[snake_eyez]

Ok. Here goes. So the Kotak guys called me and told me that the loan was gettin' finalised. I tried to get in touch with the sales guy who helped me book the car at Sanya. But his phone kept coming "unavailable". Finally I called Sanya Motors and they put me in touch with another person who told me the car was ready for delivery ( turns out my loyal sales guy was away on holiday).

I decided Saturday was going to be the day !

Until I got told by atleast a dozen people that Saturday is an inauspicious day to buy "Metal".

I didn't pay any attention to this at first. But the next thing I know the loan guys calling me and telling me "Sir,your loan has been approved for 3 years,please confirm.". I had a huge bout of disappointment as I told the guy that I had asked him to finance the car over 5 years,not 3. The emi per month leaped from 9,250 to 14,400 INR per month. I decided to cancel the loan initially and bargained with Kotak who insisted they couldnt finance TATA/FIAT for a 5 year loan.

Finally, Kotak announced that they would bring the rate down to 9.25 % instead of 9.75% earlier. I sealed the deal since I realized it made more sense to pay off the loan earlier than later.

So come tommorow (Saturday) I'am going to the stockyard for Sanya Motors with camera and the Team-Bhp checklist in hand to see my baby. (Pics as promised will be uploaded ASAP)

Come Sunday morning I shall take delivery of my spanking red Punto !

P.S. - Please answer my earlier queries, I need nice seat covers in Delhi ! Also I need to know if the 2010 model has better plastics in it. Thanks for all the help and wishes fellowe Bhp'ians.

Cheers!

[snake_eyez]

Sincere apologies... deliver delayed... Gimme 2 days...

[snake_eyez]

Like Ratan Tata said, a promise is a promise....

I took delivery...

Here are some pics (pl excuse poor quality,no excuses,I had a v good camera,couldn't figue out the settings !!!! )

Better pics and more comprehensive ownership report to come....

[HammerHead]

Congrats man.
How did you manage to click these poor quality pics using a digicam?

[recshenoy]

finally the beauty has arrived. congratulations dude. which camera you had used to take these pics. Try with auto mode or a day light pic! photos are quite shaken :(

[snake_eyez]

Ok, my first day with the car and all I could do was swear at the crazy Delhi - Noida traffic.

As I drove my Punto to office,cyclists and bikers really stretching my nerves.


Everyone at office was pretty excited with the new arrival and I had a field day explaining the features to 'em.... But it was a packed day and only when I left office at about 7.15 again in peak traffic did I decide that it was time to really drive her... and so I hit the Greater Noida Expressway... I clocked over a hundred clicks on the expressway and these are my first impressions....

I'l be a bit negative and start with what I don't like (tsk tsk)

- small rear window,not the best companion while reversing
- steering doesnt cannot be lowered to how much my other cars accommodate (Altis,City VTEC,Accent)
- lower hood makes it slightly difficult to gauge distances while parking

Now what I love

- LOOKS ! SHES SO HOT! SPANKING RED (Monica Belluci Style justified)!
- Excellent high speed drive characteristics
- Excellent and well thought out Interiors ( 2010 models has MUCH better plastics )
- Gizmos and gadgetry GALORE!
- The engine sound after you cross 'bout 60 KmpH
- Blue & Me - Practical and easy to use
- Adequate rubber for grip
- Decent braking (Still getting used to the new braking)
- Small touches like rear wash wipe, speed warning,seat belt warning,reverse gear warning when you try to drive off etc. both practical and helpful
- Good music system ( I have no idea why people have been compliaing bout the ICE- yes it cant handle too much bass,but its good enough)
- Hellpful and well written manuals
- BUILD QUALITY,thumps when u shut the doors... Euro style!
- FANTASTIC SUSPENSION THAT JUST GOOBLES UP THE THUDS! BETTER THAN THE TOYOTA ALTIS!

Overall I am extremely happy with the car and I would give it an honest rating of 9/10 in my initial review.


Here are a few questions and some more pics (unofrtunately had to shoot at night again) :

- I drove her to about 125 KmpH... only one gentle run,no high revving just to see how she handles it... Will this hamper the break in, I dont plan to do it too often....

- Is teflon coating actually worth ( my mods for now are just sun film LUMAR way below the permissible limit and basics like floor mats )

Please lemme know what you guys think and thanks once again for your inputs! Cheers

Cant upload pics,server error! Watch out for 'em....

Note from Team-BHP Support: Not more than 2 smilies are allowed per post. Please read the rules carefully before proceeding.

[CARDEEP]

Please accept my heartiest congratulations for one of the best handling cars in this budget.

Definitely the car looks cool (read sexy) in the Ferrari Red that you have bought.
No doubt you have not done justification with the photos, could have been better if you would have swithched off the car lights.

Hey, have some patience in the run in period, though, I do not think doing it once will matter much unless it is as bad as Chinese gizmos. Plus the the after sales service have improved by leaps & bound these days to take of minor issues, which may (God Forbid) arise.

Please bear in mind that the quality of Fiat Cars have never been bad, only the Customer Support has been. And now Tata is handling that part well under supervison of Fiat Marketing.

Happy Driving

[snake_eyez]

@ CARDEEP - Thanks man, really appreciate it,yes qualitatively Fiat cars are awesome and the Punto is not an exception to say the least... I got another 100 clicks on a long drive today and it handles superb! Cheers!

[snake_eyez]

Here are some pics i took today, unfortunately most of the files are over 1 mb,anyone goona tell me how to load 'em.......? cheers!

[valapad]

Congrats Buddy,
U can resize and compress pictures with irfanview,its a small software www.irfanview.com...try it..

[shantyrocks]

woow buddy!
Your punto looks hott!

Fiat plz give the punto some additional horses to match it looks

[snake_eyez]

So was headed to have lunch in Chanakyapuri today and the car had finally emptied its first tank full. So i decided to stp at my favorite petrol station (theone oppisite the PM's residence) and just for an experiment I decided to get Speed 97. WOW! I never realized tht the fuel can make so much of a difference,my car is driving and handling superb (read: even better now!)

@ ValaPad and Shanty. Thanks glad you liked the pics gonna get some more

Cheers!

[snake_eyez]

More love, hope you guys like the snaps as much as I do ... (My valentine this year was a tankful of Speed 97!)

[snake_eyez]

670 Kms through. Love it! Its perfect for the city,turning radius a bit of a problem. Also the guy who did the sun film on my car ruined it, have had to get one surface repaired, others have specklin', but over all love it!

Ps. Why has my thread gone quiet?Btw have guys encountered a lot of engine noise, i got loads, not that i mind it!

[aarenes]

Originally Posted by snake_eyez

Ps. Why has my thread gone quiet?Btw have guys encountered a lot of engine noise, i got loads, not that i mind it!

@snake_eyez - I do get a lot more noise when I hit 110-120 type speeds on the Mumbai Pune expressway. Its not that loud and the ICE is usually there to mellow it down.

In the city, I dont hear any noise. Mind you, my windows have almost never come down whether I drive in the city or the highway.