[Xinger]

After generating more pre-launch hype and feverish anticipation (at least here on Team-bhp) than anything that ever rolled on 4 wheels, the Thar finally arrived with a bang... which has soon faded into a whimper. The very people who were most excited about it, discussed it endlessly, held their breath awaiting it for years, now heap scorn upon it.

The dream, it seems, is over.

Like someone who's had an online romance for years and then finally sees her for the first time in the flesh, you know that the love has died and can never be rekindled again. You turn away, double-clutching your broken heart, and consider the limited choices before you:



OPTION 1:
There is the time-honored tradition of buying an ex-army/pre-owned MM540/550/CJ/Willys and restoring it just the way you want it.


Pros: You can get a basic 4x4 up and running for around the on-road price of a Nano.
Cons: It's never up and running for long, your mechanic spends more time under it than you do in it. And then you find that you're putting the price of a nano into it every year!




OPTION 2:
Gypsy

Pros: Off road, it blows your mind.
Cons: On road, it blows your spine.




OPTION 3:
If you've more money than the average Joe, you can spend it on getting a modern 4x4 like the Fortuner, Endeavor, Yeti etc.

Pros: They come loaded with all kinds of gizmos that can make the most rugged terrain seem like a trip to the mall.
Cons: You use them only for trips to the mall.




OPTION 4:
You could of course, wait for the Jimny, which has been in the rumors for so long that even if it is actually launched, no one will believe it.

Pros: 1. Much more modern than the Thar or anything else in the price bracket.
2. A proven performer off road.
Cons: 1. It is very small.
2. If you buy one, people will think you're secretly a girl.



OPTION 5:
Or maybe, just Maybe... you're one of the rare ones here who does not feel the Thar is overpriced, unrefined, overantiquated, under-equipped and generally undesirable. Maybe, in spite of everything, you still think you'll go for it.

Pros: 1. Stonking engine.
2. IFS suspension means its more comfortable, (though yet unproven in off road situations with regard to durability/repair cost.)
Cons: 1. Lack of factory-fitted hard top and AC option.
2. Fit & Finish. Unfortunately most of M&M lives in an era when 'fit & finish' meant you just fit everything together, and then you were finished!

So what would YOU do?

[Jaggu]

You should have given the poll multi poll options.

What i would like to do:
-- Keep CJ3B
-- Wait for couple of months for Jimny news OR Thar V2 and then decide between the two
-- If ^^ are negative then go for a brand new Gypsy

Best of both worlds. Old school killer and a new school all-rounder

[Ashley Nair]

Old school killer and a new school all-rounder

Or prepare for an unending wait for Bolero 4x4

[Sudarshan]

If conditions ( my own ) permit I will be going for Thar

I was a biker first so dont care about ac though want it lockable (HT )


Main reason : If a person like DB sir is putting his money/reputation on it why cant I ?

Seen enough of the restored ones , Its true that thease cars spend more time with mech & in five years time one spends more money then a new + frustration .Its a good fun building your own Jeep ( initially ) ,but majority gets frustrated,as time goes by . I think many will eventually evolve from that stage .

There are very few ones like Arka,Khan bhai, Fazal bhai ,DKG & few others unknown to me ( UBS sir is a above all figure though ) ,who really know what they want & get it done efficiently & economically .Others just make the mech rich . Dont feel offended Guys ,my apology in advance

If we are spending the same after five years ,then atleast we can save time spent at garages by buying a new one.NOT NECESSARY YOU SHOULD GO FOR THAR , go for something else which suits you .

Sudarshan

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by Sudarshan

I was a biker first so dont care about ac though want it lockable (HT )

I had similar feelings about a year back, but after one Pune and one Chennai trip in a Gypsy i have changed the opinion. Maybe am not a biker anymore maybe am getting old

[AVR]

Originally Posted by Xinger

The dream, it seems, is over.

Like someone who's had an online romance for years and then finally sees her for the first time in the flesh, you know that the love has died and can never be rekindled again. You turn away, double-clutching your broken heart, and consider the limited choices before you:


up and running for around the on-road price of a Nano....And then you find that you're putting the price of a nano into it every year!


Unfortunately most of M&M lives in an era when 'fit & finish' meant you just fit everything together, and then you were finished!

Awesome introductions!

I am somewhere between option 1 & 2. Primarily because M&M doesn't bother with us mortals in Ahmedabad and then by the time it will reach here I guess V2 will already be on its way!

[georgev]

Jimny is great, but still i like a diesel Gypsy with HT and power steering @ 6-6.5 on the road with optional AC.

Thar is great , a V2 with modern plastics and fittings ala Scorpio with AC and HT will be the way to go

[starter]

Xinger, i would go in for a Gypsy. Pros, you've already mentioned.
For the cons, if you have 50K (which you would anyway save in comparison to Thar) you can buy yourself OME suspension kit deisgned for Gypsy and that should take care of the bad ride part.
But this is just me. It changes from person to person and from usage to usage.
And no, am not against Thar. The day BD Sir's team comes up with an AC and a lockable hardtop, i would love to pick one up for myself as a daily driver and probably also to do some long distance cruising. But, Gypsy shall stay! (forever!!)
Cheers,
Deepak

Originally Posted by Sudarshan

NOT NECESSARY YOU SHOULD GO FOR THAR , go for something else which suits you .

Well put Sudarshan.

Originally Posted by Jaggu

I had similar feelings about a year back, but after one Pune and one Chennai trip in a Gypsy i have changed the opinion. Maybe am not a biker anymore maybe am getting old

+1 Jaggu. AC is no longer an option, it is a necessity. Provided, this is going to be your only drive. But, if thar is coming in as a pure OTR vehicle, you may live without one.

EDIT: Just saw Sreeraj's vote and

[DirtyDan]

I wait.
I watch.

No option gives me a warm-fuzzy.

[shankar.balan]

waiting for M&M to come up with the Scorpio 4WD LX/DX Version which dispenses with all un-necessary cosmetics and silly gizmos but yet incorporates all safety features like Airbags, ABS and possibly EBD. Also waiting for them to be kind enough to allow consumers a choice of colour. Prepared to wait and watch in the meantime.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

waiting for M&M to come up with the Scorpio 4WD LX/DX Version which dispenses with all un-necessary cosmetics and silly gizmos but yet incorporates all safety features like Airbags, ABS and possibly EBD. Also waiting for them to be kind enough to allow consumers a choice of colour. Prepared to wait and watch in the meantime.

My sentiments exactly. I want a 4x4 tourer and not a luxury vehicle with electronic gizmos. I till do not understand the rationale of not providing 4x4 at the lowest trim level. After all 4x4 is not off-the-shelf, they are building the vehicle on order. If they can give it Police and Army, why not us. Yes ABS is essential at this weight for highway travel.

[Tejas@perioimpl]

As jaggu said, you should have given a multi poll option.

I'm going ahead doing a ground up restoration and build of a new jeep which will be basically a "thar" but with my specs.

For me the thar failed not because of poor interiors or ac or lack of HT. That i could make. It failed because:
- i felt price was 1 lac more
- modification options not many
- i would land up spending close to 10 lakhs for a type of car that i would want
- questionable IFS. I'd wait and watch for IFS weakness/durability
- too much power. Yes, too much. Due to the fact that the front doesn't articulate and the 4.3 dif ratio, the thar solely relies on power. You slot and power through. That's good for slush etc. But, when offroading, you want to crawl up sometimes slowly and technically. Jeepers will understand what i mean. The first obstacle of examm where we also tested the thar: here in my Classic or other CJs, it was a pleasure to go slow, decide and analyze and path of ascent and make small correction has you progress though the climb. The thar here was a no brainer. Decide exit point and punch the accelerator. even the descents are frightfully fast in the thar in dry conditions. Wet and you get suicidal.

I would have loved to wait for jimny or thar v2. But no one knows when jimny will come and thar v2 is a long way off. So it's a ground up mm550 (hopefully ngcs chassis) and scorpio or dcm engine for me. The project is code named Tzar (a play on Czar and Thar and Tsar).

[roy_libran]

There could have been a few more options here:
1. Scorpio VLX 4x4
2. Safari 4x4
3. Xenon XT 4WD
4. Gurkha

[Sudarshan]

Originally Posted by roy_libran

There could have been a few more options here:
2. Safari 4x4

No offence man but Safari 4x4 dosent sound a comparison ( specially the bus like front overhang ) its frightning .

Sudarshan

[roy_libran]

Originally Posted by Sudarshan

No offence man but Safari 4x4 dosent sound a comparison ( specially the bus like front overhang ) its frightning .

Sudarshan

Completely Agree, with your views Sudarshan. However, it is a product available in the market, and does find some appeal to a segment of Consumers.


On similar lines of thought, Scorpio 4x4 isn't too great either with that 185 mm GC, and the Xenon has a huge rear overhang. The Gurkha is deliberately difficult to acquire.... But, they ARE all OPTIONS.