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Old 8th January 2017, 00:11   #1201
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cool_dube View Post
Posting a few pics of my newly acquired Gypsy King - first one being from the day of delivery and the other one post change of footwear. I never realized that I had not posted a single pic on this thread so far! Am yet to take the Gypsy for an outstation drive - will post some better pics soon with the Gypsy in its elements. Till then, please make do with these

Awesome Pictures! I am obsessed now with the King. Thank you for sharing. I am the one whose heart always goes for a Gypsy/ Jeep but always compromise and settle for something else going with my mind each time by considering practicalities. But I can't stop dreaming of owning a Gypsy or a Thar sometime and being envious of the ravishing pictures that our friends keep sharing of the beasts.

Can you please give me your personal thoughts over choosing a Gypsy over a Thar? I understand that it's a completely personal choice but didn't you consider factors like Diesel engine, AC and Power Steering offered by the Thar. Pricing is also a factor and Gypsy does give one that extra budget to play around with customisation. Can you please also share the on-road price that you paid for the soft top and amount that you spent for changing its footwear? Thanks in advance.
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Old 8th January 2017, 08:38   #1202
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Mr Panda.
Despite the thirty year
Old design of the Gypsy it is actually more ergonomic than the Thar.
The Thar has a few advantages. Power Steering, Solid Hard top, AC and Diesel power along with a pretty torquey luggable engine.
Its disadvantages are its weight, the 4WD selector is very badly sited and it isnt as ergonomic as it could have been.
It is also a very old design - derived from the 1980's Jeep Wrangler TJ and CJ but while the Wranglers went and changed theirselves and modernized significantly, the Thar remains stuck in time.

Personally I prefer the Gypsy for its lightweight frame and extreme off road capability along with its basic, non electronic, functional, bare bones nature along with its nice petrol engine and its phenomenal 4WD. Unbreakable is the right word.

While the Thar costs around 11 ish on road Bangalore, the Gypsy costs around 8, leaving, as you rightly said, some financial scope for customization and modification. The Thar is pretty much available off the shelf but the Gypsy involves ordering and waiting patiently for 3 months. Hard top may or may not be available while the standard and more easily procured one is the soft top.
Fresh new tyres (5 nos) in the Gypsy would cost about 28-30K...less if you buy on Paytm because of cashbacks as I recently took advantage of.
The Yokohama Geolandars are good tyres for the Gypsy and are available in the stock radial size 205/70/15 or if you wish to upsize a bit, 215/75/15.
Other good tyres are Goodyear Wranglers 215/75/15 which I have fitted.
Of course mine is a 14-15 year old second hand Gypsy King but those can be got
at anywhere from 1.5 to 5 lacs depending on the condition, source, provenance and city of purchase. New-ish used Thars are also happily available at 7-9 lacs in the second hand market.

Hope this helps you. All the best in your journey...
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Old 9th January 2017, 16:39   #1203
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Re: Maruti Gypsy Pictures

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Originally Posted by jbpanda View Post
Can you please give me your personal thoughts over choosing a Gypsy over a Thar?
Enough and more has been discussed on this topic time and again. While I do not want to get into the endless Gypsy vs. Thar debate, I did make sure that I TD the Thar before I place the order for a new Gypsy King, just so that I do not leave any stone un-turned. Although in my heart I always knew that I will not buy a Thar

As you aptly said, it is a very personal choice indeed. The Thar is a very well put together package, no doubt, but somehow it has never appealed to me. For these kind of cult vehicles, that emotional connect has to be there which, in my case, was never there with the Thar.

Sorry to digress here but to elaborate more on what I am talking about - when I first saw the M&M Classic way back in 1994 on Marine Drive in Mumbai, it blew me away - love at first sight - and I swore that I will own one some day. And so I did, in 2004 when I had enough money but had to settle for a pre-owned one because sadly enough, the assembly lines for the Classic had gone silent in 2000. Nothing of this sort happened when I first saw the Thar, not sure why. Maybe it was the "sophistication" associated with a vehicle which, by definition, is supposed to be simple and bare-bones, that put me off.

There are only 2 other vehicles till date, which have tugged at my heart with similar intensity - Tata Safari and Maruti Suzuki Gypsy.

I was always fascinated by the old world charm associated with the Gypsy - the simplicity, the ruggedness, the no-nonsense interiors, close to zilch electronics, the very fact that it serves thousands of our soldiers day in and day out! Call me old school but I like my vehicles simple and basic - function over form. Given all this, the choice was obvious for me And do note that I do not intend to participate in hard-core offroad events with my new King - I have done all of that and more with my Classic. This vehicle is for the keeps and currently, my daily drive to work as well.

That said, please do not get swayed by what you hear from a maverick like me. Do test-drive the Thar before you make any decisions. Also consider other factors like intended usage. In my case, I have other cars in my garage to take care of grocery runs and long outstation trips, and the Gypsy is NOT intended for either of these. If you are looking for a vehicle which is fairly close to a car - A/C, P/S, etc. - and yet satiate the desire of owning a cult vehicle, the Thar is any day a better choice over the Gypsy.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jbpanda View Post
Can you please also share the on-road price that you paid for the soft top and amount that you spent for changing its footwear?
The Gypsy King ST costed me 7.9x lac on-road in Bangalore. The Yokohama tyres costed me close to 30K for set of 5, some of which was recovered by selling the OE tyres on olx.

Hope this helps!

Last edited by cool_dube : 9th January 2017 at 16:47.
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Old 9th January 2017, 18:26   #1204
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Thanks Mr Balan for your detailed views and suggestions. Very helpful and much appreciated. While the raw Gypsy is a King in itself and ruled for 3 decades but I really hope Maruti continues with its production for enthusiasts and fans of it like us with suitable practicalities. The DDiS engine in Brezza/ Ertiga may be a good option to go with Power Steering and AC options. I remember seeing a Gypsy in a garage where the owner had used a 2000 DSZ Isuzu Engine from the Ambassador/ Contessa Classic and was very happy with the performance. Not sure about the off roading abilities though.
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Old 10th January 2017, 18:54   #1205
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A coupla modded Gypsies at the Malnad Auto Store - owned by an 'Off Road' enthusiast who runs off road events regularly.

Maruti Gypsy Pictures-imageuploadedbyteambhp1484054489.381084.jpg
Maruti Gypsy Pictures-imageuploadedbyteambhp1484054499.288173.jpg

And then some Gypsies lying about in varying states of disrepair, at Sri Raksha - Sardar's Garage on Sarjapur Road...

Maruti Gypsy Pictures-imageuploadedbyteambhp1484054593.665097.jpg
Maruti Gypsy Pictures-imageuploadedbyteambhp1484054607.874583.jpg
Maruti Gypsy Pictures-imageuploadedbyteambhp1484054622.579206.jpg
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Old 12th January 2017, 23:41   #1206
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cool_dube View Post

Sorry to digress here but to elaborate more on what I am talking about - when I first saw the M&M Classic way back in 1994 on Marine Drive in Mumbai, it blew me away - love at first sight - and I swore that I will own one some day.
===========
The Gypsy King ST costed me 7.9x lac on-road in Bangalore. The Yokohama tyres costed me close to 30K for set of 5, some of which was recovered by selling the OE tyres on olx.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for the information. This is useful. The Gypsy does give one some extra margin to customise.

Last edited by Jaggu : 13th January 2017 at 00:23. Reason: Please avoid Quoting entire large post for a short reply. Thanks.
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Old 14th January 2017, 13:35   #1207
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Cool_dube
We shall have to catch up once Im back from travel. Must compare the two warhorses side by side.
Mine, poor thing, is quite an aged beast and its latent imperfections do show up when one looks closely.
And despite all the stuff I ve done so far, Im still feeling that the engine runs a bit raggedy rough even at idling and while driving about, the revs arent quite there always...timing is still probably off kilter.
The thing I most want to compare between your brand new Gypsy and my old warrior are the engines and how the vehicles drive.
Even after removing and re firting the rear lead springs and re-doing the suspension settings all over again I m still noting a clear 1 inch difference with the right rear being lower.
Measuring along the centre of the wheel with a tape when parked on a level surface the distance from the bottom of the tyre to the lower edge of the wheel arch on the left side reads 32 inches and on the right reads 31.

Maruti Gypsy Pictures-imageuploadedbyteambhp1484380838.276991.jpg
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Old 14th January 2017, 17:53   #1208
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Re: Maruti Gypsy Pictures

Quote:
Originally Posted by shankar.balan View Post
Even after removing and re firting the rear lead springs and re-doing the suspension settings all over again I m still noting a clear 1 inch difference with the right rear being lower.
Did you replace the leaf set? Only way to get it perfect is complete leaf set. It is not very costly so is a worthy investment and should improve ride also. Also do check the shockers, again not very expensive and you can use Qualis rear's if I am not mistaken for better ride.
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Old 14th January 2017, 18:07   #1209
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Maruti Gypsy Pictures

Thanks Jaggu
Shockers were found to be in order last time we checked a week ago.
I want to replace all the 4 rear leaves on each side with brand new ones.
Is it worth adding one extra leaf on each side? (please see the pic of the side view earlier posted. It seems to me that the rear hangs lower than the front and I want the rear to be equivalent or higher like it should be, considering the front has the engine load to worry about. I really don't like the "saggy" behind!)
The rear of this Gypsy is empty...just a large luggage bay. Its like a van because I chucked out the rear seats.
And the only people who may use that area are my doggies and that too occasionally because they are old fellows now.
All I really want is for the rear to be nice and high off the ground and to avoid this constant 'sagging behind' that too only on the right side.
I dont mind the rear being even an inch or couple of inches higher on both sides!

And I really want to smoothen the engine and get some more power out of it if possible in each gear. I dont like the seemingly 'stalling type' knocking and vibration at lower speeds in third and fourth - its very marginal but I want it perfect. Timing was also reset so Im wondering if an engine decarb and/ or tune job is needed again.

Last edited by shankar.balan : 14th January 2017 at 18:29.
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Old 24th January 2017, 15:14   #1210
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Re: Maruti Gypsy Pictures

Quote:
Originally Posted by cool_dube View Post
Enough and more has been discussed on this topic time and again. While I do not want to get into the endless Gypsy vs. Thar debate, I did make sure that I TD the Thar before I place the order for a new Gypsy King, just so that I do not leave any stone un-turned. Although in my heart I always knew that I will not buy a Thar

As you aptly said, it is a very personal choice indeed. The Thar is a very well put together package, no doubt, but somehow it has never appealed to me. For these kind of cult vehicles, that emotional connect has to be there which, in my case, was never there with the Thar.

Sorry to digress here but to elaborate more on what I am talking about - when I first saw the M&M Classic way back in 1994 on Marine Drive in Mumbai, it blew me away - love at first sight - and I swore that I will own one some day. And so I did, in 2004 when I had enough money but had to settle for a pre-owned one because sadly enough, the assembly lines for the Classic had gone silent in 2000. Nothing of this sort happened when I first saw the Thar, not sure why. Maybe it was the "sophistication" associated with a vehicle which, by definition, is supposed to be simple and bare-bones, that put me off.

There are only 2 other vehicles till date, which have tugged at my heart with similar intensity - Tata Safari and Maruti Suzuki Gypsy.

I was always fascinated by the old world charm associated with the Gypsy - the simplicity, the ruggedness, the no-nonsense interiors, close to zilch electronics, the very fact that it serves thousands of our soldiers day in and day out! Call me old school but I like my vehicles simple and basic - function over form. Given all this, the choice was obvious for me And do note that I do not intend to participate in hard-core offroad events with my new King - I have done all of that and more with my Classic. This vehicle is for the keeps and currently, my daily drive to work as well.

That said, please do not get swayed by what you hear from a maverick like me. Do test-drive the Thar before you make any decisions. Also consider other factors like intended usage. In my case, I have other cars in my garage to take care of grocery runs and long outstation trips, and the Gypsy is NOT intended for either of these. If you are looking for a vehicle which is fairly close to a car - A/C, P/S, etc. - and yet satiate the desire of owning a cult vehicle, the Thar is any day a better choice over the Gypsy.



The Gypsy King ST costed me 7.9x lac on-road in Bangalore. The Yokohama tyres costed me close to 30K for set of 5, some of which was recovered by selling the OE tyres on olx.

Hope this helps!
Hi!
I live between Ooty and Goa. Just booked a Gypsy King (soft top) at Sai Service in Margao (goa). White was the only option. Should be ready to for pick up next week.

What should I ask for and what should I look for when I pick up the vehicle?

Will be using it in both Ooty and Goa. Minor off roading, mostly jungle in Ooty and a bit of beach n sand in Goa. I will also be lugging kayaks and SUP boards in Goa and driving around with dogs in the back in Ooty.

I will most probably remove the top and restrict it to some cover over the cabin alone. What about things like mats etc..? If i want basic things done like tyre change, roll cage and custom soft top, who/what do you you suggest ?

If these questions have already been answered, please guide me to the thread. There's so much on the gypsy out here, i repeatedly get lost...

Thank you!
Arun
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Old 24th January 2017, 20:26   #1211
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Arun
The Gypsy is probably the most mod friendly vehicle out there!
You can buy most of what you need on Jeepkart and Amazon and Paytm and so on in terms of mats and accessories etc.
Ref the body mods better to go to a specialist like Bimbra in Gurgaon ( one name that comes to mind).
Another option in Bangalore is Malnad Auto in HSR Layout, whose owner Abhilash can get stuff done for you. He s an avid mud roader enthusiast and a pretty nice young chap. Understands Gypsys and the people who own them.

All the best in your new white monster!
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Old 24th January 2017, 21:53   #1212
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Here are a couple of pics of a Gypsy I saw near my office today...Maruti Gypsy Pictures-imageuploadedbyteambhp1485275011.476021.jpg

Maruti Gypsy Pictures-imageuploadedbyteambhp1485275025.465856.jpg
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Old 25th January 2017, 06:43   #1213
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Re: Maruti Gypsy Pictures

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Originally Posted by Arun K Vaddi View Post
driving around with dogs in the back in Ooty.

I will most probably remove the top and restrict it to some cover over the cabin alone.
Based on the above, I would not hurry with the top removal. The soft top may not look as cool as a front cabin cover, but it is very functional and removing it will mean permanently losing all shelter from the elements at the rear. Dust and Sun are two major issues that have to dealt with in India, even if it means looking a little less cool.
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Old 25th January 2017, 07:39   #1214
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Maruti Gypsy Pictures

Apart from the few club membership car stickers and some small stickers according to personal taste, Ive also bolted on the AA Southern India Member Badge onto the Radiator grille. A couple of small Decals for example the Indian Ashoka Lion 'Sthambh' and so on are awaited for further enhancement.

Next job is the suspension leaf springs at the rear which Im figuring out and then I think this Gypsy is more or less street and daily drive ready. Im also planning a simple set of vinyl seat covers custom stitched for the front two seats since this vehicle only has the front two seats! Ive already gotten the front door pads re covered in black vinyl and installed a couple of OEM Gypsy sunshades on the roof area.

I ve got to add a small plastic clip on sunglass holder onto the sunshades and that'll be it for the moment!

Not to say Im not using the vehicle while all these tiny enhancements are going on. The Gypsy seems to bring out the inherent and very powerful, uncontrollable urge to fiddle about and add little things to it like no other vehicle does!
In fact Im neglecting my Yeti by not driving it much at all!Maruti Gypsy Pictures-imageuploadedbyteambhp1485310120.413292.jpg

Last edited by shankar.balan : 25th January 2017 at 07:46.
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Old 25th January 2017, 12:01   #1215
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Re: Maruti Gypsy Pictures

Quote:
Originally Posted by Arun K Vaddi View Post
I live between Ooty and Goa. Just booked a Gypsy King (soft top) at Sai Service in Margao (goa). White was the only option. Should be ready to for pick up next week.
Congratulations Arun!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Arun K Vaddi View Post
What should I ask for and what should I look for when I pick up the vehicle?
Not sure if I understand your question. Could you please elaborate further? If you are referring to the pre-delivery inspection from your end, there is not much to inspect for the Gypsy, being bare-bones as it is. Just make sure the 4WD lever is not engaged and all electricals are working fine.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Arun K Vaddi View Post
I will most probably remove the top and restrict it to some cover over the cabin alone. What about things like mats etc..? If i want basic things done like tyre change, roll cage and custom soft top, who/what do you you suggest ?
You will get some basics mats (most probably Omni ones) from the dealer. You can always go for better ones like Michelin (here) as procured by Shankar. Tyre change can be done at any tyre dealer's. I'd recommend that you talk to the dealer upfront, fix the deal, and drive the car straight to the tyre shop for the swap, once you take delivery - that way you will get a good price. In my case, however, none of the dealers near my place were willing to buy the ancient tyres which come on the Gypsy and hence, I ended up selling them on OLX. For custom soft top, lots of options @ JC Road. For roll cage, better go for a reliable guy - sorry, cannot give you any pointers though, as have not considered this option.

Feel free to post your queries on this forum - the Gypsy brotherhood is always there to give free gyan

Last edited by cool_dube : 25th January 2017 at 12:03.
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