[ankitsharma]

Originally Posted by sen2693

Congratulations. How would you rate your experience with TAFE?

Thanks. Initially I visited the HSR Layout showroom and to be frank it was very disappointing to the level that I was giving up on buying the Rapid and instead go for Vento / Polo. Then someone in one of the Facebook groups of Rapid pointed me to the St. Mark's Road showroom and things did change when I finally gave them a visit.
Though I would be covering the buying experience in detail on my ownership thread, yet I feel Mr. Kashi deserves a mention here. It was only because of him that my experience changed for the better and I bought this vehicle.


There are few loose ends though but nothing which might spoil the buying experience.


Overall I would rate the buying experience at 4.5 / 5.

P.S. Let's hope that I would be positive about the service experience too.

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by Shanksta

UPDATE after 53 days

Congrats. Black looks lovely, especially once it's polished up at delivery time. This car is still one of the most handsome and aggressive looking ones in the segment.

Hope to read about your delivery experience and first impressions very soon. Great to see so many new EcoSports mushrooming on the forum

[hellmet]

Hello all, we paid a 1000rs booking amount on a Maruti S-Presso. However, a few days later, the salesperson now wants us to pay 50K and get the car invoiced. The car hasn't arrived yet, but is supposed to arrive in "7-8 days". He says the reason for the early invoicing is to "guarantee" our spot among other vague nonsense.

This, even after we ensured that the moment the car arrives at his dealership, we're ready to take delivery paying full amount.

When I took delivery of my Beat several years ago, I wasn't asked anything like this beforehand.

Wanted to check with you here to see if this is common practice or if it sounds shady. Unable to understand what the reasoning is to get a car invoiced early, especially when month-end's several days away and the car, according to him, is arriving soon.

[balenoed_]

Originally Posted by hellmet

However, a few days later, the salesperson now wants us to pay 50K and get the car invoiced. The car hasn't arrived yet, but is supposed to arrive in "7-8 days". He says the reason for the early invoicing is to "guarantee" our spot among other vague nonsense.

This is common as they just wanted to ensure the booking. You can always disagree quoting various points, but anyway you have to pay in 7-8 days, so may be you can oblige to his request now and have a peace of mind. They for sure are not going to run away.

[bigben]

Made my booking today for a Ford Ecosport Titanium Diesel S White. 2 months is what I have been given as the waiting period. Lets hope someone cancels and I get mine sooner.

[hellmet]

Originally Posted by balenoed_

This is common as they just wanted to ensure the booking. You can always disagree quoting various points, but anyway you have to pay in 7-8 days, so may be you can oblige to his request now and have a peace of mind. They for sure are not going to run away.

In my case, the big issue is that my dad and I leave the city for the next (atleast) 3 months, start of April. We clearly asked for before-month end delivery at the time of booking.

Now, if we pay 50K and the car arrives in April, there would be nobody to take delivery, and our money is stuck with the dealer.

In fact, it goes against our peace of mind.

That aside, thanks for confirming that this isn't a shady request.

Still unsure how the initial booking amount isn't enough to confirm our booking. They should charge a higher iniitial amount if they feel 1000rs is too low for customers to care.

[mav3r1ckblu3]

which brings me finally to (drumroll..)


Make : Renault
Model : Duster 1.3L Turbo
Variant : RXZ MT
Fuel : Petrol
Booking Date : 15/03/2021
Booking Amount : ₹10000
Color : Mahogany Brown
Expected Delivery Date : Within a week possibly
Dealer & City : Renault Pathanamthitta

Update: She came yesterday from Thiruvananthapuram stockyard to Pathanamthitta. They're gonna fit her with accessories today. VIN says she was born in Jan'21. Odo shows 133 Kms which is fine too considering the distance she travelled. Hopefully gonna get delivery at an auspicious day and time next week. Attached are some pics I took. ✌

[arindambasu13]

Originally Posted by bigben

Made my booking today for a Ford Ecosport Titanium Diesel S White. 2 months is what I have been given as the waiting period. Lets hope someone cancels and I get mine sooner.

Congratulations and great choice. I believe the S version is anyways made on order, especially colours other than white(since white is invariably the higher selling color). Great to see the spurt in Ecosport bookings among members.

What were the discounts offered? Any additional benefits sure to financial year end?

[sen2693]

Hello - Booked my first car yesterday!!

Make : Skoda
Model : Rapid
Variant : Ambition MT
Fuel : Petrol
Booking Date : 18/03/2021
Booking Amount : ₹25000
Color : Carbon Steel
Expected Delivery Date : 6-8 weeks
Dealer & City : PPS Motors, Bengaluru
Freebies/Offers: Skoda offers 6 years free warranty and 15K corporate discount. The dealer gave me a free Drive Assure Economy in insurance and a discount on reverse camera.

Skoda was always my favorite brand. Did consider a lot of options like Nexon, Venue, Magnite etc. But in the end did decide to move with Rapid anyway. Hear wants what the heart wants.

[blrboy]

Dear All,

I am in the pursuit of replacing my car which is about to complete 15 years . With the COVID-19 impact and being at home 90% of the time, I delayed my purchase plan.
I guess now is the right time to shop for car.

My car's RC is going to expire in Jun. I have some questions which I hope some of you can help clarify.

1. Should I go ahead and spend money (may be I need to spend about 15K for RC renewal) and wait for better products and EV infrastructure to come in India

2. Should I wait for more EV options to come and also hope to see supporting infra build up in India(but I don't wish to wait for more than a year)

3. Should I completely ignore EV options and go for the currently available automatic petrol options since it would take many years for proper infra and charging stations to be setup across in India

4. SUVs in my wish list as of now- Creta, Kushaq (may not be in the same league as Creta), Volkswagen Taigun (hopeful to see it released by end of 2021), Jeep Compass (probably above my budget)

5. Sedans in my wish list - Skoda Rapid, Vento (1.0 L, Torque converter automatic variant), Honda City(prefer manual)

My budget is max 19-20 Lakhs for EV and up to 14-15 lakhs for Petrol variants

Can you please suggest and share your views?

Thanks

[amods]

Originally Posted by blrboy

I am in the pursuit of replacing my car which is about to complete 15 years . With the COVID-19 impact and being at home 90% of the time, I delayed my purchase plan.
I guess now is the right time to shop for car.

My suggestion - go for number 3 with a 1.5TSI in Kushaq. Reliable infra for long highway trips is far from being reality anytime soon. It makes all sense to have at least one more car running on conventional fuel.

About the renewal, I would suggest letting go of your current car before that. 15 years is enough reason to replace a car.

[Ramchi]

Originally Posted by blrboy

I am in the pursuit of replacing my car which is about to complete 15 years . With the COVID-19 impact and being at home 90% of the time, I delayed my purchase plan.
I guess now is the right time to shop for car.

I kind of waited,waited after my first car purchase in 2004 Honda City New for EV revolution and have sold my car as well few years back. The EV revolution never seems to be taking off. Also weighing EV vehicles, it's Current ranges, available infrastructure, recharge time, possible big expenses towards battery replacement (no one wants to talk about it), actual expenses towards EV recharge etc....I have finally decided to go for Kia Seltos HTX, initially started with the budget of ₹ 7-8 lakhs nearly stretched my budget to ₹ 18 lakhs, due to the fact that I was away from the car market so long since 2004, I have under estimated car prices which have significantly increased between ₹ 2- ₹ 4 lakhs easily.


My waiting period is 12-13 weeks from February 5-6th. During the waiting period I am evaluating and came close to booking Nissan Kicks (my heart still goes to Kicks with the kind of ride comfort, Hill Assist,Traction Congrol, Vehicle Stability Management, tinted glasses, auto stop option etc...which are missing in Seltos HTX which I felt very essential in a CVT but cheaper by ₹ 3- ₹ 4 lakhs compared to Seltos GTX DCT) . I I fact told Selto dealer that I am cancelling my booking for which he responded saying thatplease send your cancelled cheque leaf with a request for cancellation ....not even a fake attempt to regain my booking....but I haven't cancelled it because our family feels Seltos design and rear seat spacing.

Hope my points have given you some ideas..

[hellmet]

Originally Posted by blrboy

Dear All,

My car's RC is going to expire in Jun. I have some questions which I hope some of you can help clarify.

1. Should I go ahead and spend money (may be I need to spend about 15K for RC renewal) and wait for better products and EV infrastructure to come in India

My budget is max 19-20 Lakhs for EV and up to 14-15 lakhs for Petrol variants

Can you please suggest and share your views?

Thanks

Go for option#1. I don't think RC renewal will cost you 15K in KA (it's definitely significantly cheaper in TS). Even if it's 15K, you save 20L - 15K. Invest some of that into an asset and use the rest to pay for the ever more expensive fuel.

The joy of riding a 15-year old car, with no worries about dings and bumper-scrapers, cannot be put into words.

[condor]

Originally Posted by blrboy

My car's RC is going to expire in Jun. I have some questions which I hope some of you can help clarify.

Suggest renew it while keeping your options open. Even if you want to sell it now, the 15 yr aspect will be a factor. If renewed, then buyer will have one less hassle.

I guess EV can wait - like you said, EV charging infra outside cities is still to expand. And hopefully EV prices will come down with time.

And unless the car is having issues, keep it for some more time while you make up your mind. If it is having issues, then a Petrol AT

[blrboy]

Originally Posted by Ramchi

Hope my points have given you some ideas..

Thanks for sharing your experience, it is very helpful.

Originally Posted by amods

My suggestion - go for number 3 with a 1.5TSI in Kushaq. Reliable infra for long highway trips is far from being reality anytime soon. It makes all sense to have at least one more car running on conventional fuel.

About the renewal, I would suggest letting go of your current car before that. 15 years is enough reason to replace a car.

Thank you!I am waiting for the price to be announced, and also wanted to do a close look and test drive of it. Any idea if it is yet available for a test drive?

Originally Posted by hellmet

Go for option#1. I don't think RC renewal will cost you 15K in KA (it's definitely significantly cheaper in TS). Even if it's 15K, you save 20L - 15K. Invest some of that into an asset and use the rest to pay for the ever more expensive fuel.

The joy of riding a 15-year old car, with no worries about dings and bumper-scrapers, cannot be put into words.

Thank you ! Your suggestion is a very practical and a factual one, but there is one thing called a wish to own a new modern car before I become too old to drive on my own in these crowded roads