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BHPian adneeraj recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Beyond a certain point in life, buying a new car isn't as much a "need-based" decision. You just fancy something for so long that you give in to you're wants at some point. Of course, other things permitting.
Enough of drooling, I want my own... that's what you say.
And there's always some trigger. Mine was a relative booking a new Skoda Kushaq. Not just for this plain reason. My wife and I were having a casual discussion over a coffee when she said "You just keep saying you'd buy a good one. This guy went ahead and got one already. In fact, he's changed 3 cars while you've owned One."
Wasn't really triggering, but got me thinking:
I had got the Fiesta Classic for:
The Fiesta wasn't at all a bad car. It hadn't given up on me even once. We only had wonderful memories with this car. But lack of power, NVH, space and comfort were the popping factors when it came to long distance drives. I tried to overcome the power factor by adding a RaceDynamics box but it developed an injector issue - quite possibly a software issue because when I removed the box, the car ran without any issues for another (last) 20k kms of my ownership. But I never bothered to follow up with RD team on this.
It wasn't really a comfortable car to do cross country - and we had done a couple of trips to Gujarat and MP within a span of 4 months that emphasized on this.
Memories rushed in - the moment when I decided to go for the Fiesta (Classic) even when I knew it was to be discontinued within a year in 2014. I'd still rate it as the only car (going out on a limb here) to give a 3 series level handling this side of Rs 10 lakhs.
My work profile and then the pandemic put serious brakes on the way the Fiesta could gather miles. It had covered only 61k kms in my total 7 years of ownership. SHAME!
But, I was able to take this car to some great trips - did Pune-Ooty, Goa (4 times in 4 years), Dandeli, Gujarat, MP and not to mention a few trips around Pune within MH. Wonderful memories. I only realized compiling this thread that I do not click a lot of pictures of my car.
Here are a few I managed to pick from my timeline for a collage.
The Hunt:
The casual discussion had me looking at the Kushaq the very next day at a Skoda showroom. It was launched not many days ago. Courteous staff, readily showed me the vehicle, offered a test drive - I wasn't impressed on multiple levels. The quality of plastics used to start with, the power available on offer AND the dismal FE it demonstrated when I drove it a bit spirited on the highway. It gave me a scare considering current petrol prices. I was fine with the size. Price to size is not a concern for me and I don't really believe in that. After a thorough inspection, I had decided that it wasn't the car for me. It didn't excite me. Also, the lack of 6 airbags on the auto variant was a bummer.
I have a Sales Rep from VW who's been a good friend since 2016 when I had booked (and canceled the Polo TSI). Rung him up to get an idea on the Taigun and how it fares with the Kushaq. Taigun wasn't launched then.
But he had driven the car and told me it is "not the VW levels of quality we've come to know". I was really put off.
I checked a Honda City, Verna as well but they didn't make sense at all. Honda seemed to have skimmed on quality big time. Skinny tires, flimsy sheet metal were major put offs. Verna felt tad better in comparison. But, there wasn't much sense in getting another sedan in almost the same category. The Civic wasn't available anymore.
Shortlisted cars and why they were rejected
Note that all these cars were available in my budget in the mid-spec variant and not the top of the line. Hence, even more underwhelming.
I realized that I needed a good upgrade. A few cars that I've listed were in the ~10-12 lakhs category about a decade ago. seems like 20 lakhs is the new 10 lakhs.
The only cars that I was excited by looking/driving were some expensive (relative here) ones like the Octavia, Superb, Karoq, TROC, Jeep Compass.
Given we had just got a house less than a year ago and had blown a sizeable amount on interiors, my wallet was already bruised. I knew a budget north of 15 lacs would just not be possible. I had a choice - shelve plans of buying a new car OR check out the used car market.
That's when I casually started surfing used car websites just to see what 15 lacs can get me. It is crazy out there if you haven't decided what you want.
I saw everything from a used Brezza that had less than 7k on the odo, a mint condition Ecosport with about 12k on the odo, a few Dusters with decent mileage, 1st gen Creta (the facelifts were hard to come by really), VW Vento, Jetta, Octavia, Honda City, Verna AND then, some Merc A, B class, BMW X1 (pre-facelift), Audi Q3 from 2013-14, a Volvo D40, and the list can go on - you get the drift - basically every car in varying age and mileage was there for the taking with that money!
My shortlisted preowned cars. You can see how the choices tilt towards the Germans.
Having a Hyundai already at home, I wasn't too keen on getting another. Hence, the Tucson was ruled out.
Another coffee table discussion and we agreed we needed a car with higher GC. Bad roads were quite a deterrent and we have plenty around Pune. The Fiesta scraped it's mud flaps with average load at the society entrance gate bump! This is the usual (slightly plump) black yellow fabricated ones. Bad roads unsettled the car way too easily and the 14" did not help much.
I remembered how I had taken a Jeep Compass test drive the week it was launched in 2017 and I was hooked. Did not feel the need to change then as the Fiesta was only 4 years old then AND the Compass was a little too expensive for me at that time - it was this time as well. LOL!
Not that I did not try to scout for the other cars listed, but a test drive in a Compass that I checked in Pune again reminded me that I wouldn't want to go for a sedan this time. The Octavia and the Jetta were immediately out of race.
Some quick searches for Pune region listed some 7-8 examples of Jeep Compass. Most of them Longitude/Longitude (O) 4x2.
I checked 3 of them that fulfilled the age-kms-condition criteria and came back disappointed - main reasons being the condition they were in, the odo reading and the asking price did not really match up. Abused and unattended in my standards.
That's when I decided to check around Pune. Narrowed down on 2 Compass' on offer in Mumbai region - both Limited, one 4x4. They were available at a dealer and the asking price was decent. Both cars looked in great nick. NIL to no body damages, full service history available. Another huge plus was that it had license plates from my RTO. It was a leasing company owned car and was maintained really well. Its service history detail was accurate as I cross verified it with the dealership in my city.
After much deliberation with myself, I decided to go take a look. A quick ~2 hour drive to Mumbai from Pune in rains (bliss!) and I was looking at the shortlisted cars. Not to mention the fun I had in the Fiesta enroute.
The Test Drive:
The 4x4 ticked all the right boxes, budget mainly. The other was a Limited Plus - relatively newer, lesser kms on the odo and the asking price was about 3 lacs above what I could afford - had to let that thought go.
Drove the 4x4 for about 20 odd kms and was happy with the way it drove. No funny things noticed right away. That said, the car was out of warranty and I requested the dealer to send the car to Landmark Jeep for a thorough inspection that I would pay for.
Dealer agreed and the car was sent to the service center. I had coordinated with the service center guys to get the first hand report to me - stressing on any expected upcoming expenditure. I had already made it clear to the dealer that I will walk away from the car if there was a looming expense like a clutch/high pressure pump. OR that the dealer negotiate the price accordingly.
Landmark Jeep green signalled the car confirming it was in top shape with no work needed. The dealer agreed to do a full 4th year service as it was anyway due. The cabin air filter and brake fluid changes were not done as the car had done a mid-schedule run to the service station for change of tires and brake pad when this was done.
The dealer offered to exchange the Fiesta with him and offered me a competitive market price for my lovingly maintained car. I was getting about 10k more with a certain online portal but I decided against it. For one, it saved me the hassle of finding a ride to Mumbai. Taking an Ola/Uber was ruled out considering the pandemic. The other factor going for this same dealer was that he was ready to set off the price against the Compass - that brought down my immediate outflow.
I asked the dealer for a week to arrange the funds, shook hands and I enjoyed the drive back from Mumbai with a hot tea break after Khalapur toll. I still wasn't sure I wanted to get a used car. Was smitten by the Compass though.
Dilemma:
I had put up a thread requesting feedback as I really thought 15 lacs was big money to plonk on something out of warranty considering there were new cars available - none of them pulling a string in my heart. Got a 60-40 result in favor of the Compass.
Interestingly, another thread has a favor ratio of 78-22 for the Compass! I wonder if the voter population overlapped on this one. Results were quite drastic for a similar question a few months apart.
Resolution:
Deliberation with friends and the inputs received, it was clear to me that I shouldn't spend money on something I won't like.
Fiesta was a heart over head decision and that didn't go wrong! I was getting this very Jeep Compass.
Wife wasn't happy and convinced getting a used car. But she supported and asked me to go with the purchase if I was sure.
Don't we all love it when things fall in place? I got the funds arranged, gave a call to the dealer, fixed a date for exchange. Carried all documents as per our checklist for buying and selling - who knew I'd do both in the same transaction!
I spotted a Jeep Compass in my RVM enroute Mumbai. What a coincidence. You actually start looking for relation in otherwise unrelated things in such circumstances.
The Compass was home!
A few shots of the Compass - these are not edited! It stands at 3 years - 56200 kms on the odo on the day I got her.
I realized this was my second American brand after the Ford only when a friend pointed it out.
4x4 comes as a bonus. I haven't got a chance to engage this yet. I plan to join the jeep forums and get involved whenever I can. Son showing interest in driving (he's just 6 and half), I can take him along for him to explore.
Doors open wide. Ingress is okay for most. Doesn't have a step to hop in like the MUVs/LoF SUVs.
Rear AC vents are decent. the USB port here attaches to the HU. 2 phones cannot be connected simultaneously though.
More than sufficient leg room in the rear. Under-thigh support is good. 5th occupant can only be a kid. 3 adults are not happy over longer durations. Why do I care!!
Good overall visibility. You're set high up. It is a different feeling coming to this view from a sedan. You can see far and long.
Functional dashboard. Nothing overwhelming in design. But there are plenty of soft touch materials used that make the car "feel" its price. The quality of the hard materials are good too.
The HU is smaller than what I would have expected. I will check at the service center if the 8" HU from the Limited Plus is a direct fit.
I liked that the glove box has a soft-open effect and does not just drop down when opened. Space inside is average. Fiesta was able to swallow 4 pairs of sunglasses with its cases, car documentation, paper tissues box and hold my phone when connected to carplay - and still have space for a small pack of chips. This can do half of it.
Good width seats, finding a comfortable position is quite easy. This seat has a pressure sensor that rings the seatbelt reminder. I don't have to be the villain asking to belt up now
My son was as excited while checking out this Compass as he was sad letting the Fiesta go. He actually cried for a few minutes on the way back home.
Good bye to the Fiesta. It was a sad feeling indeed.
The drive back home was overwhelming - the power on tap, the "different" driving dynamics and a weird but satisfying feeling of having owned a car that was at least 2 segments above my Fiesta.
The drive until Lonavala was spent getting used to the car. But I thoroughly enjoyed the car later after that. Parents were actually delighted to see a preowned car maintained this well and was all smiles - they only knew I was getting one.
I'm still coming to terms and acceptance that I've got the car. Guess it would take a while to sink in. But I'm okay with that. I'm in no hurry.
My Driving Experience:
What I absolutely loved:
A few niggles/shortcomings observed:
Things I got done post ownership:
3M Germkleen plus package.
Foam-washed and UV coating done. I thought it would be prudent to get exterior detailing done only after the rains - the mud and constant cleaning by the regular guy will degrade the detailing in no time. Planned that for Oct/Nov timeframe.
Osram DHB3 Xenons and Philips Xtreme Vision G-force. I decided to go for the 35w 4200k xenon. The original fog lamps had a more yellow tinge. Decided to swap those for the Xtreme Visions too. They work well as a team as you can see in the following pic.
Interestingly, the original ones were Philips too.
We visited a place called Chalkewadi near Satara city over the weekend where there's a windmill farm. It was overwhelming to see that. A larger than life setup of a windmill gives you the perspective of how insignificant a man is in size and at the same time exhibits man's prowess.
A random click at the windmills. The clouds were engulfing the place and it was absolutely impossible to see beyond 10 feet in a matter of a few seconds after I clicked this.
The headlamp switch effect was quite drastic and I must say, in time for my trip to Satara to the Chalkewadi windmills. take a look at the lights in action. It was a boon on the dark roads back to the Satara city after our visit.
A few changes planned:
How I plan to use it:
Upcoming trips:
I keep saying I'd buy a German some day, but it is hard to ignore the Americans.
Hope this car satiates my hunger for power, comfort and tour-ability for the next few years to come.
Cheers to the new member in the garage.
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