Hi Friends,
Here the ownership review of my Tata Nano 2012, which I owned since 16-March-2013. Happy Birthday to my Nano!!!
View attachment 129317
Decision making
Requirements in a car:
1.
Price should be low
2. Should be comfortable for 6" tall person(s) to sit comfortably
3. Good AC
4. Music system (even basic version is fine)
5. Comfortable to get in-and-out (I am quite bulky)
6. Car to protect me from all weathers
With the above requirements, especially "low price" being the prime factor, I did not ever think of any car beyond the Tata Nano. Since it is the first car I am driving, I had no yardstick to compare in terms of driving experience, road handling capacity, city and highway driving experience or any other factor. Of course, looks wise, I would have preferred a bigger car like the Storme or something else :)
Additional factors weighing in favor of Nano
1. With the price as one of the main criterion for me, I was never thinking of any big cars or with too many great features like air-bags, ABS, etc. Although they are very important, I wanted a car to start with.
2. I always felt cramped sitting in a Alto, or other similar cars. Santro was comfortable, but, it was not in my budget. With Nano, the seating was comfortable for me. Since I like sitting in upright positions rather than on bean-bags, etc, I liked the seating in the Nano.
3. I was a passenger in a Nano for over 500 km in my uncle's car. It was never difficult for me to get in-and-out. There was enough leg room in the car, even when I sat in the back seats. He would speed up to 100+ to show that Nano is capable of moving at such high speeds without any problem. Of course, I did not have a wow feeling that we have on sitting in premier cars which have excellent audio systems or several features. That drive gave further confidence in terms of sitting in the car for long duration and not getting any back aches, etc.
4. I never imagined me taking Nano beyond Bangalore city, so, with the good FE, driving such a car in city meant economical to me
5. There was a special edition Nano which offered alloys, music system with two speakers, two glove boxes and decals - all worth Rs.25000 being offered for free, and sounded attractive
What weighed against Nano
1. My family members - "Buy a car, not a Nano", is what they fumed at me - I explained to them that I am looking for a very basic car for a few years, and subsequently when I become better in driving, I can always buy a bigger car. They were not even ready to come for test drives. However, in the end, after a few drives, and a lot of persuasion, they said OK for the Nano.
2. Resale value - this was one of the big negative that was projected at me. Many recommended a second hand car Swift or Wagon-R, as the resale value will be higher and they are "real" cars, etc.
=> Since I wanted a new car and not a used car, I stuck to a new Nano. Additionally, I noted that I would have to spend nearly Rs.3+ lakhs on a used car that will be in good condition and large enough for me. Additionally, I might have to shell out for insurance, tyres, battery, etc. So, decided to go for a first hand car only.
=> Secondly, in my family, we generally do not change stuff on a regular basis. We try to get things repaired and keep running/using them a very long time. So, I am sure the Nano will be there with me for a long-long time
Color choice - I wanted to take a light color as the visibility will always be better even under poor lighting conditions. I assumed that Mojito Green will look different from the more common Papaya Orange and Yellow nanos. However, I noticed that the Green color fades after long term use (I saw similar Green colored cars from other brands looking absolutely dull after few years). Secondly, under similar lighting conditions, the visibility of white was far better than any other shade. So, decided to book a Pearl White Tata Nano 2012 - Special Edition.
Having decided to go for Tata Nano - 2012, special edition, the first task was done.
Dealership experience
I approached KHT motors in Indiranagar on 2nd Feb, 2013, as it was very close to my house. They showed me a Nano and offered a TD. Since I didnot know how to drive, I did not opt for it. I asked for any freebies, etc. They outright rejected saying, there is nothing that they can do there other than (mud-flaps, floor mats, Ganesh idol and car perfume). I bargained further and they offered a car cover.
I asked the sales executive where the rear-fog light is present. She told that it is inside the rear lamps and is nothing different from the rear light. I later read on the Internet that rear fog light was actually present on the rear bumper. I wanted to go back and educate her about the same.
I asked that I want a car manufactured no later than Nov. 2012. The sales executive said that Tata had stopped manufacturing Nano cars after August-2012, as new model will be brought only after April-2013 and hence, she can offer me, at best, a August-2012 manufactured car.
I spoke to a friend of mine, and he referred me to Prerana Motors at Lalbagh from where he had bought his Nano.
I reached Prerana at Lalbagh on Feb. 15th, 2013 and was welcomed by the sales executive Mr.Shanmugam. I took my uncle who knew driving a car so that, he can TD the Nano. He was quite impressed by the AC and the seating. They offered me:
1. Remote central locking from Xenos that costed Rs.2500 or so
2. Mud flaps
3. Floor mats
4. Ganesh idol
5. Car perfume
6. Car cover
I booked the Tata Nano 2012 Pearl White Special Edition car by paying an advance of Rs. 5000. I told that I do not want a car manufactured later than Nov. 2012. The sales executive assured me I will not get a car later than Nov. 2012. He opened the inventory list he had and gave me a VIN number, and say, it is Nov. 2012. I checked on TAI and confirmed that it was indeed a Nov. 2012 manufactured car.
I conveyed that I will make the full payment only after the PDI. The sales executive told that I have to travel to Penya to check the car. A date for the same was fixed.
PDI
Powered by the PDI list from TAI, I reached the Prerana motors stockyard at Penya. A Pearl white nano was neatly washed and set aside for my inspection. The incharge there showed me around the car and explained the features. I asked to be shown the engine area. One of the mechanics came and helped with the same. While inspecting I noticed that there were parts there with manufacturing date as Oct. 29th 2012. That gave me confidence that the car was definitely manufactured in Nov. 2012.
Satisfied by the inspection, I returned to the Prerana motors Lalbagh office. I provided the cheque for the entire amount, excluding the insurance, which I was still surveying. I was searching for a zero-depreciation insurance option.
Insurance policy
I had read on several forums that taking zero-depreciation insurance policy is better, especially for new car. Of course, most of the suggestions were with respect to expensive cars and possibly not for a Tata Nano. I convinced myself that it will be good to take zero-dep insurance at least for the first 1-2 years.
I checked with Prerana if the insurance covered is "zero depreciation insurance". Since they did not have idea regarding the same, they requested for two days time to get back to me. After two days I was updated that the insurance provided is not zero-dep.
I checked on the web for options from different companies, and finally choose zero-depreciation insurance policy from Tata Aig. The insurance premium came to Rs. 9929/- The components covered were:>
1. Replaced parts
2. Daily allowance - cost of hired transport and is in a garage for replacements of parts
3. Repair of glass, fiber, plastic, and rubber parts - One time repair (and not replacement) will not affect the NCB
4. Loss of personal belongings - here items like clothes, and other personal items are covered (items like watches, jewellery, glasses, etc are not covered) - Max is Rs.10,000/-
5. Emergency transport and hotel expenses - Max is Rs.5000 per incident, and Rs.10000 during the period of insurance
6. Key replacement - Max. of Rs.25000 - for key lost of stolen
The vehicle damage premium was Rs. 5342 and the add-on premiums summed up to Rs. 2510. Add taxes to these to make it up to Rs.9929/-
Having identified the insurance, I spoke to Tata AIG agent who collected the cheuqe for the said amount and emailed me the cover note.
I shared the cover note with the Prerana and they went ahead with registration.
My Nano was registered on March 14th 2013 and delivered on March 16th 2013.
Pointers to the posts
1.
Delivery Experience
2.
Elegant Seat covers
3.
AMC related
4.
Full body wash
5.
Tai-ed
6.
Service info - 3rd free service
