[Abbas]

from the pics that you posted in the first post, it looks like a tata sierra. Why don`t you buy a sierra then??

[predatorwheelz]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Not to mention you run the risk of divorce and dispossession from inheritance if you travel with family in a gypsy - I once traveled 150km a side from a friend's place in Mumbai to Phansad wildlife sanctuary. By god ki kasam, every other bone in my body told its exact location (courtesy the roads). It was AWESOME off the road, but I got sick from all the thrashing around the gypsy subjects you to (navigator seat).

Sorry for not replying last time. Your post came in when I was busy replying to all the previous posts.

I'm aware of how uncomfortable the Gypsy is. In fact, most modern motorists have no idea that a vehicle can be so comfortable even on good roads.

But here's the catch. I need a car with both highway and off road capability. Either I start off with a highway cruiser, and build off road ability into it, OR I start with an off roader and build highway ability into it.

Which solution do you think is more simple/cost effective? If you have suggestions on modding a Verna for off road use, I'm all ears.

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Sorry to rain down on your thread but I see alot of effort being planned. My little exp with autos tells me that there's no substitute for a brand new stock vehicle (like starter has done). Any army used vehicle will have been used for all of its possible usable life and then some (my friends say that its disposed only when the best of mechs think its not worth the effort at all)

Again, I fully agree that a new vehicle is the best purchase decision. But 4L (the difference between new and ex-army) is a lot of money. If I had that kind of money, I'd have had the car by now!

Originally Posted by bonobashi

Many of us have obviously been trying to square the circle of combining long-distance travel with some light to medium off-roading capability, and wondering what to do about the differences between the two types of design which come out.

Your first post was an excellent summing up. It assumes, however, that our current market situation, with two very low-cost off-roaders which cannot really travel long-distance, aren't cruisers, in other words, and several others which start at 8 lakhs or more and go on all the way into the just-below-a-crore range, will continue.

What we are actually looking for, I think, is a vehicle in the range of Rs. 5 lakhs, with decent cruising ability, probably diesel, for that reason, and decent, not outstanding, off-roading capability. Enough, in fact, to tackle Gorumara forest or a wild and woolly tea garden.

They used to sell the Sumo with 4WD (cf., the Safed Haathi), and that would have been just right. They still sell the 207 with 4WD, but that may be a trifle rough on long drives, and may be too plebeian; chuntering about in one may send eyebrows up even in the family. Unfortunately the cheapest combination cruiser and off-roader (a ferociously over-specced off-roader at that) comes in at Rs. 8 lakhs for an air-conditioned version. I've watched friends coping with a second hand version they bought recently, and they are doing handstands: it suits them and meets both sets of objectives perfectly.

That leaves just two more options: one is the Premier Rio. Unfortunately, until there is at least six months or so of actual use in Indian conditions, and coping with Indian logistics to get spares, it may be a risk. Six months later, your decisions might be strongly influenced by the success or failure of this vehicle.

The other is the Ford mini-SUV code B515, but that is too far away, late 2011 by some reports.

Personally, a Gypsy ride is too rough for my aging bones; at the same time, I hope for the best, and hope that your mods will prove effective.

At this point, I may as well disclose that i shall be angling shamelessly for a test-drive to test out the ameliorative efffects of the mods for myself.

Good luck for Project Nomad!

Quite a philosophical post, covering voids in the Indian automobile industry, market scenarios, forthcoming product launches - Wow! Definitely such a post is more at home in the "Indian Automobile Industry" section!

Jokes apart, you're most welcome to take a ride in the car, as and when I get to finish it.

Originally Posted by diesel_maniac

Hi Predator Wheels !!

Your write up sums up the needs and confusion of a majority of Indian travel and motor enthusiasts. It was a pleasure to read it. I am hooked to your thread and will be waiting for the developments on your end, as I have also contemplated about owning and modding a Gypsy for my daily use and long distance travel usage.

Hoping to see your dream come to life soon !! Wish you all the best for Project Nomad !!

Hi Jas. Have heard about you from Abhishek. Are you aware of a used civilian gypsy on sale in Delhi? Any idea how much its worth?

Originally Posted by Kandisa

Great, so that means on paying around 25K extra (thats more or less the price i 've heard for an AC installation in MASS with brand new parts) one can get an AC fitted gypsy without touching any warranty issues? Just want to re-confirm because i heard something different earlier.

Great! In case this is correct, doesnt it mean that I can restore an ex-army Gypsy first, then take it to MASS directly to get an AC fitted?

Originally Posted by Abbas

from the pics that you posted in the first post, it looks like a tata sierra. Why don`t you buy a sierra then??

While posting a random comment is nice, I'd suggest having the patience to atleast read through the whole thread. Still, to answer your question:

1. Why I wouldnt buy a Sierra? Because I dont trust Tata and never heard of Sierras being put to hardcore off road duty.

2. The Hardtop (panoramic glass and all) was Ayan's idea. I've already stated this. I've also said that the top is the last on my priorities. More concerned with the vehicle's ability than its looks.

3. One suggestion for you. The New Merc E class's tail lights look a lot like a Hyundai Sonata Transform. Why dont you suggest prospective E-class buyers to go for the Sonata instead?

[dwaraka]

Hi,

I have owned the gypsy for over 10 years now and been a traveller with 70k kms on highway and rest on combination of offroad and onroad. Gypsy is very bumpy, true. toss a sack of sand at the back and ride cool. On highway it behaves like a car with no hiccups at all.

As for offroading is concerned, gypsy do not need any modifications. Standard gypsy will take any kind of terrain as khan_sultan mentioned earlier here.

So do not have hesitation to use gypsy for anything.

[Kandisa]

Originally Posted by dwaraka

...Gypsy is very bumpy, true. toss a sack of sand at the back and ride cool. On highway it behaves like a car with no hiccups at all...

Saw the same advice in some other forums as well. So does that fulfill the need of the CFLs as discussed? With the bumpy ride sorted out, highway shouldn't be much of problem i guess as the mpfi king has the ability to cruise in the 100 region consistently without much of effort i ve heard.

[ladak.imran]

@Kandisa
That is right - you can get an AC fitted for about 25-30,000 Rupees without creating any issues with regard to your warranty.. I confirmed with a showroom close to home..

@Predator
If you're picking up an ex-army gypsy, you don't need to get the AC fitted from a maruti service station - you can go to your local AC wallah, and get it done from him for about 12,000 rupees (provided you're ok with using a secondhand compressor - they usually last more than 7 years without problems).
One important thing - before getting the AC fitted, take a look at a couple of threads on the same subject, on Team BHP. The fan for the compressor needs to be positioned in a slightly different area of the engine bay (i think).. If not done properly, the vehicle can overheat at low revs/idle ...

Another option could be to check out accident damaged vehicles - if someone in your circle has totalled their car, you could ask them to let u have their blower n compressor for free

[AyAn!]

Excellent write up Aniket da! So finally Nomad is on BHP!

Presenting a slightly better rendering of the project.The panaromic roof might look a bit OTT but that has been the central highlight of the project so far!

[dwaraka]

Originally Posted by AyAn!

Excellent write up Aniket da! So finally Nomad is on BHP!

Presenting a slightly better rendering of the project.The panaromic roof might look a bit OTT but that has been the central highlight of the project so far!
Attachment 225344

Looks great SUV type with sierra side glass and alloys, wide tyres. good road hugging type. Increase the height by half a feet by SPOA, it becomes an offroader too.

[AltoHoncho]

Something really helpful for your usage Preds.

Maruti Gypsy Maintenance

[Ramsagar]

Great "NOMAD" project ahead. Wish to get away from the looks of Sierra. Roof glass will let lot of heat inside the cabin which needs lot of cooling, simultaneously require more usage of AC.
Try to get some cues from SUZUKI-SAUMARI in other countries. Would be of great use for the body build.

Any updates from the project side?All the best.

[COUGAR]

Originally Posted by Ramsagar

Wish to get away from the looks of Sierra. Roof glass will let lot of heat inside the cabin which needs lot of cooling, simultaneously require more usage of AC.

Actually I saw one Gypsy with this installed (and mix and match from various Tata vehicles) and the Sierra glass looks and works quite well on the Gypsy. More than cooling its air circulation that is the problem: and that could have been corrected with a little planning.

[predatorwheelz]

Guys, despite having done a lot of homework, it seems the biggest first hurdle is to find an MPFI car. I've looked in atleast 4 cities (where army auction vehicles arrive) and everywhere there are only Carb Gypsy Kings. So the MPFIs really havent hit the market.

As for civilian vehicles, there are none in Kolkata. Elsewhere the MPFIs are very expensive.

Any more suggestions? How about govt dept (non army) vehicles? I'm sure these get scrapped sooner than army vehicles. Please be on the lookout for an MPFi example.

How feasible is the idea of buying a Carb Gypsy King (or better, even a MG410W) and plonking in a new MPFI engine?

@Ayan - Dude, I dont see any change except the blue in a bolder shade. Or are my (non-artistic) eyes tricking me?

@Altohoncho - Thank you bhai. As far as I remember, this very guide had come out in an old (pre 2000) issue of Auto India. But its better to have the info ready at hand now.

@Khan_Sultan - I'm still awaiting the specs of the stock shocks that the Gypsy uses. Then I'll know which shock to look for in the Monroe/Koni website.

Guys, please stop discussing the glass roof. I stress again and again that it is an unimportant detail for now.

[khan_sultan]

Best of luck in finding a MPFI gypsy. Some people even say that finding parking place in cities is easier than finding a good & reasonably priced MPFI Gypsy .

Originally Posted by predatorwheelz

...
@Khan_Sultan - I'm still awaiting the specs of the stock shocks that the Gypsy uses. Then I'll know which shock to look for in the Monroe/Koni website..

No idea of the specs for the stock shocks. Maybe, just get 1 shock from a MASS and take it to do your research. It is cheap, some ~250 bucks.

[annu0706]

hi there,
have you checked mayapuri ?
i'm going to pick a king next week [finally] from mayapuri a 2005 model the praise coated is 2.25, should i look for you also ??

[predatorwheelz]

Originally Posted by khan_sultan

Best of luck in finding a MPFI gypsy. Some people even say that finding parking place in cities is easier than finding a good & reasonably priced MPFI Gypsy .

So true.

Originally Posted by khan_sultan

No idea of the specs for the stock shocks. Maybe, just get 1 shock from a MASS and take it to do your research. It is cheap, some ~250 bucks.

Lets see. Alternatively, will pay a visit to the friendly neighbourhood MASS this weekend and sweet talk them into giving the info.

Originally Posted by annu0706

hi there,
have you checked mayapuri ?
i'm going to pick a king next week [finally] from mayapuri a 2005 model the praise coated is 2.25, should i look for you also ??

Absolutely. Please do check out if there are decent MPFI examples and let me know.

[gotzuk]

Originally Posted by predatorwheelz

@Khan_Sultan - I'm still awaiting the specs of the stock shocks that the Gypsy uses. Then I'll know which shock to look for in the Monroe/Koni website.

The shocks available as OEM from Maruti are Indian made Monroe units and in Delhi, retail for Rs.1448 for a set of four.
However, if you are interested in the imported version go in for Monroe-matic Plus Shocks, 31029 for the front and 32207 for the rear.

The part numbers for Koni shocks are 26-1168 for the front and 26-1369 for the rear.

Cheers