[Mister_M]

Hello Fellas,

Vanakkam! Vandanam! Suswagatham and Namaskar(am)!!!

I am another travelling Auto enthusiast like most of you and my auto-story till date can be read in the thread below:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/introd...d-teambhp.html

This thread is my latest story (with so many twists and turns) of how I finalised the deal on our White Toyota Liva GDSP. Welcome on board friends



August 2012 At the BIAL - yes, at the Bengaluru A I R P O R T!!?!?!?!
After 2 long years in Germany, I just arrived in BIAL on 26th (Sunday) Morning 3:30 AM (a long Qatar flight Frankfurt --> Doha --> Bangalore). Flight & its servings (not just the food) were good and on-time. Picked up my baggage (no waiting, no chalk-marks on luggage, no customs formalities - surprisingly a painless return back to India this time!

Specifically I had instructed my dad, in-laws and wife that no one is coming to "receive" me at BIAL (Bengaluru Intl Airport) this time. This has become a habit that whenever I travel, my whole family marks "Attendance" at the BIAL travelling 50+ kilometers from home, mostly un-times! Every time I request them no to come and can manage myself; no one listened though! This time I took a stubborn step that this wont happen & firmly rejected the traditional idea of "receiving" me at the airport. This time it worked, I am happy it did. period.



"Sir, I am Government Taxi (!!?!?!?) - I will take you" "Guru, eikkada banni - thumba kammi namm rateu" "Elli saar hogu baekku??" - ignoring all these I only told myself "Welcome back to India Mister_M!!" Stepped some 200 meters forward without minding any such calls, I reached the row of "Airport Taxis" where I boarded the white good-looking sedan in the lot. Surprised, it was almost brand new Etios (Mega Cabs), I remembered my latest decision about Liva. Had a friendly chat with the drived Mr. Babu, he was very much in favour of the vehicle.

At hopme, getting into action:
Reached home at 4:40 AM, hugs and blushes from Son and wife, dozed off in bed in no time. 8:30 AM, the first thing I did was to call Ravindu Toyota asking for a TD of Liva Diesel. It was a Sunday, not all of them work; 3 to 4 follow up calls from their various departments, finally Mr. Padmanabhan called me. " Sir, sorry for numerous calls from us. I am the Senior Sales Executive for you. We had an unfortunate accident with a TD vehicle in your area today morning and hence, it would not be a good idea to bring another TD vehicle on our company name there. The general public are angry - can you please come over to our showroom (Belandur)?". I replied "Boss, thanks for your calll; but I am not yet fully recovered from jet-lag and travel tiredness. Can you make it tomorrow evening?". "Sorry sir, I am on a planned leave tomorrow, kindly bear with me. I will 100% make it to you on Tuesday - whenever you say". I somehow felt he was genuine & OKed.

Time for some Flash-back:
Started thinking about how has this journey started... Around 2 years of planning, more than 20 different Test Driven cars (SUV to Sedan to Hatch to Sedan to finally a Hatch), infinite number of hours on TeamBHP & other sites, yes! I can say it is truly a journey!

It was in late 2010 while I started thinking about a second vehicle & eyed upon Bolero. I am a "Bullet kind of" person, always liked rough and tuff "Macho" stuff, Bolero was an easy choice for me. My wife was not so comfortable with the idea though.. We during a trip to India, then went to TD Xylo, Scorpio, XUV5OO, Verito - yes - all cars from Mahindra stable except Bolero. Scorpio did impress me, we didnot conclude anything though.

GTO's recommendation on used Civics / Corollas also was in my wish-list. Sincerely searched all Bangalore Auto-classifieds for more than 1.5 years, spoke with different owners/dealers, this itself will be a topic for a new thread. So, not to deviate much, I leave this topic for your imagination. (Sky rocketing quotes, so-called refurbishments, funnily made-up reasons for sale, highlighting some extra added features & stating "my car is now one segment higher", and so on. Each moment is quite enjoyable to me if I think it back)



The huge range of TDs with no specific target:
Dec 2011, it was more than a month's off for me. We all travelled back to India and I returned to Germany alone after finding my current house at HSR. My wife and son stayed back in Bangalore. Not so much later, I came back to India again on a short 2 week holiday in April 2012. This full 2 weeks went on TDs only. Range of cars tester were immense, I was unsure if I really needed a Sedan or a Hatch or a SUV. Range included Hyundai EON, i20, Skoda Rapid, VW Vento, Honda Jazz, City, Maruti Swift, Dzire, SX4, Ford Fiesta Classic, Figo, all Mahindras again and Vista Quadrajet. I went to the Nandi Toyota (Hosur Road) but the overall treatment was pathetic. Right from the security gate to their Sales executive, all of them seemed dis-interested in everything! Hastily the SE took my address & details and promised a TD of Etios to be arranged within 2 days, which never happened.

With the poor treatment at Nandi, I almost decided that I would never buy a Toyota and stopped looking at options available in it. Tata - my wife was not happy with the "taxi" image and hence ruled out (when a wife throws a point, the poor husband in most cases have no other choice than to just listen). Ford's scary A.$.$. kept it far aside from our considerations & I am not a big-time fan of Hyundai Diesels, so rejected. My known circles have never had any Chevorlet and didnot want to stay too different here. It would then be either a hit or a miss!

"No Target" situation Continues:
So final choices in May/June 2012 were Honda City, Honda Jazz, Mahindra Scorpio, Xylo, Suzuki Swift and Dzire. Honda Jazz topped this list though, awesome car it was. It was in June when the 7.5 Rupe petrol price hike drama happened. My less than 4 years old Alto has already clocked 65000+ kms and I know in this trend - Diesel must be the choice. Until now, I had no clue if I needed a Hatch / Sedan or a SUV.

"Diesel, meri pyaar" - the new Diesel Love:
I literally had to kill the "petrol-head" in me and hastily started loving the Diesels (and this is definitely not to offend other Diesel-heads here). I have driven really powerful Diesel cars in Europe and never suffered any discomfort in power or handling. In fact, I would make a preference for Diesel cars in Germany while renting as mileage is much better than Benzene & I could save some Euro cents..



With my European driving experience, I knew well that the Diesels make a lot of noise (compared to petrols). I personally have handled Diesel Audis, BMWs, Merc's, Nissans, Volvos and AlphaRomeos in Europe - most of them were noisy. I am a person who is not so keen on Music players while driving and thus cabin noise always existed on my drives. Diesel noise is something I slowly started loving, I can now hear the rhythm from the engine bay according to our throttle.

I was convinced for Nissan Sunny as this is the most VFM caaar for INR 10.1 Lacs on road in Bangalore. GTO's blue Sunny review was a motivationg point for this, I started feeling that I might possibly go for it once I am back in Bangalore. Sunny Dreams were really pleasant and I was enjoying each moment thinking / reading about this caaar.

Coming next: "The Actual Target Fixing: All that I need is a "HATCH" and it must be a Diesel!"

[Mister_M]

The Actual Target Fixing: All that I need is a "HATCH" and it must be a Diesel!
Though I questioned myself a zillion times if I needed a Hatch ? or a Sedan ? or a SUV?, I never took time to answer myself to this question! It was in July 2012 I took this plunge and started analysing options. What car do I really need??? I, me and my <3 years old Son - this is all what it is. At times, very rarely (say twice or thrice max a year) my mom & dad or my wife's mom & dad. So, the front cabin would matter the most, rear bench comfort is merely a value add. A decent Boot is required as we trip many many times. ABS is Mandatory and Airbags are a plus. I am not crazy on having loads of features in the car and hence basic equipment would suffice. Does the Boot (Dickey) of a Sedan make sense? What value does it add to me?? I felt Sedan is a strict No No for me. It must either be a good Hatch or an SUV (because I am an SUV fan and dont want to kill this love too). For time being (considering my family situations, professional developments and a few other personal considerations), all that I need is another Hatch. A Good Diesel Hatch!
2 to 3+ Lacs INR just for an additional boot is definitely not my requirement.

"Sunny is a good Diesel car, but it is not a hatch". "Jazz - it is better than any other normal Hatch, but it is not Diesel". "Swift is a good Diesel Hatch, our National Car but 6+ months is too much time to wait". Numerous thoughts on mind before I stepped into August 2012.

Just 25 days to leave to India for good, started analysing the Diesel Hatch options available. Available options (less than or around 8 lacs bracket) were Maruti Swift / Ritz, Hyundai i20, Skoda Fabia, VW Polo, Toyota Liva, Chevorlet Beat, Tata Vista, Fiat Punto, Ford Figo, Renault Pulse, Nissan Micra. Easiest step to me was to start rejecting the ones that doesn't fit my needs.

Fabia - Overall Scary "Skoda" name, no further comments;
Figo - poor rated A.$.$. & expensive maintenance;
Swift - Too many on roads, cramped rear, 6+ months waiting;
Micra - No ABS in Diesel, Braking not impressive too;
Polo - Unsure A.$.$ & little pricey for a hatch;
Vista - I liked it (VFM) & wanted to try. Wifey said a strict NO to TATA, couldnt convince her at all;
Punto - No reliable Fiat Network in place, dont want to try out with Tata (Sales to Service) for a different brand (doesn't feel at home);
Pulse - didnot like it, not our personal choice;
Liva - very basic equipment & looks little pricey.

OOPS, All options cancelled!! OOPS, OOPS, OOPS!

The Final Choices:
It is not good at all having cancelled all the available options in market, finally opened up a new thread in T-BHP with a poll on my top contenders: Figo, Vista and Liva. The Thread was deleted within 10 minutes with a Mod comment "Many similar topics already been discussed in the Forum; Please search again". Arre yaar, I have read almost all related threads (several times each) and had opened another thread just because of prolonged confusion. Nevertheless, had to respect the Forum rules & our Mod actions. Anyways, I knew by then that I had to take the plunge & make a decision.

"Figo ? Vista ? Liva?" ; "Ford? Tata? Toyota?"; Some 1000 times I would have thought about these two questions & almost each time wifey says "Dare not to go for Tatas", "Why this kolaveri di?" (this is me, only thinking - never asked her though, sssssssshhhhhhh)

So obviously my top 2 Finalists were Figo and Liva. (Tremendously happy that somehow we made it to 2 last options).

or

The Test Drives:
In April when I was on a holiday in India for a couple of weeks, I had completed a TD of various cars including my Finalist Figo. Nandi Toyota never called me back and hence I was curious this time to try the Liva first.

On Tuesday 28th Aug an apointment was fixed with the Sales Executive (Mr. Padmanabhan from Ravindu Toyota). Overall experience with him was quite good. He brought the TD vehicle ON-TIME as we had agreed upon. It was a Blue Liva GDSP with Grey-Black dual tone interiors. First impression on the car was good & neat from outside. I liked the exterior design very much than any other car in this segment. Nevertheless, Interiors could have been much better! Center console with no Head Unit, big speedo with no RPM unit, the "so-called low-cost plastics", the dash-door that opened up with a hole (from the AC Vent) and so on.

Started with my TD from my home at HSR Layout. Luckily got some good empty stretches at HSR broad roads, reached 100 once too, car felt stable and planted. Brakes - this is the most impressive part. Simply Awesome, gives ample confidence for the driver. ABS + EBD is truly a bliss for this car. Front cabin (Driver & passenger) was quite spacious and comfortable. Went straight to my Wife's office location at Domlur, the car handled city-traffic well. Zipping across was quite easy too. 170mm Ground Clearance was quite sufficient to take some bad humps / huge speed-brakers on the way. Though Height adjustable drivers seats were missing, I never felt any issues with overall visibility (I am 5.11" ft tall).

Tried the rear seat, quite spacious! 3 average sized adults can easily fit in. Decent Leg & head room, Liva had all that is needed in terms of comfort. Car drove planted on pot-holes and humps, absorbed shocks very well. Like many other cars, the standard single tone Horn was quite inefficient. It was a day time test drive, couldn't check the headlamp efficiency.

The TD lasted for almost 3 hours and we did around 35 kilometers (yes, 35!). I had a quite good feel about the car, very nice impression except the very blank center console. I am not a big fan of accessories. Still, the center console looked empty. Mr. Padmanabhan took me to a car that was fitted with a normal sony single DIN HU, Chrome grills on A/C vents, red colored gear knob and art-leather seat covers. It did look good, I understood an extra 25K minimum will mandatorily be spent on making the car look better from inside.

In mid Aug 2012, toyota has already started delivering the new Beige + black dual tone interiors. This looks way better than the gray ones. Plastics looked better than the previous version. Sorry, was not able to click pictures of this color combination. Will certainly do so once my Liva gets delivered (possibly in a couple of weeks). I remember reading in another Liva-thread where the owner personally have spent 20K extra to make a beige+black interiors. I am happy that new Liva owners will enjoy this color tone without additional expenses.

Though I have already test driven the Figo few months back, I wanted to show the car in flesh to my better-half. We did a shorter TD (12 kms) with a red Figo Titanium. Peppy to drive. The car handled well - I felt Liva was better stable. Metal sheets in Figo seemed thicker than the Liva though! Figo for almost similar pricing is filled with a lot of accessories that are missing in Liva. Starting from Driver Height adjustment, Alloy Wheels (including the spare wheel), HU with USB & Blue-tooth, Rear wipers, Antenna, Fog lamps - quite a lot of accessories thrown in! Definitely Value for Money. Liva had all four power windows while Figo has only on the front & not on the rear. We strongly felt that the comfort level was not as good as in Liva. Major reason for it being the interior spacing seemed much similar to our Alto, may be a slightly more but not impressive.

Final Decision & Booking:
It was either "VFM + Gadgets" or "Comfort (space) + Safety" selection in front of us. We chose the later, it was the Liva GDSP. Booked the car (Vermilion Red) on 29th Aug 2012 late in the evening at Ravindu toyota. They offered me a Bluish silver car which was available for a ready delivery & if I had chose that I would have escaped the ~2% price hike on Diesel cars that is now effective from 1st September. We did not like that color & preferred to wait & thus the on-road cost has already hiked about 7K INR. Again after series of discussions, we concluded to change the booking for a White color, it looked elegant than red. They have committed delivery on 17th or 18th this month. 2 more weeks, its going to be quite some time to wait. Anxious & Eager, my wait is ON for a few weeks now!!

[vasanthn21]

Congrats on booking.

Its good to know that you like Diesel Noise (That and the interior quality are probably the only negatives in Liva).

Looks are subjective, but I think Liva has the best looking rear of the current generation cars!

How about bling alloys as accessory (But I read somewhere that you have to buy the alloys from Toyota itself, else your warranty is void).

[Mister_M]

Change in Color - Choice & the PDI:

Within a week of Booking, my wife had decided against the red and chose to freeze on White. For Bangalore's standards, a white Liva could be over-looked as an Airport taxi. Nevertheless, I clearly told her not to worry of other perceptions, even a MB runs / best selling Toyota (Innova) as taxi in Bangalore. What matters most is only her choice and we froze our beauty to be a White Toyota Li8va GDSP with refreshed Griege Interiors. After changing my booking details, a delivery was promised after the vehicle reaches them on 17th Sep 2012 as per their logistic schedules, gave a "Go Ahead" and started to wait. After blocking, got to see quite some white Livas on road, liked it to the core. Come on yaar, a wife can NEVER go wrong, isn't it???


My Sales Executive Padmanabhan (and his Team Lead Ravi as well) was quite professional and flexible throughout my buying process, I rated 10/10 in their feedback forms for him during delivery. He is one chap whom I can recommend if you visit Ravindu at Belandur. Quote T-Bhp, I am sure he knows by now who we are; He will do the best for you for sure!


The vehicle arrived on 17th late in the evening to their yard, where thy said a PDI is not allowed. It has to reach their showroom for PDI (which was not usual too). I insisted on a PDI before I could say a "Go Go" for Registration. 19th being a Ganesha Chathurthi, PDI was planned for 21st Sep. I took a day's off for 21st and started from my home with my Alto LXI at 8:30 AM. Picked up Padmanabhan from their showroom at 9:00 AM sharp as planned and we reached their Head Quarters (Rajaji Nagar - opp to Iskon temple) at 10:15 AM; Thanks to Bangalore traffic and I still was driving an A/C petrol car!

TD vehicle arrived at 10:30. It was a love at first sight. Asked the driver to go for a coffee break if he wishes and it might take some 30 mins minimum. "30 minutes aa, sir..." he was biting Padmanabhan's ears. I gently ignored it and started with my PDI process and took many initial pictures. Padmanabhan somehow convinced the driver and both were strangely looking at me moon-walking around the car some hundred times. Took several pictures during the PDI. I had printed our PDI checklist and went through each point patiently.

First notice was the car shoes, it was an MRF stocks (I only had prayed it should not be an Appollo one). Tyre manufacture date was decoded, latest ones (including the spare tyre). Panel gaps were present but uniform. ODO read 007 kilometers, ticked. Decoded the VIN, it was a September manufactured car, very very fresh! On the Chassis sticker, I found the car was manufactured on 11th Sep 2012 and I was doing a PDI on 21st. Barely a 10 days old car, quite satisfied! Interiors were crystal clean, Cabins, rear, Boot and the Bonnet - everywhere. Checked. All electricals were good, A/C, indicators, Horns and all other displays. A/C was top notch, it is a chiller. Head lamps (high & low), brake lights, cabin lights, all were doing their job. Didnot want to take chance of testing the single wiper as it was slightly dusty (from the yard). I was confident on it though.

After 40 minutes (10 minutes over-shot from my scheduled time), handed over the keys to the driver who was waiting to fly off. I was perfectly satisfied and gave a green signal to Padmanabhan. He took me to their insurance desk where a young & charming young girl explained me their offers available. I don't remember her name though (is it really that important guys?? ). Toyota had direct tie-up (with cashless facilities) with 4 companies including Clolamandalam and icici. Other possible companies were bajaj, Bharati AXA, United, and so on. Their direct tie-up costed 23k+ including AddOn (AddOn = Bumper to Bumper). Others were some 21K. I had inquired at local market where the quote ranged between INR 18.5K to 22K. When I quoted that, she sweetly said "No sir, these are company fixed / pre-negotiated prices, nothing more is possible". After some haggling, she dialed to a couple of guys and said that the Toyota tied-up ones can be reduced by 2K and the United India alone can be brought to 19.7K. This is the max possible and not offered in general. I chose to stick with their tied-up Chola MS with a bumper to bumper cover.


The Delivery:

After my PDI, handed over all documents & finished all formalities on the same day. I had bought the Pioneer 2490BT from JC road and given to Toyota for a fitment too. The dealers called me on Saturday (22nd Sep) and offered me a number series (1 to 30). If I choose one from the lot, it would cost me 4K. Else, free number, it might be any one from that 30. I chose one in that lot (better than ending up with a number that totals to 8, I am a little considerate with these small superstitions).

Monday (24th Sep 2012) we reached the showroom at 4:00 PM, our white beauty was standing proudly at their delivery yard. We all were quite happy with the whole procedure, at 4:45 PM the branch Head was called for a key hand-over after a detailed briefing. A "Welcome Kit" with Liva cap, water bottle, home-made chocolates and Ravindu bag for manuals was handed over too. After formalities, they handed over an instant photo of our car delivery. Happy moments, thanks Toyota & Ravindu. We drove straight for a Pooja and headed home happily.

External Fitments Till Date:

Very next day, took it to HSR 3M. Experiences with Sidhu were excellent as many have discussed earlier. This man is quite a good chap! Will post about this experience on 3M HSR thread in detail.

The next day took the car for interior fitments with Pensee Leathers (again as discussed in TeamBHP). Owner of this firm Sathish gave me excellent offers (I felt this is quite VFM when compared to Karlsons). Both these gentlemen recognize TeamBHP quite well and treatment for BHPians was brilliant. Will post more on Pensee fitments on their related thread.

Regarding the Security Alarm systems, I had done several analysis with different dealerships. Most of them preferred to go with a company fitment for a Toyota Liva than an Aftyermarket as they would have to cut a few wires (including Autocop). The Toyota Security system was quoted around 7000 INR including Fitting charges with no up-modulator (3000 INR separate for this unit as per their first quote). After talking to their Accessories Manager and a couple of Approvals, they agreed for Toyota Genuine Security System + Autocop Up-Modulator (this closes the windows automatically when locked with remote) for INR 7500 including fitment.

Delivery and initial Ownership experience:
My "+" Bullet points:
* 5 well-built adults can easily be accommodated (even for long drives) with fairly good amount of luggage at the boot.
* Top-Notch Braking! Best in class I must say. This is definitely a safe car.
* A/C is a Chiller. I never had a chance to increase A/C more than 2 (it is 1 at most times).
* Steering wheels are fleshy, gives good confidence while in bumper to bumper traffic. (Highways - yet to be tested).
* Good Ground Clearance, not touched any bumps yet. Overall visibility is excellent too.
* Really lengthy ranged 2nd and 3rd gears: Converts to easy driveability in Bangalore's traffic. Good job Toyota!
* Comfortable ride at bumpy roads, easily absorbs shocks & runs with ease on driveable potholes.

My "-" Bullet points:
* Tachometer is barely missed out from this car, especially being a Diesel (even on top-end). Bad!
* Though I am getting adjusted to it, driver height adjustable seats would have been a bliss.
* Noise levels (even after 3M underbody coating) are high. I knew it before buying, so no issues though!
* Poor OE Horn. Definitely needs a replacement.
* Only one (again not embedded in the key) remote for locks. If this unit is damaged / lost, it would take 4 months to receive a replacement from Toyota!
* Lot of dust gets collected at the door-gaps and Boot-door gaps. Never seen such huge dust collection in my old Alto at least!

Overall, a "To-the-point" & excellent VFM car from Toyota Stable (better than Etios in my view).


My Other Experiences & points regarding the car till now:

- I have driven around 230 kms as of now. Yet to figure out how thirsty the car is, will update you shortly.

- Usage pattern : ~ 10 kms daily commute to office and ~ 800 - 1000 kilometers per month on highway drives (estimated based on my experience with our old Alto LXI).

- Comments on the exterior styling & design: Rear design (both exterior and interiors) are excellent. Thoroughly refreshing. Front design is a regular Toyota & nothing very special though.

- Overall build quality and fit & finish: Metal sheets used may seem thin, but doesnot end-up giving an "unsafe" feeling.

- Interior design & quality: Latest Beige interiors are pretty neat, I feel the older complaints about interior plastics must start vanishing with this current material. My family liked this new setup when compared to the old gray-black shades.

- Interior space and comfort: Very spacious car that easily accomodates 5 average built adults. Strictly no compromise on comfort levels to any passenger. A/C is a chiller, I never had to raise it more than 2 from the time of delivery. Must test it in summers though.

- Engine performance & driveability in the city: I am contended with its drivability, Ground Clearance and power during my daily city commute (Bangalore bumper-to-bumper conditions). 1st gear is a little too short - I felt though! 2nd and the 2rd gears are a bliss in this car, their genorously long ranges will surely deliver effortless driving pleasure & better mileage in city traffic.

- Engine performance & driveability on the highway - Can comment on this by next month after our first monthly long drive and 1st free service.

- Overall opinion on the engine: Engine is well refined and I felt no turbo-lag. Noise levels are little higher than the other competitor cars in this segment. I knew this well before booking, so no issues on this point. I kind-of started loving this Diesel roar now. (Might be - I am just getting addicted to it).

- Fuel efficiency : Cannot comment on it now. I would expect an average of 19 to 20 (city + highway combined) though. Well, I shall keep you all informed on this point.

- Steering is muscular and fleshy. Gives a confident feel when you hold it (If my remembering is right, the Mini Cooper's steering wheels are quite similar to these). I have got the leather steering grips stitched around, this has multiplied the joy of driving now.

- Few additional likes: Front 4 speakers that come from OE fitment are really adequate for a layman like me (with no special interest in Jazz, Beats, Rocks, etc...). When I play Tom&Jerry for my Son on the Pioneed 2490BT HU, these speakers are quite fine. Same case when I receive calls on BlueTooth too. No complaints on them.

- Few dislikes: Headlamps seem to be doing their duty in city, I heavily doubt now if these are sufficient in highways. Got to try them this month-end. Horn sound is severely inadequate, definitely needs upgrade.

I am attaching a few PDI pictures for your viewing pleasure.
Cheers!!

[Mister_M]

Total cost paid and the Deal:

Vehicle + tax + insurance on road: 742000 (Quoted: 749000)
Roof Spoilers: 10000
Fog Lamps: 5000 (Free)
Gear Knob (Silver): 800 (Free)
Floor Mats, Mud Flaps, Dicky mats: 2000 (Free)
Double DIN touch screen (Pioneer 2490BT): 19300 (Reliance Autoshop price: 24800)
Roots Horn: 550
Chrome inserts in AC Vents: 2500
Registration number charges (for a selection in a given series of 30 numbers): 4000
3M Paint Sealant + underbody coating: 6950
Automotive grade car seats + leather door trims + Leather stearing cover + leather gear knob (from Pensee Leathers): 10200 (Initial Quote: 13200)

Toyota Security Alarm system + Autocop Scorpio "Up-Modulator" (yet to be fixed this week): 7500 (Initial Quote: 9750)
Tips and other fitting charges: 700

Overall Total worth: INR 8,29,250
Actual - Paid Cost: INR 8,03,000
Net Savings worth by Haggling: INR 26,250 (It is actually some thousands more, not mentioning those points as requested by respective dealers as it would eat up their margins).


My humble compare-chart between Liva GDSP Vs SWIFT ZDI:

Total cost that I have spent in total is 8.03 Lacs (I have reserved some more offers here based on some dealer's request, can be shared on request through a PM) when compared to 8.6 Lacs on road for a Swift ZDI. (Nett: I have ended up spending some 60K INR lesser than a Swift ZDI after my customizations). Both these cars have ABS & Airbags and one lesser variant Swift VDI doesnot have ABS / Airbag. This was basically the calculation I had made while finalising Liva deal and seems quite VFM to me. This is definitely not to provoke any Swift owners out there, opinions do differ. This is just my car's buying experience and genuinely my personal opinion.
If this chart would help any single prospective buyer, I am contended.

What is there in Swift ZDI & not in my Liva:
1. Driver Height adjustable seats
2. Rear Wipers
3. Old-style Maruti Music system with BlueTooth & USB
4. Alloy Wheels
5. Full Black interiors
6. "S" Badge, Japanese reliability

What is there in in my Liva & not in Swift ZDI:
1. Around 80 Liters of extra boot space
2. Modern Double DIN Pioneer Touch screen with BlueTooth & USB
3. Automotive grade art-leather + genuine leather fitments at my choice (This would be additional cost in Swift)
4. Much better rear-seat comfort
5. Biege + Black dual tone interiors
6. "T" badge, again Japanese reliability.

I am still not sure if the Theft Alarm system + Up-Modulators are available with Swift ZDI. If not, savings / VFM quotient still increases. When I enquired a couple, of Maruti dealers at bangalore, 6+months waiting period was mentioned ("+" is still a wild card ) while I got my Liva within 20 days of booking. If I had compromised on color, ready-delivery was available too.

As an Alto owner, I had no issues with Maruti all these years. But Toyota seemed to be a real upgrade to us than going for another Maruti / even Ford. Even twhen I compare a Maruti shop & Toyota shop, I can feel the difference in "premium" treatment which is better with Toyota. I am now a proud owner of a "Toyota" product (definitely a better brand in India in Premium segment) and I am quite happy with this decision.

I certainly am fully satisfied with this buy and feel proud while on road with my Liva. My wife and son love this car too. Dad was taken with its space and comfort. Overall, a truly practical choice for my family. I will certainly recommend this car over its competition (Swift, Figo & Vista). In my view-point, Liva GDSP is the best VFM (and premium) Diesel Hatch available as on date in India. If you ask petrol, my vote will be for a Honda Jazz, no second thought.

In around 1 week of initial ownership, the car has been driven only for some 150 + kilometers. I shall post more on how it felt a little while later. Looking forward for numerous miles with smiles ahead.

I already have a reliable young boy for maintaining my car. Bought the Jopasu duster, Formula1 wax & car polish, Sonax body Shampoo & a few micro-fiber cloths and put them on duty for the car to be maintained pristine. It is definitely a pleasure to drive a white car really white and shiny.

I am planning for a photo-session with all the add-on features this weekend & shall attach them for your viewing pleasure shortly. Kindly excuse the delay, I am just being a little relaxed after this long process!

Cheers!!

[suhaas307]

Note From Team-BHP Support-Staff: Thread moved from Assembly Line to Test-Drives & Initial Ownership Reports section. Thanks for sharing and congratulations on your latest acquisition!

[parsh]

Loved your unbiased detailed review with many finer points and fine comparison amongst the competition arriving at your final selection. Should be great reference point for many looking for one in this competition.

The Up-Modulator for windows is an add-on by Autocop, isn't it? Any idea how much it costs alone. I am thinking of fitting it in our Etios. The only drawback I see with it is if you want to keep it locked but with the windows partially open, in front of your eyes only, especially in hot days when you want to keep it open for ventilation. Otherwise, it is a great feature.

[the-rare-one]

Wow: you got good discounts there. I got hardly anything in comparison :(

Very unbiased and to the point review.

It is a definately under estimated car. I am loving every moment with it (just about 800 kms on the ODO) since the day one.

[nkrishnap]

Congrats on getting the Liva home. Enjoy many more happy miles with the car.

Somehow feel the prices quited for the Chrome AC vents, Spoiler and the Gearknob is quite high. Chrome vents come for 1300, Spoiler around 8000 including paiting, Gearknob around 500.

Since you got quite a good overall discount, seems this can be brushed aside.

[Mister_M]

Originally Posted by parsh

Loved your unbiased detailed review with many finer points and fine comparison amongst the competition arriving at your final selection. Should be great reference point for many looking for one in this competition.

The Up-Modulator for windows is an add-on by Autocop, isn't it? Any idea how much it costs alone. I am thinking of fitting it in our Etios. The only drawback I see with it is if you want to keep it locked but with the windows partially open, in front of your eyes only, especially in hot days when you want to keep it open for ventilation. Otherwise, it is a great feature.

Thanks Parsh. Hope to see some good Liva numbers soon, not just because I own one now - this car deserves it truly! And Yes, the Up-Modulator is from Autocop. I had enquired it from outside market, you can get it between 1500 to 2000 INR (depending on the dealer and with bill/without bill options). I did it through the toyota dealership directly so as to ensure I dont lose out on warrany. TVSS (Toyota Genuine accessory) + Autocop Scorpio (Up-Modulator) costed me 7500 INR after negotiations.

Originally Posted by the-rare-one

Wow: you got good discounts there. I got hardly anything in comparison :(

Very unbiased and to the point review.

It is a definately under estimated car. I am loving every moment with it (just about 800 kms on the ODO) since the day one.

Thank you rare-one. You are right, people easily under-estimate this car thinking it to be a "cheaper toyota product" - just like how I thought before. One must look at this in flesh to understand what we, as Liva owners are talking about today! And I am just reading through your thread - interesting story too! Happy to find a companion for this White GDSP Liva in the forum

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

Congrats on getting the Liva home. Enjoy many more happy miles with the car.

Somehow feel the prices quited for the Chrome AC vents, Spoiler and the Gearknob is quite high. Chrome vents come for 1300, Spoiler around 8000 including paiting, Gearknob around 500.

Since you got quite a good overall discount, seems this can be brushed aside.

Thanks for this input on pricing Krishna. I had cross-checked the chrome-insert pricing with the Accessories team at Ravindu. He says that there are 2 grades of it available - one which is a Toyota Genuine accessory (2500 INR) and the other from local Aftermarket (1300 INR). Nevertheless, as you said - I didnot actually deep-drill on this as I knew I have haggled quite high with them and they have to breath at some areas like these to tally their numbers.

Originally Posted by vasanthn21

Congrats on booking.

Its good to know that you like Diesel Noise (That and the interior quality are probably the only negatives in Liva).

Looks are subjective, but I think Liva has the best looking rear of the current generation cars!

How about bling alloys as accessory (But I read somewhere that you have to buy the alloys from Toyota itself, else your warranty is void).

Thanks Vasanth. Yes, I love the rear design of the Liva too, it is simply elegant. Front looks are quite regular though! And - I have decided not to go for Alloys as of now - the car looks decent with the Spoiler & Fog-lamp addition. Might be - I would have to think of Alloys after a year or so after loosening up mu pocket a liitle bit

Cheers!!

[nkrishnap]

The dealership has fed you some false information. I picked it that parts up with specific part numbers. Let me see if I can fetch that.

Since the discounts were anyways given, it does not matter now.

[Mister_M]

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

The dealership has fed you some false information. I picked it that parts up with specific part numbers. Let me see if I can fetch that.

Since the discounts were anyways given, it does not matter now.

In this case Kirishna, I shall re-check with their higher ups regarding the same and post an update on this shortly (at least for the Chrome inserts - which I got done just while delivery - paying it totally extra). Lets see how they take it ahead. Thank you again.

I see in your signature that you already have sold your Liva G-SP, may I ask why was it sold too young?

Cheers!!

[srinath34]

Congrats Mister M on your Liva. Looks like a seth (no offence please) in white colour.

Could you post pics of the interiors after the chrome inserts and the 2DIN music system.

Wish you long miles ahead and please keep this ownership thread alive.

Cheers

[nkrishnap]

Originally Posted by Mister_M

In this case Kirishna, I shall re-check with their higher ups regarding the same and post an update on this shortly (at least for the Chrome inserts - which I got done just while delivery - paying it totally extra). Lets see how they take it ahead. Thank you again.

I see in your signature that you already have sold your Liva G-SP, may I ask why was it sold too young?

Cheers!!

I had to sell the Liva after I fell in love with Linea . The link to my new car thread is here.

PS: Liva was doing perfectly well. But thanks to the increasing running per month and the steep petrol price ensure I had to switch to a diesel one.

[Mister_M]

Originally Posted by srinath34

...

Could you post pics of the interiors after the chrome inserts and the 2DIN music system.

Wish you long miles ahead and please keep this ownership thread alive.

Cheers

Thanks Srinath, I shall post some detailed pictures tomorrow after my car-wash boy gives the Liva a Shampoo wash & DIY Wax treatment in the morning Sure, I shall try my best to keep this thread alive with interesting facts and figures as it progresses.

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

I had to sell the Liva after I fell in love with Linea . The link to my new car thread is here.

PS: Liva was doing perfectly well. But thanks to the increasing running per month and the steep petrol price ensure I had to switch to a diesel one.

I now remember your Liva story Krishna, in fact I have read it a few times and it also had helped me in my decision process. I didnot remember who posted it though . Hope you are having a fantastic time with your Linea, majaa maadi guru!!