Hi Sudipto, thanks for the greeting. What you said makes sense; I'm on the lookout for an old used car that will help minimise my losses in case things don't exactly go splendidly. I don't intend to keep it for longer than six months, or a year at most. My weekly usage will be 100 km or less, mostly in the city. The problem is finding a fairly reliable car that won't break down in the middle of my morning commute. I believe a 1997 M800 for around 60K would be just the thing... what do you think?
Steeroid, "bad back" was largely a euphemism for a numb posterior, which occurs during long rides — say, nonstop six-hour dashes to Mahabaleshwar. This, along with stiff legs, are more to do with the inability to shift my position and reluctance to take hourly rest breaks, rather than a slipped disc or something serious. I've been a passenger on long trips in a short wheelbase Mahindra in the ghats of Kerala, and I didn't feel fatigued. Of course, there's a limit as to how much off-roading my back can take. Half a day's ramble in the western ghats is fine. The Raid de Himalaya is perhaps being a little overambitious.
Cheers,
Hari