is still a lot of dust beneath the wipers. Also - the gears are very stiff.

anilagdr · 23rd July 2009, 21:11

congrats on the new purchase. Nice reading through your post, but sorry to note the unfortunate happenings. Best wishes.

Seeler_Rebeiro · 23rd July 2009, 21:59

Congrats on your purchase. I had sat in the car of a colleague and yes the rear seat space and the headroom is really to be experienced to be believed (amongst hatches). Felt sorry for the bull too.

jp2u · 23rd July 2009, 22:07

Hey congrats on the buy of a Vista, its a nice car to own if maintained properly. Do post some of the pics. Trip to Mahabs Beach on ECR road must have been a breeze to you

jpm · 23rd July 2009, 22:11

Congrats and Welcome to the ultra secretive Vista Club of team-bhp forums, makarand.

Cant guess from your post whether you drive the TDi or Quadrajet (am guessing its a diesel).

Have been living happily with a TDi meself and she hasnt niggled a bit. So far has brought only smiles whenever I think of her. Many others have nothing but mostly good to tell about their vistas (@revhappy @CTRL-ALT-DEL @sushant @nukeblitz and several others).

Sorry to hear about the unfortunate incident with the bull. I had a heart attack when someone scratched my car for the first time. So i can imagine what you must have gone through.

While Vista's inherent properties already make it a sensible buy, what makes the proposition sweeter is that finally we have a better alternative to being 'an extra in the automobile version of the "Attack of the Clones"' (ya know what car am talking about!

). That is a good feeling, wont you agree?

Do post more on the buying experience, price & discounts as well as the things you have planned for her/him like sun film, ICE etc.

Pics too would be nice.

greenhorn · 23rd July 2009, 22:18

judging by his feedback about the driveablity, I'd say he has a TDI, but then again, he says he had a budget of 5L and the ikon was an option, which brings the QJD into the picture

thanks for the review, and like the others, eagerly waiting for the pix

hillram · 23rd July 2009, 22:27

Makarand...you were quite generous with the poor farmer and the bull..hats off to your big heart man !!!

.anshuman · 23rd July 2009, 22:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by makarand_vista

"AA baail mujhe maar" Experience

I was furious, dropped out of the car but saw that the person handling the cart was a poor farmer - no chappals walking in chennai heat and couldnt utter a word. He looked at me apologetically and I looked at him and was like - chuck it!
.

Requires a very generous heart,even if you would have fought with the farmer you couldnt undo the damage already done to your brand new car.

I couldnt stop myself though when a cargo autorickshaw scratched my week old Punto.

profold · 23rd July 2009, 22:43

Nice review makarand_vista. Congratulations on owning the car.

Accidents do happen but thankfully none got seriously hurt. You have to move on from this minor episode and we hope you would continue to enjoy the car for years to come.
Indica Vista is a fairly heavy and stable car and that may be the reason why the damages were mostly (hopefully) superficial.
We are all eager to know about the engine TDI or Quadra, FE, colour chosen (hope it is not red to invite further bull charges) and accessories.
In Chennai AC is almost a must and I am a bit disappointed to know that cooling is not adequate. Could it be due to leakages in the cabin? Or is it due to the current high humidity.

Cheers

Abes · 24th July 2009, 00:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by makarand_vista

Hi All,

* AC is inadequate; the vehicle manual says that one should use "Recycle" mode ONLY when there is smoke/stench around but I have realized that without "recycle" mode the AC is below par! Simply inadequate if 4 people are in the car

IMHO, there is no problem in keeping the AC on recycle, except, maybe on very long drives. I have not seen many people using fresh air mode, in this desert country. I have though noticed some smokers keep it on recycle, obviously.

Tata would have kept the "AC power" to just 'adequate' to reduce the load on the engine and increase the FE.

Congratulations on your new car. Enjoy the safe comfortable drive.

Theyota · 24th July 2009, 05:20

Congrats on your purchase. Most of the problems you are quoting are not really problems. They are common with a new car. The car needs to break-in.....then your gears etc will be smoother....Don't over speed at least until you put 1000 km on it. High RPM to cross 40 at 3rd gear is not a problem. It is designed to be so. Also no AC is good enough in Chennai's humid summer (especially if 4 people are sitting in it). It will take a while to cool even if you are in a BMW. I have feeling like you are an inexperianced driver (please don't take this offensively, we were all inexperianced drivers at a certain point).

sanagg1 · 24th July 2009, 08:15

@ makarand
If wagonR and Spark are felt better in city driving i believe it must be TDI.
In case it is QJD i have to rethink my options. Someone tried both and Vista Qjd may like to share his experience please

tortoiseNhare · 24th July 2009, 08:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by sanagg1

@ makarand
If wagonR and Spark are felt better in city driving i believe it must be TDI.
In case it is QJD i have to rethink my options. Someone tried both and Vista Qjd may like to share his experience please

Rather than the engines it may be due to the width of the Vista, that the WagonR or Spark feels better to drive in the city. In fact, the extra few inches of width of the Vista was the only reason why I went for the Palio instead.

shantyrocks · 24th July 2009, 09:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by makarand_vista

Hi All,

The dealer charged me zero bucks - which was good!
I was marketed a rust coating - it costs Rs. 2900 it seems. BHPians, is it worth getting the rust coat done?

.

yes plz get it done.But go for the transperent coat and not the black paint.

balajird · 24th July 2009, 15:19

Congrats on your new car Makarand, please do clear the confusion of whether it is TDI or QJD and which model you have purchased and as usual pics please

23rd July 2009, 20:31	#1
makarand_vista Newbie Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 8 Thanked: 0 Times	Indica Vista Initial Ownership report Hi All, Its been long this was due. So finally my initial experience with this car after driving about 650 Kms in 2 weeks. The structure of this post is thus - 1) My Reasons to buy this car 2) I will talk about a minor hit that I got 3) My experience with dealer 4) Points to note (my perspective) for new buyers My Reasons to buy this car - Rear seat comfort - Driver seat comfort and height adjustment - Hatchback that is good in cities as well has a stable Highway drive - Lower maintenance in terms of spare part cost and fuel efficiency - Within budget - about 5 lacs - Ford Fiesta had an offer going only for Delhi and Mumbai! I wasnt bothered about air bags as I have a belief that they are rarely needed in India. I wanted ABS but didnt like the cars that had one within my budget! "AA baail mujhe maar" Experience On the the third day of my purchasing the car, I was hit by a bull and cart! I was just about to park and could see a bull slip along with the cart and come towards the left side of my car..I tried steering my car but there was a bicycle in front and before he could cross - the bull hit my car. I was furious, dropped out of the car but saw that the person handling the cart was a poor farmer - no chappals walking in chennai heat and couldnt utter a word. He looked at me apologetically and I looked at him and was like - chuck it! I felt pity for the bull though - slipped while lifting the cart full of construction dump! Experience with Dealer Obviously called the dealer to repair the damage and also as central locking was not working. The dealer sent a driver who picked up the car from 10 kms away. The driver was before time - a rare thing in service industry in Chennai! Vehicle was taken. I was given a quote of 6500 for repair - paint the console above the rear window, replace the rear window beading, replace the rear tail lamp assembly (has just one hole in the top cover but this comes only in assembly it seems). I was like - dont remove the dents/or recolor but replace the tail lamp and rear window beading. But later was called and told that neither of the parts are available and they would replace them only during first service - :( So the car was returned after repairing the central lock. I guess, I should have waited as the gear box also feels very stiff. I have trouble putting the 4th from the 5th or 3rd from 5th! The dealer charged me zero bucks - which was good! I was marketed a rust coating - it costs Rs. 2900 it seems. BHPians, is it worth getting the rust coat done? Points to note - * Don't expect a great pick-up or a vehicle that has a great acceleration Having said so - this car is very stable on highways, manageable (not as good as a spark or wagonR) in city * AC is inadequate; the vehicle manual says that one should use "Recycle" mode ONLY when there is smoke/stench around but I have realized that without "recycle" mode the AC is below par! Simply inadequate if 4 people are in the car * The seating comfort for the rear seat passengers is amazing and so is the seating comfort for front seats. this was and is the deal breaker for me * 3rd Gear is inadequate. Maybe after first servicing I will change my perception but as of now - the 3rd gear needs a lot of RPM to go beyond 40. This doesnt help in fast overtaking. Again, most cars that I have driven are petrol cars and this feeling might be due to the reason that this is diesel car * My only long drive about 150 kms has been to Mahabalipuram beach and that was very good. The car was very stable and the family could stretch and sleep in the rear seat when needed! Very stable at speeds of 100! * The car stayed in Pune for 3 months and seems like the grease on door was dried. The PDI before delivery was also not done well - there is still a lot of dust beneath the wipers. Also - the gears are very stiff.
	() Thanks

23rd July 2009, 21:11	#2
anilagdr BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Kottayam Posts: 212 Thanked: 67 Times	congrats on the new purchase. Nice reading through your post, but sorry to note the unfortunate happenings. Best wishes.
	() Thanks

23rd July 2009, 21:59	#3
Seeler_Rebeiro BHPian Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 277 Thanked: 114 Times	Congrats on your purchase. I had sat in the car of a colleague and yes the rear seat space and the headroom is really to be experienced to be believed (amongst hatches). Felt sorry for the bull too.
	() Thanks

23rd July 2009, 22:07	#4
jp2u BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: chennai Posts: 237 Thanked: 21 Times View My Garage	Hey congrats on the buy of a Vista, its a nice car to own if maintained properly. Do post some of the pics. Trip to Mahabs Beach on ECR road must have been a breeze to you
	() Thanks

23rd July 2009, 22:11	#5
jpm BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Chennai/Thanjavur Posts: 119 Thanked: 149 Times View My Garage	Dont want anything to do with AToC! Congrats and Welcome to the ultra secretive Vista Club of team-bhp forums, makarand. Cant guess from your post whether you drive the TDi or Quadrajet (am guessing its a diesel). Have been living happily with a TDi meself and she hasnt niggled a bit. So far has brought only smiles whenever I think of her. Many others have nothing but mostly good to tell about their vistas (@revhappy @CTRL-ALT-DEL @sushant @nukeblitz and several others). Sorry to hear about the unfortunate incident with the bull. I had a heart attack when someone scratched my car for the first time. So i can imagine what you must have gone through. While Vista's inherent properties already make it a sensible buy, what makes the proposition sweeter is that finally we have a better alternative to being 'an extra in the automobile version of the "Attack of the Clones"' (ya know what car am talking about! ). That is a good feeling, wont you agree? Do post more on the buying experience, price & discounts as well as the things you have planned for her/him like sun film, ICE etc. Pics too would be nice. Last edited by jpm : 23rd July 2009 at 22:15.
	() Thanks

23rd July 2009, 22:18	#6
greenhorn BANNED Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: KL-01 Posts: 7,878 Thanked: 4,910 Times View My Garage	judging by his feedback about the driveablity, I'd say he has a TDI, but then again, he says he had a budget of 5L and the ikon was an option, which brings the QJD into the picture thanks for the review, and like the others, eagerly waiting for the pix Last edited by greenhorn : 23rd July 2009 at 22:19.
	() Thanks

23rd July 2009, 22:27	#7
hillram Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 2,941 Thanked: 1,329 Times View My Garage	Makarand...you were quite generous with the poor farmer and the bull..hats off to your big heart man !!!
	() Thanks

23rd July 2009, 22:43	#9
profold BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Kolkata Posts: 44 Thanked: 0 Times	A nice initial ownership report Nice review makarand_vista. Congratulations on owning the car. Accidents do happen but thankfully none got seriously hurt. You have to move on from this minor episode and we hope you would continue to enjoy the car for years to come. Indica Vista is a fairly heavy and stable car and that may be the reason why the damages were mostly (hopefully) superficial. We are all eager to know about the engine TDI or Quadra, FE, colour chosen (hope it is not red to invite further bull charges) and accessories. In Chennai AC is almost a must and I am a bit disappointed to know that cooling is not adequate. Could it be due to leakages in the cabin? Or is it due to the current high humidity. Cheers
	() Thanks

24th July 2009, 05:20	#11
Theyota BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: HBX, N. Kar Posts: 206 Thanked: 1,099 Times	Congrats on your purchase. Most of the problems you are quoting are not really problems. They are common with a new car. The car needs to break-in.....then your gears etc will be smoother....Don't over speed at least until you put 1000 km on it. High RPM to cross 40 at 3rd gear is not a problem. It is designed to be so. Also no AC is good enough in Chennai's humid summer (especially if 4 people are sitting in it). It will take a while to cool even if you are in a BMW. I have feeling like you are an inexperianced driver (please don't take this offensively, we were all inexperianced drivers at a certain point).
	() Thanks

24th July 2009, 08:15	#12
sanagg1 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: HIMALYAS Posts: 279 Thanked: 6 Times	@ makarand If wagonR and Spark are felt better in city driving i believe it must be TDI. In case it is QJD i have to rethink my options. Someone tried both and Vista Qjd may like to share his experience please
	() Thanks

24th July 2009, 15:19	#15
balajird BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 460 Thanked: 63 Times	Congrats on your new car Makarand, please do clear the confusion of whether it is TDI or QJD and which model you have purchased and as usual pics please
	() Thanks