28th February 2017, 06:41
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| BHPian  Join Date: May 2011 Location: MH02/MH08/GJ01
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| Got Gypsy’ied - My brand new Maruti Gypsy 4x4  After years on longing to buy a Gypsy, finally took the plunge and booked one on 2nd January 2017 at Vitesse, Mumbai. It was not a cakewalk as the first line makes it seem. As a child I always drooled for the Gypsy and badly wanted to own one during my College days but couldn’t. As is in most cases my family was also dead against the Gypsy. I had made up my Mind that I’ll buy a Gypsy the moment I start earning, but it eventually took me 6 long years to finally buy one. Prelude : Not so long ago when I was stationed in Gujarat, I was passing through Godhra and saw a Brand New Gypsy parked at the local Dealership. Immediately turned my Xylo around and went in to dealership to enquire about the Gypsy. The Sales Consultant who attended me said it was a Customer Vehicle which came to the Dealership after 6 Months of Booking, the usual story Maruti Dealerships cook up about the Gypsy being made to order and having Waiting Periods upto half a year. I asked the Dealership to give me a Price List and the Finance Scheme. The Consultant introduced me to the Finance Executive who on hearing about the Gypsy immediately said “Hoon koi Gypsy – Vypsy nat Finance karvano” (I won’t Finance any Gypsy – Vypsy) but still gave me a 80% Ex Showroom Funding, Finance Scheme. The reaction of the Finance Executive gave me a feeling that maybe I was buying some illegal drugs, took the scheme and left the Dealership. Epilogue : When I moved back to Mumbai in 2016 after 5 Years in Gujarat, I had decided that it was now or never. Started a frantic search for the Gypsy in the used car market. The examples that I came across were grossly overpriced for their age, but again I always knew it is a Seller’s Market when it comes to the Gypsy and there is always someone who is ready to pay that price. There were also a few modified examples with Baleno engines, but most of these vehicles were really close to 15 Years old and without the New Engines endorsed on the RC. In the first week of November I came across a Seller in Pune who had a good number of Ex-Army Gypsy’s. The Gypsy’s were MPFI examples but were not in running condition. The Seller was ready to register them in MH-12 and provide a NOC for Mumbai. The asking price was dependent on the example chosen. I have a friend who is working in Pune, immediately messaged him the contact details and the co-ordinates of the seller and asked him to have a look whenever possible.  Post Demonetization was travelling up country in my Bolero, it was a good 9 Hours solo drive which gave me good a retrospection time. Although I had all the resources in place to carry out a major restoration if required, somehow I was not comfortable with the fact that what I was buying would have abused royally for the past 12 – 15 years and hence would never be completely reliable no matter how much Time, Money and Effort is spent on it’s restoration. While the Gypsy at that point of time wasn’t planned to be my Daily Drive I didn’t want to take the risk of a breakdown on some fun filled weekend. Immediately messaged my friend in Pune and asked him not to visit the Seller. Was busy through the remainder of November with some back to back commitments and could find free time only in December. Shot a Mail to Maruti Suzuki that I want to buy a Gypsy King ST in either Dolphin Blue / Harvest Green, got the below reply from the local dealer the next day. “With reference to the enquiry for Gypsy Soft Top Dolphin Blue or Harvest Green color. The waiting period for this colors will be tentatively 6 month. We have Gypsy Soft Top color in White which can be delivered in 7 working days time after full payment. For any information Please call Mr. xxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx Assistant Sales Manager ( xx xxxxxx Pvt Ltd).” Also concurrently had applied for a Car Loan online on the SBI website, got a positive response from them too. Post Demonetization is the Best Time to buy a Car with Funding available upto 100% On Road for a tenure upto 7 Years and approx Rs. 1600/- EMI per Lakh. High Funding Schemes meant I would be able install some basic accessories too. I had managed to get 85% on Road Funding on the Gypsy, few years back (Godhra Episode) even 85% Ex Showroom seemed a bleak possibility. Finally after a lot of persuasion was able to convince everyone at home and booked the Gypsy on 2nd January 2017. Quote:
All Loan related formalities were completed on 7th January 2017; the loan was disbursed on 9th January 2017 and the Gypsy reached the Dealer Stockyard on 19th January 2017. I had never expected that the Gypsy would reach the Dealership so early, I had always wanted to take the delivery on 28th February and informed about the same to the dealership. Told a few Friends that I had booked a Gypsy, their reactions ranged from 1. Finally !!! 2. Is it not just made for Defence and Police ? 3. WHY ? 4. Are you nuts, should have bought a Hatchback / Sedan instead. Dilemma :  When I was planning to buy an Ex-Army Gypsy from Pune, I had made a phase wise list of modifications. The first phase consisted of Shackle and Bush Lift Kit with 265/70/R16 Maxxis Bighorn 764 Tyres fitted on 16x8.5x139.7 Off Road Rims. This would have also required installation of Power Steering to make the Gypsy drivable. But back then it was supposed to be just a Weekend Vehicle as opposed to now when this would be my Daily Drive. I didn’t want to install the Power Steering on my new Gypsy nor did I want to raise my Suspension as they would have further depleted my finances. For once the Mind won over the Heart, thank God better sense prevailed and I decided to keep the Steering and Suspension Stock till Cash inflow improves. After much research and discussions with a few friends 215/75/R15 Michelin Latitude Cross Tyres on 15x7.5x139.7 Off Rims were now chosen for duty on the Gypsy. 5464 is my preferred Number when it comes to Vehicle Registration. Luckily for me the Number was available at Andheri RTO and the same was bought for the Gypsy. As the Tyres and Rims were to be fitted at the Dealership itself it was decided that instead of keeping the Gypsy lying at the Stockyard it would be better to have all the Accessories fitting done and rather keep the Gypsy at the Showroom. Ever since I had told my Friends that I had booked a Gypsy, whenever I would meet someone the conversation would be like below. Friend : Took the delivery of the Gypsy ? / Why didn’t you bring your Gypsy ? Me : Delivery is Scheduled on 28th February. Friend : Why so long, thought it was already at the Dealership. Me : Yes it is, but I’ll take the delivery only on 28th February. Friends : %$#^*!@ I had even contemplated taking an early delivery, but later decided to stick to my original plan. Now coming back to Present Day, yesterday night could barely sleep, the excitement kept me awake all night long. Reached the Vitesse Worli Showroom at 10.30 AM to take the delivery of my Beast.      Kindly excuse the quality of pictures taken, will do a proper photo shoot over the weekend. No review or purchase experience can be complete without the clichéd Likes and Dislikes, going with the tradition the same as per me are listed below. Likes : Enduring Design. Off Road Capability. Ease Of Maintenance. Road Presence. Bullet Proof Reliability. Peppy Engine. Dislikes : Front and Rear Suspension. Rear Seat practicality. Available only in White. As mentioned earlier most of the mods were done at the Showroom itself prior to the delivery, while others were carried out as and when time permitted. Below is the list of ones already carried out till date Mods : White Off Road Rims. Michelin Latitude Cross Tyres - 215/75/R15. Door Visors. Mega Audio Music System with Pioneer Speakers. Custom Decals and Logo’s. Garware Ice Cool Sun Film (Front Windscreen + Windows). Coir in Seats replaced with High Density Foam and Artificial Leather Seat Covers. A lot is yet to be done and will be carried out in a phase wise manner which would be directly proportional to the decrease in Vitamin M deficiency. Initial 500 Kms Report : One thing that cannot be denied is that the Gypsy is a head turner. On my way to office or when am hanging out with friends, a good number of people have either walked upto me or rolled down their windows to appreciate my ride and then ask the most stereotype question that all New Gypsy Buyers must have heard countless number of times “Is the Gypsy still available Brand New ?” When am roaming around my office parking lot during lunch time I usually overhear reactions about my Gypsy which range from What a cool ride to What kind of a person buys an outdated vehicle like this. Am temped many a times to walk up to the second lot of people and just give them a peace of their mind, but refrain from doing it as over the years have understood that most people don’t have the bandwidth to understand such a thing. Since purchase I have driven the Gypsy close to 400 Kms now, mostly on the Mumbai Western Express Highway and my take on the current Gypsy is as below. Engine : The engine is quite peppy and feels rev happy, though the Tachometer is sorely missed. It’s really sad that Maruti Suzuki never upgraded the instrument cluster to the one below.  The engine has immense modification scope and the fact that it was common with the Esteem, Versa and the Swift, Spare parts issue should ideally never arise even in distant future. Acceleration : While the Engine is very peppy, am not the right person to comment on it right now as have not driven this specific example over 80 Kmph. In the past I have driven Gypsy Kings at 120 Kmph, the acceleration is found to be good and even at that speed the vehicle stability is good. One must always keep in mind that the Gypsy was never built to do a Quarter Mile under 10 seconds, the purpose of the vehicle is entirely different and the same has to be respected. Dashboard : The dashboard has remained unchanged ever since the Gypsy was launched way back in 1985, the quality of plastics should atleast have been improved over the years. The other issue am facing with the dashboard is that a regular size idol cannot be stuck on to it, even the MGA Ganpati Idol given to me by the dealership cannot be stuck on to the dashboard due to the width & uneven profile of the dashboard. Lesser said about the switch gear the better, in a nutshell it takes you back to the 90’s. Suspension : The Stock Suspension is a back breaker, still am not planning to install CFL’s at all. Though in near future am planning to install the Monroe Gas Shock Absorbers. The change is shoes have already made the suspension bearable as compared to the original shoes. Fuel Efficiency : While it’s too early to comment on the fuel economy the Gypsy returns approximately 11-12 Kmpl, which is okay with me. Steering : While most people dislike the fact that the Gypsy is not available with a Power Steering, am not adverse to it. I used to previously drive a Peugeot 309 GLD, which never came with a Power Steering and I drove around 5,50,000 Kms in it over a period of 15 Years (hence my Avatar & Profile Picture).   As per me (might be wrong too) the steering effort required to turn around the Gypsy after being shod with the Michelin Latitude Cross is equivalent to the effort required to turn around the 309. Will be installing the Power Steering unit after 2nd Service though, as my Dad is unable to drive it around due to the stock steering being very hard to turn as per him. Air Conditioning : Am a kind of person who sets the room temperature to 16°C while going to sleep or keeps the Car AC on full blast all the time irrespective of the time of the year. My parents always thought I won’t be able to survive a single day without the AC in the Mumbai heat, but so far the Weather Gods have been kind upon me the climate in general for Mumbai is quite pleasant or maybe it is my passion for the Gypsy that has made me invulnerable to the Mumbai heat. While I get a feeling might have to install one soon. Seats : The seats barely have any cushioning in them and are full of coir, hence are extremely uncomfortable to ride on. Most people change the seats to seats from Innova/Tavera/Xylo/Civic/etc, many a times the times the replacement seats are procured from places like Chor Bazaar. I strongly believe the seats available there are usually taken off from totalled vehicles, I simply didn’t want any Seat in my Gypsy from a vehicle on which the blood of its previous occupants/users had been spilled. I have already replaced the coir in the Front Seats with High Density Foam, adding extra foam in the rear seats would have restricted their folding ability hence the same has been avoided. Artificial Leather Grey Seat Covers have replaced the original Seat Covers and am currently on the lookout for brand new Fiat Uno headrests. Few years down the line would be installing Racing Seats in Front & Rear till then I assume these seats would definitely last. Ground Clearance : Nothing needs to be said about it considering my current usage pattern, i.e. 100% City Usage. I can easily drive over Footpaths, Dividers, etc. There are times when am stuck in traffic, 2 Wheels of my Gypsy are on a Divider/Footpath & the other 2 are on the road. Colour Options : While the Maruti Suzuki website mentions a good number of colours, in practicality one can only buy one in a White Colour. I wanted a Gypsy in the Harvest Green Colour but it was not available, also there was no clarity on when the same would be available. Considering the low number of body panels in the entire vehicle I convinced myself that I can change the colour every 3-4 Years at minimal cost. Brakes : When compared to previous generation non assisted ones, brakes are really good, but they lack the bite one gets in new cars. Not immediately in my upgrade list but will surely do something about it in distant future. Door Mirrors : Pathetic is a compliment for the original door mirrors that come with the Gypsy. I have installed the original mirror on the left door too. The mirrors dance all over the place while driving, one can install the Bolero mirrors on the Gypsy but that means there would one exposed hole on the right door. Am now planning to order the original SGP Mirrors for the Gypsy but till then have no option but to live with the stock one. Clutch & Gearbox : The Clutch is extremely light and the Gear Lever position is apt with the Gear Shift very precise and smooth, no niggles at all. The Gear Knob though is not that good and doesn’t come off in one piece if one wants to replace it. Will be replacing the stock Gear Knob when I go in for the racing seats. Caution : When going to a Mall/Club/Hotel with a Valet Parking, one should insist on parking the Gypsy himself and getting it back to the porch himself. In my case 2 of the 3 times when the Gypsy was given for Valet parking it came back with the 4L engaged, I simply fail to understand why the morons would have fiddled with the 4WD lever. Serviceability : Though the Vitesse Service Centre is hardly a few hundred metres from my place have asked them to get the Service Van at my apartment on 25th March to carry out the 1st Service. Spare Part availability is not an apprehension for me as I believe that I have the right resources at the right places to address my concerns, if any. On the pictures front sadly haven’t been able to click any. But here is a pic of the Gypsy parked alongside the Bolero at my office.  Parking woes at my apartment means the Bolero is now full time parked at the office and is utilised only for outstation tours which is about 15 days a month and for the remainder of the month, it’s the Gypsy. Detailed post on 1st Service to follow ... Last edited by GTO : 14th March 2017 at 10:04. Reason: Adding your review to the opening post :) | |
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28th February 2017, 07:33
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| BANNED Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Bangalore
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28th February 2017, 10:03
| #3 | |
| BHPian  Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: GJ 1
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| re: Got Gypsy’ied - My brand new Maruti Gypsy 4x4 Quote:
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28th February 2017, 11:02
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14th March 2017, 10:10
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14th March 2017, 12:33
| #6 | |
| Team-BHP Support  Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore
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| Re: Got Gypsy’ied - My brand new Maruti Gypsy 4x4 Quote:
With regards to modifications, i would suggest you stick to the bare essentials. I had always this build list in my mind: AC - since summer is approaching you will eventually need one, if you are going to use the vehicle in city. Now the key thing is to keep the compressor size small, i had used the 505 series and that was a good choice with minimal power loss. I am not sure about the current options, but stick to small compressors and create a foldable plastic partition for rear to keep the cooling area minimal, am sure this vehicle will not be your choice to carry rear seat passengers for long. So just focus on the front area. Add some heat damping on fire wall and transmission tunnel while installing the AC. Improves efficiency greatly. Suspension - Don't play around too much, just get a good set of dampers from bilstien or iron man and that will improve the ride quiet a bit. If you have slightly better budget, just get the whole kit including springs from iron man which offers the best ride comfort. Don't bother with other shock like monroe which offers bare minimum difference. Power steering - again stick to the samurai ones, which are optimal. Bigger units means zapping precious power from the engine. Tune up - Try replacement filters and better exhaust, but please keep it silent as possible or it will be annoying on longer rides with the soft top. Roofing - Try to give an additional layer inside to give better insulation and put the OE cover back after some tightening. Looking forward to you updates with the beauty. | |
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14th March 2017, 15:05
| #7 | ||||||
| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bangalore
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| Re: Got Gypsy’ied - My brand new Maruti Gypsy 4x4 Man... it is raining Gypsy's on TBHP Swapnil - Many congratulations on being the proud owner of a new Gypsy King. Having took the delivery of my brand new King in October last year, I know exactly how you feel right now. Welcome to the Gypsy brotherhood, mate! Quote:
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My congratulations once again! Do take good care of your new toy and I am sure you will enjoy it for a long, long time with a wide grin pasted on your face, every time you take it out for a spin! Last edited by khan_sultan : 14th March 2017 at 16:11. Reason: Only 2 smileys per post please! | ||||||
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15th March 2017, 16:12
| #8 |
| Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Pune
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| Re: Got Gypsy’ied - My brand new Maruti Gypsy 4x4 Swaps my man, long time no see after the good ol stint at Rizvi  Hearty congratulations for the Gypsy, she still is one hell of a stonker. How much is the on road price? Planning to buy either a Gypsy or a Gurkha by next year most prolly. Cool rims- source and cost? Since you are planning to install the AC and PS, would it void the warranty? Once again hearty congratulations . |
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15th March 2017, 22:14
| #9 | |||
| BHPian Join Date: May 2011 Location: MH02/MH08/GJ01
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| Re: Got Gypsy’ied - My brand new Maruti Gypsy 4x4 Thanks A Lot Guys for your Wishes !!! Quote:
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Fog Lamps : Will Install them once I upgrade to the Winch Bumper, not on my priority list at the moment but would love to replicate the below front look.  Central Armrest Console : Definitely yes, not able find the one I have in my mind. Leather Wrapped Steering : In 2 minds weather to go for a Flat Bottom Steering post Power Steering installation or leather wrap the original one. Matting : Full Body Matting given complementary by Dealership along with original Mud Flaps, both are serving their purpose as of now. AC : I was infact planning to go for the Sanden 505 Compressor itself. Also planning to get the entire tub Fibre coated, should take care of the insulation along with corrosion; but don’t have the time to get it done. Foldable Partition and Roof Insulation : Definitely yes, parallely with AC installation. Suspension : Monroe Gas Shocks are a stop gap arrangement till I arrange the moolah for Iron Man setup. FFE : Not on my priority list at the moment, will maybe do it next year. Mirrors : Have already zeroed in on the below SGP ones, scouting for the same.   On Road Price : I guess the Stock Gypsy was for around INR 7.5 Lacs On Road, will check the invoices when I am back in town this Saturday and update. cool_dube : Have read your thread brother, infact had read it prior to writing the mail to MSIL, was just trying my luck.  rakesh_r : Long time no see yaar, should plan a reunion. Also if there is a Team Bhp meet happening in Mumbai, am in. A pic from the good old Gypsy Hunting days while at Rizvi.  | |||
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15th March 2017, 22:38
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| Senior - BHPian  | Re: Got Gypsy’ied - My brand new Maruti Gypsy 4x4 Congrats on the Gypsy. How much was the down payment and whats the EMI? Quote:
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16th March 2017, 00:17
| #11 | ||
| BHPian Join Date: May 2011 Location: MH02/MH08/GJ01
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| Re: Got Gypsy’ied - My brand new Maruti Gypsy 4x4 Quote:
 The Second Sticker is more of a Spec Sheet.  Designed by me and printed by a local guy, who sadly goofed up on the dimensions part. The diagonal length was supposed to be 20 cm, but what got printed is horizontal width - 20 cm. Will redo the stickers shortly. Other Stickers/Logo's were ordered from Ebay/Amazon/Flipkart, except for the below which was printed through Vistaprint.  Quote:
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18th March 2017, 08:49
| #12 |
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18th March 2017, 09:33
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| Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pune
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18th March 2017, 15:42
| #14 | ||
| BHPian Join Date: May 2011 Location: MH02/MH08/GJ01
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| Re: Got Gypsy’ied - My brand new Maruti Gypsy 4x4 Quote:
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Registration Charges : INR 62697 Insurance Charges : INR 28891 Loan Amount : INR 640000 EMI : INR 10151 | ||
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18th March 2017, 19:41
| #15 |
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