[srishiva]

Congrats Man. Enjoy the feeling of driving a well engineered car.(forgetting the price)

[shantyrocks]

congratz sid!

the jazz though overpriced is a great car to own.I had the opportunity to drive one for 50 odd kms and i was thouroughly impressed with its " talents" as you put it.

And sid congratz for you getting the 5 stars distinguished bhpian tag maan.
you have come a long way from being a scoop specialist to being someone with a indepth knowledge about automobiles .

All the best to you dude.

[sidindica]

Part 7:

Clash of the minis:

Knowing how well tata/ Fiat dealers are, I knew that if ever I had to buy the punto, it had to be either from Him (know its not good but I know people there for the past 5 years, some still working, too good to be true, but yes) or rama (going by the feedback on this forum).

But, as I said, friends come first and when I called up him motors for a demo punto to be sent to my place, the guy was ...thrilled and so excited that he asked me questions and questions etc....

I told him, just be patient and I only wanted 2 specific people with the car, he was not one of them, but the other two who I know for so long. They were more than willing to see me and my parents.

A car (silver emotion pack MJD TD car, the same car used in diesel comparo and driven 1750 kms) goes a full wash, service and dry cleaning to make it look just as new, takes about 4 hours the previous evening, before it arrives on my place the next after noon at about 2:30.

Bell rings, good to see these people after so many days, I shake hands and hug them, just in the shock of my mom staring aghast at me when I told her why I asked only these people to come and I knew them for the past 5 years, phew she feels relieved.

Idhar udhar ki baatein, yahan wahaan chai paani-cold drinks etc time comes for the evaluation and test drive of the GP by my parents. Before that, I personally inspected the car previous evening to make sue that every nut and bolt is there on its place and the car behaves in a manner that I expect it to. After all, meri izzat ka sawaal hai.

Coming out, my mom immediately falls in love with the looks, the fat 15" alloys and tyres, the interior design etc. My dad also gives it a thumbs up and before that he feels emotional by seeing the "red fiat" logo on the grill, he remembers the good old PAL days when we owned a premier padmini way back in late 80s.

I told him that the car is a bit short on space though the seats are very comfortable. In fact, my parents told me that the rear seat's comfort more than makes up for shortage in legroom at th back. Besides, my mom only sits on the rear and owing to her short height, legroom was very sufficient for her. She thought that the seats are again a bit lower, full marks were given by her for ease on entry/ exit (from her perspective) and the angle of inclination that was perfect for her.

My dad on the other hand loved the controls, features, blue and me in particular and "my car" and told me-this is the closest that I can get to a Merc!, all for 6,61,000 OTR also sweetened the deal.

Time for the drive, same set route, pattern and time as set for the i20.

The engine was silent on the inside, and I told my dad to drive it and wow, he was amazed by the superb bottom end power of the torquey 1.3 MJD.
"Just what I wanted in a car! he says".

My mom loved the ride quality-AMAZING! and the steering feel and grip on the turns simply amazed my dad! He said, the more you drive this car, the more you explore its talents and the car immediately bought out the best "driver" in him, so much that he DID NOT allow me to drive. HE went fast, applied brakes a bit heavily on an empty stretch, and was impressed by the engine's amazing mid and bottom range, which did not lead to downshift so often, an important requirement in Delhi traffic.

The more fast the car went, the more my parents were impressed by its stability and the feeling of security that you get on this car, what to expect from Fiat's legendary Euro build quality. All praises here and there.

And then on coming back home:

• The driver's seat height lever cover comes off mysteriously, it is broken when my dad adjusts his seat. He is surprised.
• We check out the boot space and the parcel tray lock falls off from its side.
• the huge panel gap on the plastics around the ignition switch starts worrying my dad, and the hard plastic quality simply hurts him.
• the tilt steering lever also feels fragile and my dad says" beta, why should pay 6,61,000 for a car that even lacks a basic quality? Does Fiat even have a quality control at their plant?

I try to say things like it is a demo car and it happens, time and again persuading my dad to go for it. My mom also backs him.

"bete, yeh hamari jeevan bhar ki mehnat ki kamai hai. Agar tumhe sach mein hamari aur in paison ki kadar hai, to tum hi hume sahi raasta dikhao"

I felt emotional. I cried. I was dreaming to have a new Fiat in my garage and then Fiat's QC niggles let me down.
Now it is a question of a big responsibility on my shoulders.

All this happened after the car was sent back to him after evaluation and we sat to discuss it.

After much convincing, we decided to give fiat a second chance. We asked him motors to show us a brand new car from the stockyard and it was a red E-pack, arrived after 2 days of our request (was supposed for another east Delhi customer but still we went and had a look at it).

The car went a PDI and came inside the showrom, all spanking and we decided to examine the interiors again and again. My dad was looking at every nook and corner, piece by piece and testing it to his satisfaction.

My mom was still admiring the car's rear seat and told that the interiors are far far better in this car. But then again, Fiat's quality overlook started to show.

• The rear door handle screw went loose (which is pulled to close the door from inside).
• again, the tilt steering knob was feeling very flimsy.
• the passenger seat sliding lever felt flimsy.
• worst of all, the driver's seat trim cover which houses the adjustment lever came out of the loose, which was not the case in the demo punto.

Time and again in my two road tests, I have highlighted the punto's interior fittings had quality niggles, still Fiat has not improved it.
I STILL wanted this red E-pack, quality niggles be damned.

We told the him motors people, kindly give us some time, we need some discussion in private, which they proudly agreed.

Of course, mom gave her blessings to them and we went back in our santro.

That's when we went back home and the big fight between me and my parents started....

[bijujj]

Congrats Sid. I honestly did not think that you'll go for Jazz, after reading all the reviews :-) Waiting eagerly for the last part.

One question though. What made you go for the active variant. I thought except for the fog lamp most of the other add-ons are just cosmetic.

[sidindica]

Part 8:

I was loving the punto and willing to buy it, time and again I persuaded my parents to check out another car, now at rama, this time it was just enough.

They told me " bete, yeh gaadi tum zaroor APNE paison se kharidna, tab hum kuch nahi kahenge".

Mom backed him and said, "abhi bhi tumhare pass time hai hume sahi raasta dikhane ka. Itne paison mein hum is quality ki gaadi bilkul nahi kharidenge. Yaad rakhna, kum se kum 7 saal yeh gaadi rahegi, na ki 3 ya 5 saal."

She was serious. After all a women's heart, whatever it says, says for something positive in the long run and my mom, even though she had almost no knowledge of the cars, she knew that at 6,61,000 it is a big investment and the "quality" factor simply meant that the punto was struck off.

Fiat, you lost a loyal customer in me. I still love the punto from the bottom of my heart and the car will definitely be there in addition to the jazz, but god knows when. Even I don't know when.

And then I felt too bad to myself but did not show them. Again, a big responsibility was on my shoulders. We needed the right car but which one?

Remember:

• My dad has never been through this forum, even when I am logged on most of the times, but his level of knowledge of cars and parts date back to about 50 years, so experience counts.
• My mom, even though she does not exactly know about cars in detail, shocked me during the punto test drive by explaining me what exactly "quality and feel for the price" means.
• She is a homemaker and values every single penny which has been spent on car purchases.
• She played a major role in the decision making process keeping in mind the usage of minimum of 7 years.

Will the jazz provide all the answers that me and my parents are looking for?

Find out next.......

[Gilead]

Sid, congrats! This has to be one of the most detailed and best buying experiences I have read and there is still more to come! It's too bad that Fiat's QC issues let you down. I bet the Jazz will have much higher quality levels. Enjoy your new ride.

[pats]

hey sid

What a surprise?
Heartiest Congratulations. Buying a car is always a family affair and it is necessary that everybody is happy about the decision. Nice choice of colour too.

Apart from the price, Jazz has everything
In its favour. Atleast this decision would give you a peace of mind.

Wonder how many customers Fiat has lost due to its QC issues.

Do post your detailed ownership experience and do not stop updating us on new scoops!















in i
S

[srishiva]

slightly OT: Strange that people associate 'build' quality to 'bulk' and weight.

[sidindica]

Part 9:

Next day, the Fiat Saga is still not over. I tell my dad about the long service intervals and cheap maintenance costs but he is still not convinced.

Its not the product 's fault per se but finding a good workshop with competent mechanics good enough to service the punto which already has complex electronic systems. Now I realised why dad was pulling me out of the Fiat craze and indeed, even at a good workshop, getting the work done upto my satisfaction levels is going to be a hell of a time and it meant wasting my energy to the maximum.

(No offence meant again to fiat owners and I respect their choices, heck, even I still want one.)

Said tata to fiat and then we decided to check out the option called Honda Jazz. While dad had contacts at prime Honda, I personally went to ace Honda since the dealership's sales manager is my distant neighbour (both of us live in Mayur Vihar 2 and I often meet him on morning walks).
Mom went with my dad in the santro to prime to check out the jazz and I had to catch a HM RTV to go to ace.

Situation 1:

I met the sales manager personally and he is a very good person by heart and respected my decision. Seen the car, a silver one was ready in stock. I again took a long test drive over the rough roads of Mayur Vihar phase 3, kondli village just adjacent to it and some city stop-start traffic evaluation in Noida.

Was impressed by the smoothness of that glorious i-vtec and even though it lacks bottom torque, its user friendly easy to drive nature immediately lets you enjoy the full potential of the engine and the chassis.

Space inside is simply amazing and truly, it is a one size fits all car. Liked the decent ride and the optimum seat height meant that mom will be comfortable.

Gearbox is simply smooth and the engine just loves to be revved, even though its just a 1.2, I never felt underpowered neither in the city nor on the highway.

Finally called my parents and while they were checking out the car at prime, I told them about my feedback on my test drive and all praises for the jazz. They were impressed. When we came back, parents told that they took a small drive on the highway but did not give me their feedback.

Why?

And what happened next? Why did we finally bought the car from ace and not from prime?

And what clinched the deal for us that no one expected here? all to come in "situation 2"

Find out soon....

[cpyder]

Some storyteller you are Sid. I wonder if you actually work for those TV serials. We all know the end result that you bought the Jazz but still wait eagerly for your updates on the same. That is the beauty of your writing. Keep going.

I am following your thread since yesterday, refreshing the page at least in once in 10 mins see your updates.

Congratulations buddy on owning the costliest hatch in the country (stealing the words from another bhpian. . he he he) and welcome to the Jazz Club. Although for me it was a impulse buy, but with these inputs coming from you, I am happy that my purchase has been really good.

Thanks buddy, keep writing.

[Dippy]

Thats a fantastic write up Sid. Havent read such a detailed car buying story in a long time now. Hope to read the climax soon . Congratulations on you new Honda. It should give you years of reliable performance and low cost of ownership in the long run, just what your parents wanted. You dad will love the car for the ease of driving and mom will take to the practicality of this spacious hatch.

Drive safe pal.

[oops]

Originally Posted by sidindica

And then on coming back home:

• The driver's seat height lever cover comes off mysteriously, it is broken when my dad adjusts his seat. He is surprised.
• We check out the boot space and the parcel tray lock falls off from its side.
• the huge panel gap on the plastics around the ignition switch starts worrying my dad, and the hard plastic quality simply hurts him.
• the tilt steering lever also feels fragile and my dad says" beta, why should pay 6,61,000 for a car that even lacks a basic quality? Does Fiat even have a quality control at their plant?
• The rear door handle screw went loose (which is pulled to close the door from inside).
• again, the tilt steering knob was feeling very flimsy.
• the passenger seat sliding lever felt flimsy.
• worst of all, the driver's seat trim cover which houses the adjustment lever came out of the loose, which was not the case in the demo punto.

This was very sad. Even we were going for Linea in 1st phase but booked City V at the end because of 2 reasons:
1. Interior Quality concerns (as we have been driving Astra for last 12 years-So we expect our new car to have interior quality not better but atleast same as that of Astra.
2. Design of Headlamps-Very odd.

Originally Posted by sidindica

When we came back, parents told that they took a small drive on the highway but did not give me their feedback.

Why?
....

Because they were not as much impressed as they were with Punto?

Originally Posted by sidindica

Why did we finally bought the car from ace and not from prime?

...

The possible two reasons can be:
1. Ace Honda offered more Discount.
2. OTR for Delhi is more than OTR in Noida

[tazmaan]

You can narrate like a magician ! No matter what thread you post on, its always a delight to read. Keep it up.

Congratulations!

[sidindica]

Part 10:

The highway drive was very short and my parents wanted to again have a through same TD on the same route and pattern. So, we called up prime and asked for the TD car to be sent it to our place. Delhi guys at that day did not have a single car on their outlet so the car came from GZBD showroom, in deep sapphire blue colour.

I actually wanted that colour but since the colour was already finalized as silver by my parents, I did not say a word on colour choice. Besides, silver will be more easy on maintenance on the long run as compared to other shades.

Some new guy came from the showroom (I did not know him, nor my parents), started tom toming abut the jazz explaining its features, specifications, attributes, benefits etc in a decent manner, as you expect in some etiquette while talking to a senior citizen.
I wasn't there, but was behind the curtain in my personal room and was watching the entire drama unfold. I can see that he was feeling a bit scared by his expressions (could make out, don't know why) but nevertheless did a good job.

Time for the drive. I stayed at home, my parents went alone while was waiting for the climax to unfold.

(as observed by my dad)

The car had amazing pickup, the engine felt very flexible and the user friendliness and how eaqsy was the car to drive and control immeditely impressed him. It felt neither too heavy nor too light, high speed stability was more than adequate and the visibility and space inside the car simply amazed him. My mom liked the rear seat comfort, ease of entry and exit but what really clinched the deal was the magic seats, something which my parents wanted (in case of heavy shopping this can prove to be a vital utility tool.

Handling could have been better but the overall talents that this car had simply amazed my parents. Huge boot and storage space for knick-knacks made the deal more sweeter.

Time to check features:

• effective A/C -yes. So what if the car did not have ACC? as long as the AC is effective, it works.
• comfort and roadholding as my family desired-yes
• ease of driving-yes
• space-head, leg and shoulder room-yes
• ride quality-neither too hard nor too soft-yes
• control at high speeds-OK, but could have been better
• mileage-yes
• power as he requires-yes
• required cosmetic features-yes, my father looks for engineering factors in the car, not how much the car is loaded with bells and whistles.
• cost of ownership in the long run-yes, made even better by 1,00,000 km life spark plug and 120 month coolent life.
• service at prime Honda-yes, since it is reputed to have sterling service records.

Deal done, this was the car to have.

But again my dad thought he was not convinced... why?

to be continued...

[kalpeshc]

You are setting a new emotional standard in writing ownership reports. I love the whole emotional and human angle to the story of buying a car. This is so true when every member of the family's opinion is valued and is considered as prime factors in buying a car.

Loving the story sidindica - keep it going please