Aug 16, 2008 03:16 PM
12299 Views
(Updated Sep 05, 2008 11:13 AM)
I was impressed by the specifications of the Optra Magnum Diesel 2.0.
On paper it showed 121 PS and all kinds of amazing specifications.
Hence, when I decided to upgrade from my Wagon R Premea to a larger
car, I set my sights on the Magnum.
I had already read a lot of
horror stories of GM and their customer(un)friendliness but then there
is the medal that went to GM. I thought maybe GM was not that bad after
all.
I booked a test drive on their website and sure enough got
a call from Bangalore that the local dealer would be notified & I
would be given a test drive. The same was scheduled for a Saturday
10:30am. I stay in Dwarka, New Delhi and there is a dealer about 3 Km
from my residence. The Saturday came & went, no call, & no test
drive car arrived. I did not give much thought to it and booked another
test drive on the website, another test drive was booked for the
following Saturday 11:30am. No test drive arrived this time too.
This happened 4 times
in a row, so I complained on the Chervolet website. Somebody called from
Bangalore & apologised, another test drive was scheduled for today
(16.08.08) 11:30 am by Auto Vikas, Moti Bag, New Delhi. Again, nobody arrived to give the test drive. I
complained again, and this time the guy had to say that this is the
first time they have registered a request from my side, with a
complaint that I have already requested for a test drive and not got
one! So he'll try to do do something on Monday.
Friends, all of
you who either choose to own a Chervolet or who have one, is this
something of a routine types behaviour from GM? Do they sincerely
believe in not selling their cars, then why all the advertisements
& where did the medal come from? After all this I'm seriously
considering not buying any Chervolet car ever, Honda Civic looks like a
better option to me.
THIS IS AN UPDATE:
After all this happened, I posted another request on the Chervolet website and another test drive was scheduled for 23rd August at 11:30am by dealer Auto Vikas, Moti Bag, New Delhi. Nobody turned up with the car! Mind you the response call had come directly come from GM office and then the lead was handed over to the Moti Bag dealer, New Delhi.
Next test drive was scheduled for the 31st from the same dealer, and this time the car arrived. After test driving the car I was very impressed. It was very hard to believe I was driving a diesel car, it gave the feeling of a petrol car, complete up till low engine noise & very quiet cabin. The factory fitted speakers are pathetic quality(local types) though the player console of the 6 CD changer looks impressive with all contoured buttons. The shock absorbers are simply mindblowing. The build quality felt good, the driving was very controlled, cornering good, road grip almost exceptional.
After the test ride, I told the sales rep. that as an prganisation we are looking at 20 cars in the next month, so kindly send me a quote in my official email, so that I can forward the same to Admin Dept. and they can take it forward with you. Till date there is no quote in my mail. Simply put, either the Moti Bag dealer or the promotor of the product in india does not want the car to sell.
The car is a wonderful product and priced correct also. It's a value for money car. But, beware of GM. Chervolet has made a very good car in the Magnum but GM is destroying the image of Chervolet in India. From my experience, I've decided not to purchase a Chervolet. I'm going in for a different car.
