JaySun

I've seen people try to hammer Un**o over and over again in these forums and I guess some frustrations are understood. People want to a buy a car quickly and Un**os "Balagiri Dose" kind of answers can be very disconcerting. As someone who waited the wait and got the car and as someone who felt a lot of mixed emotions with their service I just wanted to weigh with a few different perspectives. Here are some popular gripes about the agents and some reasons why I think it is so.. 1. They are profiteering by taking people's advances - Because of the time it takes for the delivery of the car, I think the agents are compelled to take a high advance because people tend to get frustrated and cancel their orders midway through the waiting period. This ensures they don't have second thoughts. And also because the car is in limited supply there is also the possibility of certain 'brokers' might corner all the bookings and then 'sell' these free bookings to people. A high advance somewhat prevents unscrupulous elements and makes it fair for genuine buyers. 2. Their customer service is crap - It is generally agreed that their service standards leave a lot to be desired. But sometimes people need to look at it from the worker’s perspective. The company has limited staff to handle thousands of these orders. The sales guys have to close the sale, finalize the financing, follow up the registration, deliver the car and sometimes even help customers out when they have maintenance/accident issues. I've seen some them in action and its not easy. The whole organization from mechanic to sales guy is bursting at the seams. My experience has shown that if you're nice to them and treat them like human beings you can get a lot more done than screaming at them. Just because their bosses are idiots doesn't mean it’s their fault. 3. Delivery gets continuously delayed - I think one of the major let downs here is Perodua itself. From what I've heard from inside sources they've had capacity issues and tend to under deliver to Un**o . The agents try to do their best because obviously it’s not like they can run to another supplier. 4. They are making a massive profit. - All I can point out is that an Alto K10 costs about 360,000 Indian rupees (875,000 LKR) in India and the Viva costs about 35000 ringitt (1.4 million LKR) in Malaysia. Try and figure out who's getting the best deal for their customers. Finally for those who are on the list or thinking about buying one here's my advice. Be patient. DON'T order the vehicle if you're in a hurry. Go buy a used AE 100, you'll be much happier. But if you want a brand new car that's comfortable, roomy (for its class), does well on juice and is quite nifty to drive then order the Viva. Tell the guys to let you know the nearest date they can actually deliver. Don't bug them everyday. Remind them during the month of their promised delivery. Once you start driving, book a service three weeks before you think you'll hit 1000k. PS- I am in no way connected to Un**o and have written this only because I love the vehicle and don't want it's image tarnished because the agents don't know how to manage their PR.

Been following these Viva Elite threads since I became interested in the car at the start of the year. Ordered my manual in April and finally got it 2 weeks ago. Just wanted to add some thoughts so that anybody looking for information will benefit like I did. Firstly if your looking for a car in a hurry don't order the viva..For me the waiting period stretched from the promised 2 months to nearly 3 1/2 months. This I was told was because of the Japanese earthquake. Apparently they've rectified supply chain issues and August orders should hopefully be delivered in October. But I repeat don't order the vehicle unless you have a stomach for patience. Pros: It drives better than most comparative vehicles in its class or below. I drove the Panda, The Trend, Maruti 800, Alto K10 and even the Nano..but the viva always handled, sounded and performed better than all of them. While I have no definitive fuel consumption figures on other cars so far the Viva has given me an estimated 15 kmpl. This has included driving through mild morning traffic and heavy evening traffic. The calculation is ongoing but my guess is it'll only get better when get more familiarized with driving it. Good Leg space in the front and back. The seat height adjuster is brilliant- even a fairly hefty, tall person can still drive the car with minimum issues. Cons: Ground clearance will become an issue if you constantly drive around on pothole ridden roads. (In that case get a 4wd and quit looking for a viva) In reality you have to be very careful to avoid deepish potholes. I've already knocked the buffer belly twice. The biggest con for me so far have been the doors. They don't close so elegantly and open with a loud pop. It's annoying if your used to a smooth Japanese door but hey beggars cant be choosers. You will also have to get used to adjectives like cute, sweet, compact and practical. Because people will use these words to describe the car when they see it for the first time.If you're a guy better get used to people pointing out that a lot of ladies are driving it.