What will be your perception on a Bolero owner

[w 12]

Nispatel,

IMO , it does not really matter what your colleagues think of your car.. as long as you are comfortable driving it

I would rather buy what I like than something everyone else in the office have , just to confirm with the group.

If you like Bolero after your research , just go for it.

Have a friend who has a Black Bolero..11kmpl with AC in Bangalore..The ownership experience will NOT be like Maruti, but certainly not as bad as is made out.

Also Checkout the latest issue of Topgear magazine , where Bolero has been tested

P>S My black Scorpio SLX was the oddman out in the office parking lot full of Santros, Accents, Esteems ,Ikons , Corollas.. and have also owned 6 marutis so far..2 of them current

[supremeBaleno]

You sound like a Jeep guy. Why bother about other's perceptions of you ? Infact quite some of them would like to be in your shoes, but would have had to settle (compromise) for a small compact car. You got only one life, why not live it your way ?

Originally Posted by GTO

I would also recommend you to test the Gypsy King.

Exactly what I had in mind. A better, trouble-free choice, will rate better on the perception factor, Maruti's super A.S.S etc. The soft top looks better, but then security becomes an issue. Test drive it before you make a decision.
From what I have read on this forum, the ride is bumpy for those in the back. And since it is petrol, check out the FE from actual users (quite some on this forum too).

[esteem_lover]

hey dude, i have a bolero too.... there are many times when i love to take that mean machine out... at least u will get decent driving space in crowded cities such as yours. there are some facts u will have to accept

fact 1 : It is slow
fact 2 : It guzzles at 9kmpl
fact 3 : It is very rough (meaning clutch is hard etc etc)
fact 4 : Inherent problems exist like any old model vehicles
fact 5 (My Best) : The level of the accelerator & brake pedals are very different. intially i searched for the brake pedals. this does strain ur left leg a lot, cos u have to always place ur foot at an angle (45%) on the floor to reach the brakes/clutch.
fact 5 : The stereo will be on the floor (Keeps u fit)
Fact 6 : The parking brake is unreachable. (So forget it)
Fact 7 : Forget the power windows after a few months.
there are quite a few more, but less important...

Advantages:
1. Sexy look
2. Plenty of road space
3. Clear vision around you
4. Can be driven on any roads
5. Extremely spacious with plenty of head room.
6. The best of all is the A.C, which is extremely chill even in the chennai heat.

look, jeep lovers are born, not converted...so if u are naturally inclined towards the bolero, close ur eyes & buy it or else buy a ford/chevrolet & feel modern. also if u want something better than the bolero, go for the scorpio, it is much easier to drive & more responsive also.

good luck .....

[NIP]

NisPatel...the new bolero is a good vehicle for its price and if you get the 4x4 version, your weekend getaways will be another world altogether. so if u're considering cars against this...theres no comparison...just go for the bolero...!! its cheap to maintain and the mileage is good too...mileage also depends on peoples driving styles, so its subjective.

[jango]

HI nispatel

Welcome to team-bhp, and hope u enjoy ur stay here. Well coming to the bolero, i would say just go ahead and pick it up. I have been using a bolero GlX for the past 5 years, and it had clocked around 1,50000km on the odo before i sold it off. I used it for abt 5 yrs and it has been an awesome vehicle. I used to drive it always with the a/c on and i have managed to get a descent mileage of abt 10kmpl, with out a/c it can cross 11. The a/c is the best in its class, and driving is very comfortable with powersteerings.it also comes with power windows and central locking. Maintenance was also easy for me, and to be frank have taken it to workshop only for regular services. I had to sell it coz i had to come down to b'lore and my parents really did't want a big jeep, so sold it and picked up a indica, but still my craze for jeep's did't fade out so i picked up a MM540 4WD, 2 weeks back

[nispatel]

Originally Posted by jango

HI nispatel
I had to sell it coz i had to come down to b'lore and my parents really did't want a big jeep, so sold it and picked up a indica, but still my craze for jeep's did't fade out so i picked up a MM540 4WD, 2 weeks back

Thanks buddy for the encouraging post...

That prompts about resale value. How much price did your Bolero retained?

[jango]

Originally Posted by nispatel

Thanks buddy for the encouraging post...

That prompts about resale value. How much price did your Bolero retained?

I sold my bolero for 1.80L after 5 yrs !!

[nispatel]

Hi Jango,

You being a long term owner, may be you can let me know first hand info about starting trouble with a cold diesel engine. It's been known that old kind of NON Electronic Control Module (i.e. ECU) ignition based diesel engine that Bolero employs have tendancy to give starting trouble if left idle for 15 - 20 days. Do you have any experience on this?

[jango]

Originally Posted by nispatel

Hi Jango,

You being a long term owner, may be you can let me know first hand info about starting trouble with a cold diesel engine. It's been known that old kind of NON Electronic Control Module (i.e. ECU) ignition based diesel engine that Bolero employs have tendancy to give starting trouble if left idle for 15 - 20 days. Do you have any experience on this?

Hispatel, i have been using the bolero in kerala, kottayam to be specific, and normally the temp dose't go down much, so never ever experienced any problem with starting. But it floods a lots in kerala and i have even drove the bolero on water flooded roads...the jeep just pushes off...once i had to take the jeep to the service center coz after riding tru water ( water almost covered the tyre ) there was some sort of scretching noise coming out, all i had to do was to remove all 4 tyres clean the pads and put the tyres back.....To be frank i have never left the bolero idle for 15 -20 days....i used to drive it almost every day !!!

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by nispatel

Hi Jango,

You being a long term owner, may be you can let me know first hand info about starting trouble with a cold diesel engine. It's been known that old kind of NON Electronic Control Module (i.e. ECU) ignition based diesel engine that Bolero employs have tendancy to give starting trouble if left idle for 15 - 20 days. Do you have any experience on this?

i am not a long term owner, still i can tell u something u will be interested to know

....i have it for a year now...let me tell u my experience...we had floods in chennai during december 2005 & fortunately my esteem escaped it....during the night, water entered our colony of 422 flats & almost 100 cars were submerged (Partly/fully). my bolero was filled with water uptil ankle deep if u r sitting inside. after a week, the water had resided & all the cars were towed away including the qualis, sumo, safari etc...but my bolero was the only one that started after the diesel tank was cleaned and was not towed. that day i felt 100 feet tall. a very proud moment for a bolero owner.

so do not feel bad about owning one, rather be proud of it pal.

cheers ]

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

we had floods in chennai during december 2005 & fortunately my esteem escaped it....during the night, water entered our colony of 422 flats & almost 100 cars were submerged (Partly/fully).

Partly / fully submerged!!! Which part of Chennai are you from ?

[sinhsha]

Hi All,
Here is input from my side. I drive a SAAB 93 here in USA. In India I drive my UNO, or my brother's bolero or my father's skoda or my sis in law's santro.
I have driven all of these vehicle extensively. I have bought a new scorp for my wife recently.
Now the point is among all these cars the most close to my heart is UNO but the car I can depend most is bolero.
Forgive me if it seems idiotic or stupid.
In west bengal with current road condition in any long drive involving highway and local way with chances of having broken patches or having loooooooong traffic jams with stagnant flow of trucks only bolero is the vehical that makes sure you will reach your destination with decent amount of time delay. In our family getaways it always reach faster or together with skoda whick is a rocket on good roads but a snail if conditions are less than perfect.
Now regarding mileage with my driving I have seen 7kmpl to 10 kmpl with AC. But in my brother's hand it consistantly give 12 to 14 kmpl. It's old GLX IDI type.
Actually after 90KMPH it drinks like anything but with decent 60 to 80 drive its pretty frugal.
Now regarding ownership you won't get good lounge at the service station a good receptionist to say hi hello but service is really fast trouble free and very reasonablly priced.
I would consider M&M service experience better than skoda, fiat, saab but worse than Hyundai.
I hope this will help

[jyobeb]

Pal, Go for it. The Bolero is a good vehicle, and the DI Turbo version gives excellent mileage too. I have driven this vehicle extensively and its a little noisy but gets the job done. Believe me, if your wife knows how to drive, she will find the Bolero a cinch to drive. You can drive with a fabulous driving position and not give a damn about bad roads. I do have one comment on GTO's statement on jeeps. The Bolero has come along way from the days of the CJ and MM series. If you can afford a Scorpio, go for it, else just buy the Bolero. I have this agriculturist friend who had a Bolero. He sold the Bolero after 3 years, bought a Scorpio, used it for a year and is now back on the DI Turbo Bolero which is his favored mode of transport. He also has a Skoda and an old Jeep Wrangler.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Partly / fully submerged!!! Which part of Chennai are you from ?

Rail Nagar, Koyambedu...it was in the Hindu, NDTV, SUn TV...u would have seen it, if there was power around that time. we were without power, water & submerged for 3 full days...good fun, though..

[condor]

Surprised with the rear bench of the Bolero - the depth of the seat [for under-thigh support] is really good. Feel the passengers will be comfortable in this one. The one sore point is the smallish luggage area at the rear.