Indian Autos Thread

member_20292 · Post by **member_20292** » 27 Apr 2013 19:49

Would love to buy a 2 lakh WagonR with ABS + airbags. second hand..

Sriman · Post by **Sriman** » 27 Apr 2013 21:38

Singha wrote: Mbhu - maruti and M&M have dealer based 2nd hand car business iirc.

Have heard of issues with M&M used car outlet. They don't seem to have the credibility of Maruti True Value. Maruti True Value is expensive though. You get decent deals on petrol Ritz if you look hard enough. Other options for used cars are TBhp Classifieds and Carwale classifieds. Mbhu, aren't you in NCR area? CNG is also an option for you, lot of CNG WagonRs in that area i think. Good luck finding a car with ABS & Airbags at 2L.

Check this out:

http://classifieds.team-bhp.com/buy-use ... Ritz.html/

That'd be a good buy at a little over 3L.

Carwale has a used car valuation tool, but its nothing like KBB.

http://www.carwale.com/used/carvaluation/default.aspx

Gus · Post by **Gus** » 27 Apr 2013 22:33

be really careful with used cars. everybody cheats. go in with maximum suspicion.

pentaiah · Post by **pentaiah** » 27 Apr 2013 22:35

A good corolla is 16,000 USD that is 8 Lakhs, now that corolla is compact no thrill no frill car, the same car with less amenities is a luxury car why because mango man is paying twice the price.

Why Tatas can't produce new models is like asking why can't IIT Kharagpur professors design a propeller aircraft with 60 yrs of churning out MIT grade ( so called or perceived ) IIT grads?

Yehi tho mar ka Gaya Hindustan

.......
Buy a used car you won't go far is the slogan close to home

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 28 Apr 2013 14:23

pentaiah wrote:A good corolla is 16,000 USD that is 8 Lakhs, now that corolla is compact no thrill no frill car, the same car with less amenities is a luxury car why because mango man is paying twice the price.

Why Tatas can't produce new models is like asking why can't IIT Kharagpur professors design a propeller aircraft with 60 yrs of churning out MIT grade ( so called or perceived ) IIT grads?

Yehi tho mar ka Gaya Hindustan

.......
Buy a used car you won't go far is the slogan close to home

So toyota has priced it fair with OTR of 14 Lacs, why people ask, in the mad rush to keep the Aam Aadmi from the luxury of cars, GOI and state govt charge CD, ED, VAT, LT, plus various tax laws for TDS and import of service rules, we probably end up paying 55% of OTR as Taxes. And car companies see a drop n volumes because of this, they try get profits from lower volumes. which means we the public, who already pay a plethora indirect tax for fuel get jacked very heavily for the privileged of driving.

What the oil companies charge for Petrol and Diesel even today is less than INR 25 without taxes.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 28 Apr 2013 19:49

Tourist taxi operators import corolla for around 9lakh. Accord for 12lakh.
In pakistan also taxes are much lower so u see lot of sedans there.

Yogi_G · Post by **Yogi_G** » 29 Apr 2013 18:49

Any info on how the artiste family was able to import cars without duties, atleast thats the allegation against them.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 29 Apr 2013 19:44

A lot of politicians and filmi types get it imported via tourist taxi agents for tax free, and then rto changes the registration illegally to pvt ownership...or some just keep the taxi plates...my old colony had such a camry next to a luxurious house.

Sometimes excise dept raids these people and seizes the cars.

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 01 May 2013 18:15

Or CBI keeps the list for Political masters requirements.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 01 May 2013 19:41

Maruti dzire seems to be taking a lot of stick from car buyers vs the amaze in various corners of web.
Amaze sold some 4500 units in april with production now ramping up.
Dzire is largest selling sedan in india so lot of market share to steal there....20000 unit a month sales.

Prasad · Post by **Prasad** » 01 May 2013 19:46

I saw quite a lot of bimmers on this trip to madras. Way more than last year. People are flush with money or what?!

manish · Post by **manish** » 01 May 2013 20:48

Prasad wrote:I saw quite a lot of bimmers on this trip to madras. Way more than last year. People are flush with money or what?!

Saar, try a trip down to Hyderabad. Seems to have Bangalore and Madras beat hands down in that dept.!!!
You seem to run into loads of Jaguars, Range Rovers, Land Rovers, Mercs, Audis and BMWs everywhere.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 02 May 2013 12:51

sales of the C segment seems to have totally collapsed. honda has stopped civic sales, and I hardly see any new altis or cruze anymore nowadays. lots were being bought around 2008-2010.
due to petrol prices and general mayusi people have scaled back their taste and settled for maxing out with a city/verna/vento while those who have the means have moved on into fortuner/C/3-series/audi/accord as prestige cars....leaving a wide gap in betwen at the 12-20L range where there is nothing selling well.

there are *massive* nos of C and D segment cars being sold in Cheen though and mostly for cash down. so whatever be the psyops , there are huge nos of people who are making considerable amt of money to be buying luxury cars there and car is just one thing, such people will be buying lots of other costly kit as well for home and personal use.

with Sonia-raj, the next gen will be maxing out in the A-segment and hoping for a deal on Nano-MKI probably....hopes and growth of millions are being destroyed by anaemic economic growth

Manish_Sharma · Post by **Manish_Sharma** » 02 May 2013 17:33

Royal Enfield commences production at its new Chennai plant

http://www.topgear.com/india/bike-news/ ... /itemid-50

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 03 May 2013 06:15

pentaiah ji, desh can't attain auto maturity like massa. impossible... neither the infra nor the manga public.

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 03 May 2013 16:29

Singha ji- The INC types always were against masses having luxury. one poster who knew Pranoy Roy after he did Chartered Accountancy in UK had quoted Pronoy Roy stating Middle class people should be stopped from doing Higher education and competing with the rich elite.

For them they should make money and 99.5% of the population is poor suits them just fine.

Sriman · Post by **Sriman** » 04 May 2013 13:19

Anyone here own the Fiesta Classic? I really liked the Figo and the dealer is tempting me with discounts on the Fiesta Classic as well. I test drove the Amaze and it was ok, but it has a 3 month waiting period. Also seems overpriced at 9.5L OTR. Is buying a sedan in Bengaluru not a good idea? My friend says he finds no difference between a small sedan (he drives a Dzire) and a hatchback in terms of driving within the city. Totally conphused now.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 04 May 2013 15:38

why not go for i20 or Liva instead? its big enough. the new fiesta has very low sales I think..check tbhp threads to be sure.

Dileep · Post by **Dileep** » 04 May 2013 16:56

I own a Fiesta (1.6 Petrol, wit ABS), made before it was named Classic (2007).

Extremely pleased with it. Very comfortable. Great handling. Good power. Handling is very important to me, not because I drive sporty, but because I drive scared, imagining that everyone else is trying to jump in front of me. Having the car 'where my subconscious mind wants it to go' is a very important requirement for me. This car does that.

Maintenance was, like Rs 3.5K every six months. The following are the failures:

1. The AC gas leaked off a few times. Changed evaporator coil and a few needle valves, as well as just filling gas. Finally, they added some die to the gas, located the leak and fixed it.
2. The plastic fluid tanks (coolant and washer) got cracked at 3 year. Had to change them.
3. The tranny mount cracked.
4. Replaced a rear shock twice
5. Battery lives only for 3 years. Need heavy starting current (1.6L engine) and the drop in voltage screws up the ECU computer.

Gus · Post by **Gus** » 04 May 2013 17:50

Sriman wrote:Anyone here own the Fiesta Classic? I really liked the Figo and the dealer is tempting me with discounts on the Fiesta Classic as well. I test drove the Amaze and it was ok, but it has a 3 month waiting period. Also seems overpriced at 9.5L OTR. Is buying a sedan in Bengaluru not a good idea? My friend says he finds no difference between a small sedan (he drives a Dzire) and a hatchback in terms of driving within the city. Totally conphused now.

what is your current car and how comfortable are you with that, driving around blr traffic and parking?

if it is bumper to bumper driving and lots of parking by street, then the few inches of hatchback does make a difference if you are in a hurry. If you are ok with spending a little more time on the wheels but need the bootspace and better options that comes with sedans, then go for sedan.

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 04 May 2013 18:26

Prasad wrote:I saw quite a lot of bimmers on this trip to madras. Way more than last year. People are flush with money or what?!

The disparity has become huge over the last few years, in the name of socialism very few people seem to cash seem to splurging while the rest are being careful.

Yogi_G · Post by **Yogi_G** » 04 May 2013 18:38

Isnt the figo underpowered? Am drooling all over the quanto now, waiting for mk2 to come out before I get my hands on it.

Sriman · Post by **Sriman** » 04 May 2013 18:49

Thank you Dileep.

Singha wrote:why not go for i20 or Liva instead? its big enough. the new fiesta has very low sales I think..check tbhp threads to be sure.

Didn't like the i20 and the Liva's build quality looks shaky.

Gus wrote: what is your current car and how comfortable are you with that, driving around blr traffic and parking?

if it is bumper to bumper driving and lots of parking by street, then the few inches of hatchback does make a difference if you are in a hurry. If you are ok with spending a little more time on the wheels but need the bootspace and better options that comes with sedans, then go for sedan.

There will be a bit of bumper to bumper driving but not a lot of street parking. But the Fiesta Classic is a pretty small sedan though. Thing is i really liked Ford and the Fiesta Classic does have a reputation of being well built and niggle free. I don't think i'd really need the boot space that badly.

Yogi_G wrote:Isnt the figo underpowered? Am drooling all over the quanto now, waiting for mk2 to come out before I get my hands on it.

It doesn't feel that underpowered in the city. Has a good low end. I haven't driven it on the highway. I'm told it lacks a top end, but i prefer driving around 100-110 even on the highway so i felt it wouldn't be an issue. Both the steering and the shifter are brilliant and it's a lot of fun to drive.

Abhijeet · Post by **Abhijeet** » 05 May 2013 13:23

The Honda City is an excellent car. I bought one for just over 9.5 in 2009 after r2i, and sold it before r2a for about 5; so it held over 50% of its value, which I thought was pretty good. It took all the abuse of Indian roads and held up admirably well -- I cannot recall a single breakdown or malfunction in any part of the car in the four years I owned it. Incredibly, even the AC worked perfectly till the last day I had it. Highest respect.

Is the Amaze in the same category as the City, since it seems to be priced similarly at 9.5? Or has the City become more expensive?

Sriman · Post by **Sriman** » 05 May 2013 13:53

Abhijeet wrote: Is the Amaze in the same category as the City, since it seems to be priced similarly at 9.5? Or has the City become more expensive?

These are Bangalore OTR prices with 15.4% roadtax.

City top end is 11L OTR here. Amaze petrol is a little cheaper than 9L.

Sridhar K · Post by **Sridhar K** » 16 May 2013 20:10

Sriman, do you want a diesel or petrol? Fiesta classic is a superb car and the issues Dileep mentioned are common from the batches from those time. Couple of my friends 1.4 TDCIs had very similar problems. The length difference between Dzire CS and Swift is hardly 0.5 feet and hence your friend may not have an issue driving around the city. Considering Figo's gc issues with Bangalore humps, classic may be a better but the TCO for first three years should be cheaper with the Figo than the classic.

Singha Sir, Pls. don't even mention Liva or Etios al-khalid tin cans. It is an insult to us Injuns. Toyota has taken Indian's confidence on Innova and Qualis for a ride with these apology of a product despite a good engine, transmission and steering.

PK Mudiliyar · Post by **PK Mudiliyar** » 17 May 2013 19:20

Dileep wrote:I own a Fiesta (1.6 Petrol, wit ABS), made before it was named Classic (2007).

Extremely pleased with it. Very comfortable. Great handling. Good power. Handling is very important to me, not because I drive sporty, but because I drive scared, imagining that everyone else is trying to jump in front of me. Having the car 'where my subconscious mind wants it to go' is a very important requirement for me. This car does that.

Maintenance was, like Rs 3.5K every six months. The following are the failures:

1. The AC gas leaked off a few times. Changed evaporator coil and a few needle valves, as well as just filling gas. Finally, they added some die to the gas, located the leak and fixed it.
2. The plastic fluid tanks (coolant and washer) got cracked at 3 year. Had to change them.
3. The tranny mount cracked.
4. Replaced a rear shock twice
5. Battery lives only for 3 years. Need heavy starting current (1.6L engine) and the drop in voltage screws up the ECU computer.

The cause for all of the above Bad roads and /or Bad driving.

1) The A/C leaks because of the shock the joints take when you go into a ditch and the shock it creates due to viberation
2) The plastic Fluid tanks cracked reason same again the shock propagation
3) The tranny mount cracked reason the alignment got damaged same reason again
4) Replaced rear shock bad driving and or Bad roads again or too much loading in the trunk (dead man being towed?)
5) Battery lives only for 3 years again shock absorbed by plates and plates break
6) underpowered battery and or engine turning hard lube failure soon and piston wear will show under performance and may even burn oil, blue smoke
Chetan himself says he likes to drive/flog hard Gone in Zero to Sixty seconds?

@K Sridhar still in Toronto?

Dileep · Post by **Dileep** » 23 May 2013 16:05

^^So.. in essence, the car is designed for the shiny Hema-Cheek roads of Oirope, and things failed because I drove it on the CNPF* roads of mallustan?

FYI, I do not rev up. I do not drift. I do not drag. I do not exceed 90k on the greatest of roads. As far as possible I go the softest over the potholes. I get the thing serviced on time schedule, not km schedule.

So, can't agree with your assessment. Sorry.

*CNPF: What is the equivalent for SDRE for roads? Curved, Narrow and Pothole Filled!

manish · Post by **manish** » 23 May 2013 19:52

I have heard that failures/replacements of rear shocks in that particular generation of the Fiesta is quite common FWIW.

Must have been a design/suitability issue.

Sagrawal · Post by **Sagrawal** » 01 Jul 2013 11:53

I prebooked EcoSport AT. Dealor is saying 6 + months waiting. Thinking to cancel my booking already. Ford dealors are trying to make out as much as they can with ES. First time their showrooms are getting heavey traffic from customers

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 01 Jul 2013 18:00

have Fiat dealers introduced a inhouse italian coffee house for clients? thought I saw a sign today in passing.

Zynda · Post by **Zynda** » 01 Jul 2013 19:11

I think FIAT has opened 'Fiat Cafes' in metros at least. There was a report about the opening on Tbhp forum...apparently, the differentiating factor is "all Italian" along with FIAT merchandize and stuff...

Sagrawal · Post by **Sagrawal** » 01 Jul 2013 20:06

Marten wrote:Ecosport rear seats are cramped. Two large people and a small bag. If you have a child seat, then it can seat only one more in the back.
Was thinking about buying the AT version, but it is not enough car for that much money - OTR in Bangalore is close to 10.5L plus whatever else the dealers can fob onto you.
At that price, the Ertiga VDi makes more sense even if AT is not available.

Agreed but I never take rear seat. I currently drive a Honda city AT however its low ground clearance is big issue in Speed breaker city Bangalore. For a small family with most of city driving, EcoSport looks like a good option. Its safer too with 6 airbags and heavy frame. Lets see how long they take to deliver. I prebooked before launch so I will get full refund if I cancel my booking.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 01 Jul 2013 20:18

blr police claim to have started a survey to id the top 1500 problem speedbreakers and remodel them to the spec.

a herculean task, because new ones go up everywhere even if old ones are fixed. there is one on my way to office where I have seen even some models of 2 wheelers get scraped.

Sagrawal · Post by **Sagrawal** » 01 Jul 2013 21:07

on my 7 km drive to office, there are 15 speed breakers. There is a speedbreaker at every crossing and curve. There are 2 of them within my housing communitiy as well. I dont think BLR traffic police can remove the speed breakers from curves and from junctions where there is no red light.

member_20292 · Post by **member_20292** » 01 Jul 2013 22:47

Sagrawal wrote:
Marten wrote:Ecosport rear seats are cramped. Two large people and a small bag. If you have a child seat, then it can seat only one more in the back.
Was thinking about buying the AT version, but it is not enough car for that much money - OTR in Bangalore is close to 10.5L plus whatever else the dealers can fob onto you.
At that price, the Ertiga VDi makes more sense even if AT is not available.

Agreed but I never take rear seat. I currently drive a Honda city AT however its low ground clearance is big issue in Speed breaker city Bangalore. For a small family with most of city driving, EcoSport looks like a good option. Its safer too with 6 airbags and heavy frame. Lets see how long they take to deliver. I prebooked before launch so I will get full refund if I cancel my booking.

American cars are much less reliable as compared to Japanese. Dont you read consumer reports?

Anyways, if I were you, I would buy japanese, and more specifically, maruti suzuki.

Sagrawal · Post by **Sagrawal** » 01 Jul 2013 22:53

in US I had a corrolla which did 200k miles without any issues so you are absoulety right, but my running is very low here. less than 500 km per month. I curently own a Jap and its fantastic but just too low for bangalore's speedbreakers. BTW does anyone know anyone in Ford India. I need to find out what is the realistic wait time for this car.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 17 Jul 2013 07:59

I went again to review the list of cars in desh.. man! either it has to be super duper rich cars or dam crap with useless features and waste of money dabba cars. nothing in the middle.. those that were in likely quality in the middle are japanese, and they are trying to show off they are nearing rich.

http://www.zigwheels.com/newcars

mahindra xuv-500, all i want in that car is an auto trans. 14L for AWD is good, provided they improve on features, bang for the buck but decent enough quality.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 17 Jul 2013 08:15

how is the skoda yeti? my wife sometimes threatens she will buy it once she gets rid of my old santro.

Gus · Post by **Gus** » 17 Jul 2013 08:52

mahadevbhu wrote:American cars are much less reliable as compared to Japanese. Dont you read consumer reports?

Anyways, if I were you, I would buy japanese, and more specifically, maruti suzuki.

nonsense of the highest order.

one should make a decision according to many things that impact them LOCALLY. not according to amirkhan consumer reports.

in no particular order

driveability and driver comforts, rear space for bigger family, luggage space if traveling to native place a lot, kms per year and diesel or petrol, highway or city commute for car size, clearance for speed breakers, re-sale prices for changing vehicle after 5 years, maintenance costs and spare parts costs, maintenance network available in your commute and residence, your own budget, waiting time to get the damn car, etc etc etc..

depending on how much weightage you give to each of these factors and more, ten people can come up with ten different cars that would be a better suit to their needs than others.

for ex, swift diesel is a top selling car, but i have burly inlaws in the back seat to drive to my native place and i had to rule it out. honda civic would not make it to my house with the moon craters in the road to my house.