[Mik]

2009: The carefree me got married. Suddenly, carefree and me both went out of the window and was replaced by WE.

My two wheeled love, the Pulsar 220, was good enough for WE and it was a good time. Rohtang, Jalori, Uttarakhand were all covered and WE the biker couple - riding gear and all, loved it. Car was just a three lettered word which basically meant a metal cage with killers on board who just want to run the two wheeled kind over (Reference: Delhi- Haridwar road. You need to be a daredevil on the bike to survive the death traps)

Then, we sinned. Got greedy and both of us took up more lucrative job offers in Gurgaon and to top it off, shifted from Noida to Gurgaon.Suddenly, the bike ride wasn't comfortable at all. Crazy cabbies and the rowdy localites in their Scorpio/Safari/Endeavour/Fortuner(which i staunchly believe has singlehandedly been financed by the common'wealth') threatened to run WE over. Getting into arguments with them would only create more problems hence WE just became we and kept quiet.

Some unfortunate incidents when my wife was travelling alone in the rickshaw and i was determined, that something had to be done. To top it all, gurGAON doesn't have a proper auto rickshaw system hence a lady cannot travel alone at all. We debated between moving cities or staying put for some more time. Eventually, considering that we were both new in our jobs, decided to stay here for some more time.

2010 - June/July: It was raining sporadically and every downpour was washing away even the semblance of a road we had. The commute to the office became a nightmare when i saw that some scorpio/carwallahs actually relished drenching the bike waalahs by deliberately going fast over puddles of muddy water. we had no defence, only the middle fingers and the glares. Some particularly harrowing days later, we were convinced that to survive in gurGAON, we needed a car. Yep, it was now not just another three letter word, it had suddenly become a necessity.

The finances:
The we became WE again. WE had just applied for a home loan hence finances were a bit low. I was of the staunch belief that we shouldn't carry two EMIs. Though both of us were earning reasonably good IT salaries, all of our planning was to be based on a single salary. Shoring up our savings, WE had 2.5 lakhs cash at the most to spend on it.

The new Vs old Dilemma:
Started doing the rounds of various showrooms. The Spark flattered with its discounts. A-star and Estilo were pretty good deals too. With the micra/figo onslaught and the in your face Beat, WE were like kids in a candy super market. The days went by discussing pros and cons with existing owners in office and the nights were spent poring over carwale and team-bhp. However, i had one thought driving my purchase of a new car, it should have airbags as a standard. This meant that i would be looking at higher priced variants and go in for a loan. Reality check, and WE landed at the TrueValue showroom.

Pre-owned it is:
Also, the mahindra first choice outlet enticed us with fully loaded santros and wagon Rs. Almost bought a palio 1.2 non NV in a rush of blood but horror stories kept me away from buying something the carefree me had loved. Some true value outlets had cars in very sorry states, all done 60k plus kms and one even refused to start.
we were heart broken with this and again flirted with buying the new ford figo titanium with all its bells and whistles. Reality checked in a second time and the home loan/another recession-loss of job scenario raised its head.
The cars we were considering were the wagonR and Santro. Alto was out of the picture because it seemed like a match box to me. All of the cars we saw at true value outlets had done 60 k km plus and were ranging from 2.1 to 2.6 lakhs for 2005 to 2007 models. Then, one fine day - there was sunshine.

Estilo !!
We were always considering the wagon R and Santro. However, it was kiddish but we wanted premium interiors too (Ok, here we means my wife ) Both these vehicles seemed jaded with their dull black interiors. On 31st July, i walked into Vipul True Value and saw a slightly dirty Pearl Silver Estilo LXi which was being driven in. Enquired and found that it was not yet up for sale. The best part, it had only been driven for 9.5 k km(The owner had 3 cars and this was for his wife - plus tyres seemed reasonably new and matched the date of manufacture - seemed ok to me) I was sold on the beige-black combo interiors which was just so refreshing. They had completed their assessment and found the car technically sound. I remembered all the used cars check list gathered from various sources and checked it out. It seemed perfect, to the newbie me. Called up wifey and she was excited about the beige interiors and the Sony Xplod which was plonked in it. Came back the next day with an expert friend of mine for the Test Drive. Knew that estilo had terrible gear shift quality and specifically asked him to check it. He gave me the go ahead after a ten minute test drive and i knew that this was the car WE had been waiting for. Easy to drive with its EPS and short dimensions and turning radius- a priority for my wife who was going to be the primary user for this car. It was fitting the bill. Since it was a Dec 2006 manufacture with only 9.5 k km, we got it up on the fork lift to check for under body rust. Was a bit disheartened on seeing some rust but the sales guy got another wagon R lifted up which was a 08 model and i was ok with it. They were changing the rear bumper, touching up on some scratches and topping up the oils. Apart from that, a rusted bracket was replaced and the chief mechanic assured me that they will get a anti rust treatment done on the underside. I was happy. After lots of negotiations, the final on road price along with insurance and ownership transfer came to 2.58 lakhs with the one year warranty and 3 services. Pricey !! yep, very - Carwale had harped on 2.43 as its value and i knew that True Value was always going to charge a premium.

The D day:
Made a visit every day to the service center to see how our baby car was coming along and most of the work was done under my supervision. On 5th August, the cheque was cleared and at 3:30 pm, the customary photo op and the sweets (I super liked that :-D ) later, she was ours. It had central locking (the basic autocop DX) and i took it to the car styling shop to get the gear lock fitted. Bank accounts were in three digits but we were loving it.

The Gear:
This particular bit of the car was worrying. Its vague gear shift combined with my newbie skills was resulting in bad gear shifts. After a few days, i wondered whether WE even made a correct decision. Took it to the true value, expecting a poor after sales experience, but was pleasantly surprised with their behavior. They sorted the niggles out and i was smiling, again.

The trips :
First off, a visit to the in-laws in ludhiana. The car behaved well till 100 kmph but after that, i felt like i was in a boat. Anyway, 700 kms with a very good 19 kmpl highway mileage satisfied me no end. The first service was done and the bill came to Rs 0.0 - Ah how i love zeroes.
The biker in me was discerning for a ride. Inclement weather meant that WE had to take the car for the ride. Dhanaulti was our destination and i was pretty confident even though it was the first time for me on the hills in a car (Thousands of kilometers of touring in the mountains on the bike and i was pretty sure i knew the road dynamics) The car returned 16.7 kmpl from delhi to dehradun - over traffic and potholes and then on i didn't bother to check. With the rain beating down and the light fading we reached Dhanaulti. Frankly, its easy in a car. The next day, a harrowing journey over broken roads, landslides, crazy cabbies and virtually no roads on the Dhanaulti-Chamba-Haridwar Delhi stretch without a scratch but with 12 hours on the road with only one break, i decided that it was better to leave the hills to the bike.

The bad bits:
After the harrowing experience while coming back, the car rattles a bit. Heart breaking. Waiting for the next trip to the service center.
The ride quality is not good and everyday i get tossed around on the village roads of gurGAON.
Mileage in the gurGAON 'roads' has been terrible - getting only 10 or 11 in peak hour bumper to cow traffic.

The good bits:
The monsoon has been crazy. It would have been crazier without our babyInnova/Badi Nano (thats what we call it affectionately)
No more scared of the scorpio/fortuner types and their rowdy behavior.
Wifey is far safer.

And THAT, is peace of mind.


Note from Team-BHP Support : Note, only 2 smileys per post is allowed. Read the forum rules before you proceed.

[Schoudhury]

CONGRATS .
That's a very nice write up , similar to the HUM TUM series .
Yes, very true , car is nowadays a necessity not a luxury anymore.
Take care and drive safe.

Cheers

[bblost]

A very detailed review.
Congrats the car looks lovely.

I bought my current Wagon R from truevalue. She was a lil less than 2 years old and had done 14.5 k kms.

No regrets whatsoever with the purchase.

I prefer pre-owned cars, myself. Especially the less than 2 years with no more than 15k category.

Wishing you a great ownership experience.

[petroguzzler]

Congrats on the car Mik.

Originally Posted by Mik

My two wheeled love, the Pulsar 220, was good enough for WE and it was a good time. Rohtang, Jalori, Uttarakhand were all covered and WE the biker couple - riding gear and all, loved it. Car was just a three lettered word which basically meant a metal cage with killers on board who just want to run the two wheeled kind over (Reference: Delhi- Haridwar road. You need to be a daredevil on the bike to survive the death traps)

That metal cage of the car really gives some peace of mind whilst traveling on Indian roads.

[Mik]

Originally Posted by Schoudhury

CONGRATS .
That's a very nice write up , similar to the HUM TUM series .
Yes, very true , car is nowadays a necessity not a luxury anymore.
Take care and drive safe.

Cheers

Thanks. Hum tum- didn't think that way

Originally Posted by bblost

A very detailed review.
Congrats the car looks lovely.
------
Wishing you a great ownership experience.

Thank you.

Originally Posted by petroguzzler

Congrats on the car Mik.

That metal cage of the car really gives some peace of mind whilst traveling on Indian roads.

The definition of a car changed drastically over the last few months.
However, i still remain at heart, a biker (A very drenched one at that!!)

[aries_mavrick]

I can soooo relate to what you guys have been through, excellent writeup, loved the subtleity of the humor.

All the best with your car

Originally Posted by Mik

2009: The carefree me got married. Suddenly, carefree and me both went out of the window and was replaced by WE.

My two wheeled love, the Pulsar 220, was good enough for WE and it was a good time. Rohtang, Jalori, Uttarakhand were all covered and WE the biker couple - riding gear and all, loved it. Car was just a three lettered word which basically meant a metal cage with killers on board who just want to run the two wheeled kind over (Reference: Delhi- Haridwar road. You need to be a daredevil on the bike to survive the death traps)

Note from Team-BHP Support : Please DO NOT quote large posts, videos, pictures as it inconveniences our mobile and other users. Read the forum rules before you proceed.

[aargee]

Congratulations Mik & welcome to the Maruti family. I too have a pre owned, but WagonR, since 2006 & have been enjoying the drives since then. Your way of narration is excellent & liked it & the pics you've clicked are really awesome.

PS - You've 3 smileys on your post against the forum rules of 2 per post.

[niks_devil666]

Originally Posted by Mik

And THAT, is peace of mind.

Note from Team-BHP Support : Note, only 2 smileys per post is allowed. Read the forum rules before you proceed.

Truly a true value ! A very interesting read with good humour

P.S. new to the forum eh? only 2 smileys allowed :P

[Dippy]

Thats a very nice write up Mik. I like your style and the use of the word WE. . Congratulations on your Estilo, the car looks great. Just goes to show again that pre owned makes a lot of sense. I'm sure your wife is loving it too.

Looking forward to equally crisp updates on your ownership in this thread.

Drive safe.

[avishar]

Hi mik,firstly congrats on your car and you have a wonderful way of writing,enjoyed reading it.
Had heard quite some negative stories about True Value but after reading this i think some doubts are dispelled.We might be buying a car soon too from True Value.

What happened to your rear wheel caps?
And it is often said not too leave those red ribbons on the car for too long especially in rain because they might stain.

PS:gurGAON,lol

[prince_pervez]

That was a good read. Good Pictures even. Congrats on your latest purchase. Drive safe.

[ElantraGT]

Awesome write up Mik. You car looks neat. Now a days cars has become a integral part of our life. If you are married then car is a must in order to travel safely between places. Do post the pics of the interiors please.

[sindabad]

Nice and cute write up :-) I can imagine your situation as I am going through the same currently and I think you have made a good choice not exceding your budget. Do drive safe and keep updating your experience with babyInnova. ;-)

[Mik]

Originally Posted by aries_mavrick

I can soooo relate to what you guys have been through, excellent writeup, loved the subtleity of the humor.
All the best with your car

Originally Posted by sindabad

Nice and cute write up :-) I can imagine your situation as I am going through the same currently and I think you have made a good choice not exceding your budget. Do drive safe and keep updating your experience with babyInnova. ;-)

Originally Posted by prince_pervez

That was a good read. Good Pictures even. Congrats on your latest purchase. Drive safe.

Thanks, didn't want to exceed the budget. A mind over heart ruling i guess.

Originally Posted by aargee

Congratulations Mik & welcome to the Maruti family. I too have a pre owned, but WagonR, since 2006 & have been enjoying the drives since then. Your way of narration is excellent & liked it & the pics you've clicked are really awesome.
PS - You've 3 smileys on your post against the forum rules of 2 per post.

Originally Posted by niks_devil666

Truly a true value ! A very interesting read with good humour
P.S. new to the forum eh? only 2 smileys allowed :P

Thanks. Yep, i tried to take care of that but it was a long post and i didn't count properly

Originally Posted by Dippy

Thats a very nice write up Mik. I like your style and the use of the word WE. ----
Looking forward to equally crisp updates on your ownership in this thread.
Drive safe.

Originally Posted by avishar

Hi mik,firstly congrats on your car and you have a wonderful way of writing,enjoyed reading it.
Had heard quite some negative stories about True Value but after reading this i think some doubts are dispelled.We might be buying a car soon too from True Value.
What happened to your rear wheel caps?
And it is often said not too leave those red ribbons on the car for too long especially in rain because they might stain.
PS:gurGAON,lol

Thanks. Will update the thread from time to time. The rear wheel caps fell off on a village road stretch.
True Value guys will cheat if given the opportunity. However i was there every step of the way and have maintained good relations. I think that helps too.
About the red ribbons, checked today - no stains so far. :(

Originally Posted by ElantraGT

Awesome write up Mik.-----
Do post the pics of the interiors please.

Thanks, will do that.

[ani_meher]

Great writeup! Even I am a biker soon going to plunge in the world of cars, and my choice too is an Estillo (but the new post -Aug 09 though). Loved your conclusion 'it was better to leave the hills to the bike'

Congrats on your purchase.