A car is more than just looks and engine.. Review on Tata Indica Vista

I bought an Indica Vista Quadrajet Aura 6 months ago perceiving it good value for money based on the design, space and of course pricing.

I had also read good reviews stating that it was an "improved" Vista. I was quite satisfied with the car for the first month or so save for the dissatisfactory service offered by the Tata dealership from which I purchased the car, namely KB MOTORS in Calcutta.Beginning from the second month onwards my opinion of the car gradually became very negative. The car seems to be very badly put together with the characteristic screeches and wheezes that identify a Tata Motors product.

I have had recurring problems with the electricals, specifically the ignition which wont even turn on random occasions. The car has been "fixed" by KB Motors in Kolkata 4 times and yet the problem keeps recurring, sometimes at intersections in the middle lane(yes I can see a few of you grimacing right there).

I have called their customer service helpline which somehow manages to route me back to KB Motors every time. I have also been mailed a customer care manager's number who refuses to pick up my call or perhaps the number is ineffective.Anyway, for whatever free advice is worth I would suggest that if you are thinking of buying this car, get SOLID references from someone you trust who has owned this car for more than a few months. I personally feel, SWIFT is the best diesel car around in this segment in terms of build quality, reliability and pricing. Do remember that even garbage can be made up to look good.

Harsh

Addendum: The review given above was written almost 9 months ago. After gaining some more experience with the car, I am updating my opinion of the car below -

If it even remotely appears that I was praising the car in the review above, let me start by saying that this car is sheer garbage made by a pathetic company with channel partners who believe good customer service is limited to employing someone with the designation of "Customer Services Manager".

The build quality of the car is horrendous and after surviving two monsoons in it I consider myself extremely lucky. During the rains the car has to be sent to the garage every other week to fix a new problem with either the window winder, door panel, head-lights, wipers etc. In the 15 months that I have owned the car, the automatic window winding motor has been fixed/replaced on all 4 windows. All wipers, including rear windscreen, have also been changed.

The door locks have been "fixed" 3 times on 2 different doors. And I haven't even started to write about the squeaks, groans and wheezes that emanate from the suspension every time the weight is redistributed by so much as a fly shifting its bum on the dashboard. What is really galling however is that after every visit to the garage I get an inane phone call with someone requesting me to rate the service on a scale from 1 to 10 with the speed and urgency of someone who cant seem to wait to rush to answer nature's call or some other such emergency. In spite of this I followed the rating process to the best of my ability 4 times without getting so much as a follow-up call. Now I just rudely hang-up at the poor lady stuck in a sad job.

When I bought the car I was impressed by the excellent value-for-money offered by the car. Now I know this car is so inexpensive up-front because the company seems to have chosen the cheapest(in terms of both quality and price) material and equipment to put together the car.The mileage is the only saving grace with this car which makes it sensible for you to buy this car if you run a taxi fleet and do not mind dealing with mechanics on a regular basis!

If I could, I would rate this car even lower than 1 star.