Team-BHP
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https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)
Since moving to Pune, I was looking for a small car within 4 lakhs for a regular Mumbai-Pune and an intra city commute that was light on maintenance and fuel bills. Instantly Maruti was all I could think of and made up my mind to get the A-star. I almost booked the A-Star but was put off by the attitude of 2 Maruti dealers in Navi Mumbai. I know Maruti is no.1 car company in India but their dealers can surely learn a thing or two from the so called lesser automobile companies in India. The Spark was not even in my list but thought of visiting the local GM dealer Nikhil Automobiles after a bad experience with SK Automobiles and Automotive in Navi Mumbai:Frustrati.
The 'You are welcome and thanks for visiting us' attitude of the GM dealer was a pleasant change after the 'do not care if you visit us' attitude of Automotive and SK wheels. The sales man immediately gave us all the discounts that were available and the final cost we arrived at was Rs 3.32 odd for the LS model ex Navi Mumbai including 5 accessories and the GM 3 year maintenance plan which anyway was free.
After this I had a test drive and took the car on Palm Beach road for a spin. I loved the new beige interiors and a feeling of openness all around me. Low end torque was pretty good and I did not need frequent downshifting to keep up with the traffic. The speedometer was a bit lazy to move initially but the ride quality and stability above 80 Kmph was fantastic. The gera box was almost as good as the A-star though not as smooth. The AC chilled up the cabin immediately and thankfully there was no stock music system as on the A-star which was pretty sub standard. On switching the AC on, there was definitely a loss in power but I have experienced that in almost all small cars that I have driven. I too experienced the 'Silent as a tomb' and the 'Not so small on the inside' syndrome common with Sparks, making the A-star looked pathetically small and noisy in comparison. No to mention the 75k saved on the VXi A-Star I was looking to buy.
That's it, my mind was made and for a car costing 3.3 odd on road, I couldn't have asked for a better deal and promptly booked my car for delivery a day before the Ganpati festival in August.
Come 22/08/2009 and we all went to Nikhil Automobiles for the delivery. The car had all the free accessories namely the mudflaps, floor mats, steering cover and the car perfume fitted, while the Teflon coating was being given a last polish for that wonderful black shine on the car body. All the systems and knobs and indicators were explained and the paper work was completed. The pre-delivery inspections were made and I found the door open indicator constantly on. The dealership guys offered to fix it immediately citing a sensor problem, but I told them that I would bring the car in on Monday for the fix as I was really eager to drive out of the showroom. Soon after a short pooja, garlanding and the breaking of a coconut, we drove off and I was thus 'SPARKled' with my new acquisition :D.
Congrats dude, on your new little baby!
Congrats, that was a wise decision.
Happy motoring. Post few pics of that black cuty.
Cheers!
Congrats on your buy!!! happy motoring!!
btw did you try the LPG version?
Thanks all of you!!!! Yes the pictures will be up soon. I will take it today for an extended photo shoot and post asap.
@schitre5 : No I did not test drive the LPG version as I was not looking for the LPG version.
Welcome to the SPARKled family. Happy and Safe motoring ahead .
Congrats on the cute city commuter which eats the Highways too! :)
BTW, Where are the pictures?
Congrats on your purchase. What color again ? And thats the kind of dealership experience we were waiting to hear from a long long time. drive safe. Photos please.
Congrats on your purchase, Please do share the pictures and your initial ownership experience. Does the maintenance package of 3 years includes oil changes and oil filter changes free of cost?
Congratulation on your new buy..! Please do post some pictures of your beauty. Drive her safe. I wish you a happy and safe motoring :)
Beautiful car, heartiest congratulations. Pictures please!
Did you perchance have a thought about the new Spark due to be released in 2010 ? It would affect the resale of your current drive ; but in its favor the new car wont get any discounts so this is a superb VFM deal.
Congrats sparkled ! You have a great little car there. Please do post pics and more so of the interiors. Happy Motoring :)
Here are a few pictures I clicked yesterday near my house. I am not sure of the quality but here you go.
@Takumi-san : I needed a car urgently and frankly couldn't wait for the new one to be launched and even if its launched soon its unlikely to be this cheap. Also I intend to drive this one like my earlier cars for at least 5-7 years so resales is not an issue.
@balajird : Yes even consumables are covered under warranty.
Hi Sparkled, Congratulations for your new acquisition!! Nice photographs!! but I can see you in the RVM with the camera in the 2nd photo :).
So sparky is better VFM then A-star.How does it compare with the A-star, can u write here briefly ?
Nice Photos SPARKled, especially the interior one, i liked the way you have taken the snap. Good looking black beauty. :)
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