[greenhorn]

do try mohandas too. they seem to be very aggressive. they've called me twice last weekend to take my car to them for servicing. with the caller in the second one trying very hard to change my mind

as far as the strips go, i didn't have that in mind when I bought them, but they've saved my paint on more than one occasion.

as far as my opinion on tasc's go. both kulathunkal and focuz suck equally bad

175/65 is not that bad. in case you get GPS2's they'll wear out in 30~40K

do give mint white a chance!

[vivekgk]

Finalised the shade - Ivory White. Also gave check for down-payment today at Kulathunkal. Registration is supposed to be on Tuesday, with delivery on Wednesday.

Took mum to see the car today, and to select a color. She liked the interiors, especially the airy beige color. Took her to the wrong car first, an eLX, before our friendly salesperson told us so. Mum liked the e-series interiors a bit more, especially since it had so much factory-fitted stuff like stereo. She doesn't believe in aftermarket stuff. Unfortunately (fortunately for dealers) a lot of customers are like her, not trusting outside guys with even the most common accessories.

I have put in an application for 'fancy number' allotment. We've never had a 'fancy number'-ed vehicle before, and always got completely random numbers as a result.

It was very simple though in Trivandrum. First go to the RTO's website and download the 'fancy number booking form'. Go to the RTO office, second floor. That's where all the cash counters are. There's a touchscreen kiosk set up there. Select Number Allotment then Number Booking. Look through the list for the day using the next and back keys. If you see a number you like, and it says 'Available' next to it, you can book it. Fill up the form, attach address proof, and give to the counter. The clerk will check it and ask you to get it signed by the Joint RTO. The office is on the same room. Get it signed, return to the counter, hand over the form and Rs. 2000/-. If no one else asks for the same number, it's yours the next day. You have to register it within three months, or you lose it and the money. Beware, it is non-refundable. Once you book a number, you have to take it or lose the cash. It's non-transferable too.

If you want to avoid the minor hassle and the twenty or so minutes of waiting and walking around, then find an agent and give him your preferred number and ID proof. He will take care of the rest. Of course, you pay more - 500 bucks is standard margin. Not worth it.

@Mods - could you guys please change the thread title to reflect the final choice?

[greenhorn]

Time to start stocking up on some system D. (Tata engines just love this stuff) Motor plaza has some old stock at the old price. else look for them in HP pumps (its there in the one opposite st Mary's at kdpuram)

[vivekgk]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

Time to start stocking up on some system D. (Tata engines just love this stuff) Motor plaza has some old stock at the old price. else look for them in HP pumps (its there in the one opposite st Mary's at kdpuram)

No, it's not yet time! Turns out that due to some bad book keeping by HDFC, dad's credit report by CIBIL shows an overdue loan. Dad did apply for it, and it was sanctioned, but he couldn't avail of it, and never did. HDFC closed it instead of cancelling it, and now the interest on the closing penalties has accrued to 1 lakh. Until we clear it with HDFC and get it removed from CIBIL records, Tata Finance won't release the loan they've sanctioned. It'll be a couple of days more at best, or a month at worst.

The good news is, Kulathunkal let me fill out the 'Drive your dream' offer form, which would have elapsed on 31st. I filled it out, and won 3K cash discount! No one else has won a cash discount till now. Everyone else just got an Indicom CDMA mobile phone. Going to put that cash into getting Wurth under-body protective treatment, which I hear reduces road noise too.

I see that you switched to the Vista OE wheelcaps. Was it just for cosmetic reasons, or because the originals got broken? I like the Turbo's OE wheelcaps, very elegant. I've also decided to put off the alloys + tyres switch by a few months because of finances (flat broke )

[vivekgk]

It's been 10 days since we found out about the outstanding loan issue in the CIBIL report. Didn't post anything more because I was running from pillar to post trying to get this sorted, and because CIBIL tech support is moronic. I am including my experiences here so that others who face similar issues can try to solve it.

I got a copy of the CIR from Tata Finance after meeting the manager. To his credit, he tried his best to push the loan through. Here's what the report shows. It shows two outstanding loans - one from a credit card which was overdue by 11 lacs+, which was later written off. Dad has no idea what this could be. Even Tata Finance were convinced that it was an error, because there was simply no way a personal credit card belonging to a government employee could have such high credit limit.

The second one was for a loan of 3 lacs, taken in 2001, showing an outstanding of 96K. That's the one mentioned above. Since the loan provider was not named, Dad assumed that the loan was from HDFC. Then began the attempt to get the details of the loan.

First, we sent an email to CIBIL (info@cibil.com) , mentioning Dad's name, address, phone etc. They replied within a day, asking for the control number on the CIR. We sent that, and four days later, got the reply asking for voter's ID card no, PAN, phone numbers etc. We sent that in, and waited another two days before getting fed up and calling them. BTW their waiting tone is a message asking you to email them for speedier response. I talked to them and the person told me that I needed to send an email with Dad's address on it. I informed her that the address was in the first mail itself. They hadn't noticed it, right under his name! Anyway, after a lot of cajoling, I got the reply on email within the hour, including the loan details.

To my surprise, the loan was reported by SBI, not HDFC. From the account number, a few quick calls and some digging in old records at home, we deduced that the loan was my old educational loan. We didn't even consider it at the time, because it was already paid off in full in 2006 itself. Anyway, we went down to the bank (SBI Marakkada Rd. Branch, TVM) with a printout of the email. The manager was at a loss to explain how it was still in CIBIL after 4 years. But he immediately gave us a sealed certificate on SBI letterhead, stating that the loan was paid in full by 2006, taking care to mention both the name and the account number.

We took all these docs (closure certificate from bank, printout of all email to and from CIBIL, loan sanction letter, loan account statement issued at time of closure) to Tata Finance, who have forwarded it to higher authority for approval. All CIBIL cases have to be approved by regional manager or higher, depending on the outstanding amount.

As for the correction of CIBIL records, we have asked the branch to take it up, but were told that we had to contact the SBI loan department at Trivandrum for that. Going to do that tomorrow.

[vivekgk]

Update: Got a call from Tata Finance earlier tonight. They approved the loan. They will give the Delivery Order tomorrow and the registration will be on Monday (Tomorrow being state holiday). We considered taking delivery on Monday itself and going back to fit accessories, but decided against it. Better to have everything fitted right and with enough time to test it all. I'm getting the Wuerth Underbody treatment done too, and I feel that is best done before subjecting the car to too much mud.

Going to the showroom tomorrow to give copies of ID proof and PAN card. They asked for it to send to Tata so they can release the 3K cash discount from the 'Drive your dream' offer.

Still debating on whether to get the seat covers done at the dealer. Price asked by them is 7.5K for seats+gear+steering. They claim it is Tata genuine accessory, and will fit like a glove. What say folks?

@mods: Kindly change the thread title to reflect the final choice, now that delivery is near.

[vivekgk]

It's done. Took delivery yesterday evening. Got the ICE fitted by the showroom itself at a cost of Rs. 750. I felt that it was robbery, but ultimately decided that the risk of being denied warranty in the event of anything going wrong was not worth it. The Wurth underbody treatment was also done. Price: Rs. 3750. It's 700 more than what is mentioned on the Tata website, so I'll be making enquiries about it to the regional office in Kochi.

Anyway, that's the end of this thread on my part. Delivery experience and ownership experience will be on a new thread which I will link here.

[vivekgk]

Here's the link to the Initial Ownership Experience thread - Ivory Shopping

Thanks to everyone who posted for their valuable inputs.

[misquitas]

Hi there,

I currently own an Alto LXI and am seriously considering an upgrade. I have a budget of about Rs 5.5 L. My priorities are -- diesel variant, good boot space, roomy interiors, minimum maintenance, mileage of about 17 kmpl, etc. I normally clock about 15,000 kms a year and hence the preference for a diesel. We travel with considerable luggage and hence, a good boot space is important (that is why we are not shortlisting the Ritz LDI).

Given these priorities and given the price list here in Goa, I have shortlisted two options -- Ford Figo diesel EXI and the Tata Indigo eCS. I would welcome advice on which of the two cars would be a better option. Please send in your views at the earliest as I may have to make a decision within a week or so. We will also take a test drive to see which car actually feels better on road.

Thanks.
Melvyn

[sbkumar]

Originally Posted by misquitas

Hi there,

I have a budget of about Rs 5.5 L. My priorities are -- diesel variant, good boot space, roomy interiors, minimum maintenance, mileage of about 17 kmpl, etc. I normally clock about 15,000 kms a year and hence the preference for a diesel. We travel with considerable luggage and hence, a good boot space is important (that is why we are not shortlisting the Ritz LDI).

Thanks.
Melvyn

If these are your only priorities then i think it looks like Indigo is more suited.

Ford - Ford Figo Home

4. Boot Space

The Figo has 284 litres of boot capacity – again, the largest among all hatchbacks.

Indigo e-CS | Features & Specifications | BS IV Tech Specs

Trunk Capacity 380 litres

[2500cc]

If you are in Goa, why not Consider Ford Ikon Tdci, it meets all your requirements, but you may have to stretch your budget by about 70K and its worth it.

[misquitas]

Originally Posted by sbkumar

If these are your only priorities then i think it looks like Indigo is more suited.

Ford - Ford Figo Home

4. Boot Space

The Figo has 284 litres of boot capacity – again, the largest among all hatchbacks.

Indigo e-CS | Features & Specifications | BS IV Tech Specs

Trunk Capacity 380 litres

Thanks for your quick reply. From the discussions on this forum, I have learnt that the Figo is an good allround VFM car (performance, mileage, boot space, comfort, fit and finish, etc.).

The Indigo has not attracted much discussion in comparison, but it promises an improved performance over its earlier variants. There have, however, been some claims about poor fit and finish, reliability of the engine, etc. Hence, my confusion.

Originally Posted by 2500cc

If you are in Goa, why not Consider Ford Ikon Tdci, it meets all your requirements, but you may have to stretch your budget by about 70K and its worth it.

Thanks for your views. Problem is, my budget is about Rs 5 L, but I am willing to stretch it by another Rs 50,000. Hence, I shortlisted these two cars.

[ajay0612]

Originally Posted by misquitas

From the discussions on this forum, I have learnt that the Figo is an good allround VFM car (performance, mileage, boot space, comfort, fit and finish, etc.).

Yes. It is. Also have a look at Skoda Fabia which has quality interiors and best in class luggage space. You may enjoy being in it.

Originally Posted by misquitas

The Indigo has not attracted much discussion in comparison, but it promises an improved performance over its earlier variants. There have, however, been some claims about poor fit and finish, reliability of the engine, etc.

Your apprehensions are correct. Also it looks dated and the boot is not aesthetically integrated.

[superboy44]

would suggest you take a test drive of both the cars and i am very sure you would decide in favor of the figo.
feels much better screwed together than the indigo and that tdci of the figo is a workhorse, very reliable and returns brilliant fuel mileage.
if the figo's boot space seems to fit your requirement, it sure is the better bet.

[jkdas]

Well, Figo seems to sell a lot coz its THE VFM hatch on the budget market. I would suggest this coz I guess you might also get the ABS version of Figo for this money.

Indigo CS too is a a good buy and the Royale package looks great. The TDI engine will last long ( count the no of taxi Indica you see around). A.S.S. will be cheaper than Ford and ground clearance wont be an issue.The thing about Figo's ground clearance when you have 4/5 people plus luggage can be an issue.