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Originally Posted by Reinhard Hey Melvyn, wonder how I missed your post earlier. Very neat and informative report indeed. Speaks a lot of precise details and facts. Definitely helpful for prospective buyers. I wish dealership guys also read TBHP and learn where they are messing it up. Congratulations on an excellent car. Nice pictures. Wishing you & your family unlimited happy miles with your i10. Keep the updates and pictures coming... |
Thanks, Reinhard, for your comments. When I began scribbling the review, I did not realize that I would end up with over 7,200 words spread across 11 A4 pages.
The journey (experience of shortlisting a car) was as rewarding as the destination (experience of purchasing the I10). The different test drives not only gave me knowledge of the vehicle, but more importantly, it offered me valuable clues about the dealer. Buying a car is one challenge, owning and maintaining it is another. I have always believed that a dealer can make or break a vehicle.
For example, one Tata dealer at Panjim did not even have diesel on its test drive vehicle. The other Tata dealer at Verna offered me a test drive on a brand new vehicle that was to be delivered to a customer. If these Tata dealers do not have the will (or money) to have a demo car ready at all times, how are they expected to earn the confidence of a potential customer?
Another valuable lesson I learned was this: It is immensely beneficial to do your own research on a car. Most sales executives in almost all of the different car dealers that we visited here in Goa had limited knowledge of the car in their own showroom. Some openly (and sheepishly) admitted that they were unaware of certain features of a car, until I brought it to their notice. A few others tried to claim non-existent features on a particular variant, till we exposed them by proving them wrong.
In one such case, a Ford sales executive was unaware that Ford did not have dealers in many parts of Karnataka, until I told him so. I even advised him to check out his own website for details. Another sales person at a Hyundai dealer was unaware of identifying a vehicle and period of manufacture on the basis of the VIN number. I happened to download the VIN identification chart of the I10 from a thread on this forum. When I succeeded in identifying the details of the I10 on the basis of the VIN, the sales person was impressed with this knowledge and quickly asked me if she could make a photocopy of the VIN identification chart for her reference.
Though (as mentioned in my opening post) I'm not familiar about technical/mechanical aspects of a car, I ended up educating many sales executives on the cars in their own showroom, thanks largely to the wealth of information that I collected from team-bhp.com. I had advised many of these sales executives to become members of team-bhp.com or at least visit the website as guests, so that they can enhance their knowledge of the cars they plan to sell to their customers.
I am glad that we could test drive different cars for about 2 weeks before we eventually decided on the I10. Many may not have the luxury, time or inclination to do so and may end up making a quick (and perhaps, hasty) decision. I believe it is always good to have a list of cars that you would like to consider and then eliminate them till you have two main candidates. These two cars should then be put through various checks and parameters that you have in mind, until one car emerges as the winner.
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Originally Posted by carZest hi melvyn, an excellent write-up. very balanced! usually FE increases a wee bit after the 1st/2nd service. Would be interesting to see if you actually hit 20 kmpl that will make it an "i10-20"!!
enjoy the ride and drive safe. |
Thanks, carZest, for your comments. It would certainly be interesting (and delightful) to touch the 20 kmpl mark on my I10. I mean, I could technically attain that figure if I were to cruise on a highway at 60 kmph on the fifth gear. But then, much of my driving is in mixed conditions here in Goa. You can get busy traffic within Panjim and Margao as well as scanty traffic between these two cities. My average kmpl reading is on the basis of all kinds of driving conditions within a given 300-500 km period.