What could be better than driving out of a showroom in a brand new car?
Well, how about a new car that's much cheaper than a brand new car?
Foxed?
It's like this: If you have no issues about driving a virgin vehicle that is a few months older than a machine that's just rolled off the assembly line, there are some very good deals to be had.
To wit: Fiat India is all set to launch a new version of its flagship model Palio, the Palio NV petrol. So Fiat dealers are pushing the 'D' word to get their 'older' cars moving.
You can get an 8-9-month-old Fiat Palio with anything between Rs 25,000 to Rs 170,000 off the sticker price.
While you can get a discount between Rs 25,000-Rs 45,000 on a 1.2 Palio petrol, the deal just gets sweeter when you are talking about the more expensive models such as the Siena 1.6 petrol -- which is now Rs 50,000-Rs 70,000 lighter, the Adventurer and the Weekend, both at Rs 30,000-Rs 50,000 less, and the best of deal of all, the special Sachin Tendulkar edition, the Palio S10, that fetches you a discount of anything between Rs 150,00 and Rs 170,000.
The Palio S10, which was introduced early last year, came with a hefty price tag of Rs 600,000 upwards.
It is now available for a Rs 450,000. That's a tad higher than the other spanking new Palios, and comes loaded with a clutch of features.
Now, howzzat for value for money?
These discounts are separate from the usual Rs 15,000-Rs 20,000 discount that Fiat dealers offer on the cars.
Some car dealers, such as a top Maruti Suzuki dealer in Mumbai, make sure a car does not stay in the showroom for more than two-three months and they offer discounts on these vehicles simply to move the stock.
Even the 'Little Master' of the Indian roads, the ubiquitous Maruti 800, comes with Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 off the price tag, while B-segment offerings from India's biggest carmaker such as the Alto, the Zen and the Wagon R are available at Rs 5,000 to 10,000 cheaper.
In the C segment, the Baleno can be yours at a Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000 discount.
This intermittent discount mela is not restricted 2002 or 2003 models, but a new variant of an existing car can also set the discounting process rolling.
With the launch of the new Honda City, dealers are gearing up to offer discounts of Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 on the 1.3 Honda City.
The discount can be much higher in the next few months, say industry sources.
And those who covet the pricey beauty, the Honda Accord, have just missed one of the best deals in the car market where dealers were offering discounts of up to Rs 200,000.
The offer came as the company moved to launch the new 2.4 Honda Accord.
Dealers claim that 30-35 per cent of their sales come from the older stock driven by the huge discounts offered by them.
However, some complain that the popular misconception that an older car means a 'lesser' car often stops them from buying at such offers.
"People assume that the car must have started rusting and malfunctioning because it has been standing in the showroom for a few months, they don't realise that these cars are stored in the warehouse and are regularly serviced. They also think they will get a raw deal when it comes to the warranty, but the warranty effectively begins only on the day the sale is made so its as good as the warranty on any new car," said a top dealer in Mumbai.
Come to think of it, it's not just cars either. There are dealerships that offer other vehicles too, using basically the same methods.
Dealers also try to sweeten the deal by substituting the upfront cash discount by offering lower EMIs (equated monthly instalments).
The idea of driving a brand new car out of the showroom -- with a heavier purse -- seems an interesting ideal, if you don't really care about what the vehicle identification number (it bares the year of manufacture) that lies beneath its bonnet.
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