[kuttapan]

Sweet ! So if you go thru the right channel, it is possible to get a 550 for civilian use from Mahindra.

Some interior pics please !

[kittigadu]

Guys,
Thank you all.

Do join us for an OTR in Bangalore.

Definitely khan, Thankyou.

Only thing/s missing might be a good custom made roll cage and a winch

Yes, planning for a rollcage like that of the THAR.
Shall have to postphone the winch till my bank balance starts going up north again.

do post more photos as and when you add or make changes to that lovely jeep

Sure. i Shall document each and every thing that happens to her. I am a ex-media man u see.

I have never seen a jeep configured with the rear seats like that.

dan, if you remove the softtop of a recent military jeep, you can find the seats just like that.
my home in hyderabad is just beside the secunderabad cantonment. I some times go talk to the army guys driving those jeeps.
Most of the times, i had the luxury to hop in and checkout the stuff. The seats i found in them are similar. Including the curve in the sponge.
Tomorrow or so, i will post a few pics of all the small details.

Btw, are those pictures taken in Banjara hills

The first picture is in Jublee hills
2nd & 5th @ manchinebele lake 50kms from bangalore
3rd & 4Th are near my hyd home at mahindra hills, secunderabad.

what can you tell us about those wheels

yes, they are imports. Thats what the previous owner told me. beyond that all i can do is blink and scratch the back of my head.

btw your from hyd or banglore? are the tyres the oe one's from the company or did you procure it in hyd

I moved to bangalore from hyderabad in september 2007. My introduction here
About the tyres, As far as i can remember, the owner told me that he changed only the rim. And, when u see any new army 550's, they have the similar thread pattern. Just that on this rim, it looks different. BTW, they are MRF sand grip.
BTW, The rim on my jeep looks similar to the one on the THAR. umm, noticed that just now.


Regards,
Krishna

[nitrous]

A very lovely jeep and its rare to see brand new jeep buyers(for recreation),these days.
Btw, why didn't you get the 5 speed gearbox?

[sreerajunnithan]

Woaha!!! Welcome to the club my friend! Me too will get hold of one this Monday. She looks sexy! @nitrous Military 550s XD comes with 4speed GB if i am correct.

Sreeraj

[Off Roadie]

Amazing Jeep even the Photos Scream Mint.
Congratulations and it seems like u were more than happy to max the suspension in the first photo shoot itself.
by the way hose tires look like MRF's

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by kittigadu

Mint MM550 XD
XD3P engine (73/76 bhp)
4 wheel drive, single lever shift
4 gear Fwd + 1 reverse
Front free wheeling hubs
Limited Slip Differential
Steering stabilizer (shock absorber to one of the rods)
Front Disk brakes
16" Sand Grip sand & highway tires

--- all the above are company fitted ---

Oh my god, all this company fitted. Do you realise how lucky you are... You better do the Raid and Desert Storm and Palar and what not to justify this much luck. Congrats!

[manson]

The JEEP boys are gonna love you around here. GTO will tell us how perfect it is to read through this thread on a weekend morning when he logs in tommorow.
That is a very young and beatiful looking Jeep. Congratulations on the acquisition, and welcome to the forum.

manson.

[kittigadu]

Are you facing any heating issue while using in low gear for 10-15 minutes

well, havent noticed any thing like that. probably havent been on low gear for that long. Just that i smelled metal burning (like the one that comes when a train stops abruptly)
when i used the 4 wheel drive. That could be because its been a while since 4x4 is used on this vehicle. now its all gone.

A very lovely jeep and its rare to see brand new jeep buyers(for recreation),these days

There are a few factors and certain degree of madness involved in going behind jeeps that are in mint condition.
I have lived with jeeps when i was young and i know what to expect from a old jeep. In my view, When a jeep gets older in your hands its different. You pamper it and really take care of it.
it becomes more like a pet dog. But if it already comes old and shaky then you treat it like a mongrel. U just dont care. Some times if it doesnt listen to you, you abuse it physically and verbally too.

I was specifically searching for a 550 with 73 Bhp engine. I missed one in chennai. i was late by 1 hour. Its a 5 speed 550 2001 model,only 10k done in 8 years. Always garage parked.
That day i couldnt forgive myself. i couldnt sleep for a few days. There was a lump in my throat that stayed on for a week.


And hey, this is not just for recreation. Its a serious car for me. I love driving it in the city. I can see the whole hosur road upto hosur from behind the wheel :-)

Btw, why didn't you get the 5 speed gearbox?

well, the army range 550XD doesnt come with a 5Th gear. When we were test driving the vehicle, i was searching for the '5' on the gear knob.
Later i thought that the knob is some other vehicle's and tried to push the gear towards the generally lying '5th' position and this damn thing doesnt move.
Then, i realised that the army jeeps doesnt have one. Later that day my search online proved the same.

Congratulations and it seems like u were more than happy to max the suspension in the first photo shoot itself

well, that is one cause of concern. If the wheel is straight there is no problem at all. But when the wheel is at an angle it kicks up the metal and the whole
cheek will be damaged. already similar thing happened the other day when i had to go into a pit. A portion of the rubber got a small cut and the inside wall of the fender popped out.
Shall post a pic of that tomorrow.

Oh my god, all this company fitted. Do you realise how lucky you are.

yeah. That was the same expression on my face when the owner told me that. And that was one reason i made the deal the same evening before the word could spread.
Especially, the steering stabilizer and the disk brakes. I was going on asking him whether if he was sure that they were company fitted and he was almost fed up. He started adding "babaaa" in the end. " yes babaaa, mahindra gave them babaaa, i didnt change anything babaaa."

regards,
Krishna

[whicked wheels]

Hi Kitigadu, thats one hell of a jeep you got. You are one lucky guy my friend too had the same model its one extraordinary machine loved driving it. Its a beast when its off the road and in 4x4. Have a great time offroading.

[Parm]

im lovin it.

why doesnt M&M offer limited editions to indians? Thar is being exported to portugal. check these details and website:

Mahindra Thar Pickup
• Multi use classic off-road vehicle
– Motorised with Peugeot-Citroen-Moteurs engine
• 1997 cc – turbo diesel – common rail – direct injection
• 90cv (66kw) @ 4000 rpm
• 205 Nm @ 1900 rpm
– Frame: supporting side members
– Body: open, canopy or plastic cover with n. 2 seats
– Brakes: front: disk – rear: drum with power brake
– Transmission: 5 speed gearbox + reverse with reduction gear on
all ratios - connectable front wheel drive;
– Final transmission: “cardan” with rigid live axles;
– Steering: hydraulically servo assisted.

Mahindra Thar

cheers:

[kuttapan]

Because of economic reasons, probably. They are selling Major at 5.5 lacs+, so this would cost much much more and there would be no market for it in India.

[4x4addict]

Great jeep man. I saw this for sale in Hyderbad. Glad it was picked by an enthusiast. BTW, Mahindra did offer this specifications to civilians for a period. The army version has slight differences in the leaf springs, bumpers, black out lights, etc. compare it to the Mahindra legend to see the differences.

[4x4addict]

One thing that you can definitely check for is the oil cooler that comes on the army version. It sits in between the engine and the oil filter and has a hose from the cooling system to cool the oil.

SirAlec, if you look into your buddy's ex-army MM550, you will see it.

[susan3004]

Originally Posted by DirtyDan

Welcome to the site. That is some first post, I must say! I have never seen a jeep configured with the rear seats like that. If it is not too much trouble can you post a few more pics especially of the rear area where your canvas top meets the rear deck. And, what can you tell us about those wheels? They are imports?

Hi Ken,
Those seats are originally like thisw only. The Army jeeps are configured in this manner only. The frame for the soft top can be fitted in the slot designed for the same.

[GTO]

Congratulations on acquiring such an immaculate export-grade Jeep! Goes to show that if searched hard enough, one can end up with a really good Jeep. At 2000 kms, it is practically brand new too. I am damn impressed by the level of kit that Mahindra has fitted on your Jeep. Nothing like factory-fit installs, especially the LSD & disc brakes.

Originally Posted by kittigadu

probably havent been on low gear for that long. Just that i smelled metal burning (like the one that comes when a train stops abruptly)
when i used the 4 wheel drive. That could be because its been a while since 4x4 is used on this vehicle. now its all gone.

You'd do good by having your local Jeep shop service / lubricate the 4WD equipment. I have been adviced to engage the 4WD ever so often, and since your Jeep has only run an average of 250 kms p.a., servicing will get rid of any potential rust, lubricate it properly and clean up the parts of dirt buildup.

You probably don't want to share how much you paid for the Jeep and we respect that. How about a ball park figure? In the range of a base Safari?

Originally Posted by kittigadu

They all dropped their plans to buy the swifts and vernas. Now they are all searching like mad.


Even after owning one, when ever i see any other jeep on the roads my head automatically turns to see it. i dont compare it with mine, i just see it till its gone out of sight. Dont know why. Ocationally wave hands if i feel its driven by (not chauffeur looking) young guys.

In my view, When a jeep gets older in your hands its different. You pamper it and really take care of it.
it becomes more like a pet dog. But if it already comes old and shaky then you treat it like a mongrel. U just dont care. Some times if it doesnt listen to you, you abuse it physically and verbally too.

I know a Jeeper when I hear one! Well said.

why doesnt M&M offer limited editions to indians? Thar is being exported to portugal. check these details and website:

It may be only a matter of time before Mahindra offers some limited edition 4x4 to Indian enthusiasts We should wait and watch.