The car proved to be the perfect replacement for our family’s requirements. It has served as both a self-driven vehicle and an occasionally chauffeur-driven one.
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20 Years of Memories: Our Wagon R’s Endearing Journey
Our trusty old Wagon R began to show its age after faithfully serving us for the past 20 years. It was a special car for our family as it was the very first brand new car my parents ever owned. It was in this car that both my brother and I learned to drive, and it witnessed countless memorable journeys with friends and family. In fact, back in 2003, it proudly became the first facelifted Wagon R in our town.
I bid farewell to the Wagon R in 2006 after my graduation, as I moved to different cities in search of job opportunities, eventually settling in Bangalore. I purchased my own car in 2012, a gen2 Swift ZDI. In 2017, I moved to the USA and asked my parents if they were interested in selling the Wagon R and keeping the Swift. However, given their comfort with the Wagon R’s tallboy design, ease of ingress and egress, and low maintenance, they chose to keep it and let go of the Swift.
Years passed, and the Wagon R underwent its 15-year RTO testing, approaching its 20th year milestone in October 2023, having covered about 100,000 kilometers during its remarkable 20-year journey.
Meanwhile, our family had grown, and our new car requirements had evolved. The primary need was for my brother’s wifeys daily hospital commute for job and occasional travel for my elderly parents. Thus, an automatic transmission was essential, reducing our dependency on drivers. We also needed a car that offered easy ingress and egress for our parents and was user-friendly for city driving. Since we already had a Seltos for long journeys, we didn’t require a large car. Our search for a new car began in July, and I was particularly drawn to the Magnite due to its availability with a CVT transmission. In the small car segment, automatic gearboxes often consist of AMTs, but after testing a few, we decided against them. We expect covering approximately 40 km in our daily usage. A slightly larger car was our preference, and the Kiger and Magnite emerged as our top two choices. We began our search in July while I was in my hometown for a vacation.
Other contenders in our search included:
1. Citroen C3- The Citroen C3 was the sole vehicle on my radar when it came to finding a replacement. Ever since I learned about the Citroen Magic Carpet technology, I’ve held the hope that it would indeed become the perfect successor to the wagoner.Automatic transmission wasn’t a consideration at that time.Eventually, automatic transmission became a necessary requirement, and the absence of updates on this front from Citroen was a key factor in our decision to reconsider the choice. Additionally, the absence of a Citroen sales and service center in my town played a significant role in my decision-making process. While I wasn’t overly concerned about resale value or minor issues with the C3, it would have unquestionably been my top choice if it had an automatic transmission option.
2. Maruti Fronx – my brother expressed interest in this car. However, the lower height of the back seat made me think it somewhat challenging for our parents to get in and out. Despite attempts to arrange a test drive, the Nexa dealership displayed a lackadaisical attitude, and the lower exchange value for our Wagon R (considering the same brand) was a concern. We wanted to test it at home to see if our parents could comfortably enter and exit. My reservations included the high cost of the top variant automatic, which was around 15 lakhs on-road. I was hesitant to pay such a premium for a car with an unknown safety rating. Despite its attractive design and a trusted service network, we decided to explore other brands.
3. Tata Nexon – While I initially had a keen interest in the Nexon, the buzz about an upcoming facelift made me reconsider. Furthermore, concerns about the AMT gearbox and some less-than-favorable reviews regarding Tata’s service quality were additional factors in my decision to rule it out.
4. We didn’t give serious consideration to Hyundai and Kia options, as we already had one of their cars in our family.
5. Kiger – Regarding the Kiger, I didn’t delve into the details extensively. This was primarily due to its comparatively lower sales numbers than the Magnite. Many reviews pointed out slightly cramped rear seating, and for some reason, I found the Magnite’s design more appealing than the Kiger’s.
6. My brother expressed interest in the Baleno or Glanza, but we realized that these models wouldn’t align with our parents’ specific needs and preferences.
So, we ultimately settled on the Magnite as our choice. Selected XV Premium CVT Turbo variant with 5 years extended warranty package. I had knowledge about the vibration problems and a few rattling issues based on the reviews on Team-BHP. The next stage of our journey was to secure a favorable deal. I began by checking prices in Thiruvananthapuram city, where I was residing at the time, while my brother obtained a price list from a different dealer in our hometown. We had two choices to consider, and we opted for the top variant, with our preferred color being black. Initially, we received a higher quote from Pinnacle Nissan in Kollam, my hometown. However, I managed to secure a better deal in Thiruvananthapuram and initiated negotiations with the other dealer. Eventually, we obtained a competitive exchange price, which included all corporate and exchange bonuses for our Wagon R.
When we presented this offer to Pinnacle, they identified some discrepancies in the other quote. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that the disparities were indeed valid. As a result, we decided to go with Pinnacle in Kollam. My brother had a test drive from their showroom, and they even brought the test drive vehicle to our home to see if it suited our parents. They generously allowed an extensive test drive for my brother and his wife, left us impressed with the car. We placed the advance booking amount on the same day, and they initiated the sale procedures. Moreover, they graciously permitted us to continue using the Wagon R for a few more days.
Some farewell pics of the WagonR.
Then, we received news of a price change from Nissan, which initially came from the Thiruvananthapuram dealer. The sales executive forwarded me a screenshot of an email from their higher-ups, advising SEs to finalize the deal before the price increase took effect. We received a similar message from Pinnacle as well, and this all unfolded around the end of July.
In response, we decided to contribute 40% of the total cost from our end and planned to finance the remaining amount through a loan. We promptly had the loan approved and transferred the money, along with handing over a cheque based on the current price. We also requested an email confirmation ensuring that the price change would not impact our agreement. The following day, we received confirmation that the car had been allocated and dispatched from the factory.
Upon returning to the USA after my vacation, I found that the car had arrived at the dealership’s lot on August 6th. I entrusted my brother and a close friend with the task of conducting a Pre-Delivery Inspection. One disappointing aspect we encountered was that the car had 24 kilometers on the odometer. When we questioned the Sales Executive about it, they attempted to justify it by stating that the vehicle had undergone testing at the factory on a test track . Interestingly, we also noticed another CVT turbo model with only 5 kilometers on the odometer, but there was no clear explanation provided when we inquired about this discrepancy. It’s apparent that the car may have been utilized for test drives or perhaps for employee transportation, given the mileage on the odometer. Rather than engaging in a prolonged argument, we decided to move forward with the next steps.
Some pictures from the Pre-Delivery Inspection.
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Keyword: Upgraded from a WagonR to the Nissan Magnite Turbo CVT: My experience